Pastor John, historically, you have made an important point that our greatest joy is

delighting in the majesty of God, not in delighting in God making much of us.

In yesterday's episode number three, ninety two, we listened to an excerpt from a conference

message you preached back in 2008 and we heard this emphasis, and it's an important

point to be made for sure.

But before taking your leave of absence in 2010, you preached a landmark sermon at Bethlehem

Baptist Church, which was titled, How Much Does God Love This Church?

The sermon deals with the fact that God does make much of us as Christians.

It would eventually become a new chapter titled, God Does Make Much of Us In Your Book, Brothers

We Are Not Professionals.

So explain the background to the sermon and this chapter and its importance in your thinking.

God does make much of us.

Was this a point of correction to your theology?

Was it a deepening?

How do you think of that 2010 message?

The sermon, and it was probably the third time I preached something like that.

I did something like that at Westmont College and I did something like that at Passion.

There was a whole series of messages.

All of them, I would say, were given not by way of correction, but by way of clarification

and reprioritization.

I have really benefited over the years from feedback.

And on this issue, Tom Stellar, my associate for 33 years at Bethlehem, was the most influential

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