What I'm saying is that for God to be loving, he must give you what's best for you.

And the answer to that question of what's best for you is God is best for you.

Fellowship with God.

In His presence, His fullness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures

forevermore. If He offers you anything but himself, he's not loving. Why is giving himself

to you the most loving thing God can do.

That's the question John Piper answers

in this episode of light and truth.

In the previous episode, Pastor John concluded

with these words, from creation to consummation,

God's heart in everything he does is for God.

His unwavering purpose in all that he does is to magnify the worth of himself and the glory of his name.

Those thoughts frame the beginning of this episode originally preached at Trinity Baptist Church in Wheaton, Illinois on September 18,

1988.

Now, there are good reasons for why what I'm saying doesn't go down well besides the

fact that it hasn't been spoken of much.

There are biblical problems with what I've said.

And I sympathize with them.

I spent 18 or 20 years struggling with them

before I put anything down on permanent paper.

Here's the biggest one, I think.

If you were to raise an objection to what I've just said, it would probably come

...