Well, thank you so much for the invitation. I didn't feel like a leader back in those days and

still said to Brian this morning, I still feel young and still don't feel like a leader just a preacher and I'm honored to be here.

It surprises me again and again when people say,

John Piper, come talk to us. I said, well, I'd like to sit there and let you talk to me.

But here I am and so I'll do my best to talk about this theme about the supremacy and sweetness of God in the ministry of preaching.

And I hope that as we go along during the day, at least at the end, perhaps there'll be some time for some give and take.

So I'd like to just pray and ask for God's help for me and for you as you listen. So let's bow and ask

the Lord's help. Father in heaven, I thank you so much for this place and the ministry here and Brian Stiller and his new call to this place in the last several years and for these brothers and sisters who are here

to ponder these important matters.

Oh Lord God, Grant, I pray that you would come and that you would guard me from error, that you would put an

anointing upon this work of speaking that would be transforming and hope-giving and life-restoring and ministry

preserving and vision enlarging and mission mobilizing and heart purifying and things that I can't even

imagine to hope that you would do exceedingly and abundantly beyond what I can think.

So would you come?

Don't let us invest this day in vain, Lord. Grant that your grace would be here and that according

to the promise of 1st Corinthians 1558, nothing, nothing done in the name of the Lord will be done in vain.

So may we abound in the work of the Lord now, the work of listening, the work of thinking, the work of dreaming, the work of speaking, the work of meditation and prayer and exegesis

and reflection for the sake of your people and for the sake of the nations.

Through Christ I pray.

Amen.

I don't know whether you have an outline of the day.

I suppose you do.

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