This valuable resource is designed to be used in a ten-session, guided group study that examines each chapter of John Piper's best-selling book.

The average person would sum up his ideal life in words that describe the American dream: College. Job. Marriage. House. Kids. Comfortable income. Retire. But did God design people for far more than this?

Yes, declares John Piper. Nevertheless, millions waste their lives on such trivial pursuits—all because they have not awakened to the simple, biblical reality that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” This individualized resource, in accord with the other components in the redesigned Don't Waste Your Life Group Study Kit, can assist churches, small groups, and teachers in reversing that empty trend.

This full-length study guide is designed for use in a ten-session group study that explores each chapter of John Piper's best-selling book. It contains clearly defined objectives for each lesson, questions for reflection and discussion, a leader's guide and other supplemental resources, and blank pages for note-taking—all to stimulate life-changing discussion within a group and to convey Piper's passion to make our lives count for eternity.

Bunyan • Cowper • Brainerd

John Bunyan suffered long-term imprisonment, even when a simple promise to cease preaching would have freed him, and he was moved to rely on God even more… Despite month after month of debilitating depression, William Cowper’s poetry reflected the sustaining character of God and led him to worship more deeply… David Brainerd so desired to honor God that through the loneliness of wilderness ministry and the agony of tuberculosis, he pressed on, transforming world missions forever.

When Augustine handed over the leadership of his church in A.D. 426, his successor was so overwhelmed by a sense of inadequacy that he declared, “The swan is silent,” fearing the spiritual giant’s voice would be lost in time. But for 1,600 years Augustine has not been silent—and neither have the men who faithfully trumpeted the cause of Christ after him. Their lives have inspired every generation of believers and should compel us to a greater passion for God.

In this noteworthy Swans Are Not Silent book, John Piper invites you into the lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd to discover how God takes the privilege of faith and strengthens it with trials so that we experience a greater hunger for him. The perseverance of these godly servants exemplifies the essential fruit that affliction can produce in your own life. Their enduring faith will fortify you in your suffering, reminding you that “behind a frowning providence, God hides a smiling face.” And their stories and witness will inspire in you a similar passion for the supremacy of God in your life.

The topic of manhood and womanhood is still strongly debated today and still greatly impacts our society. For Christians there is no doubt that the Bible must be the last word. But what does it teach about true manhood and womanhood? In what ways are men and women essentially the same? In what ways are they essentially different? And how do these differences affect our roles in the home, the church, and the wider society?

Noted pastor, author, and Bible scholar John Piper positively and sensitively looks at these important questions for both men and women. His conclusions will inspire and encourage you to live out your unique differences in a fulfilling, godly way.

N. T. Wright, a world-renowned New Testament scholar and bishop of Durham in the Church of England, has spent years studying the apostle Paul’s writings and has offered a “fresh perspective” on Paul’s theology. Among his conclusions are that “the discussions of justification in much of the history of the church—certainly since Augustine—got off on the wrong foot, at least in terms of understanding Paul—and they have stayed there ever since.”

Wright’s confidence that the church has gotten it wrong for 1,500 years, given his enormous influence, has set off warning bells for Christian leaders such as John Piper, a pastor and New Testament scholar. If Wright’s framework for interpreting the New Testament text and his understanding of justification find a home in the church, not only could the doctrine of justification be distorted for generations to come, but the New Testament writers’ original intent could be silenced. So Piper is sounding a crucial warning in this book, reminding all Christians to exercise great caution regarding “fresh” interpretations of the Bible and to hold fast to the biblical view of justification.

