- Home
- Speakers
- John Piper
- What Do People Need From Their Pastors Today?
What Do People Need From Their Pastors Today?
John Piper

John Stephen Piper (1946 - ). American pastor, author, and theologian born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Converted at six, he grew up in South Carolina and earned a B.A. from Wheaton College, a B.D. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a D.Theol. from the University of Munich. Ordained in 1975, he taught biblical studies at Bethel University before pastoring Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis from 1980 to 2013, growing it to over 4,500 members. Founder of Desiring God ministries in 1994, he championed “Christian Hedonism,” teaching that “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Piper authored over 50 books, including Desiring God (1986) and Don’t Waste Your Life, with millions sold worldwide. A leading voice in Reformed theology, he spoke at Passion Conferences and influenced evangelicals globally. Married to Noël Henry since 1968, they have five children. His sermons and writings, widely shared online, emphasize God’s sovereignty and missions.
Download
Topic
Sermon Summary
This sermon emphasizes the importance of spreading a passion for the centrality and supremacy of God into people's lives, highlighting the negative influences of consumerism, materialism, and sexual content in mainstream media. The speaker reflects on the impact of media on thoughts and purity, urging the audience to focus on God's purity and presence amidst worldly distractions.
Sermon Transcription
Where, I ask you, are our people going to get this if not from you? That's my closing thought. The world and all kinds of institutions have agendas for our people and how to make their lives better. One thing they need from you above all, and that is to spread into their lives a passion for the centrality and the supremacy of God. But nobody else is helping them with this. We get one hour, maybe, a week. I was in Detroit. I don't have a television, so I'm kind of out of it. You can use names of really famous TV stars and I won't know who you're talking about. So I don't get into a problem with watching football on TV. Frankly, I borrow TV sometimes. But I don't have one, just because that's one of my weaknesses. So I'm in Detroit airport, and you know the Detroit airport if you've ever been there. They've got these gigantic screens with the TV up there, and it's Sunday, and oh, I forget who was playing. They looked like the Green Bay Packers. That was Green Bay. Like I knew something? It wasn't the Green Bay Packers. It's yellow and green, some other team. And so they were playing. And I said, cool. I've got ten minutes to watch this. I like good football. And probably out of those ten minutes, six were advertisements. Now the quantity is not the problem. It's the crap that was in there. And then it hit me, my people are watching this. Three hours worth. One hour of it, or an hour and a half, is junk. It's consumerism, it's materialism, it's sexual titillation. And I just sat there thinking, I'm feeling dirty right now. I'm feeling tempted right now. I have thoughts going into my head right now with that neckline and that stuff. I didn't want that. I don't need that. I need God. I've got to stay pure for my people. And our people are going there over and over again, saturating their minds. So my point is, who's going to help them? Who's going to help them see God?
What Do People Need From Their Pastors Today?
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download

John Stephen Piper (1946 - ). American pastor, author, and theologian born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Converted at six, he grew up in South Carolina and earned a B.A. from Wheaton College, a B.D. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a D.Theol. from the University of Munich. Ordained in 1975, he taught biblical studies at Bethel University before pastoring Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis from 1980 to 2013, growing it to over 4,500 members. Founder of Desiring God ministries in 1994, he championed “Christian Hedonism,” teaching that “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Piper authored over 50 books, including Desiring God (1986) and Don’t Waste Your Life, with millions sold worldwide. A leading voice in Reformed theology, he spoke at Passion Conferences and influenced evangelicals globally. Married to Noël Henry since 1968, they have five children. His sermons and writings, widely shared online, emphasize God’s sovereignty and missions.