The title of this post is also the title of a book by John Piper, and I’ve just today started leading a Sunday School at Tabernacle going through this book. It’s primarily for the benefit of the others in the class that I’m writing this post, and attaching a abridged version of an introductory video which I was unable to finish in class this morning.
But to the extent that readers of this blog all over the blogosphere are curious what’s going on with Valor—and, by association, Valor’s parents—I guess by sharing this with everyone, I’m sharing what’s going on in my life. Jesus said to his disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). With all my heart, I love Jesus, whose cross has secured my salvation, and yet I seldom meditate on specifically what his commandments even are.
If you find the title of the book to be a little jarring or abrasive, I encourage you to watch this 28-minute excerpt (or the longer sermon which it came from) where John Piper introduces the idea of why the juxtaposition of “demand” and “sweetness” should not be an unusual one in the context of obedience to Christ, for the glory of God:
[quicktime]http://houseofgjertsen.info/video/WhatJesusDemands.mov[/quicktime]