O Lord my helper and my Redeemer, I shall now tell and confess to the glory of your name

how you released me from the fetters of lust, which held me so tightly shackled and from my slavery

to the things of this world. Those are the words of Augustin as he recounts his journey from lust

to grace. This remarkable journey of Augustin is John Piper's focus in this episode of Light and

Truth. This biographical talk was originally given at the 1998 Bethlehem Conference for Pastors.

Augustin was born November 13, 354. His father, Patrick or Patricia's,

was a middle-aged, I mean a middle-income farmer, not wealthy, scraped together money to give

him the best education he could in rhetoric, first in Madalora, 20 miles away from the gas where he was

born, which is south of Hippo in northern Africa, in Algeria today, then between the ages of 17 and

20 he was educated in Carthage. His father was an unbeliever until the year of his death and he

died when Augustin was 16 years old. His mother Monica is very famous because of her relentless

prayer for her lecherous son and I'm not sure that she did the best job she should rearing him.

He said, as I grew to manhood, I was inflamed with desire for a surfeit of hell's pleasures.

My family made no effort to save me from my fall by marriage.

Their only concern was that I should learn how to make a good speech and how to persuade others

by my words. So, poor Monica, she's included in that as his father. Then he said particularly about

his father, my father took no trouble at all to see how I was growing in your sight, oh God,

and whether I was chased or not, he cared only that I could have a fertile tongue.

Well, he left for Carthage when he was 17 and his mother waking to the danger evidently

said to him that he should not commit fornication and above all not seduce a man's wife.

And this is what he said, I went to Carthage where I found myself in the midst of a hissing cauldron

of lust. My real need was for you, my God, he's riding this at age,

...