Be careful of pretensions of autonomy. Jesus reminds us, "I chose you."

In the conclusion of this powerful message called "It Is the Spirit Who Gives Life" by John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church on December 27, 2009, Piper points out from John 6 that "whenever resistance to Jesus starts to mount - and we feel like in our culture that we're losing our grip... Oh, what will poor God do without America? - whenever it looks like resistance to Jesus is winning, we Christians need a clear, robust vision of the sovereignty of God."

Jesus' hard words in John 6 did not pander to the crowds. Indeed, in John 6, Jesus' ministry appears to be going downhill as many left Him. I listened to Piper's message on the way home from our Christmas traveling today, and it struck me as a much-needed corrective to Christian-centered churches and ministries. It's not about us; it's about Him.

One of the most profound thoughts voiced in this message was about those who rejected (and are rejecting) Jesus. "Their unbelief is not a proof of their sovereignty," he said.

I've included a clip of this part of the message for you to listen to, but I encourage you to listen to the whole message here.

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