He loved assurance.

He had a deep love for his safe place in the mighty hands of God.

He said, surely I am safe because put into his mighty arms, though I may fall, yet I shall not utterly be cast away.

The spirit of the Lord Jesus will hold and uphold me.

What drove George Whitfield's tireless preaching?

In this episode of Light and Truth, John Piper explores the transformation that ignited

Whitfield's passion for the gospel.

This biographical message was originally delivered at the Desiring God 2009 conference for pastors.

The new birth had opened his eyes to what was real.

And the magnitude of what was real God creation human beings sin Satan divine justice and wrath heaven hell incarnation perfections of Christ death of Christ

atonement redemption propit propitiation, resurrection,

Holy Spirit, saving grace, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation with God, peace, sanctification,

love, the second coming of Christ, new heavens, new earth, everlasting joy, these were real,

spectacularly, gloriously, supremely, over everything, real.

And he felt it to the bottom of his bones because he had been born again.

When he warned of wrath and pleaded for people to escape and lifted up Christ, he wasn't play

acting.

He was calling down the kind of emotions and actions that correspond to such realities.

That's what preaching does.

It seeks to exalt Christ and describe Him and offer salvation and persuade sinners

with emotions and words and actions that correspond to the weight of the reality.

Okay. that correspond to the weight of the reality. Now, let's be more specific when I say he saw reality,

...