Gospel in Life: Recent Episodes
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This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 1, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-5. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve enjoyed...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 25, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-3. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve enjoyed...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 18, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:22-23. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve enjoyed...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 11, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:19-23. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve enjoyed...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 4, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve enjoyed...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 27, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve enjoyed...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 20, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:13, 14. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 13, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:13, 14. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 30, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:11-23. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve enjoyed...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 16, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:9-12. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve enjoyed...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 9, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:9-12. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve enjoyed...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 2, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:9-12. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve enjoyed...
The highest thing that Christianity offers to us is to be adopted as God’s sons. It’s little surprise, then, that our identity as his children can radically transform how we live each and every day. When we look at the great privileges and characteristics of people who know they’re children of God, what do we...
God moved heaven and earth to be our Father. Rather than just forgiving our sins through Jesus Christ, he invites us to sit at the family table with him as his very own sons and daughters. All too often, we live and act as slaves instead of cherished children, blown about by the emotional highs...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on June 7, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:4-8. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve enjoyed...
Forgiveness isn’t something that can just be given for free; it always has a cost. When we commit an offense against someone and they forgive us, they pay the price of the time, money, or reputation we took from them. Ephesians tells us our sins against God, too, come with a real cost that only...
We often hear it stated that Jesus offers redemption to those who believe in him. But why do we need to be redeemed in this first place—and why is Jesus the only one who could do it? The truth is that we have all violated God’s Law and need to be saved. Still, many of...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 10, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve enjoyed...
I’ve seen the pendulum in the church swing to extreme places over spiritual gifts—sometimes giving obsessive focus to them, and sometimes ignoring them. There’s nothing more practical for helping us avoid extremes and understand what a Christian church should actually look like than to embrace what the Bible gives us here, a theology of spiritual...
Each year when we get to Thanksgiving, we pause to recognize all the ways God has been so gracious in his provision — both for our basic physical needs, and for the ways he provides for us spiritually to give us joy, hope and renewal through his son Jesus Christ.
Paul commands us to be filled with the Spirit. Paul doesn’t say, “It would be a great thing to attain if you could. Try really hard.” No, he commands that we “be filled with the Spirit.” Let’s ask this short text three questions: 1) what is being filled with the Spirit? 2) how do we...
We’re looking at what the Bible teaches about the Holy Spirit. My impression is there are an awful lot of churches in the world that talk about nothing but spiritual experience, and there are an awful lot of churches that are absolutely afraid of the subject and talk only about truth and knowing the right...
Contemporary people stare at the biblical concept of humility the way a cow stares at a new gate. The approach of our culture is expressive individualism, and it completely flies in the face of what the Bible says about the importance of humility. So let’s look in Philippians 2 at this concept of humility. This...
How do you talk about kindness? Depending on the context, the Greek word can be translated as fitting, pleasing, honest, or compassionate. How do you talk about a word with that kind of lexical range? The answer is you can’t do it abstractly. You have to look at a kind of relationship that combines all...
If you’ve ever read a translation like the King James Version, you know when you get to the word “patience,” the older English translation will use the word “longsuffering.” This is because the Greek word for patience literally means to suffer a long time, which doesn’t sound very promising. What it’s saying is that patience...
There’s a difference between controlling or suppressing the natural self-centeredness and insecurity of the heart through willpower and seeing it permanently changed through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5, there’s a list of the traits or characteristics of a supernaturally changed heart. They’re called the fruit of the Spirit. We’re in a...
How do you know whether you’re just trying to be good, or whether the Holy Spirit has really brought transformation into your life? The way to know is to look at what’s called the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. There’s a whole set of characteristics of a supernaturally changed heart. We’re looking now...
Almost all of us have parts of our lives we really want to see changed, but change is really hard. And it’s very possible to mistake a morally restrained heart for a supernaturally changed heart. If you squeeze a rubber ball and then take your hand away, it snaps right back to where it was....
When people in the West were faced with the atrocities of World War II, the culture’s prevailing optimistic views of human nature were devastated. Two questions kept coming up: what’s wrong with us that we’re capable of this, and what are we going to do about it? Isaiah 52 to 53 was written to answer...
In Isaiah 61, we have one of the great prophecies about the Messiah. It tells us the Messiah is going to deal with the problems of life—and that shows us something about sin. Sin is not just breaking God’s scale and breaking God’s heart; it’s also breaking God’s design for us. God’s law is also...
Even when we feel vaguely guilty for things in our past, or when we feel outraged by what we see other people doing, we have trouble talking about sin and evil. In our society, we’ve been taught that words like “sin” or “evil” are oppressive or meaningless. Yet we sense something out there that we...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 7, 1999. Series: What’s Really Wrong with the World. Scripture: Judges 17:1-13. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you’ve...
When people see the evidence of great evils and atrocities, they automatically turn into philosophers. They start to ask the metaphysical questions. How could this have happened? Why doesn’t God do something about evil, about the wickedness and violence that’s here? Why doesn’t God do something about the brokenness of the world? Exodus 17 tells...
The story of Jacob and Esau is a great example of how anger works out in a family situation. Esau and Jacob were twins, and Esau was the oldest. When their father is fooled into giving Jacob the birthright, Esau can’t get ahold of his anger. We’re told that Esau held a grudge against Jacob...
The rich young ruler looked like he had it made. He’s characterized by moral excellence and he’s financially wealthy. He’s got it so together that he even admits he doesn’t have it all together—that there’s still something he lacks. He isn’t sure what it is. He’s gotten to the top and realized, “I’ve almost made...
Joseph’s career was going along fairly well. He’d risen from servanthood to becoming, in a sense, the Chief Operating Officer of a huge estate. And then sex came. He wasn’t even looking for it, but it came at him. Things may be going very well for you, but sex will come—and it’s such a powerful...
In the Middle Ages, theologians said there are different forms of gluttony—that you can eat and drink excessively, sumptuously, daintily, or impulsively. Technically, gluttony means to eat and drink immoderately. But gluttony also tells us something about each of us. Gluttony is taking something good and then cramming it in until we’re sick of it....
There’s a sickness in us. We are cruel to each other in ways we cannot seem to heal. We have an inveterate kind of unhappiness in our hearts we can’t seem to put out. For the last hundred years, the reigning Western understanding of why we are so cruel and unhappy has been that it...
After he broke his promise to Jesus, Peter wept bitterly. Peter was an absolutely broken man in the profoundest possible way, and yet within weeks he was poised as the leader of a new movement, about to become one of the most influential leaders in the history of the world. What broke Peter like this,...
In sixth century B.C., Nebuchadnezzar was the absolute monarch of the Babylonian empire. He’d built maybe the most incredible city in history. He was at the pinnacle of power, and his life fell apart anyway. And here’s the incredible part: he’s glad it happened! He praises God for having done it. Do you know why?...
Jeremiah is speaking at a time when his society was literally falling apart—politically, psychologically, socially and culturally. Everybody was asking, “What’s wrong?” And the answer of God through Jeremiah, was, “It’s not the economy. It’s sin.” The Bible shows us that sin is a dislocation of the soul. The soul should be centered on God,...
In Jeremiah, the people of Israel were calling out and saying, “What’s wrong with us? Why are things falling apart?” And God came through and said, “Let me tell you what’s wrong.” In Jeremiah 2, we have the first sermon by the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Israel. It’s a sermon to show them...
It’s acceptable now to say, “I am spiritually searching.” But it’s not really acceptable to say you’ve found anything. But the Bible says you can find God. Not just search for God, but find God. And the famous passage about the burning bush, where Moses finds God, is very important—it gives you all of the...
When you go on a spiritual search, there are problems people always run into. One of them is the problem of pain. But there’s also the problem of pleasure. I don’t think I’ve ever really talked to anybody who said, “I have trouble believing in God because of pleasure. Why is there pleasure in the...
If you’re on a spiritual search, there’s no better place to go than the book of Ecclesiastes. In the entire Bible, it’s the only book written from the viewpoint of a skeptic. The writer of Ecclesiastes asks, “If this life is all here is, what meaning is there in life?” To explore that, he looks...
When you’re young, there are probably things you’re sure would never happen to you, or things you’re sure you or friends would never do. But usually, as we get older, we begin to wonder whether there’s any rhyme or reason to life. Scientifically, they now say life is chaotic, that there is nothing but disorder....
Some of you may know I was actually a teacher at graduate school seminary for five years. Then I said, “Get me back in the ministry,” where there is no grading papers and no one knows whether people are learning or not. But the gospel changes everything . . . even education. We’re looking now...
If you’re Christian, what is the rationale for being an actor? Why should Christians be actors? How should Christians who are actors or writers or choreographers or directors think about their faith and their work? To answer that, we need to look at the power of stories, at why we connect with and are overwhelmed...
When we talk about creativity, we mean artists of course. But we also actually mean entrepreneurs—whose creativity is as important to what they do as anything else. So thinking about creativity, what does Christianity have to say to it? The answer is a lot. Your deeper beliefs about the meaning of life and the world...
How can practicing the law be shaped by the Christian faith? And how can we reimagine lawyering? If you’re reimagining the legal profession, you don’t want to just be a Christian who happens to also be a lawyer. You want the way you practice the law to be shaped by your faith. For this reimagining,...
A lot of people have an incredibly negative view of marketing and advertising. Not too long ago, I heard somebody say that advertising is the first profession: in the Garden of Eden, the serpent said, “you need that apple.” They were saying that marketing is creating need in somebody else for your profit, whether they...
The Bible says probably 20 times more things about money than it does about sex, maybe more than that. So if you’re trying to know the Bible, you’re gonna know a little bit of something about money. We all have our own filters. We all have mental maps, assumptions about God and the universe and...
Living the Christian life is not a matter of willpower and self-effort. Because of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we have the potential for radical and organic growth and change. 2 Peter talks about moving from selfishness to unselfishness, from enslavement to freedom, from foolishness to wisdom. It’s talking about inward character change, about...
The friendship between Jonathan and David is rightly famous. Because we have so much information about the life of David, the narrative arcs are long. So to follow David’s friendship with Jonathan, you have to see it over multiple passages. We’re going to look at four passages in 1 Samuel to see what the Bible...
Who is Jesus? In Mark 2 and 3, Jesus makes a claim about himself that’s so immense it almost defies categories. In this text, two incidents are detailed and they both have to do with how we observe the Sabbath day. To understand the magnitude of Jesus’ claim here, we have to unpack the meaning...
In this unparalleled text in the Bible, we learn not so much what the church does, but what the church is. We’ve been looking at the animating gospel principles that have profoundly shaped our church’s life in the city and service to the city. And that often means we’ve looked at something the church does....
Hebrews is written to first-century, urban people who are so weary with troubles and difficulties that they’re in danger of giving up. What do they need?
It’s pretty obvious from this passage what the writer is trying to get across: because eight times in eleven verses we see the word “rest.” It’s not just a crucial message for them, but for us too. We live in a culture that’s probably more in need of this message than any other culture in history.
This passage shows us 1) the importance of rest, 2) the two levels of rest, 3) the ordeal you need to go through in order to get rest, and 4) the author of rest.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 20, 2005. Series: Christ: Our Treasury (The Book of Hebrews). Scripture: Hebrews 4:1-13.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The book of Hebrews is written to a group of urban, first-century Christians who were struggling with fear and discouragement because their lives were so filled with troubles.
The question this book asks is if God loves us so much, why are our lives so hard? In almost every passage, the answer it gives is that fear and discouragement can be dealt with by looking at Jesus.