“John Piper’s challenging yet courteous book takes issue with Tom Wright regarding Paul’s teaching on justification. This serious critique deserves to be read by all who want to understand more fully God’s righteousness in Christ and his justifying the ungodly.”
Peter T. O’Brien, Senior Research Fellow, Moore Theological College, Sydney, Australia

“The so-called ‘New Perspective on Paul’ has stirred up enormous controversy. The issues are not secondary, and, pastor that he is, John Piper will not allow believers to put their trust in anyone or anything other than the crucified and resurrected Savior.”
D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

“In this captivating book John Piper defends the truth that justification is the heart of the gospel. Wright’s views are presented with scrupulous fairness. I found this book to be not only doctrinally faithful but also spiritually strengthening.”
Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“I am very grateful to John Piper, pastor-scholar par excellence, for helping me understand better the doctrines of justification and imputation. Tom Wright’s interpretation of key biblical passages on the topic has some major problems, and Piper exposes many of them with great wisdom and skill.”
Andreas Köstenberger, Professor of New Testament and Director of PhD/ThM Studies, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Founder, Biblical Foundations (www.biblicalfoundations.org)

“Piper’s look at justification does this with a superb tone and a careful presentation of his case. Piper has put us in a position to hear both sides of the debate and understand what is at stake. Be prepared to be sharpened by a careful dialogue about what justification is.”
Darrell Bock, Research Professor of NT Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary

“John Piper addresses a matter of crucial importance for the church, with a clear-headed command of the issues involved. By writing this book he has done us all, including N. T. Wright, a great favor.”
Richard B. Gaffin, Charles Krahe Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary

God is the treasure of our lives. He is part of everything we do, think, act, and say—literally, he is a part of us. This precious heirloom of Christ himself must be passed on to future generations. But how?

Treasuring God in Our Traditions presents the importance of passing along Christ-centered traditions and a Bible-saturated legacy in Christ to future generations. Noël Piper helps her readers recognize how the “everyday” routines of life and the “especially” celebrations of holidays and dates can be practically passed down to future generations. When parents and grandparents seek to pass along the treasure of God to their children and grandchildren, they will develop and deepen their love for him.

When family traditions are rooted in the Bible, the next generations will see that the greatest treasure that anyone can have is the treasure of God.

“John Piper’s succinct and superbly perceptive study of William Wilberforce deserves to become an acclaimed bestseller. It not only tells the story of a great man’s life—it also tells us how to understand the ultimate source of his greatness and happiness. Moreover, that understanding goes far deeper than the abolitionist achievements for which Wilberforce is honored, astounding though they were. William Wilberforce’s secret, as revealed in this book, was that he made the journey from self-centeredness, achievement-centeredness, and political-centeredness to God-centeredness. And he made it with Christlike joy.”
—Jonathan Aitken

Against great obstacles William Wilberforce, an evangelical Christian and a member of Parliament, fought for the abolition of the African slave trade and against slavery itself until they were both illegal in the British Empire.

Many are aware of Wilberforce’s role in bringing an end to slavery in Great Britain, but few have taken the time to examine the beliefs and motivations that spurred him on for decades. In this concise volume, John Piper tells the story of how Wilberforce was transformed from an unbelieving, young politician into a radically God-centered Christian, and how his deep spirituality helped to change the moral outlook of a nation.

As world leaders debate over how to deal with a host of social justice and humanitarian crises, a closer look at Wilberforce’s life and faith serves as an encouragement and example to all believers.

“It is utterly crucial that in our darkness we affirm the wise, strong hand of God to hold us, even when we have no strength to hold him.”
John Piper

Even the most faithful, focused Christians can encounter periods of depression and spiritual darkness when joy seems to stay just out of reach. It can happen because of sin, satanic assault, distressing circumstances, or hereditary and other physical causes. In When the Darkness Will Not Lift, John Piper aims to give some comfort and guidance to those experiencing spiritual darkness.

Readers will gain insight into the physical side of depression and spiritual darkness, what it means to wait on the Lord in a time of darkness, how unconfessed sin can clog our joy, and how to minister to others who are living without light. Piper uses real-life examples and sensitive narrative to show readers abundant reason to hope that God will pull them out of the pit of despair and into the light once again.

The writings of John Owen are a challenge to any reader, to say the least. His intricacy and complexity are intimidating and his language is downright befuddling at times. However, the depth of thought and the immense value of Owen’s works cannot be quantified. His three classic works on sin and temptation are profoundly helpful to any believer who seeks to become more like Jesus Christ.

In this volume, the editors have made updates to the language, translated the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew and footnoted difficult or unknown phrases, all without sacrificing any of the wonderful content of Owen’s work. It is a uniquely accessible edition of John Owen’s previously daunting work.

