Piper's talk at Passion 2010

I love John Piper. He's my homeboy. You can read some of my thoughts on him HERE.
Not many people have influenced my life greater than he has. I love to read his stuff and hear him speak.
the Passion movement connected me to Piper and he's been one of my favs ever since...
 
I'm going to share my thoughts and takeaways from his talk at Passion 2010. It was brilliant and so "Piperesque."
I had heard a very similar talk from him on a CD I have. I think it was from Passion '98. I've read some very similar stuff he's written along these lines too... but it never gets old!

I loved where he was going from his very opening prayer = “Grant to us a God-centeredness that is so deep and thorough and real in our hearts that we wouldn’t take offense at Your God-centeredness.”

The purpose of Piper's talk was to address the Question "Is Jesus is an ego-maniac?" And what does the center of Christianity have to do with Jesus being ego-maniacal?
This is a popular position raised by many high profile people... including Oprah.

Most of us grow up knowing 1 Corinthians 10:31 and that we should "do all for the glory of God", but no one really ever tells us that "God lives for the glory of God." And of course that's why He sounds like an ego-maniac.
Because God does every single thing for His own GLORY! this is abundantly clear in Jonathan Edwards' stuff. Piper said the most important book he ever read outside of the Bible is Edwards' The End for Which God Created the World. [So, it's on my 2010 reading list for sure!]

Piper said that “God’s God-centeredness is an unbelievably powerful test of my God-centeredness.” And that is right on, because here's the question it produces = “Do we LOVE for God to love His glory? Do we love for Him to magnify His name?”
When God says “love Me more than you love yourself.” Do we LOVE that?
Yes! We have to love that!

“Is our vaunted God-centeredness a cloak for self-centeredness by loving a God who is man-centered.” Dang. This guy has our modern evangelicalism NAILED. We typically worship the gods of being middle class and "secure" and if Jesus gives us that then, sure... we'll worship Him. As long as He is centered on our comfort.

If I’m truly a God-centered person I will LOVE God’s commitment to God. I will love it when He makes those statements like “Love me more than mother, father, life, etc… or you’re not worthy of me.” I’ll say “YES! That’s my God!”

A lot of people don’t want to go there at all. – they say “I’m God centered as long as God is me centered." Which is just another way of saying you’re me-centered.

Piper then walked us through the Bible, talking through several passages that talk about God doing EVERYTHING He does FOR HIS GLORY/For the sake of His Name/Renown! They are all throughout... more than can be mentioned, but Piper stopped on Isaiah 43:6; Jeremiah 13:11; Psalm 106:7; Isaiah 48:9-11; and Ephesians 1:4-6
[Once you realize this, you can't not see it when you read the Bible! It's like one of those 3D books... once you see the hidden image, you can't not see it!]

*So, the crux is this = God has 1 purpose = exalting Himself in the enjoyment of His people. This is His 1 purpose in eternity past, eternity future, and the center of that history (the Cross).

The awesome thing is that we don't have to choose between God getting glory and us getting joy! because (Eph. 1:4-6) the apex of our praising is joy!
Like C.S. Lewis said, we can't help but do what we delight in. the praise is the consummation of the enjoyment.

SO, whenever God says "praise Me"--since this praise is the completion of our joy it's really like He's saying, "PLEASE, come to the culmination of your joy and satisfaction and pleasure."
Then Piper followed that up with a statement that my soul echoes with all that's in me = “If that’s egomania, then bring it on! I want to be happy.”
God makes it clear that we can only be ultimately happy in seeing His greatness.

He gave some pretty cool examples of unbelievers who even get this. like in a cartoon with a couple walking out in the starlit sky and the man says to the woman = “hey, ever notice the best moments make you feel insignificant.”
+ the granola advertisement with a man at top of the peak in Yosemite looking out over amazing beauty and the line reads “You never felt more alive. You never felt more insignificant.” [it’s both. joy & insignificance go hand in hand.]
So, maybe everyone gets this to some extent. Everyone is “not made to feel significant, but made to be STUNNED with significance outside themselves.”

“We were not made to get our primary joy by thinking big thoughts about ourselves.” This is counterintuitive at 1st, but then when you scratch just a little deeper, it’s so right.
This is the best of all worlds when God says you MUST praise me (and that is your ultimate joy).

Piper went on to tie this to the cross. The playback actually cut off on me with 10 minutes left... which was a bummer. 

But the above thoughts are a big deal! It's what Piper has given his life to saying...
God is ultimate and we find our ultimate satisfaction in making His ultimateness known! or... "God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him."
I try to live every day based on this belief.