Hebrews 2 says if you really want to deal with fear and discouragement in your life, you need to see that Jesus is 1) the king who gets involved with us, 2) the captain who faces death for us, and 3) the brother who is proud of us.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 13, 2005. Series: Christ: Our Treasury (The Book of Hebrews). Scripture: Hebrews 2:5-18.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
If God is so committed to our joy and our glory, if he loves us so much, why is our life so hard?
That’s what the book of Hebrews is about and the answer, in a nutshell, is life is a journey. It’s a journey from weariness into rest. It’s a journey from alienation into the presence of God. It’s a journey from isolation into the city of God. And the only way you’re going to get home is by fixing your eyes on Jesus. The whole idea of Hebrews is you don’t get home through bursts, through sprints, but in a sustained, long-term way.
In Hebrews 1 and 2, we learn what Jesus has to do with this question: 1) what he brings, 2) why he brings it; and 3) how it can change our lives.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 6, 2005. Series: Christ: Our Treasury (The Book of Hebrews). Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:1-4.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Psalm 126 has always helped me. It has never filled my soul with glory. It has always made me quiet and reflective. Because it’s a perfect overview of the emotional life that the life of faith brings.
You’re going to weep. In this world, you will weep. But how are you weeping? What are you doing with your sorrows? They need to be sown. They need to be invested. They need to be planted, in a sense, or they need to water.
Psalm 126 tells us 3 things about how we’re supposed to address our sorrows: 1) it tells us to expect weeping, 2) it tells us to expect new kinds of tears, and 3) it tells us to sow our tears.
But let me say there are three principles: 1) the life of faith is a life of both rejoicing and weeping, 2) the life of faith is a life of greater rejoicing and greater weeping, and 3) the life of faith is a life of interdependent rejoicing and weeping.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on July 13, 1997. Series: Happiness and Weeping. Scripture: Psalm 126.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Jesus tells his disciples that no one will take away their joy. Now that’s pretty amazing. He knows to whom he is talking. He is speaking to men who are going to be persecuted. They’re going to be robbed of everything they own. They’re going to be tortured. They’re going to be put to death.
The Bible says there is a joy that is not subject to circumstances, that the deepest troubles can’t put out, that can coexist and overwhelm the greatest grief. And these three verses in Romans 8 have the heart of it. In these three verses, you have three principles. This is the basis for joy.
Your joy will be strong to the degree you understand and grasp these three things: 1) our bad things turn out for good, 2) our good things can never be lost, and 3) the best things are yet to come.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on July 6, 1997. Series: Happiness and Weeping. Scripture: Romans 8:28-30.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Jesus was about to come into Joseph’s life, and Joseph thought he was doing the right thing to arrange things so it wouldn’t happen. Joseph was going to dismiss Mary quietly. But the angel comes to Joseph and says, “Your problem is you’re a coward. Do not be afraid.”
This passage shows us that you can’t be a Christian unless you have courage. Or put another way, to let Jesus into your life, to receive Jesus into your life, takes courage above all.
Another way to put it is you will not receive Jesus into your life unless you have the courage to accept three other things. They’re all here: three things Joseph had to accept. You can’t receive Christ unless you have 1) the courage to accept the world’s disdain, 2) the courage to accept the adventure of his lordship, and 3) the courage to admit you’re a sinner.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 21, 1997. Scripture: Matthew 1:18-24.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The meaning of Christmas is that God got flesh and blood. In Jesus Christ the holy and transcendent God became really and fully and truly human. He shared in our humanity.
I submit to you that the traditional, moralistic religion has completely forgotten this whole idea. In fact, I submit to you that if you and I really undertstood the fact that Jesus Christ shares in our humanity, we’d live differently.
What does that teach us about God? It teaches us three things: 1) God has a concern for the physical, 2) God has a knowledge of the sorrowful, and 3) God desires the relational.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 18, 1994. Series: The Nature of Faith. Scripture: Hebrews 2:14-18.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The themes of Christmas, if grasped, are life-transforming.
We’re looking at the book of Isaiah, at the prophesies of the messiah. Because Christians believe the messianic king that Isaiah prophesied was Jesus, we believe these prophecies help us understand the richness of the meaning of Christmas and who Jesus is.
Isaiah 11 tells us three things about this great prophesied king: 1) the justice of the king, 2) the wisdom of the king, and 3) the identity of the king.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 15, 2013. Series: Jesus, Our Hope (Advent). Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-10.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
What does Christmas mean?
The Old Testament book of Isaiah helps us come to grips with the riches of Christmas. If I could put it in one sentence, it tells us that Christmas means the unexpected, ultimate light comes through the God-man, which can only be received by grace.
Let’s look at it: Christmas means 1) God does something unexpected, 2) the salvation has to do with the ultimate light, and 3) the hope you get can only be received as a gift of grace.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 8, 2013. Series: Jesus, Our Hope (Advent). Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The end of a worship service is always about mission. A minister says, “Let us go forth to serve the world as those who love our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Then the people say, “Thanks be to God.”
Do you realize how significant this is? You are being sent out into the world to give your life in service, now reshaped by the knowledge that Jesus Christ is your Savior, and you’re filled with his love.
Let’s look at Psalm 67 to learn about 1) the fact of mission, 2) the character of mission, 3) the dynamic for mission, and 4) the consolation of mission.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 21, 2008. Series: Liturgy: What we do in Worship. Scripture: Psalm 67:1-7.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The devil. Spiritual warfare.
In Africa, Latin America, Asia, most places in the world, the idea of spiritual warfare—of a conflict between spiritual good and spiritual evil—is not an unusual concept. Many people in many parts of the world think this helps make sense of reality. But here in the Western world, we find it a foreign concept.
Let’s look at this passage on spiritual warfare, and let’s notice 1) whom we fight, 2) what we fight, and 3) how we fight.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 29, 2012. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-13.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Ephesians 5 is like a fair number of people in New York City. It’s both rich and famous.
Because it’s so rich, you could work through it word by word and get quite a bit out of it. But it’s also advantageous to do what we’re going to do, which is to fly over the whole thing. In this way, we’ll get a panoramic view of the immense biblical wisdom on this subject of marriage.
What we learn about marriage here is 1) what it is, 2) what it does, 3) what it needs, and 4) what it shows.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 15, 2012. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 5:21–33.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Christianity is not just a vitamin supplement. It doesn’t just come into your life and give you a little boost to live a better form of the life you’re living. It’s a sweeping revolution that affects every part of you.
In Ephesians 5, we have a long passage on what it means to live the Christian life. And it’s not that we live in a certain way and, therefore, become Christians. It’s that we become Christians and, therefore, live in a certain way—because we’re saved not by what we do but by what Christ has done.
In this passage, there are three important keys to understanding what it means to live the Christian life. It entails 1) knowing sin and walking in obedience, 2) knowing the time and walking in wisdom, and 3) knowing the Lord and walking in joy.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 8, 2012. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 5:5–21.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We all want to change. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t say, “I really need to change.” And one of the greatest things about Christianity is Christianity gives you the resources to change.
Jesus Christ was born into this world to give us second birth. The idea of being born again means radical change. Often we don’t quite know how change actually happens. But Ephesians 4 gives four concrete principles for how the gospel helps us change.
What does change mean to Christians? It means you have to 1) make a decision, and 2) change from the inside. And you do that by 3) transforming your thinking, and 4) being captivated by him.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 12, 2011. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 4:17–24.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In Ephesians 4, we find a pretty remarkable argument.
The argument has three parts. The flow of the argument is that even though we have the life of the trinity in us, we live in spiritual immaturity until we’re willing to do the hard work of developing and creating unity in the church.
Let’s take a look at each part: 1) the life of the trinity, 2) we live in spiritual immaturity, and 3) do the hard work of developing and creating unity in the church.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 4, 2011. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 4:1–16.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Thinking about the gospel of Jesus Christ leads Paul to pray in a particular way—in a passionate way.
Usually people in those days prayed standing. Paul kneels—it’s a sign of great emotion and solemnity. And what does he so passionately pray for? That his readers—and that also means us—would be strengthened with the power of the Spirit.
Let’s explore this: 1) Why is that so important? 2) What is it? and 3) How do we get it?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 27, 2011. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 3:14–21.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Most teachers tend to overlook or go past this particular passage in Ephesians 3.
Here’s the reason. In the middle of the first sentence, there’s a dash. Paul just breaks off and goes into a digression, literally a sidebar, and he doesn’t come out of it until verse 13. This really is a sudden thought he had. And yet, what’s in here is so practical.
In here we’re going to learn 1) the hardness of life, 2) the wonder of grace, 3) the brilliance of the church, and 4) the freedom that comes.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 20, 2011. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 3:1–13.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
There’s a problem. We aren’t what we are.
The book of Ephesians is ultimately about the church. Paul very directly talks about what the church is and who the church is. These are some of the most powerful passages on that subject that you’re ever going to find.
And in Ephesians 2, we’re being told 1) what we were, 2) what we are, and 3) how we can really become what we are.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 13, 2011. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 2:19–22.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Paul prays that we’d see the evidence of God’s mighty power at work in the world.
And in Ephesians 2, we see one of the main ways we can be sure God’s power is at work. It’s the real heart of what Ephesians says about the church. And that is that inside the church, people who could never get along outside the church, are now living together in peace.
Paul says God has addressed one of the main problems the human race has ever had: 1) what is the problem? 2) what is God’s solution for it? and 3) how did he bring it about?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 6, 2011. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 2:11–18.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Christians talk about being saved. But what does it mean to be saved?
Whatever we say we think it means, we should be meaning what’s said here in Ephesians 2. This is one of the richest passages in all the Bible word for word on what it means to be saved. And it says twice that we’re saved through faith.
Notice it easily breaks into three parts: 1) the life we’re saved from, 2) the life we’re saved for, and 3) how we get from here to there.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 30, 2011. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 2:1–10.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Many people say they don’t believe in Christianity. But in all my years as a minister, I’ve seldom talked to anybody who rejected Christianity and actually knew what they rejected.
If you’re uninterested in Christianity, you need to know what it is you’re rejecting. And if you are a Christian, you need to figure out if you’re living consistently. In these first verses of Ephesians, Paul gives an amazing picture of what it means to be a Christian.
This passage shows us that being a Christian means three things: 1) truth, 2) hope, and 3) glory.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 16, 2011. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 1:11–16.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
No matter how long a sentence is, if you find the subject and the predicate, you can figure out the point of the sentence. In the original Greek, there are 202 words in this one sentence that spans from verse 3 to 14 of Ephesians 1.
The subject of this great sentence is God and everything God is doing. And the predicate shows that everything God’s doing is happening toward an end. There is a plan for history, and Jesus is the point of the plan.
Let’s take a look at these three things: 1) there’s a plan, 2) what’s in the plan, and 3) Jesus is the point of the plan.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 9, 2011. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 1:8-11.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re looking at an astonishing claim. In the New Testament, the word “blessing” doesn’t just mean what we mean by it today. It’s closer to shalom. It means every joy and every benefit your heart and soul needs and longs for.
And in Ephesians 1:3, we’re told if you’re a Christian you have already been blessed (past tense) with every spiritual blessing there is. What in the world could that mean?
Let’s look at the text with these questions: 1) How do we get every spiritual blessing? 2) What is every spiritual blessing? 3) Why can we have every spiritual blessing? and 4) How do you know you have every spiritual blessing?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 2, 2011. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-8.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Jonah’s spirituality was fine for his old world and his old situations. But when he’s faced with a new situation, it just collapses.