“The editors of this volume have worked hard to make Owen’s unrivalled insight into the Christian’s inner war with sin accessible to all, and the result is truly a godsend.”
J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College

“To read Owen is to mine spiritual gold. Unfortunately, as in mining, reading Owen is hard work. Now, Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor have made Owen’s work accessible to modern readers while still retaining his unique writing style.”
Jerry Bridges, Navigators Community Ministries Group

“With brilliant editorial efforts and insightful introductions by Kapic and Taylor, John Owen’s magnificent treatises on sin and sanctification have been made available for a new generation.”
David S. Dockery, President, Union University, Jackson, Tennessee

“Sin is tenacious, but by God’s grace we can hate it and hunt it. John Owen provides the master guide for the sin-hunter. Kapic and Taylor bring together three of Owen’s classics, clarifying them in simple ways—but all the substance, the careful, hounding arguments are still there.”
Mark Dever, Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.

“John Owen understood how the gospel makes us well. Three cheers for Kapic and Taylor for introducing a new generation to Owen’s peerless works.”
Sinclair B. Ferguson, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, S.C.

“John Owen is a spiritual surgeon with the rare skill to cut away the cancer of sin and bring gospel healing to the sinner’s soul. Apart from the Bible, I have found his writings to be the best books ever written to help me stop sinning the same old sins.”
Philip Graham Ryken, Senior Minister, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia

“No writer has taught me more about the dynamics of the heart and the deceitfulness of sin than John Owen. Read this book carefully; it will help you understand your heart and experience God’s grace.”
C. J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries, Gaithersburg, Maryland

In the last few years, 9/11, a tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and many other tragedies have shown us that the vision of God in today’s churches in relation to evil and suffering is often frivolous. Against the overwhelming weight and seriousness of the Bible, many Christians are choosing to become more shallow, more entertainment-oriented, and therefore irrelevant in the face of massive suffering.

In Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, contributors John Piper, Joni Eareckson Tada, Steve Saint, Carl Ellis, David Powlison, Dustin Shramek, and Mark Talbot explore the many categories of God’s sovereignty as evidenced in his Word. They urge readers to look to Christ, even in suffering, to find the greatest confidence, deepest comfort, and sweetest fellowship they have ever known.

“John Piper and friends tackle some of the hardest and most significant issues of Christian concern, producing one of the most honest, faithful, and helpful volumes ever made available to thinking Christians. It is filled with pastoral wisdom, theological conviction, biblical insight, and spiritual counsel. This book answers one of the greatest needs of our times—to affirm the sovereignty of God and to ponder the meaning of human suffering. We need this book.”
—R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky

“For all who don’t live a charmed life, for all who have given themselves to the point of exhaustion, for all who have been betrayed by pious backstabbers, for all who wonder if they can even go on, Suffering and the Sovereignty of God will be green pastures and deep, still waters.”
—Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr., Senior Pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee

“This is not another theological volume that complicates what appears to be an irreconcilable paradox; it is a book that grows out of practical experience and applies Scripture to a realistic world where we all live.”
—Jerry Rankin, President, Southern Baptist International Mission Board

“This book will challenge you to believe that God is truly sovereign, not just in the safe haven of theological inquiry, but also in the painful messiness of real life. You will be encouraged to live more consistently by God’s grace and for his glory.”
—Mark D. Roberts, Senior Pastor, Irvine Presbyterian Church, Irvine, California

We admire these men for their greatness, but the truth is Augustine grappled with sexual passions. Martin Luther struggled to control his tongue. John Calvin fought the battle of faith with worldly weapons.

Yet each man will always be remembered for the messages he declared—messages that still resound today. John Piper explores each of these men’s lives, integrating Augustine’s delight in God with Luther’s emphasis on the Word and Calvin’s exposition of Scripture. Through their strengths and struggles we can learn how to live better today. When we consider their lives, we behold the glory and majesty of God and find power to overcome our weaknesses.

If ever you are complacent about sin, if ever you lose the joy of Jesus Christ, if ever you are dulled by the world’s influence, let the lives of these men help you recapture the wonder of God. Book 1 in The Swans Are Not Silent series.

