Latest / Reformed Thinking / Brothers, God Does Make Much of Us | John Piper

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Brothers, God Does Make Much of Us | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to reformed thinking. Glad to be here.
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This is the deep dive where we really try to get under the
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surface of key ideas. We take stacks of research
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articles, our own notes, and pull out the insights we think
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are most helpful for you. Today we're diving into
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something pretty central, wouldn't you say?
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It touches on, well, the very nature of God's love for us and
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what really forms the bedrock of genuine human joy.
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Absolutely. It gets right to the heart of
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things. Our goal here is to unpack this
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maybe surprising idea how God's pursuit of his own glory
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actually turns out to be a greater love for us, and what
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that means for our deepest happiness, our contentment.
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Yeah, it's a concept that needs careful handling, but it's
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incredibly rich. We're drawing on some really
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insightful theological thinking here, particularly from a writer
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very concerned with helping people pinpoint where their joy
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truly comes from. OK, so let's jump right in.
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The source material kicks things off with a pretty provocative
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question really designed to make you stop and think about where
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your joy is actually anchored. It asks this Do you feel more
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loved by God because God makes much of you, or do you feel more
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loved because God, at this immense cost to His Son, frees
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you to enjoy making much of him forever?
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It really makes you pause, doesn't.
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It it does, and it's important to say this isn't meant to be a
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trick question. It's not trying to downplay
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God's care for us, which the Bible clearly shows is, well,
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substantial. No, not at.
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All Instead, it's asking us to look deeper to what the material
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calls the decisive bottom, the the real foundation of our
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happiness, to get past maybe superficial ideas and find what
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truly satisfies us way down deep.
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And what's really striking about that question is the pastoral
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concern behind it you can feel. It how so?
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Well, the writers quite clear that there's a real worry about
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what are termed nominal Christians, people who, you
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know, might agree intellectually that God loves them, maybe they
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even go to church. But deep down they haven't
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really experienced that spiritual renewal.
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They aren't, in the theological sense, born again.
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And the critical difference the source highlights isn't really
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about, say, the outward signs of God's care.
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It's about something more fundamental.
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It's about that distinction at the bottom, the decisive
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foundation of their happiness. What's the ultimate object of
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their joy? Are they really seeking God
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himself or just his benefits? So this category nominal
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Christians. What does that actually look
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like in practice? How does the source describe
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their orientation towards God and finding joy?
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Yet the material gives a pretty clear picture.
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It's just that these individuals might turn to Jesus in some
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sense. They might pray to him, involve
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him in their lives. But their fundamental desires,
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the things that really drive them, the things that truly
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satisfy them, those remain unchanged from their
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unregenerate state. They're basically after the same
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things they always wanted. So Jesus just becomes a new
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means to old ends. That's a good way to put it.
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It's like a tactical shift, maybe, but not a fundamental
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hard shift. They're just asking Jesus to
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provide the things they were already seeking elsewhere.
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Can you give some examples? What sort of things are we
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talking about? Based on the sources, sure.
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The sources give several illustrations.
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Think about someone whose main desire has always been wealth.
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Now they turn to Jesus, maybe praying for financial blessing,
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seeing him as the route to get rich.
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Or maybe someone's primary focus is health.
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Jesus becomes for them the hoped for pathway to physical
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well-being or healing. Right, I see.
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Or perhaps the biggest driver is just escaping eternal
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punishment. Jesus is then seen primarily as
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the the escape route, the ticket out of hell, so to speak.
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And not necessarily about relationship with him.
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Potentially not as the primary thing, no.
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Or maybe their deepest longings are for, say, a happy marriage
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or just piece of conscience relief from guilt, and they look
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to Jesus to help deliver those specific outcomes.
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The source uses some analogies for this.
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It does, and they're quite vivid.
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It compares it to shopping at a new store.
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You've changed where you shop. Maybe you're now shopping at the
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Jesus store, but you're still filling your basket with the
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same items you always wanted. The desires haven't changed,
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just the perceived supplier or another one.
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Imagine you have a particular dinner of happiness you crave.
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Now you just have a new Butler, Jesus, to bring it to you.
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The dinner itself, the thing you actually want to consume, is
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unchanged. Just the server is different.
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Exactly. And one more the source uses.