Then, when he’s in the belly of the fish, Jonah begins to reflect and pray, and as the prayer moves along, we see he has a spiritual breakthrough. Now the new situation is something he can handle. How do we, too, move to the next level?
By looking at Jonah’s prayer we learn about 1) the key to spiritual transformation, 2) the method of spiritual transformation, 3) the marks of spiritual transformation, and 4) the continual need for it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 30, 2001. Series: The Church in the City. Scripture: Jonah 2:1-3:3.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The point of Galatians is that Christians need the gospel, continually. So let’s bring the gospel to a subject that’s very relevant for us: self-image and self-esteem.
Christianity brings you a way of understanding yourself that is so different than what anything else brings you. And it’s a paradox. In Galatians 6, Paul says we’re nothing, and then, in the next verse, he says we should take pride in ourselves. What’s going on here?
Let’s take a look at the two sides: 1) we’re nothing, and 2) we should have pride.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 10, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 5:26-6:5.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Our relationships are such hard work. People are always getting hurt. People are always getting disappointed. Relationships are a nightmare, but we can’t get along without them.
As soon as we try to pull back from relationships, we lose our humanity. Because we’re made in the image of God. And the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—has, from all eternity, been loving and knowing and communicating with each other. Relationship is at the very heart of things.
Galatians 5 tells us a lot about relationships. Let’s look at 1) what is the problem? and 2) what is the solution?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 26, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 5:13-15,25-6:5.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Through faith in Christ, through the gospel, through the Holy Spirit, you can experience lasting, deep, radical, permanent change.
If you’re going to make such changes, you need to understand the nature of Christian change. You have to understand the nature of it, the pattern of it, and the process of it.
Galatians 5 shows us that Christian change is 1) gradual, 2) inevitable, 3) internal, and 4) symmetrical.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 19, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 5:16-18,22-25.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
When you become a Christian, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead comes into you spiritually, internally. You have the power to change. You have an unsurpassed power to change.
So we have to ask ourselves right away, “Are we settling for too little?” I mean, how much have you changed so far? The power that raised Jesus from the dead, that broke the bands of death, is in you. Now, how does it actually work?
Let’s look at 1) the signs of spiritual deadness, 2) the signs of spiritual life, and 3) how you move over from death to life.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 12, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 5:13-25.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Freedom is the greatest value in the modern Western world. The secular model of freedom is basically freedom from something. It says, “I am only free when there’s nothing in my way.”
When people come to Christianity, they would like inspiration and help, but they don’t want to give up their freedom. Very often, Christians say to them, “You must give it up. God has a will,” but the Bible doesn’t come at it like that at all. The Bible instead is dripping with the language of freedom.
So let’s look at what this text shows us about 1) the failure of secular freedom, and 2) the nature of real Christian freedom.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 5, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 5:5-18.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
How could the idea that you’re saved by grace alone be any incentive to live a good life?
Paul says the gospel of salvation through free grace, not works, is actually a greater incentive to a life of honesty, sacrifice, and love than anything else. He’s talking about how we change the human heart, and he says the motivation behind what we do is all-important.
Paul tells us 1) what the new motivation is, and 2) how the new motivation works.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 29, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 5:5-12.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Most people think the job of religion is to call people into a life of morality. But Paul says that’s not what Christianity is at all.
Gospel transformation is completely different than moral reformation. In Galatians 5, Paul says there are two different reasons you could obey God—and the reason for your obedience makes all the difference in the world.
Paul tells us 1) there is a wrong reason for moral obedience, and it enslaves us, and 2) there is a whole other engine for obedience, and it is hope and love.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 22, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 5:1-12.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
What’s the purpose of writing a letter to somebody? The purpose is to get something across. So when we read the Bible, we need to have the intellectual integrity to treat it the way we’d want our own communications treated.
Galatians 4 is a text that many find difficult to read and interpret. What is Paul saying? What does he mean? But if we understand the context, it really is very simple in the end.
If we look at Galatians 4, we’ll see 1) he talks about two sons, 2) then he talks about two covenants, and 3) then he gives two applications.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 15, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 4:21-31.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The difference between a sword and a scalpel at first sight doesn’t seem that great. But you can either cut in order to defeat or in order to heal.
The book of Galatians is counseling, and for Paul, truth is a scalpel. He’s not using truth to bludgeon, but to do surgery. And the reason this truth changed other people’s lives was because Paul brought the truth through the mode and channel of true friendship.
We’re told three things in this passage about transforming friendships: 1) a friend has a vision for who God is making you, 2) a friend has a vision for Christ being formed in you, and 3) a friend is willing to go into labor pains for it all.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 8, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 4:21-31.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
If you want to be an agent of reconciliation and change and healing in the lives of others, Paul says something that applies to us all.
Paul says the essence of his ministry was this: “become like me, for I became like you.” There are two sides to that sentence. Only by the power of God can you do both. But if you can do both, you can change people’s lives.
Here’s what you need: 1) you need ministers, 2) you need the kind of ministers who understand the gospel, and 3) you need ministers who labor until Christ is formed in you.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 1, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 4:12-20.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
This is a startling passage. The context is that the Galatians, who became Christians out of pagan backgrounds, are now falling under the influence of teachers who say, “It’s not enough just to believe in Jesus Christ. You also have to obey everything in the Bible.”
Paul says something here which is astounding. He says that if they do that, they will fall back under what he calls the slavery of the non-gods.
So we ask ourselves three questions: 1) what are the non-gods? 2) how do they enslave? and 3) how can we be free?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 22, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 4:8-20.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
On Today's episode of Gospel in Life, we're previewing the first episode of our new standalone limited podcast series: Cultivating a Healthy Marriage with Tim Keller.
Cultivating a Healthy Marriage with Tim Keller is a short podcast series featuring the messages from the most popular sermon series of Dr. Keller’s time at Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Preached in 1991, this series was the basis for the bestselling book by Tim and Kathy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage. Whether you’re single, married, widowed, or divorced, through this podcast you’ll learn new ways to apply God’s wisdom about marriage to your life.
To listen and subscribe, visit https://marriage.gospelinlife.com or search for Cultivating a Healthy Marriage wherever you listen to podcasts.
As a new Christian, I thought of salvation as taking things off of me: that my sins were taken off. But at the very same moment, there’s another part of that legal transaction: something is put on me. I’m adopted as God’s own son.
Galatians tells us that because we’re legally adopted, we have an agent—it’s the Spirit. The Spirit is sent not into the world but into our hearts. And the Spirit comes to give not the objective status, which we already have, but the subjective experience of sonship.
Let’s break it into three things: 1) what is promised, 2) what it’s like, and 3) how it comes.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 8, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 3:26-4:7.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The gospel insists on putting two things together that no other religion tries to put together, that all other human categories of thought insist is impossible.
How is it possible to have both law and grace in your life? It’s a striking apparent contradiction. In fact, if it doesn’t create some tension in you, you’ll never experience the glorious release Christianity can give.
I’d like to pose the central question Paul asks in Galatians 3: is the law opposed to grace? I’d like to show you 1) the significance of the question and 2) the significance of the answer.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 25, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 3:19–29.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
I don’t think there’s any competition on this: the cross is the single most visible and recognizable symbol in human history. It’s everywhere. But what does it mean?
Before Christ came, the cross was a gallows, a firing squad, a guillotine. All the cross meant was that you’d lost. It was not a symbol of strength—it was a symbol of weakness.
Galatians 3 is perhaps the most complete picture on the meaning of the cross. Let’s look at 1) why the cross is necessary, 2) what actually happened on the cross, and 3) how the cross makes us different.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 18, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 3:10-14.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Whenever we listen or read about marriage we bring our own filters. We have filters based on our experiences and cultures.
So before we pick at this passage in Ephesians 5, let’s stand back and consider that the passage presents a view of marriage that may be challenging to our very filters. Because the biblical model of marriage is neither optimistic nor pessimistic about human nature, and it’s neither traditional nor modern.
Let’s look at it. The model of marriage in this passage has three things to it: 1) a power, 2) a purpose, and 3) a pointer.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 16, 1998. Series: Ephesians – God’s New Society. Scripture: Ephesians 5:21-33.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
When we think of temptation, we tend to almost immediately think of physical kinds of sins. But there are a lot of other temptations. There’s temptation to pride, to despair, to dishonesty.
Anything, whether it’s good or not, can become addicting—it becomes your master. That’s what temptation is about. Temptation is about something which may be good or may be bad, but it becomes your master, and therefore, it’s bad.
Let’s look at 1) temptation and the devil, 2) the way of attack, and 3) the way of defense.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 22, 1990. Series: Fruit of the Spirit. Scripture: Genesis 3:1-7; 39:6-12.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
When Jesus Christ came into the life of the demon-possessed man in Mark 5, it says the man sat at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind. That’s the result of Jesus’ resurrection power: self-control.
All of us who look fairly polished on the outside realize, in many cases, our spirits are completely out of control. We look pretty well-manicured, but on the inside, we desperately need to have Christ’s power come into our lives so we can sit as his feet, clothed, and in our right minds.
Let’s look at 1) the problem of self-control, 2) the counterfeit solution, and 3) the real self-control.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 15, 1990. Series: Fruit of the Spirit. Scripture: Ephesians 2:1–3; Luke 11:14–26; 1 Corinthians 9:23–27.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We all have a problem with self-control, right? You can probably think of some emotion or some habit you have trouble controlling. And if you can’t think of anything that’s out of control, your pride is out of control.
The fruit of the Spirit is a singular word, which means it’s like a diamond with many facets. That’s very important. Because you can manufacture a kind of self-control that is nothing more than willpower, that has nothing to do with love or joy or peace. And that’s not self-control.
Let’s look at 1) what self-control is, 2) what self-control is not, and 3) how to get self-control.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 8, 1990. Series: Fruit of the Spirit. Scripture: Galatians 5:19-26.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Goodness and faithfulness are greatly interrelated. They both have to do with integrity, with living honestly.
The word integrity is related to integer—a whole number as opposed to a fraction. A person of integrity lives in a unified, not a fractured, way. But today we live in a fragmented world, in which one area of life has one set of values and another area has another set. What does it mean to have a truth-centered life?
Let’s look at 1) what the Bible teaches about truth, and then 2) what the Bible teaches about getting the truth into your life, about becoming a person of goodness and faithfulness.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 25, 1990. Series: Fruit of the Spirit. Scripture: 1 John 1:5-2:8.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The Bible says one of the marks of a real Christian is that your love finds expression in deeds of kindness—especially toward those with material, physical, and economic problems.
Kindness is loving deeds, doing something for someone out of love. And in a number of places, the Bible says a real Christian will care for the poor. It’s the Christian’s social concern, social responsibility.
Let’s look at 1) the definition of kindness 2) the opposite of kindness 3) the counterfeit of kindness, and 4) how we cultivate kindness in our lives.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 11, 1990. Series: Fruit of the Spirit. Scripture: 1 John 3:16-20.
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When the Bible says the fruit of the Spirit is patience, it’s saying a Christian is somebody who at last knows how to deal with anger.
You know, anger is a scary thing. Almost all murders and wars start with anger. It’s a tremendously dangerous emotion. And this ability to deal with anger, to really release and remove it, to pray for enemies, to forgive people, to pray for oppressors, to repay evil with good is an essential sign of Christianity.