John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce suffered lifelong opposition and endured for the causes of gospel truth, missionary zeal, and political justice. They found, in solid doctrine and humble joy, the tough roots for habitual tenderness in response to their adversaries—without doctrinal or moral flinching. They are examples of remarkable grace.

In Book 3 in The Swans Are Not Silent series, best-selling author John Piper looks at the lives of these three great men and focuses on how they not only endured great opposition, but that they did so with joy and without bitterness. Their lives exemplify how to set a pace and finish the race before us, encouraging every heart that it is possible to jump the hurdles in our paths.

WHY?

The most important questions anyone can ask are: Why was Jesus Christ crucified? Why did he suffer so much? What has this to do with me? Finally, who sent him to his sdeath? The answer to the last question is that God did. Jesus was God’s Son. The suffering was unsurpassed, but the whole message of the Bible leads to this answer.

The central issue of Jesus’ death is not the cause, but the meaning—God’s meaning. That is what this book is about. John Piper has gathered from the New Testament fifty reasons. Not fifty causes, but fifty purposes—in answer to the most important question that each of us must face: What did God achieve for sinners like us in sending his Son to die?

Life begins at conception as a single, separate, living cell. Nothing new is added except oxygen and nutrition. Fertilization occurs when a sperm and ovum join to form a single cell, full of life and bearing the unique genetic imprint of a person who has never existed before. The DNA in the 46 chromosomes of that small cell contain full instructions about that new individual’s sex, eye color, foot size, brain capacity, and other physical traits.

On about the sixth day, the growing baby attaches to the wall of the mother’s uterus. That rich nutrient lining welcomes the tiny tenant, and soon the child is sending out the chemical signal that can be detected in a home pregnancy test. Before the second week is over, the cells of the child’s body will have already begun segregating themselves into the various layers that will give rise to the brain, nervous system, skin, digestive system, muscles, bones, and circulatory system

The baby’s heart begins its first beats as early as 18 days after fertilization, often before the mother even suspects she is pregnant. Between the third and fourth weeks, the baby’s head and spinal column become easily distinguishable, and arm buds appear. Legs will begin to appear days later. The umbilical cord forms, transporting oxygen and nutrients to the child.

Fingers are forming, and the child’s mouth and lips are apparent. The child begins his or her first movements. At six weeks, the baby has brain waves that can be measured with an electroencephalogram.

The baby has eyelids, fingernails, and fingerprints, and can grasp an object. The kidneys begin to form urine.

All body systems are in place and active: the baby has a skeletal structure, nerves, and circulation.

Though too small to be felt by the mother, the baby reaches peak frequency of movement during the third month. The baby’s sex can be visually determined, and the child’s eyes, ears, and face begin to display distinctive characteristics.

Eyebrows have formed, eye movements are seen. For a couple of weeks now, this baby has had all the body parts required to experience pain, including the nerves and spinal cord.

The baby becomes large and active enough for the mother to feel movement of turns, kicks, and somersaults that at some point even become visible to the outside.

In the fifth and sixth months, the baby responds to music, sudden noises, and voices, especially that of his or her mother. Over the coming weeks, the baby will increase seven times in weight and nearly double in height.

Viability is the time when the baby can survive outside the mother. Not long ago, viability was at 30 weeks, then 25. Today, babies at 22 or 23 weeks have been saved, and even some younger babies have survived. What will viability be tomorrow?*

Few women faced with an unwanted pregnancy are told of the marvelous development of the life growing within them. In the absence of information, abortion seems to be the right decision at the moment. But they are not warned of what will really happen to their baby or of the possible physical and psychological effects of abortion that may stay with them the rest of their lives. And they are rarely told of the alternatives to save the life of their child.

Some doctors say that abortion is a routine operation to remove “fetal tissue.” But in truth, it is the destruction of a living human being. One young woman, who later regretted an abortion, stated, “The doctor said, ‘A little fluid out and some fluid injected, severe cramps, and then the fetus is expelled.’ That isn’t what it was. I felt my girl thrash around for an hour-and-a-half until she died a slow death.”