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It's like your bags in the hotel room remain the same.
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Your core desires, your baggage, it's all untouched.
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You've just got a new bellhop carrying them for you.
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Wow, those are pointed analogies.
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They are, and that the point they drive home is that in this
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kind of approach, there's been no change at the bottom of what
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makes you happy. None.
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The decisive foundation of your joy hasn't shifted.
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Self, with all his unrenewed desires, is still at the bottom,
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running the show. It hasn't been replaced.
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OK, so if that's the picture where self at the bottom isn't
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replaced, what's the contrast? How does this concept of the new
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birth change that foundation according to the material?
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Right. This is where we get to the core
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theological concept of the new birth regeneration, and it's
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absolutely crucial. The material really stresses
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that the new birth isn't just adopting a new strategy to get
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what you already wanted. Not just a better technique.
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No, definitely not a self help technique.
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It's presented as something much more radical, A fundamental
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internal change, a divine work within a person that completely
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alters the very foundation of their happiness and joy.
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It's a deep reorientation of the heart.
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And what's the essence of that change?
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The absolute core of this alteration, the sources say, is
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this self at the bottom is replaced by Jesus, God himself.
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So what truly makes born again people glad deep down isn't
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fundamentally that they have God's gifts, though they are
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thankful for them, of course, But the ultimate thing is that
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they have God himself. He becomes their supreme
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treasure. Their deepest satisfaction flows
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from God for who He is, not merely for what He provides.
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So it's a shift in the object of desire itself.
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Precisely. It's not just getting new
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things, it's delighting in a whole new source of
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satisfaction, an infinite source.
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And how does God's glory fit into this transformation?
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The material connects this directly to seeing and savoring
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God's glory. For those who've experienced
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this spiritual regeneration, salvation is understood as the
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gift of being able to see and to savor, to truly appreciate and
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delight in, and then to show the glory of God.
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Seeing, savoring, showing, Yes. It's a profound shift in
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perception and desire, and you see this reflected so clearly in
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Jesus's own words with particularly his prayer in John
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17. Remember when he prays for
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believers, He asked the Father that they might be with me where
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I am to see my glory, right? That's his desire for us.
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Exactly. And the significance of that,
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the sources point out, is huge. It indicates that beholding
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God's glory, his inherent worth, His beauty, His Majesty, that is
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the ultimate decisive foundation of our joy, not just his gifts,
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not even ourselves made better, but God Himself in his glory.
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So. For genuine Christians for
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genuine. Christians, the source states it
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plainly. Our Savior, not our self, will
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be the bottom of our joy. That shift from self to Savior
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is the ultimate treasure. That's the defining mark of true
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spiritual life. OK.
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That clarifies the two paths. Now, if our true joy is found
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ultimately in God himself, in his glory, this brings us back
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to that idea that might seem, well, a bit challenging at
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first. The idea that God does all his
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acts of love towards us in a way that shows he's ultimately doing
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it for his own glory, or as the source puts it, for his own
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name's sake. And as you mentioned, the
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initial reaction for many might be, doesn't that sound a bit
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self-centered? Does that diminish his love for
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us? How do the sources tackle that
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potential misunderstanding? Yeah.
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That's a very common hurdle, and the material addresses it
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directly. The core argument presented is
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actually the complete opposite of that assumption.
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It argues that God makes much more of us when he loves us this
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way. More of us how?
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So because. Far from diminishing His love,
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loving us for His glory is described as a greater love.
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The logic is this, if God Himself in his glory is the
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ultimate source of all possible joy and satisfaction, which is.
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What the new birth reveals. Exactly.
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Then the greatest, most loving thing God could possibly give us
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is Himself access to that infinite wellspring of joy.
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So when he asks for his own glory and loving us, He's
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actually directing us to our highest possible good, our
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supreme and lasting satisfaction.
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So. Pursuing His glory is the most
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loving act, because His glory is our greatest potential joy.
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Precisely. It elevates us.
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It honors us by connecting our deepest happiness to the only
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object that can truly sustain it infinitely, Himself.
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Loving us for His glory means loving us enough to give us the
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best possible gift, Himself as our treasure.
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That reframes it completely. It turns the potential objection
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on its head. Can you walk us through some of
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the biblical examples of sources used to show this connection?
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God's love for us tied to His glory.