Ephesians 4 shows us three things about anger: 1) anger in itself is not a sin, 2) anger usually is a sin, and 3) your motives are always impure.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 4, 1990. Series: Fruit of the Spirit. Scripture: 1 John 3:11-20, Ephesians 4:26-32.
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When we talk about the fruit of the Spirit, love and joy seem like they’re in a higher league than patience. We think, “everybody gets impatient!”
But in James 5, it says impatience and grumbling is worthy of judgment. You may say, “Why?” But what do you think murder is? It’s just grumbles that were planted and watered and fertilized. Impatience is at the root of things.
Let’s look at 1) the danger of impatience 2) what patience is, 3) what patience is not, 4) the counterfeit of patience, and 5) how you develop a patient heart.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 25, 1990. Series: Fruit of the Spirit. Scripture: James 5:7-16.
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A lot of Christians are cast down, losing their peace and joy because they don’t expect attacks on their peace and joy. We’re sad that we’re sad. We’re upset that we’re upset. We say, “it’s not supposed to be like this!” because we don’t have the proper expectations.
Before you became a Christian, your main enemy in life was God: someone who loved you, who was doing everything he could to wake you up. But the minute you make peace with God, instantly, all of God’s enemies declare war on you—and they’re not nice enemies.
We’re going to look at 1) what the Bible says about peace and joy, 2) our three enemies, and 3) the attacks on assurance.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 18, 1990. Series: Fruit of the Spirit. Scripture: Philippians 4:4-9.
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When the Bible says joy comes in the morning, it doesn’t mean you’ll wake up every morning with a smile on your face. It means there’s a joy of such intensity in the Christian life that nothing can put it out.
A Christian will receive a joy of such intensity that no sorrow, in the end, can overwhelm it. Sorrow is always a temporary condition for a Christian, and joy is a permanent condition.
To look at the fruit of joy, let’s ask 1) what’s the definition of joy? 2) what’s the opposite of joy? 3) what’s the counterfeit of joy? and 4) how do we cultivate joy in our lives?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 11, 1990. Series: Fruit of the Spirit. Scripture: John 16:16-22.
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They say if you’ve been married long enough you start to look like each other. Whether or not that’s true in marriage, I know that’s true about God and you.
We’re being transformed into the image of his Son. Every fruit of the Spirit, every aspect of holiness comes from looking at God himself.
We look now at 1) what it means to study the fruit of the Spirit, 2) why love is more important than anything else, 3) what the opposite of love is, 4) what the counterfeit of love is, and 5) how you develop love in your life.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 4, 1990. Series: Fruit of the Spirit. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13.
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In a single acorn is not only the entire tree, but all the acorns on that tree and all the acorns on that tree and so on and so forth. It’s all already in that one acorn.
In the same way, a Christian already has the divine nature in them. When we talk about love, joy, peace, and patience, we’re not talking about how to import these into our hearts. No. The Bible says we must grow up into our salvation. So instead of saying, “Oh, I’ll never get there,” the question is: “When are you going to grow up?”
We’re looking at this passage on the fruit of the Spirit as a whole. Galatians 5 shows us 1) there are two natures in every Christian, 2) what it means to live in the Spirit, and 3) how we can walk in the Spirit.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 7, 1990. Series: Fruit of the Spirit. Scripture: Galatians 5:16-25.
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The point of Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, surely is to make us look at ourselves and say, “Are we that bad? Is the evil in us that evil?” Therefore, another question immediately rises up. Since this story is inspired by the Bible, is this the biblical view of human nature?
On the one hand, Stevenson is profoundly right about human nature, but in another way, he is profoundly wrong. The biblical view of human nature is more pessimistic and more optimistic than any other view I have ever heard of.
Looking at Romans 7, we can see 1) how this pessimistic view is right, 2) how this pessimistic view is wrong, and 3) how to defeat evil and sin in your life.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 24, 1997. Series: The War Between Your Selves. Scripture: Romans 7:1-25.
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All of life is a battle between two selves, but there’s a war before you become a Christian that’s different from the war that happens after you become a Christian.
When you become a Christian, you don’t move from warfare to peace. You move from a battle you cannot win to a battle you cannot lose. To understand the difference is extremely important.
If you look at Romans 7, you’ll see 1) the battle you can’t win, 2) the battle you can’t lose, and 3) how you make the transition.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 17, 1997. Series: The War Between Your Selves. Scripture: Romans 7:1-25.
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In Psalm 73, Asaph is mad at God. He’s been living right, but everything is going wrong. Yet all kinds of abusive people are having great lives. Life seems unjust. Asaph’s just about to chuck his faith. Yet at the end, he’s able to say in his pain, “God is always good.”
I’ll tell you, if you’re trying to live a decent life, this is going to happen to you. At some point, you’re going to say, “God, why are you letting this happen? You’re not running my life right. You’re not running history right.” It’s going to happen. How will you handle it?
How does Asaph do it? He goes through a number of steps: 1) he grabbed hold of a negative, 2) he entered the sanctuary for understanding, 3) he saw the big picture, and 4) he asked the ultimate question.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 28, 1993. Series: Modern Problems; Ancient Solutions. Scripture: Psalm 73.
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A lot of people are mad at God. People who believe. People who don’t believe. And people who don’t know what they believe. And in Psalm 73, we see Asaph get mad at the way God seems to be mishandling the world.
Asaph has been living a self-controlled, compassionate life, but everything is going wrong. On top of that, he sees all sorts of people who live abusive, immoral lives, and they’re having a great life. Yet we’re told that Asaph finally comes to the conclusion that God, in spite of it all, is good.
How does he get there? We’re going to look at this psalm over two weeks. This week I want to show you 1) the situation he was in, 2) how he escaped it, and 3) how he finally came to say, “God is good, no matter what happens to me.”
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 21, 1993. Series: Modern Problems; Ancient Solutions. Scripture: Psalm 73.
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Jesus’ teaching about money here is triggered by an event: a Pharisee gets upset that Jesus didn’t wash his hands before he ate his food.
The ceremonial washings of the Old Testament were visual aids for the idea that you need to approach God with a clean heart. But the Pharisees had turned religion into a matter of externalities. Jesus slams that whole idea. He refuses to emphasize the external over the internal, but he also refuses to pit the external against the internal. Instead, Jesus says true religion is living externally out of an inner reality.
Jesus applies this to the issue of financial giving, teaching us three things about our attitude toward our possessions and our giving: 1) there’s an external aspect, 2) there’s an internal aspect, and 3) there’s a spiritual motor that energizes and drives both.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 14, 1993. Series: Modern Problems; Ancient Solutions. Scripture: Luke 11:37-42.
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Everyone points to a different reason for why the city has problems. The futurologists will say, “Technology has doomed the city. We don’t need to live in proximity anymore.” The liberals will say, “Racism has doomed the city.” The conservatives will say, “Big government and taxes have doomed the city.” Many Christians will say, “God has doomed the city for its wickedness.”
But what the Bible says about the city is far more optimistic and far more pessimistic than anything you’ll find in the newspapers. It’s far more hopeful and yet far more realistic than any of the defenders or the detractors of the modern city.
The Bible teaches 1) that God invented the city, 2) why God invented the city, and 3) that God sends us into the city.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 7, 1993. Series: Modern Problems; Ancient Solutions. Scripture: Genesis 11, Proverbs 11.
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Guilt is a lot like an iceberg. You don’t see much above the surface, but if you really look, you’ll see it’s under everything. So how do you deal with a guilty conscience?
In Psalm 51, David has been plunged—through the shock of recognizing the magnitude of evil he’s done—into the depths. Imagine the guilt, the shame, the horror, the self-hatred. He’s plunged into an emotional and spiritual dungeon. And yet this psalm is a record of his rescue. There’s no good human explanation for how he got out. But he got out.
Here’s how he did it: he made two critical distinctions. He learned 1) the distinction between remorse and real repentance, and 2) the distinction between a reprieve and regeneration.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 31, 1993. Series: Modern Problems; Ancient Solutions. Scripture: Psalm 51.
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Of the articles and books I survey on worry or anxiety, they almost always say, “The things you’re worried about may never happen. So don’t think about them.” But in Psalm 27, David does the opposite: he visualizes the worst things that can happen. Why? Because he wants to have a strategy of life that can stand up to anything.
Psalm 27 has a refreshing realism, even though it’s full of tremendous promises. It shows that you can have a way of dealing with anger, anxiety, and fear that assumes the worst things may and can happen.
How can you have a strategy that will enable you to face any of stresses of life? By 1) dwelling, 2) gazing, and 3) seeking.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 24, 1993. Series: Modern Problems; Ancient Solutions. Scripture: Psalm 27.
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A Newsweek cover story said that after a 30-year spree, our entire society is waking up with a monstrous hangover, facing a values vacuum. It said that we realize unlimited personal freedom is not the way to build a society, but now we face the question of whose values we should use.
If you think the Bible’s answer to the values vacuum is simply “Let’s get back to traditional values,” you don’t understand how penetrating and nuanced and sophisticated the biblical answer is.
What is the biblical answer to the search for values? Psalm 19 tells us three things: 1) so-called “moral values” must be based on universal moral absolutes, 2) submission to God’s moral absolutes do not enslave—they liberate, and 3) God’s moral absolutes will destroy you unless they have assumed the right role in your life.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 17, 1993. Series: Modern Problems; Ancient Solutions. Scripture: Psalm 19.
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When it comes to building up identity and self-esteem, I’m afraid Americans are very pragmatic—and our pragmatism gets to us. Our books and articles say if you want self-esteem, you should lose weight, change your friends, switch your career, and so on. But nobody asks why. They don’t like to think about the underlying theory.
It’s important to understand that there are certain reigning theories of identity formation. Unless you recognize them and analyze them, you’ll just pick them up like a virus.
Let’s divide our inquiry into two parts: 1) what the world says is the way to find out who you are and 2) what the Bible says is the way to find out who you are.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 10, 1993. Series: Modern Problems; Ancient Solutions. Scripture: Psalm 8.
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A fool can be brilliant and a fool can be stupid. Foolishness is not a function of your intelligence. Foolishness is a function of how you use your intelligence.
The Bible says every human being is born with a heavy streak of foolishness. It’s like a deposit. It’s foolishness, according to the Bible, that destroys our sense of God’s reality. And it’s a common reason why people have trouble believing God is real.
The Bible tells us 1) foolishness is a proud willfulness that keeps us from learning, 2) foolishness is a superficiality that makes it impossible to see our own heart commitments as alternatives to believing in God, and 3) foolishness can’t understand grace.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 3, 1993. Series: Modern Problems; Ancient Solutions. Scripture: Psalm 14.
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There is a thirst in the human heart that will not be denied. It cannot be denied. That thirst is for transcendence.
Transcendence is intimacy with the infinite. Psalm 63 is about the search for transcendence. It says there is irreducible knowledge, there is terrible thirst, and there’s only one resolution for it.
Psalm 63 tells us 1) the human heart needs transcendence and 2) how the human heart can find transcendence.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 26, 1993. Series: Modern Problems; Ancient Solutions. Scripture: Psalm 63.
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A plant without roots is at best a tumbleweed. Is a tumbleweed freer than an oak tree? Yeah, it’s free to be blown about forever.
There is what the Bible calls a rootlessness and a weightlessness about our society right now. Many of the problems you face today are that you’ve been affected deeply by this weightlessness we experience in our culture and society.
The roots of this rootlessness were addressed long ago in Psalm 1, which tells us 1) the diagnosis of rootlessness and 2) the prescription for rootlessness.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 19, 1993. Series: Modern Problems; Ancient Solutions. Scripture: Psalm 1.
