In the final message of T4G 2012, John Piper ruminated on the fact that this will be the last time he preaches at T4G as a pastor. He also marveled at the fact that he’s still a Christian after 60 years. He then turned his amazement on the congregation, “I love to ask people, and I’ll ask you: What makes you think you’re gonna wake up a Christian tomorrow?” Here’s the clip with his answer:

In his message earlier today, Kevin DeYoung identified two underemphasized elements of the “young, restless, and reformed” movement: (1) preaching on personal holiness and (2) radical exhortation to take up the call to global missions. DeYoung addressed the first issue in his message this morning, and Platt took up the second issue in his message this evening. Timmy Brister aptly described Platt’s message this way: “That reverberating sound in Louisville is the pulsating heartbeat of God echoing from that gospel bomb delivered by [David Platt].” Listen or download below. Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions [download] [audio:http://media.t4g.org/t4g2012/audio/t4g2012-gen6-platt.mp3]

In his message at T4G this morning, Kevin DeYoung took on the evangelical cliché that says sanctification is by faith. He argues in fact that sanctification is not by faith—at least not in the same sense that justification is by faith. Rather, he contends that holiness in the believer’s life requires effort. It is a fantastic message, and I commend it to you. You’ll also want to bask in the afterglow of his overly hyphenated Piperian sermon title. Also, don’t miss Thabiti Anyabwile’s excellent message, which was also delivered this morning at T4G. He asks and answers the question, “Will your gospel transform a terrorist?” You can download or listen…

I was interested to read Christianity Today‘s coverage of a recent Biologos conference. The attendees included forty-one scholars and pastors who hold to (or are at least sympathetic to) theistic evolution. Knowing that they are in a minority among Protestants did not limit the gathering’s enthusiasm. About 60 participants came by special invitation, with the proviso that their names would not be publicized without permission. This was intended to encourage open conversation on sensitive topics. Attending were such luminaries as N. T. Wright, Alister McGrath, John Ortberg, Tim Keller, Scot McKnight, Os Guinness, Joel Hunter, and Andy Crouch…This year’s program centered on concerns for the church—especially for young people who…

Here’s a bit of wisdom from the Prince of Preachers on sermon length: Brethren, weigh your sermons. Do not retail them by the yard, but deal them out by the pound. Set no store by the quantity of words which you utter, but strive to be esteemed for the quality of your matter. It is foolish to be lavish in words and niggardly in truth. –C.H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, p. 71 There is no intrinsic value in an overlong sermon. Nor is there anything to boast about that a congregation has become conditioned to endure them. What constitutes a long sermon is a relative term anyway, isn’t it?…

Last week, Dr. Albert Mohler interviewed former President Jimmy Carter about Carter’s new book The Lessons from Life Bible. This really is an interview, not a debate (though Dr. Mohler’s registers disagreement with him on some points during the conversation). You can read the transcript of the interview here, download the audio here, or listen below. [audio:http://albertmohler.com/media/audio/totl/Podcast/Thinking_In_Public_Jimmy_Carter.mp3] Here’s President Carter’s answer to Dr. Mohler’s question about the inspiration of scripture: