(upbeat music) - There was a moment when doctors told John Piper that they detected cancer in his body. Thankfully, it was a treatable cancer, but in that moment in the hospital when a doctor first voiced concern and Pastor John was left alone in a room, there in that moment without a Bible at hand, here were the first truths that flooded to his mind, as John Piper explained in a 2006 sermon.

- 2 Corinthians 1.8, almost one of the first ones. I don't want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning the affliction that we endured in Asia Minor. We felt that we had been given the sentence of death. That was to make us rely not upon ourselves, but upon God who raises the dead.

Now, there are a thousand good purposes in what God is doing in me right now, a thousand plus. I don't know 99% of them, but I know one of them, helping me not rely upon myself and helping me rely upon the God who raises the dead. That's the purpose.

I don't need the other 999. That's just enough. He's good, he's wise, the therapy is tailor-made for my need right now by God. That's number one. Number two, how sweet. 1 Thessalonians 5, 9, and 10. Comes to me in a dark moment. I can't remember morning or evening. God has not destined you for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us so that whether we wake or sleep, we will live with him.

Don't you love biblical clarity? I mean, it just is golden clarity. You tap that one and it rings clear. There are no ambiguities in that verse. John Piper, God says, "You are not destined for wrath." This is not wrath, but for salvation through Jesus Christ, not you, not you, you're nobody.

You're a sinner, through Jesus Christ who died for you so that whether you're taken out at 60 or get 80, you're gonna live with him. Those are, that's why I want you to read your Bible. I was with six guys down in Louisville, Kentucky, praying and strategizing about big things the last few days and shared this with them.

And we were talking about postmodern post-propositionalism and how bad it is. And I got real animated in Al Mohler's basement and almost broke a vase. And I said, "Okay, when I stand up at this Together for the Gospel Conference and talk about this, I'm gonna say, 'God has not destined me for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for me so that whether I die or live, I live with him.'" Don't take my propositions!

These people, these postmodern emergent types think they're just moving beyond this enlightenment propositionalism. I say, "Well, I don't know where you're going, but I know a few propositions that I will live by, die by, and this is one of them, and there are about 18,000 others in the Bible.

Don't get uppity about post-propositionalism. I will have propositions like, "You are not destined for wrath." That's a statement with a verb and a subject and a few other grammatical pieces that matter infinitely to me. I get really exercised about this stuff, this philosophical mumbo jumbo about how new everything is because we're going beyond the doctrines and beyond the propositions.

Thank you, I don't know where you're going, but I'm staying right here with verses nine and 10 of 1 Thessalonians. - Amen, and for more on this, see Piper's article titled, "10 Lessons from a Hospital Bed," published at DesiringGod.org on April 8th, 2014. This clip was pulled from Piper's 2006 sermon, "How God's Word Produces Our Work." It was a clip sent in by podcast listener, Ricky Sanchez from Toronto, Canada.

Of course, Piper's cancer was treatable. Tomorrow, we address a heartbreaking email from a teenager with terminal cancer who wants to know, "When is it okay to pray "that God would take us home?" I'm your host Tony Reinhke, and I'll see you tomorrow. (silence) (silence)