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Have you in this modern world learned how to become happy and stay happy?
I hope you don’t think that’s a trivial question. Because if you read the psychology books, the urban planning books, the biochemistry books, the political science books, they’re really about this problem: we’re not happy. How can we be happy?
The Bible has always said the issues that make you happy or unhappy are profoundly cosmic and spiritual. In Psalm 1, we see 4 principles: 1) happiness is possible, 2) happiness is fundamental, not superficial, 3) happiness can never be found directly, and 4) happiness is something you choose.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 12, 1993. Series: Modern Problems; Ancient Solutions. Scripture: Psalm 1.
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Christianity was originally never understood as a set of teachings that one took on. Christianity was a power that took you up. It completely turned you inside out, transformed you from the inside.
The classic example is the conversion of Paul. Paul was an abusive, violent zealot. He went from someone who was deeply unhappy and restless to someone who was utterly unflappable, absolutely content. How? A radical, deep conversion.
We all need to know how to live deeply converted lives. And though Paul’s conversion is dramatic, it shows three things involved in every conversion: 1) an untame God, 2) a stubborn fact, and 3) a radical relationship.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 23, 2003. Series: The Necessity of Belief. Scripture: Acts 9:1-19.
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Conversion is a radical change of life. And in its early days, Christianity grew through conversions. It spread so rapidly that it changed a hostile society completely.
What does it mean to become a Christian? By looking at the conversions in Acts, we can see what Christianity really is.
In this passage, the conversion of an Ethiopian, we learn three things: 1) who converts, 2) the context of conversion, and 3) the key instrument conversion uses.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 16, 2003. Series: The Necessity of Belief. Scripture: Acts 8:26-40.
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Christianity was born into a culture that was every bit as resistant and unsympathetic to its claims as ours is. So how did its message come into the lives of people and actually change them?
In Acts, we have more case studies of conversion than anywhere else in the Bible. And in this passage, Luke chooses three to show us both how incredibly different and yet how incredibly similar Christian conversions can be.
What does it mean to be a Christian, and how do you become a Christian? 1) Lydia is a case of the gospel for the religious, 2) the slave girl is a case of the gospel for the oppressed, and 3) the jailer is a case of the gospel for the secular.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 9, 2003. Series: The Necessity of Belief. Scripture: Acts 16:13-34.
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The biggest problem people have in believing in God is probably the problem of evil and suffering.
In the Greek imagination, the voyage was a metaphor for your life’s journey, and a storm was a metaphor for the evil and suffering and tragedies that come upon us. In this passage in Acts, Luke is in a boat, and he includes this account to teach us about the problems of evil and suffering.
Let’s take a look at what he teaches under three headings: 1) the paradox of the storm, 2) the product of the storm, and 3) the presence in the storm.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 2, 2003. Series: The Necessity of Belief. Scripture: Acts 27:15-32.
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Christianity was born into a society hostile to its claims. And the claim that was most revolting to that society is also what our society sees as the most repugnant: the shocking claim that salvation is found in no one else.
It’s critical to realize this claim was as implausible in the Greco-Roman world as it is in ours. The Roman Empire was every bit as religiously pluralistic as our society, if not more. If they were as revolted as we were, why did so many believe it?
Acts 4 shows us four important things: 1) the claim was an implication, not arrogation, 2) the claim is no more exclusive than the claim of religious relativism, 3) this exclusive claim led to a transformation of identity, and 4) this exclusive claim led to the most inclusive human community the world had ever seen.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 26, 2003. Series: The Necessity of Belief. Scripture: Acts 4:8-14, 31-37.
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The culture in which Christianity was born was every bit as skeptical of the claims of Christianity as ours is. But the case for Christianity was made so strongly that skeptical people believed in numbers so great that it changed the entire Roman culture.
There’s no better place to see the case that changed the whole Roman Empire than the book of Acts. Within it, there are a number of spots where Paul or Peter make the case, including this famous spot where Paul speaks to the intellectual elites on Mars Hill in the Areopagus.
This text shows three aspects to the persuasive power of gospel: 1) the cultural, 2) the intellectual, and 3) the personal.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 19, 2003. Series: The Necessity of Belief. Scripture: Acts 17:16-34.
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It’s a simple fact that in the Greco-Roman world, the claims of Christianity were found every bit as implausible, if not more, than people find them now. So why did so many people believe?
Fortunately, we have a case study in Theophilus. How does a cultured, intellectually sophisticated person living in a culture that’s hostile to the basic claims of Christianity come to believe Christianity is true? The answer in a nutshell: the resurrection.
Whether we already believe or aren’t sure we believe, because of the resurrection we can know three things: 1) the truth is out there, 2) the truth is up there, and 3) the truth is in there.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 12, 2003. Series: The Necessity of Belief. Scripture: Acts 1:1-11.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
When the Jewish exiles got to Babylon, they found a huge city—hostile, big, brutal—and it was filled with other exiles, with different people groups and radically different views. Our culture is not so different.
Liberals feel our country is so conservative that they’re pulling their hair out, and conservatives feel our country is so liberal that they’re pulling their hair out. Both groups feel like exiles. Millions of ethnic minorities feel like exiles. So how do you respond to a city that’s hostile to your views? How do you live in a fragmented society?
God’s answer to the Jewish exiles is astounding. In it, we see three things: 1) wrong ways to relate to the city, 2) God’s way to relate to the city, and 3) how to get the power to do it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 5, 2003. Series: The Necessity of Belief. Scripture: Jeremiah 29:4-14.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re not at home. We live in a world that doesn’t sustain or support the deepest needs of our hearts.
Martin Heidegger (a fascist sympathizer) and Karl Marx (the father of Communism) were very different, prominent thinkers; yet, they both agreed that we can’t understand the human condition without the concept of alienation. Of course, that immediately raises the question, why wouldn’t we feel at home here?
The prophet Jeremiah gives us a lot of insight: 1) why we long for a home, 2) how we can get home, and 3) what life there will be like.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 28, 2003. Series: The Necessity of Belief. Scripture: Jeremiah 31:10-17; 31-34.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In a culture where people really don’t know who they are and what life’s about—in a fragmented culture like ours—the fastest way to still feel good about ourselves is romance. It’s the ultimate philosophical narcotic.
“I don’t know what life is about, but when I’m with her or him, I feel somehow life is significant.” Do you see? It’s an end run. That’s the reason why in all fragmented cultures, romance and sex and marriage can either be the ultimate fatal detour or a clue to how to find your way home.
Jeremiah tells us about 1) an incredible offer: the ultimate lover; 2) the problem with the offer: that we’re faithless lovers; and 3) the resolution: a redeemed love relationship.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 21, 2003. Series: The Necessity of Belief. Scripture: Jeremiah 2:31-36; 3:12-16.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In a fragmented culture like ours, identity formation is a challenge. We decide our own goals and standards, and we get our sense of worth from whether we can achieve them.
Jeremiah shows us that there’s something profoundly disordered and sick about the way in which we form our identities. In a traditional culture, where identities and roles are assigned, it might be hard to recognize this. But in our culture, where we’re actively aware of identity formation, we can better see what Jeremiah means.
Jeremiah shows us 1) how identities are formed, 2) why our identities are sick, 3) a glimpse of a cured identity, and 4) the medicine that can cure it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 14, 2003. Series: The Necessity of Belief. Scripture: Jeremiah 9:21-26.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We live in a fragmented culture. There’s no consensus about the big questions of what’s right and wrong and true. Jeremiah is a prophet in this same situation—he lived and wrote in a fragmented culture.
One of the challenges of a fragmented culture is living in the cafeteria of different worldviews, religions, and systems of thought. It’s typical to respond by saying, “I don’t think anybody has the answer.” But Jeremiah shows us that this very statement is ignorant of how the heart works.
Jeremiah shows us that we need to see three things about the human heart: 1) the radical faith of every heart, 2) the radical flaw in every heart, and 3) the radical cure for every heart.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 7, 2003. Series: The Necessity of Belief. Scripture: Jeremiah 17:5-17.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re looking at the most strange, enigmatic, perplexing things Jesus ever said. This is one of them. People always blink a bit when they read it.
But here, Jesus is actually teaching us about power to change. He’s telling us something extremely practical.
Even though it’s an enigmatic passage, Jesus is basically saying three things: 1) There are many ways to change, 2) if you use any way but Jesus, you’ll be worse off than before, and 3) Jesus is the only one who can give you the power to change thoroughly and permanently.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 7, 1993. Series: Hard Sayings of Jesus (1993). Scripture: Luke 11:14-26.
Today's podcast episode is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In this interview from November 2019, Rebecca McLaughlin talks about some of the inspiration for writing her book Confronting Christianity and some of the insight she's gained in her life that led her to address the hardest questions that Christians face today. As she talks about her experiences, you will learn how and why she believes that Christianity is objectively the best hope for the modern world. Interview hosted by Chuck Armstrong.
Today's podcast episode is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
When Jesus is asked by his disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray,” he tells them a story and puts forth an approach that runs against common sense and against what other religions say about prayer.
In the story, a man who’s in bed at midnight gives bread to another man who’s knocking and asking. Jesus says the man gives the bread not because the other man is his friend but because of the man’s boldness. Other ways to translate the word Jesus uses include shamelessness, rudeness, discourtesy, impertinence, and impudence. That’s what Jesus says is a model for our prayer. “Pray like that,” he says. “Bother God.”
Why should we pray this way? Jesus gives the answer: 1) it’s a way to judge our hearts today, and 2) it’s a way to actually live our lives tomorrow in a different way.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 31, 1993. Series: Hard Sayings of Jesus (1993). Scripture: Luke 11:5-13.
Today's podcast episode is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Today on Gospel in Life we're sharing a special worship service of praise to God for Tim Keller’s life and ministry. The memorial took place on August 15, 2023 at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. To access the service program or view a video recording of the full service made available thanks to Redeemer City to City, visit gospelinlife.com/memorial.
Order of Service and Timestamps:
Opening — Rev. Michael Keller [01:01]
Welcome — Cardinal Dolan [01:19]
Introduction — Rev. Michael Keller [01:46]
Hymn — Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise [07:06]
Hymn & Intro — Amazing Love, How Can It Be? [09:11]
Scripture Reading — John 14, 1 Corinthians 15 [13:58]
Max McLean — Weight of Glory, Mere Christianity [16:50]
Hymn & Intro — How Firm a Foundation [19:36]
Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 4, Romans 8 [24:12]
Graham Howell — Remembrances of Tim Keller [27:15]
Glen Kleinknecht — Remembrances of Tim Keller [31:28]
Kathy Keller — Remembrances of Tim Keller [38:14]
John Keller — Remembrances of Tim Keller [42:54]
David Keller — Prayer [45:50]
Hymn & Intro — Jesus Lives and So Shall I [47:31]
Scripture Reading — Mark 10:35-45 [51:33]
Homily — Rev. Sam Allberry [53:32]
Hymn & Intro — For All the Saints, Who from their Labor Rest [01:11:01]
Closing Sentences and Prayer — Rev Sam Allberry [01:15:33]
Benediction — Rev. Michael Keller [01:16:53]
Closing Hymn — There Is a Redeemer [01:17:36]
Closing Remarks — Rev. Michael Keller [01:21:13]
This podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
If Jesus was a pastor, I don’t think his church would’ve grown very fast. Any leader of a movement wants to make it easy for people to enter. But Jesus acts in a completely different way. People come and say, “I want to join up,” and Jesus says, “Get back. Think.”
