The subordinate point is that because of sin, neither the heart, nor the mind, does what it is supposed to do, but the mind doesn’t serve the heart rightly and the heart doesn’t treasure God with white-hot affection until the gospel saves and shapes the mind and the heart. “The gospel is news - not advice - of something that’s been done for you.”
Only I’m arguing now that the ultimate goal of God in giving you a heart and a mind is found in the act of the heart, not the act of the mind, and that the mind exists to serve that act and when the mind rightly serves the heart, the heart explodes with a new affection, which is profoundly transforming in its affection that is Godward - it’s white-hot for God. The main point of my two messages is God created you with a mind and with a heart so that the heart, when rightly served by the mind would treasure God with white-hot affection. He said, by quoting a Thomas Chalmers sermon, “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection”, which is all I have to say in my Christian Hedonism, and he summed it up by saying, “How does the gospel change or shape our life?” And he said, “By worship.” Implicit in that very shorthand statement is that the new affection that is pushing out sin and ungodliness and idolatry is an affection for God, which he called worship - to which I say, “Amen.” White-Hot Affection for God Thank you for letting me have your fourth point. And then he ended a point that with his briefest, which will be my two messages. I just hope New England will be filled with that kind of shrewd insight into the essence of the gospel. Third, there were illustrations of the gospel-shaped life finding its amazing “Kelleresque” statement between moralism and relativism - so wise, so necessary. But number two was the gospel does shape a life better than the law because the gospel not only brings direction, it also brings motivation, which was also given in the fourth point. In fact, if you were to press on me to say what was done outside of you, I would say that Christ bought a gift for you and the gift he bought for you was Christ for your everlasting enjoyment, which was his fourth point. The gospel is news, not advice, of something that’s been done for you - outside of you - to which you gladly respond by receiving and believing and enjoying. I sat there reveling in those four points, and I want to say them again and show you how they launch this message. What an amazing thing that God would raise up in our generation a voice like Tim Keller’s. Editor’s Note: This message, which appears below as a lightly edited transcript, is the first of two messages John Piper preached at The Gospel Coalition New England 2012 Conference.
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