The Pleasures of God

by John Piper

Publisher:

Multnomah

, 2000

Overview

This classic volume by John Piper (revised and expanded from his 1991 work) contains ten chapters, each focusing on a different but related aspect of God’s pleasure in His own character or work. The chapters move logically from the initial focus on God’s greatness and majesty in Himself to his grace and condescension toward us.

Be most satisfied in God… because God is most satisfied in God.

Emphasizing the foundational truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him, Piper further explores a life-changing essential: We will be most satisfied in God when we know why God himself is most satisfied in God. Fully understanding the joy of God will draw you into an encounter with His overflowing, self-replenishing, all-encompassing grace– the source of living water that all Christians desire to drink. The Pleasures of God will again put God at the center of Creation and leave you very satisfied in Him.

You don’t truly know someone until you know what makes them happy. Our pleasure is the measure of our character. So it is with God. We can only know the greatness of His glory if we know what makes him glad. Therefore we must understand “the pleasures of God.”

This is not a book about you. It’s about the One you were made for– God Himself. In this theological tour de force, Piper navigates the biblical evidence to help us see and savor what the pleasures of God show us about Him so that we might become like the One we behold.

What the church and world need today, more than anything else, is to know and love– behold and embrace– the great, glorious, sovereign, happy God of the Bible.

Praise for the Print Edition

A rich feast for the serious believer.

— John MacArthur

Run, don’t walk, to buy this remarkable book.

— Joni Eareckson Tada and Steven Estes, When God Weeps

This is a unique and precious book that everybody should read more than once.

— J. I. Packer

If it is true that God is glorified most in us as we are satisfied most in him, then we must possess within ourselves, and present to our students and church members, a vision of God that is compelling, one that displays why the pursuit of him alone will bring to us the satisfaction for which we long so deeply. The works of John Piper aid this vision, and for this I can only give to God great and abiding thanks.

— Bruce A. Ware, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

Product Details

• Title: The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God
• Author: John Piper
• Edition: Revised and expanded
• Publisher: Multnomah
• Publication Date: 2000
• Pages: 400

About John Piper

John Piper, pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota since 1980, is a widely respected theologian and bestselling author. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Piper attended Wheaton College where he majored in literature and minored in philosophy. He completed his Bachelor of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he studied under Dr. Daniel Fuller. Piper received his Doctorate in Theology from the University of Munich and taught biblical studies for six years at Bethel College.

His preaching and teaching is featured daily on the radio program, Desiring God. His books include The Passion of Jesus Christ, Desiring God, The Pleasures of God, Life as a Vapor, and the Gold Medallion Award-wining Pierced by the Word.

Logos also offers two sets of John Piper's works: The John Piper Collection (24 Volumes) and The John Piper Sermon Manuscript Library.

Sample Pages from the Print Edition

Contents

Top Highlights

“He said, ‘The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love.’^{5” (Page 18)}

“If he is right, I thought, then one way to meditate on the excellency of God is to meditate on his pleasures. One way to see the glory of God is to see his joy. This was a thrilling thought to me because I knew from experience and from Scripture that the more I focus on the glory of God, the more I am changed into his likeness. We tend to become like what we admire and enjoy. And the stronger our admiration, the greater the influence.” (Page 20)

“God’s glory consists much in the fact that he is happy beyond our wildest imagination.” (Page 26)

“The infinite regard that the Father has for the Son makes it possible for me, a wicked sinner, to be loved and accepted in the Son, because in his death he vindicated the worth and glory of his Father.” (Page 44)

“Fifth, God rejoices in the works of creation because they point us beyond themselves to God himself.” (Page 94)

Product Details

• Title: The Pleasures of God
• Author: John Piper
• Edition: Rev. and expanded
• Publisher: Multnomah
• Print Publication Date: 2000
• Logos Release Date: 2006
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: God › Attributes
• Resource ID: LLS:PLEASURESGOD
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-02-12T08:42:45Z

About John Piper

John Piper (b. 1946) is a widely respected theologian and bestselling author who serves as founder and lead teacher at Desiring God and is chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, Piper served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church. He has authored more than 50 books, and more than 30 years of his preaching and writing are available free of charge at desiringGod.org. Piper resides in the Minneapolis area with his wife of 51 years, and has five children and 14 grandchildren.

Piper attended Wheaton College where he majored in literature and minored in philosophy. He completed his Bachelor of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he studied under Dr. Daniel Fuller. Piper received his Doctorate in Theology from the University of Munich and taught biblical studies for six years at Bethel College.

In 1994, Piper founded Desiring God Ministries, which provides Piper’s sermons, articles, and information on titles he has authored. One of his bestsellers, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, prompted the name of the ministry.

Several of Piper’s books have been Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Christian book award winners including What Jesus Demands from the World, Pierced by the Word, and God’s Passion for His Glory. The Crossway John Piper Collection (39 vols.) includes 39 titles from Piper, including Love Your Enemies and A Hunger for God. His preaching ministry of more than 30 years is available in the John Piper Sermon Archive (1980–2014).

Hear how Piper uses Logos for his Bible Study.