In Luke 9, Jesus does this because the three men clearly don’t understand what they are asking for. Therefore, if we take a look at how Jesus answers them, we’re going to learn a great deal about what it means to follow Jesus.
What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus? This text shows us 1) that to follow Christ is to enter the kingdom, 2) that we need to understand the hardness of the kingdom, and 3) that we need to understand the greatness of the kingdom.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 24, 1993. Series: Hard Sayings of Jesus (1993). Scripture: Luke 9:57-60.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In Matthew 11, Jesus talks about the kingdom of God, and he uses the word “violence.” That’s what the Greek word means. There’s no way around it.
The context is Jesus telling us about John the Baptist, who realized the kingdom of heaven is real. Then Jesus says the kingdom of heaven comes with violence. This bothers us. Isn’t this Jesus? Isn’t this the one who said, “turn the other cheek?” Yes. That’s the reason why Jesus uses this term. Jesus is a communicator. He knows by saying this you’re going to be startled. You’re going to say, “What does that mean?”
Let’s cooperate with him. Let’s ask, what is this holy violence? Let’s look at 1) what it’s not, 2) what it is, and 3) why we need it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on June 3, 1992. Series: Hard Sayings of Jesus (1993). Scripture: Matthew 11:7-15.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Jesus said an awful lot of hard things. And in the story of the rich young ruler, Jesus says two hard things: he says our understanding of riches and our understanding of moral goodness are wrong.
The rich young ruler is not only rich, but he’s also a man of exquisite moral character. Yet, Jesus sends him away. Jesus turns our common notions about wealth and goodness on top of their heads and he gives us new ones—ones that are explosively in contradiction with what the world thinks, but ones that, if we obey them, have the power of God exploding in our midst.
Let’s look at these two principles. Jesus tells us 1) something new about wealth and 2) something new about moral goodness.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on June 3, 1992. Series: Hard Sayings of Jesus (1993). Scripture: Mark 10:23.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In this cultural moment, when our non-Christian friends look at the Christian faith, they often see a history of racism, an anti-intellectual mindset, homophobia, and the denigration of women.
It's tempting to think that the best thing Christians can do is batten down the hatches and cling on for dear life, while the waves of secularization wash over us. But if that's what we think, I believe we've got it all wrong. When we look more closely at each of these devastating roadblocks, they become signposts to Christ.
I believe we have an opportunity before us. But there are four things we need to do. We must reclaim 1) diversity, 2) the university, 3) morality, and 4) sexuality. But we must do all these things with humility and not by watering the scriptures down, but by lapping them up.
This talk was given by Dr. Rebecca McLaughlin at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 14, 2019. Series: Missional Living.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
For a person to go from no faith to faith it takes at least four things.
There has to be 1) sustained attention, 2) some attraction, 3) a demonstration, and 4) an explanation.
I’m going to give a couple ideas on three of these four things.
This talk was given by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 14, 2019. Series: Missional Living.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The first 30 years of my ministry life, I spent most of my time saying, “You’ve got to care about the poor. You’ve got to do justice. You can’t just do word—you’ve got to do deed.”
The last 10 years of my ministry life in New York City, everybody wants to do justice—and that’s great. However, now I’ve got to say, “But you’ve got to open your mouth and tell people in whose name you’re doing it.” Jesus was mighty in word and deed. And just like Jesus, Christians have got to be mighty in both word and deed.
There are four headwinds to sharing our faith today. These four headwinds are 1) the problem of attention, 2) the problem of comprehension, 3) the problem of attraction, and 4) the problem of the spectrum.
This talk was given by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 14, 2019. Series: Missional Living.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
If you’re reading through the book of Isaiah, you get to this passage and you’re shocked. Up until now, Isaiah indicates that God’s going to send a great king to put things right in the world. Then Isaiah starts talking about a servant. But then, here in chapter 52 and 53, he says this person has no majesty. He has no majesty? Well, who is this?
It’s surprising and it’s shocking. It subverts every human category of thought about salvation.
Let’s look at three ways in which it’s so surprising, and see what this teaches about the salvation Jesus Christ brings. Let’s notice 1) the ordinariness, 2) the violence, and 3) the vicariousness.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 21, 2016. Series: Bible: What We Are Receiving: The Gospel Goods. Scripture: Isaiah 52:13-53:12.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The great enemy of the human race is death. And we all have to face it.
No matter how young you are, no matter how your life’s been going up to now, I can say, without fear of contradiction, that there is a lot of death in your future. And therefore, you severely need what this text talks about. It talks about hope in the face of death.
Let’s ask the text three questions: 1) Why do we need hope in the face of death? 2) How can we get hope in the face of death? and 3) If we have it, how do we use it and increase it in our life?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 14, 2016. Series: Bible: What We Are Receiving: The Gospel Goods. Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re looking at the passage that Martin Luther thinks is the greatest single place in the Bible that explains the gospel of Jesus Christ. And he might be right, because it’s talking about three great gospel words.
The three great gospel words are redemption, propitiation, and justification. What do we need? Redemption. What does God do about it? Propitiation. And what do we get as a result? Justification.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 7, 2016. Series: Bible: What We Are Receiving: The Gospel Goods. Scripture: Romans 3:22-31.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The gospel brings great goods into our lives. This text tells us a lot about one of them: reconciliation. We’re reconciled to God.
What does that mean? One of the ways to understand this passage is to start at the end and work back. It’s actually a pretty simple argument, but its message is deeper than the whole universe.
By working backward, let’s see 1) a more visible but lesser problem, 2) a less visible but greater problem, and 3) the solution to it all.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 24, 2016. Series: Bible: What We Are Receiving: The Gospel Goods. Scripture: Hebrews 9:11-14.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Home is where you fit. Home is where you can be yourself. But Genesis 3 tells us what’s wrong with the human race: we’re homeless.
To see the great goods the gospel brings to us, we need to first see what’s fundamentally wrong with the human race. What we’re told here is that the condition of the human race is homelessness and exile, writ large.
In this passage we see 1) that all human beings are exiles, 2) why we’re all exiles, and 3) how we can be brought home.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 10, 2016. Series: Bible: What We Are Receiving: The Gospel Goods. Scripture: Genesis 3:7-24.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re wrapping up a series tonight, where we’ve been tracing the single story of the Bible. The Bible is not a set of individual stories that tell you how you should live in order to find God. The Bible is a single story about how God came to earth to find you.
The beginning of that story is in Genesis, where we learn what’s wrong with us. The middle of that story is in Romans, where we learn what God did through Jesus Christ to put things right. We’re now looking at the book of Revelation, where it tells us how all things work out in the end.
Here, in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible, we have the final vision of God’s future and what he is preparing for us. Let’s ask three questions: 1) What is it? 2) How does it arrive? and 3) How can you be sure that you belong to it?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 26, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Redemption and Restoration. Scripture: Revelation 22:1-11.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
A special announcement from Kathy Keller and Steve Shackelford, CEO of Redeemer City to City.
To learn more about Redeemer City to City, watch this video or visit redeemercitytocity.com.
When Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, he was called the first fruits for the dead. The first fruits are the beginning of a harvest. As great as the resurrection of Jesus Christ is—and it means everything—it’s only the first installment on something to come. On what? The new heavens and the new earth.
John was not writing this for us to sit around in an abstract academic way trying to work out the symbols. He wrote it for a group of people facing terrible things, in order to give them a living hope. If you understand that when Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, he was a first installment on something to come, it enables you to face things that otherwise you wouldn’t be able to face. Because you have not just an abstract idea, but a living hope.
To understand what this text is about, and even what the resurrection of Jesus Christ is about, let’s look at 1) the nature of this hope, 2) the need you have for it, and 3) how to get it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 12, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Redemption and Restoration. Scripture: Revelation 21:1-7.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re tracing the single story of the Bible. We look now to the very end of the book of Revelation because all well-told stories tie up all the plot lines. And in the book of Revelation, all the plot lines of the history of the human race and all the plot lines of your life find a happy ending in Jesus. They’re all resolved with him.
First, we have this remarkable and yet strange vision of the marriage supper of the Lamb. There are three figures or characters: a prostitute, a Lamb, and a bride. If we look at this vision and these three figures, we’ll see it wraps up the whole history of the world.
Let’s look at these three things: 1) the prostitute and the problem, 2) the Lamb and the solution, and 3) the bride and the result.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 5, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Restoration and Redemption. Scripture: Revelation 19:1-10.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In Romans 3 and 4 the Bible tells us exactly what God has done to put things right in Jesus Christ. You can put it in a phrase: we’re justified by faith through the blood of Christ.
We look now at one of those terms: faith. What is this saving faith that connects us to God? Notice that Paul twice contrasts faith with boasting. He tries to throw into relief what saving faith is by contrasting it with this idea of boasting.
Let’s look at this passage under three headings: 1) the spiritual sickness the Bible calls boasting, 2) the antidote to that spiritual sickness, and 3) what it means to take the antidote.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 22, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Restoration and Redemption. Scripture: Romans 3:27-4:8.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In Romans 3, we have the heart of Paul’s message about what God has done to put the world right in Jesus Christ.
Christianity alone says that God prepares a perfect righteous record through Jesus Christ and gives it freely to you. So you’re saved not by performance—you’re saved by faith. And that faith is not just faith in general—it’s faith in the blood of Christ. But what does that mean?
There are three words that help us grasp the meaning of the blood of Christ. We’re told here 1) what we need, which is redemption, 2) what he does, which is propitiation, and 3) what it means for us, which is demonstration.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 15, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Restoration and Redemption. Scripture: Romans Romans 3:21-31.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In Romans 1 through 4, Paul summarizes the story of the Bible. And here, in the last half of chapter 3 and into chapter 4, we have Paul’s most essential summary of what God has done to put the world right.
Three phrases are repeated and brought into relationship with each other throughout these few verses: that we are justified freely, all by faith, and through the blood of Christ. I want to be clear and practical about what these three things are and how to relate to them.
We’re going to look now at the first of these three ideas: free justification. 1) What is it? 2) Why do we need it? and 3) How do we receive it?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 8, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Romans 3:21-28.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Romans 1 through 4 gives Paul’s version of the entire biblical story, also called the gospel. In this passage, we come to the end of Paul’s analysis of what’s wrong with the human race.
When I was a new believer, this was a tough passage for me. It bothered me, and I wrestled with it. But eventually it revolutionized my way of thinking about life and myself and the world.
This is perhaps the most radical of all the statements the Bible gives us about what’s wrong with the human heart. We’re going to learn three things about sin here: 1) the egalitarianism of sin, 2) the trajectory of sin, and 3) the cure for sin.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 1, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Romans 3:9-20.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re tracing the storyline of the entire Bible. We started in Genesis, where we learn what’s wrong with the human race, and we’ve come to Romans, where we learn what God has done about it through Jesus Christ.
Here at the beginning of Romans 2, Paul does a turnaround. It’s so surprising and shocking I don’t have much to introduce. I’ll start to explain it, and it’ll draw us right in.
This chapter tells us three things: 1) the failure of religion, because of 2) the terrible beauty of the law and, therefore, 3) the need for a regenerated, new heart.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 22, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Romans 2:1-6; 12-26.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re in a series tracing the storyline of the Bible: what’s wrong with the human race, what God has done about it, and how it’s all going to turn out. We’ve begun to look at Romans 1 through 4, where Paul gives us perhaps the single most comprehensive explanation of what God has done about our problem through Jesus Christ.