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Absolutely. The sources highlight several
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key moments and themes in Scripture that really weave this
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thread through the whole story of redemption.
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Let's start right back in eternity past with
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predestination for adoption. Ephesians chapter 1 verses 4 to
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6 are key here. It talks about God choosing us
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in Christ before the foundation of the world, loving us and
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predestining us for adoption as sons, right.
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Familiar passage, but notice. The purpose clause to the praise
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of the glory of His grace, His eternal love, His plan for
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adoption. It wasn't just about getting us
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into the family, as wonderful as that is.
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It was aimed ultimately at the praise, the magnification, the
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celebration of His glorious grace.
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Our adoption serves to showcase His amazing, unmerited favor.
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So our. Highest good being his children
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is explicitly linked to his highest praise.
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Exactly. His love and His glory are
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intertwined from the very beginning of His plan.
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OK. What's next?
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Well, think. About the act of creation
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itself, Why did God create humanity?
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Isaiah Funny 3 verses 6 and 7 is very direct.
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God says He created us, brought us forth, gathered his sons and
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daughters for my glory, His glory.
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Yes. He lovingly brought us into
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existence, gave us the capacity for relationship, for joy, for
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enjoying all good things forever, ultimately, so that we
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might reflect and give Him glory.
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Our very being is an act of His love intended to display His
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magnificence. He cares for us by designing us
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for this high purpose. So.
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Existence itself points back to him.
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And then Fast forward to the incarnation, right?
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Think. About when Christ was born Luke
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chapter 2 tells us the Angel announced good news of great joy
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that will be for all the people a savior is born this is pure
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love, pure grace, reaching down to us an.
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Immense joy for us, Immense. Joy.
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But what did the multitude of the heavenly host sing
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immediately after? Glory to God and the highest and
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on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.
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Our great joy, our peace is set within the context of God
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receiving the ultimate glory. It's not an either.
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It's a bowhand assigned by God. Our salvation glorifies.
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They happen. Together.
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And this carries through to Christ's death for us.
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Look at says Corinthians fallout verses 14 and 15.
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Paul writes that Christ died for all.
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Why? So that those who live might no
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longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died
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and was raised. So his death redirects our lives
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towards him. Precisely His saving love is
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designed to result in His glory being the focus of our lives.
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We are saved from self centeredness to Christ
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centeredness which is for his glory.
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And remember Psalm 79.9 that plea for deliverance.
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Help us with God of our salvation for the glory of your
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name deliver us and atone for our sins for your name's sake.
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Salvation sought for the sake of his name.
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It's. Consistently there it.
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Is and as we discussed earlier, for the born again person,
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salvation is seen as this gift of being able to see and savor
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and show the glory of God. That's the point of it all.
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From their perspective, it's not just escaping hell, but gaining
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God and. Jesus's own prayer confirmed
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this endpoint, right? Yes.
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That brings us back to Jesus's prayer for believers in John
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17.24. His ultimate desire for us, his
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followers, is that they may be with me where I am to see my
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glory. The pinnacle of our eternal
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experience, the very foundation of our everlasting happiness,
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according to Jesus himself, is seeing his glory, not just his
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gifts, not even primarily our own exalted state, but Him.
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It's a. Compelling thread through
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scripture it really. Is these examples and many
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others consistently show God performing acts of profound love
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for us, but always in a way that reveals He is ultimately loving
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us for His own glory. His commitment to His glory and
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His love for us aren't competing interests.
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They are perfectly united in His plan.
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OK. So we've established that God
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loving us for His glory is actually the greater love
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because it directs us to our ultimate joy in Him.
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But now it feels really important to swing back, as you
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mentioned, and make sure we don't fall off the horse on the
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other side, right? Exactly, balance is key here.
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We. Need to talk about just how
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incredibly much God makes of us? The source material uses phrases
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like over the top things that should take our breath away.
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This isn't just about God being glorified through US abstractly.
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It's about the astonishing dignity and honor he actually
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bestows upon humanity. Absolutely.
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And this is where the sheer wonder of God's love becomes
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almost overwhelming. The sources detail several ways
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God dignifies us that are just mindblowing, frankly.
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OK. Let's unpack this.
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What's the first one first? The material emphasizes that God
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is genuinely pleased with us and commends our lives.
