The Psalm does not say, great is the Lord and greatly to be taken for granted.

It says, great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, greatly to be spoken of and written of and thought of all the time,

because he is always the greatest and most important person in everything we do.

It's one of the most subtle temptations in the Christian life, to treat God like he's just part of the background.

I'm Dan Kroover.

In this episode of Light and Truth, John Piper reminds us that God is never to be taken for granted.

This talk was originally delivered at the Evangelical Press Association in St. Paul,

Minnesota on May 11, 1993.

I want to begin with a text from Isaiah this morning. It's one that I think is one of the most God-centered

texts in the Bible.

And what makes it so radically God-centered is that it reveals the God-centeredness of God.

It shows perhaps better than any other text, the supremacy of God in the heart of God.

And it's Isaiah 48, verse 9 to 11.

For my namesake, I defer my anger. For the sake of my praise, I restrain it for you,

that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not like silver.

I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.

For my own sake, I do it.

For how should my name be profaned?

My glory I will not give to another.

Now, the burden that I want to bring to you this morning is this.

God is an important person, and he does not like being taken for granted.

I'll say it again.

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