We turn now to this passage in Romans where Paul actually reflects back on Genesis and what it says is wrong with the human heart.
If you look in every human heart, Paul says, you’ll find four things: 1) the knowledge of our God, 2) the manufacturing of our idols, 3) the hardening of our humanity, and 4) the capacity for endless praise.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 15, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Romans 1:18-32.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re tracing the storyline of the Bible, and we looked first at what it says went wrong with the human race. Now we look at Romans 1 through 4, at perhaps the single most comprehensive place where we learn what God has done to make things right.
Scholars of Romans believe verses 16 and 17 are Paul’s way of putting the gospel in a nutshell. Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism, said these two verses brought about his own breakthrough, where he was completely transformed by pondering on these verses.
If these two verses have never done to you what they did to Luther, I’m going to try to show you three factors you have to grasp if you’re going to break through. According to this text, you have to grasp 1) the form of the gospel, 2) the content of the gospel, and 3) the power of the gospel.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 8, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Romans 1:1-7, 14-17.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re in a series tracing the single storyline of the Bible—the single story that tells us what’s wrong with the human race, what God has done about it, and how history is going to turn out in the end.
We’ve started by looking at the beginning of the biblical story, at what’s wrong with us. We’re at the end of this section of Genesis, at a particular passage that’s not often preached on.
We learn three extremely important things in this passage. We learn about 1) the ruin of Cain, 2) the culture of death, and 3) the future city of grace.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 1, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 4:11-26.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The Bible’s simple answer to the question “What’s wrong with the human race?” is sin.
Contemporary people cringe when we use the word sin because we don’t like it. Then what vocabulary will you use to talk about war atrocities, massive corruption, slavery, or violence? Will you use the language of technology or sociology or psychology? The language in those disciplines isn’t profound enough to deal with the realities of what’s really going on in the world.
We learn more about what the Bible means by the term “sin” by looking at the famous story of Cain and Abel. We see three new things here about sin: 1) the potency of sin, 2) the subtlety of it, and 3) our eventual victory over it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 25, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 4:1-10.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The Bible is a single story telling us what is wrong with the human race, what God is going to do about it, and how it’s all going to turn out.
Genesis 3 and 4 give us answers to what’s wrong with the human race and why the human race is so prone to selfishness, violence, wars, atrocity, and corruption all the time.
Let’s look at what the Bible has to say about sin. We learn four things: 1) the heart of sin, 2) the breadth of sin, 3) the depth of sin, and 4) the end of sin.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 18, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 3:8-24.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The Bible is not a series of disconnected stories, each one with a little moral for how to live, but it’s actually primarily a single story about what went wrong with the human race and what will put it right.
Figuring out what went wrong with the human race is really important. In her 1925 diary, Beatrice Webb, one of the architects of the modern British welfare system, says there’s something wrong with us that leads to selfishness and violence, corruption in business and government, war and atrocities—and that it’s consistent across history. Science hasn’t dealt with it. Education hasn’t dealt with it. Social machinery hasn’t dealt with it. Who will explain it? Chapters 3 and 4 of Genesis do.
Let’s start with this very famous text, and let’s notice four features of the narrative: 1) the sneer, 2) the lie, 3) the tree, and 4) the call.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 11, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 3:1-7.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
You can’t understand the central storyline of the Bible unless you understand something about marriage. The Bible begins with a marriage in Genesis 2, and at the end, in Revelation, it ends with a marriage and the wedding supper of the Lamb. In some ways, you can understand what the whole Bible is about and what the gospel is about in terms of marriage.
In Genesis 2, we have the first wedding. Let’s ask the text a question: how can we be successful in seeking out marriage and in actually being married?
There are three things the text says you need if you’re going to be married well: 1) attentiveness to idolatry, 2) patience for a very long journey, and 3) supernatural humility.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 4, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 2:18-25.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
If you stand back a little bit from Genesis 1 and 2, you’ll see that perhaps the main thing the first two chapters of the Bible are about is work, job and vocation.
We’re told in Genesis 2 that God sends the human race into the world to work. He put them in the garden to work it and take care of it.
With regard to the idea of work and vocation, there is 1) an assumption, 2) a direction, 3) a burden, and 4) a provision made.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 7, 2008. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 2:4-17.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re in a series tracing the single storyline of the whole Bible. So we’re actually looking at the history of the universe.
Today we get to this passage about how God made us in his image and likeness. This immediately brings up a huge and crucial issue or theme of the whole Bible: what it means to be in the image and likeness of God.
We’re going to look at 1) the importance of the image of God, 2) the meaning of the image of God, and 3) the renovation and repair of the image of God in you and me.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 30, 2008. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 1:26-2:3.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The Bible is about how the world was made and ruined, how it was rescued through Jesus Christ, and how someday it’s going to be remade into a new heavens and new earth.
In order to trace out that storyline, we’re first taking a look at Genesis. In Genesis 1, we have the doctrine, the teaching on creation. It’s a very big subject.
Let’s look at what the Bible teaches about creation under three headings: 1) understanding the doctrine of creation, 2) practicing the doctrine of creation, but even more, 3) experiencing the doctrine of creation.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 23, 2008. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 1:3-25.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The Bible is not a compendium of varied stories like Aesop’s Fables, each with directions and examples on how to live. If that’s all it was, then basically the Bible would be about you and what you must do. Read rightly, the Bible is not about you—it’s about him and what he has done. A single storyline moves from creation to the fall to what he has done to rescue you and renew the world through grace.
We start, obviously, at Genesis 1. This tells us the beginning of the story of the world. And if you look carefully at the first three verses, you actually get a glimpse of what was going on before the beginning.
We see three things before the beginning: 1) there was God, 2) there was love, and 3) there was darkness.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 16, 2008. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 1:1-3.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
When do you ordinarily say that God is good? When the circumstances of your life are going well for you. But Habakkuk says it’s possible to face disaster and still have a life of sustained joy in the midst of it.
Habakkuk has learned that the great Babylonian Empire is going to crush his country. It’s an absolute social disaster. What does it mean, then, to rejoice in your suffering? Not for your suffering, but in your suffering?
We’re going to learn four things about rejoicing in suffering: 1) what it is, 2) when it happens, 3) how it’s done, and 4) why it’s possible.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on June 7, 2009. Series: Living by Faith in Troubled Times. Scripture: Habakkuk 3:1-19.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
How do you face economic scarcity? The little book of Habakkuk talks about how to handle evil times, and in particular, it describes an economic disaster.
Habakkuk’s answer for dealing with economic scarcity is fuller than you might think because he alludes to the Old Testament principle of the firstfruits, where you were supposed to give the firstfruits of your harvest to God. But here, Habakkuk brings up the possibility of having no harvest at all.
We’re going to learn three things about financial giving: 1) you should give sacrificially, not just out of surplus, 2) you should give joyfully, not just out of duty, and 3) you should give graciously.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 31, 2009. Series: Living by Faith in Troubled Times. Scripture: Habakkuk 3.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The little book of Habakkuk tells us how to handle evil times, especially evil times in a culture.
In this passage, God is saying to Habakkuk something about the evil Babylonian Empire that is rising up and wreaking havoc everywhere. God shows the rottenness at the heart of the culture and shows what is wrong in that culture.
As God deconstructs what’s wrong with the Babylonian culture, he actually gives us two principles for facing evil times wherever we are: 1) with your head, you need to understand the source of the evil that’s surrounding you, and 2) with your heart, you need a consolation to help you face the evil.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 17, 2009. Series: Living by Faith in Troubled Times. Scripture: Habakkuk 2:5-20.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Tim Keller always encouraged Christians to share the hope and beauty of the gospel with the people God puts in their lives. The ministry of Gospel in Life is most effective in spreading the gospel when you are prayerfully and thoughtfully sharing our sermons, books and articles with your family, friends and coworkers who don’t yet have a personal faith in Christ.
As an encouragement to you and to remind all of us about the beauty of the gospel, you’ll hear a short message from Redeemer City to City's Tim Keller tribute video. In it, Tim gives a short and winsome presentation of the gospel which reminds us how salvation comes from God and we do nothing to save ourselves.
Tim and Kathy Keller have set Gospel in Life on a clear course to continue pointing people to the love and forgiveness found in Christ, and with your help and the work of the Holy Spirit we are praying that in the years ahead many people will come to know Jesus and many more will grow in their faith through this ministry.
It’s almost cliché to hear someone say you should “wait on the Lord.” But here in Habakkuk, we have a book that’s all about how to face evil times. And one of the main ways in which we’re able to handle evil times is what the Bible calls “waiting on the Lord.”
Habakkuk has started by voicing a great complaint, has heard God’s first response, and has called out to God again. In this passage, Habakkuk waits to hear God’s second answer. Habakkuk waits.
There is a rich meaning to this, which we can see in this text. We are to wait on the Lord 1) patiently, 2) perspectively, 3) obediently, 4) God-centrically, and 5) joyfully.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 10, 2009. Series: Living by Faith in Troubled Times. Scripture: Habakkuk 2:1-4.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
It would be possible to go to church for many decades and never hear a sermon on Habakkuk. It’s a short book in the Old Testament, and we know almost nothing about Habakkuk himself. But this book is very contemporary in its application.
This little book talks about how to handle evil times, whether those are society-wide evil times or just your own personal evil times.
Let’s see why this is so relevant to us. Let’s notice 1) what Habakkuk saw, 2) what he did, 3) what he heard from God, and 4) what it meant.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 3, 2009. Series: Living by Faith in Troubled Times. Scripture: Habakkuk 1:1-17.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re looking at people who have had close encounters with God. Of course, Mary’s experience is often read at Christmastime.
In Luke 1, Mary sings the very first Christmas carol. It’s the first Christmas song, and I’d say it’s the best.
Let’s look at 1) what leads her to sing, 2) what she sings a little about, and 3) what she sings a lot about.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 8, 1996. Series: Daring to Draw Near. Scripture: Luke 1:39-55.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
When people in the Bible have close encounters with God, in almost every situation they say, “I can’t believe I’m still alive,” and Hagar is one of them.
In Genesis 16, we see the story of Hagar, the maidservant of Sarah. Sarah’s and Hagar’s experiences overlap. We’re told Sarah mistreats Hagar, and it’s so bad that Hagar, a pregnant woman, flees out into the desert. We have here a story that will tell you the gospel. This is the gospel according to Hagar.
We’ll look at 1) how we can understand the narrative, and 2) a few important principles we can draw from here.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 1, 1996. Series: Daring to Draw Near. Scripture: Genesis 16:1-16.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
It is with sadness that we share with you that our founder and friend, Timothy J. Keller passed away this morning, May 19, 2023 at the age of 72, trusting in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection. Please join us in prayer for his family as they go through the grieving process. While our hearts are heavy with the news of Tim’s death, we know he is rejoicing with his Savior in heaven.
We’re looking at historic accounts of people who had direct encounters with the living God. Isaiah 6 is a seminal passage: all of biblical religion is in here. It tells us so much about what it means to be a Christian and what it means to really meet God.
In this passage, Isaiah’s just going to the temple like he’s gone to the temple hundreds of times before. It’s the Sabbath day. He walks into the temple, and the very last person in the whole world he expects to actually see is God.
This passage tells us four characteristics of the Christian experience: 1) the reality, 2) the diversity, 3) the beauty, and 4) the festivity.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 24, 1996. Series: Daring to Draw Near. Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Two times God appears to Abraham, but this time is utterly different than the last time. This time, God has come to get Sarah’s attention.