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It's not just divine pity or tolerance, it's actual delight.
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Yes. The source quote CS Lewis, who
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puts it so well. God is delighted in humanity,
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not merely pitied. Lewis compares it to the delight
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and artist delights in his work, where a father and a son even
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speaks of this delight being like a weight or burden of glory
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which our thoughts can hardly sustain.
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Think about the implications. The Creator of everything finds
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actual pleasure in his redeemed people.
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And for believers, there's that future hope, that anticipation
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of hearing well done, good and faithful servant.
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That's not just a passing comment.
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It signifies God's real satisfaction, his approval.
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The source even suggests our well-being becomes a real
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ingredient in the divine happiness that.
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Our joy adds to God's joy. That's incredible it.
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Is OK. Second, consider this.
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God makes us fellow heirs with his Son Jesus Christ, who owns
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everything heirs. With Christ, yes.
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Think about what that means. We're promised to Matthew 5.5 to
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inherit the earth. Romans 4.3 says Abraham's
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offspring would be heir of the world.
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And 1st Corinthians 3 verses 21 to 23 just lays it up.
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All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollo's or Cephas or
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the world or life or death or the present of the future.
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All are yours and your Christ's and Christ as God's we.
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Inherit everything that's. The staggering promise we are Co
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inheritors with the sun. It elevates our status beyond
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imagination we're not just pardon subjects, we're part of
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the royal family destined to share in the inheritance of the
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entire cosmos. It's.
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Hard to even process that. What's the third example?
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The third one is maybe one of the most surprising images in
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the New Testament. The sources point out that Jesus
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himself will serve us at his return.
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Wait. He will serve us, that's what
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Luke. 1237 says Jesus tell the parable about watchful servants
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and he says when the master returns, he will dress himself
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for service and have them recline at table and he will
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come and serve them he flicks the rolls the Lord of glory
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takes the posture of a servant to honor his faithful followers.
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That's. Astonishing humility and honor
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shown to us it. Truly is.
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It completely defies our human expectations of power and status
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and just shows the depth of His love and the value He places on
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us. OK, what's 4th, 4th?
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God elevates us even further. He apprises to carry out the
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judgement of angels. Judge.
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Angel Yes. 1st Corinthians 6 verse 3 Paul asks the believers
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almost rhetorically, do you not know that we are to judge
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angels? This points to a future role of
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incredible authority and participation in divine justice.
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It suggests we'll be involved in ways we can't fathom now,
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demonstrating a level of trust and honor that's just immense
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from. Being judged to participating in
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judgement, that's quite a turn around it really.
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Is fifth, and this one is deeply personal.
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God makes much of us by ascribing immense value to us,
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and rejoicing over us. Is His treasured possession
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treasured? Possession.
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Think. About Jesus's words in Matthew
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10 are not 2 sparrows sold for a penny and not one of them will
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fall to the ground apart from your father fear not, Therefore,
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you are of more value than many sparrows.
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He explicitly states our value to the father that's.
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Comforting it is. But then listen to Zephaniah
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3.17. This passage is just
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breathtaking. The Lord your God is in your
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midst, a mighty one who will save.
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He will rejoice over you with gladness.
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He will quiet you by His love. He will exult over you with loud
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singing God. Singing over us with.
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Loud singing, exulting, not quiet approval, but joyful vocal
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celebration. He rejoices over his people with
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gladness, quiets them with his love.
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It's an image of being cherished, delighted, and beyond
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anything we normally associate with God.
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It speaks volumes about how precious his redeemed people are
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to him. That's.
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Incredibly moving. What's the 6th way?
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6th? God promises to give us a
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glorious body like Jesus's own resurrection body, Philippians
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3.21 says he will transform our lowly body to be like his
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glorious body. It's not just our spirits that
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are redeemed, but our physical selves too, made suitable for
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eternity with Him and not. Just functional, but glorious.
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Glorious Matthew 13.43 adds that in the end, the righteous will
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shine like the sun and the Kingdom of their Father.
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Imagine that radiating splendor reflecting His glory in a
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transformed physicality, perfectly fitted for the new
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heavens and new earth. Wow.
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OK. And the final one, the
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culmination, the. 7th And perhaps the most mind boggling
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privilege is that God grants us to sit with Christ on his throne
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on. His throne, yes.