The mother is also exposed to long-term complications. Incomplete abortions resulting in blood clotting, bleeding, hemorrhage, and infections are not uncommon. Menstrual disturbance, miscarriage, tubal pregnancies, and sterility are always risks and tend to multiply with successive abortions. RU-486 and other abortifacients can cause severe birth defects in any child that survives this self-induced abortion, and severe side-effects for the mother. Several maternal deaths have been reported due to the use of this “miracle pill.”

Long-term psychological and spiritual effects include guilt, anxiety, depression, anger, sense of loss, nightmares, death scenes, deterioration of self-image, and even suicide. Cervical lacerations and uterine perforation can result from suction and D&C procedures. Convulsions, severe vomiting, and diarrhea are common with prostaglandin abortion. Cardiac arrests and maternal deaths have also been reported.

But there is hope for both the mother and the child. If you have a problem pregnancy, we want you to know that God cares for you and the unborn child growing within you. He knew about you before you were even born: “O Lord, you have searched me and known me… My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret… the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them” (from Psalm 139).

God wants to bring life—not death—out of your difficult situation. He has already provided lifelines to help you. Support is available to help you care for your child or provide a childless couple with a baby. Financial aid, emotional support, medical services, and, most important, a future free of guilt and full of hope for you and your unborn child can be yours.

If you picked up this pamphlet at your local crisis pregnancy center, you already know the quality of people who work there. But if not, you can look in the Yellow Pages under the heading “Abortion Alternatives” or call toll-free 1-800-848-LOVE (or go to www.nationallifecenter.com) any time, to find the nearest crisis pregnancy center. You can find someone who genuinely cares about what happens to mothers and their unborn babies.

The Bible has a way of shocking us. If Americans could still blush, we might blush at the words, “Rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love” (Proverbs 5:18-19).

But, of course, sin always tries to trash God’s gifts. So we can’t just celebrate sex for what God made it to be; we have to fight what sin turned it into. The contributors to this unique volume encourage you to do both: celebrate and struggle.

This book has something for all—men and women, married and single—from contributors like John Piper, C. J. and Carolyn Mahaney, Mark Dever, Al Mohler, Carolyn McCulley, and others.

“Another Christian book on sex? This is so much more. . . . We don’t need another book on sex that’s all about us. We need to have our gaze lifted. We need to consider the God who made us sexual creatures for his glory. This book will help you form a Christ-centered, Bible-shaped understanding of sex. This is something we all need.”
—Joshua Harris, author, Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is)

“This is the rare book that delivers more than it promises. Pick it up to learn about the true joy of sex: you will, and you’ll also learn about the joy of God.”
—Marvin Olasky, editor-in-chief, World magazine

“This book is a glorious start to forming a Christian mind that expresses delight in God’s gift of marital intimacy—a Christian mind that so desires to delight in that which God delights in that it revels in rejecting the cheap substitutes pawned off on this passing age as true pleasure. Instead, it only finds satisfaction in what is purest and highest and noblest and best.”
—J. Ligon Duncan III, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS and Moderator, General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America

“The contributors to this volume have provided a refreshing, insightful, and much-needed treatment of this sacred subject, calling us to bring our thoughts and lives into captivity to the supremacy of Christ, and to reflect our ravishment with our heavenly Bridegroom in our sexuality. I pray that this resource will make a profound difference in how God’s people think and live.”
—Nancy Leigh DeMoss, author, host of Revive Our Hearts radio program

“Sex is a wonderful gift from God, but it makes a terrible idol, brutal and unyielding in the misery it inflicts. These authors are a breath of fresh air, because unlike our culture’s self-proclaimed ‘sexperts,’ they respect biblical authority and warmly embrace the Lordship of Christ. Hence, they can lift up the torch of divine truth and expose the enemy’s lies about sex that have penetrated not only the darkest corners of our culture, but of our churches.”
—Randy Alcorn, author, The Purity Principle

“In a culture that’s desperately asking sex to be the alpha and omega, this book shows how sex is better when Christ is the Alpha and Omega.”
—Andrée Seu, Senior Writer, World magazine