God who is sovereign over every molecule in the universe, the God who formed man from the dust of the

best of the ground and breathed into him life. The God who meant the mistreatment of Joseph by his brothers

to accomplish their rescue.

The God who used the very Pharaoh who oppressed the Hebrew children

to raise Moses,

and then used Moses to accomplish their deliverance from that oppression.

The God who is not served by human hands as though he needed anything

for he gives to all life and breath and everything else. That God, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph

and Moses and Joshua and Elijah and Gideon and Daniel and Shadrak and Meishak and Abednego is in this room right now.

My name is Sam Crafter, I'm Executive Minister at Bethlehem Baptist Church.

My assignment is to introduce the speaker for tonight's opening session.

Actually speaking to you tonight is God's spirit and the instrument is John Piper. I'm

praying that John will again be faithful to the God who is faithful.

Perhaps you're already acquainted with John, have read about him the host of this conference in your conference brochure or in the flyleaf of his books or on our website. Many of you've read his books or heard him preach, but some of you may not be familiar with John Piper.

What to others say about him? Here are two quotes.

James Montgomery Boyce said before he died,

no contemporary author of whom I'm aware understands and articulates the glorious depths of

God's character like John Piper does.

He's a man who has learned to love God by enjoying him deeply.

Arcei Sproll added, John Piper shows us the source, the goal, and the end of all pleasures. It might be helpful to some in this room if an introduction could be added by one who meets regularly with him every week when we're both in town.

I live across the back friends from him. We've talked late into the night about

our marriages and our children and our ministry and our health. We've wept together and probed

...