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Revelation 3.21 contains this promise from Jesus, the one who
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conquers. I will grant Him to sit with me
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on my throne as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on
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his throne. This isn't just being near the
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throne, it's sharing it. It implies a future destiny of
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sharing in the governance of the universe alongside Christ
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Himself ruling. With him with.
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What the sources describe as divine like authority, echoing
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Ephesians 1 where the church is called Christ's body, the
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furnace of him who fills All in all.
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It points to an intimacy and shared authority that is almost
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incomprehensible. Truly, as the source concludes
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on this point, God loves the church with a kind of love that
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will make more of her than she can ever imagine.
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These. Seven points really paint a
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picture of God making incredibly much of us, showering us with
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honor, dignity, privilege. It's almost too much to take in
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it, really. Is which?
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Brings us right back then full circle to that central question,
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why? Why does God, who loves us this
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extravagantly, who makes so much of us in these breathtaking
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ways, still insist, still declare, that he does all of
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this ultimately for his own glory?
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What is the final answer the sources give to that?
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Why and the? Answer the material provides is
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direct, and it's the key that unlocks the whole thing.
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Loving us this way is a greater love.
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Say that again. Loving us for His glory is the
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greater love, yes. That's the core assertion.
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God's love for us, this incredibly lavish honoring,
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elevating love, is actually greater precisely because it's
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all done for His glory, rather than if the ultimate endpoint
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was simply making us into our own greatest treasure.
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OK. Unpack that reasoning.
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Why is making it about His glory greater for us?
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Because. Of who we are and who he is, the
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sources stated clearly self, no matter how glorified by God,
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will never satisfy a heart that is made for God, our.
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Hearts are made for him. Exactly.
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We are finite creatures. Our capacity for joy is vast,
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but it can only be ultimately and eternally satisfied by an
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infinite object if God were to make our own glorified selves.
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Wonderful is that future state will be the ultimate focus of
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our eternal adoration. We'd.
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Still be focused on something finite we.
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Would and a finite object, no matter how glorious, cannot
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provide infinite satisfaction. He would, in effect be loving us
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less if He allowed us to settle for the second best treasure,
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which is ourselves, instead of the ultimate best treasure,
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which is himself. So he refuses to let us make
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ourselves, even our glorified selves, into an idol that's.
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It his purpose is higher, more loving, He won't let us settle
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for even the most wonderful thoughts about ourselves.
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He won't allow the glory he gives us, which he creates and
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delights in, to replace his glory as our supreme, all
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satisfying treasure. Because.
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Only He can truly satisfy us forever.
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Only. He can.
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His ultimate desire, the reason he sent his son to die, wasn't
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just to rescue us from something, but to gain us for
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himself and most incredibly, for us to gain him.
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He wants us to have him, the giver, not just his gifts.
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He. Wants the relationship centered
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on his supreme worth, Yes. And that is why loving us for
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His glory is the greater love. It secures for us the only
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source of infinite, everlasting joy.
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It aims for our highest possible good, which is finding our all
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in Him. So it really comes down to this,
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doesn't it? The material is saying that the
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greatest gift God has for you, the deepest expression of his
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love, is actually his refusal to let your own preciousness, even
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the preciousness he gives you, become your God.
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He ensures that he alone, God himself, will be your God, your
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treasure, your delight forever. And understanding this dynamic,
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that his pursuit of glory and his love for you are perfectly
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intertwined, that seeing his love in its truest, most
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infinite form, it shows just how much he values you because he
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secures your ultimate joy and the only place it can be found
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himself. Well said, and perhaps a final
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thought to consider building on all this.
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If God's infinite love truly works in this way, ensuring that
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He's your supreme treasure, maybe ask yourself this week,
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what's 1 practical step, one concrete thing you could do to
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intentionally pursue God Himself.
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His presence, His glory, is the decisive foundation of your joy,
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not just seeking His benefits. Something to actively aim your
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heart towards Him above all else.
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That's. A great question to leave us
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with. Thank you for joining us for
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this deep dive into God's glory and our joy.
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We really hope these insights have given you a lot to reflect
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on and perhaps appreciate in a new way.
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Hope so. Too, we look forward.
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To our next deep dive together here on Reformed thinking.