In Genesis 15, God speaks to Abraham in dread darkness as an unapproachable thing. Here, in Genesis 18, in the heat of the day and in the most approachable possible way, God has come not so much to talk to Abraham—he has come to talk to Sarah.
God is going to establish Sarah in his promise. We’ll look at 1) why, 2) how, and 3) what lessons we can draw out.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 10, 1996. Series: Daring to Draw Near. Scripture: Genesis 18:9-33.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re looking in the Bible at people who have had direct encounters with the raw presence of God. But this situation in which Abraham has a meeting with God is one of the weirdest stories in the Bible. It’s also the most significant passage for me in all of the Old Testament.
In this passage, Abraham asks how he can know that God will do what God’s promised. When God responds, Abraham knows what’s going on: a covenant ratification ceremony. This was the making of a contract. Abraham knew right away, but he didn’t figure what would actually happen. No one on the face of the earth would figure what would actually happen.
We’ll look at what happened. And then to apply this, we’ll see 1) the problem is we need an anchor for our souls, and 2) how we can get it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 3, 1996. Series: Daring to Draw Near. Scripture: Genesis 15:1-21.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re looking at times when people have had close encounters with God. The one Paul gives us is one of the most curious of all. And it’s actually about discouragement.
Paul is writing a letter to the church at Corinth. There were false teachers who had come to Corinth, twisting the gospel and claiming to have divine authority. When Paul responds, he does not enter into a direct competition. He does not say, “My revelations are bigger or better.” Oh, no. He says his revelations are different.
Let’s see what we can learn from what Paul shares: 1) the heaven experience, and 2) the thorn experience.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 20, 1996. Series: Daring to Draw Near. Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re looking at individuals who have met God in a particularly poignant way, who have actually come into the presence of God.
To understand Elijah’s experience, we have to first jump back. Right before this moment in Elijah’s life, we see one of the most dramatic, spectacular events in all of the Bible. But after that spectacular event, Elijah is afraid, running for his life, and in utter despair.
Let’s tell the story, and then let’s draw out lessons from it. Let’s look at 1) the three things God does for a depressed Elijah, and 2) the three things Elijah learns.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 13, 1996. Series: Daring to Draw Near. Scripture: 1 Kings 19:9-18.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re looking at places in the Bible in which someone, or in this case something, got near to the presence of God.
Whenever a person gets into the presence of God, there’s usually some kind of physical manifestation. In other words, God connects his presence to something visible, something tangible. There’s only one object, however, in all the history of the Bible, that God routinely attached his presence to, and that was the ark of the covenant.
Let’s look at what the ark is and what happens in this incident. Then we’ll look at what it teaches us about getting close to God. It shows us that 1) the presence of God is never permanently connected to any one object or method, but 2) his presence is always attached to several principles.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 6, 1996. Series: Daring to Draw Near. Scripture: 1 Samuel 5:14.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Many of you have probably heard of the battle of Jericho. But you probably didn’t know about what happens in these first three verses. These verses make all the difference.
Jericho was a huge city, a fortified city, and humanly speaking, an impossible city for the Israelites to handle. It’s important to remember that this is not the first time Joshua has been to Jericho. In this passage, Joshua goes out all by himself and looks at it. He’s remembering something that happened 40 years before. When he gets out there, he has this amazing encounter with God.
There are three lessons we draw from this passage: 1) this is Jesus, 2) Jesus is absolutely holy, and 3) Jesus had a drawn sword.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 22, 1996. Series: Daring to Draw Near. Scripture: Joshua 5:13-15, 6:1-5.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Many people say, “I want to meet God. I want to have an encounter.” But the way Job gets to an encounter with God is through absolutely horrible suffering.
Job is a book for adults. It’s not easy. It’s certainly not sugarcoated. When God shows up, it’s not a Hallmark-card, folded-hands, rays-of-light-coming-through-the-stained-glass-window kind of religion. Oh no, not at all.
Let’s look at the story of Job, and then let’s look at what it teaches about what it means to know God. It shows us 1) the philosophical lesson, 2) the foundational lessons, and 3) the practical lesson.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 15, 1996. Series: Daring to Draw Near. Scripture: Job 42:1-10.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Drawing near to God is perilous. If there’s any place in the Bible where that comes out, it’s here, because when Jacob draws near to God, he finds that God is a wrestler.
This is the climactic moment in Jacob’s life. This is the place where Jacob finally finds out what his life means, finally finds out what his main problem is, finally has a transformation of heart. Before this incident, Jacob plays at religion. After this, he’s a changed man.
To understand this narrative, we have to 1) look at the whole scope of Jacob’s life and how this brings it all together, and then 2) draw out four practical conclusions for us today.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 8, 1996. Series: Daring to Draw Near. Scripture: Genesis 32:22-32.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
This talk and Q&A by Tim Keller was held at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City on October 2, 2013.
The Christian hope is a life-shaping certainty that our ultimate future is the eternal love and glory of God, the new heavens and new earth.
The uniqueness of the Christian hope means every area of our lives is shaped by that belief, that future. And so the Christian hope has an enormous impact on how we face and process suffering, disappointment, difficulty, troubles.
In 2 Corinthians, we’re told three things about suffering: 1) the inevitability of it, 2) the pattern of it, and 3) the future of it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 16, 2004. Series: Living in Hope. Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18; 12:7-10.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
There’s more emphasis in our culture on getting and spending money, on consuming goods, than in any culture in history. In his book, The Real American Dream: A Meditation on Hope, Andrew Delbanco says we’ve lost the sense that there’s something beyond this world, so we use money to distract ourselves from the fear that our lives aren’t going anywhere.
Paul agrees with that, that what you believe your ultimate future to be will have a huge impact on how you use your money. In these two famous chapters in 2 Corinthians, Paul talks about money. He says there’s a way to use your money that will make your life an exciting story.
If you want to have that, you have to see three things: 1) there is a problem, 2) there is a key to the problem, and 3) there is a power to use the key.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 2, 2004. Series: Living in Hope. Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:8-15, 9:6-12.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Christian hope is unique. The certainty of a material future, the new heavens and new earth, and the certainty that in Christ, that’s coming to you, makes Christianity a distinct, life-shaping force. It distinctly shapes the way in which we live in every area of life.
We’re looking now at an area of life that has been a matter of enormous concern to us as a whole world, especially as a society. How do people of different races, cultures, and religions live together in peace?
The Christian hope gives us an enormous resource to use on this problem. In Romans 14, Paul shows us 1) the problem, 2) a false solution, 3) the true solution, and 4) the power to do it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 25, 2004. Series: Living in Hope. Scripture: Romans 14:1-3, 14:14-15:7.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We underestimate the degree to which our present behavior and our present living are determined by what we believe our ultimate future to be.
Christian hope affects everything, every area of our lives. That means Christian hope, our understanding of the future, revolutionizes our whole attitude toward sex, romance, singleness, and marriage.
This passage in 1 Corinthians 6 is outrageous in all sorts of ways. It shows us 1) Christianity gave the world a revolutionary view of sex, 2) Christianity gave the world a revolutionary view of singleness and marriage, and 3) how Christian hope radically reshapes our view, our actions, and our attitudes in this area.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 18, 2004. Series: Living in Hope. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:13-20; 7:27-31.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Historical and sociological scholarship shows the early Christians were remarkably different than their neighbors. Why were the Christians so much more compassionate to the sick? Why were they so much more forgiving to their persecutors? Why were they so much more ethnically inclusive than anyone had ever seen? Were they just ahead of their time? Were they just nicer people? No, it all depended on what they believed their future to be.
You might say, “That sounds very good, but how could anybody be certain about the future?” That was what was different. The answer and, therefore, the key to this whole dynamic of Christian hope is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
When the early Christians looked at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the resurrection 1) gave them certainty of God’s future and 2) described the shape of God’s future.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 11, 2004. Series: Living in Hope. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-10; 47-58.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In this short special episode, Tim and Kathy Keller have a conversation about the resurrection of Jesus as the historically verifiable event on which the Christian faith stands.
I think I can say without fear of contradiction that no matter who you are, there’s a lot of death in your future.
If you look around, you look at your loved ones, you look at your family, you look at your friends. Either you will face death yourself because you will be dying younger than is our want, or you will live a long time and face the death of the other people around you. Christian hope gives you something to deal with that, gives you something remarkable.
Let’s look at 1) what Christianity gives us so we can handle death, and 2) how we get it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 4, 2004. Series: Living in Hope. Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
You might say that even though you believe in most of what the Bible says about the ultimate future, it hasn’t changed your life. You really don’t handle suffering or death or other things any differently than other people. Why would that be?
The answer is because it’s not simply the doctrine of Christian hope, it’s not just the cognitive belief that changes us. It’s the experience of hope.
Let’s look at 1) the promise of this experience, 2) the sources of this experience, and 3) how we get it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 28, 2004. Series: Living in Hope. Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21, 1 John 3:1-3.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Nobody has ever asked me to preach on hope, except my wife, who asked me to do this whole series. The reason people don’t ask me to preach on hope is we underestimate tremendously what really is the engine of our lives. How you live now is completely determined by your believed-in future.
We’re going to look at what Christian hope is and how it is the great life-changing dynamic in the Christian life.
Let’s notice what Ephesians 1 tells us about 1) the importance of hope, 2) the content of hope, and 3) how to get it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 21, 2004. Series: Living in Hope. Scripture: Ephesians 1:13-23.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
All four of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tell us that the women followers of Jesus on Easter Sunday morning found the tomb empty and heard a message from the angel.
Of those four accounts, Mark’s is the shortest. In two wonderful verses, we have the entirety of the life-changing message of the resurrection, of Easter.
There are three aspects to this message: 1) there is a word of challenge to change your mind, 2) there is a word of grace to change your heart, and 3) there is a word of mission to change the whole course and shape of your life in the world.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 8, 2007. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 16:1-8.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In the burial of Jesus, we see three classes of people who are brought together by the death of Jesus.
There is the Roman centurion, who is a pagan. There are the women who stay with Jesus all through this time. And there’s Joseph of Arimathea, who is a member of the Sanhedrin, a Pharisee, a member of the ruling party. Women, pagans, Pharisees—three groups of people who don’t usually hang out together. Yet something has brought them together. These are three groups all making positive responses to the death of Jesus.
What we learn here is 1) the world we all want, 2) the change we need, and 3) how we can get it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 1, 2007. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 15:39-47.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
At the actual moment of Jesus’ death, an inexplicable, mysterious darkness comes down. From noon to 3:00 PM, it was absolutely dark.
This is an inexplicable darkness. A solar eclipse does not create absolute darkness for more than a few minutes. Besides that, a solar eclipse can’t happen during a full moon, and it was Passover, which is a time of a full moon. Beyond that, it was the wet season, so you can’t attribute it to a desert wind storm. This is a supernatural darkness, and therefore it means something.
But what? What does it signify? I think we’ll see that it signifies 1) the darkness we have, 2) the darkness Jesus received, and 3) how Jesus’ darkness can dispel our darkness.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 25, 2007. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 15:33-39.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In the first half of the crucifixion account, there’s a theme. That theme is the fact that Jesus is mocked, insulted, jeered at, laughed at, humiliated, and shamed.
The soldiers are jeering at him, spitting on him. He is stripped naked and crucified naked. The passersby are insulting him. The religious leaders are mocking him. And at the very end, even the thieves on the crosses beside him are making fun of him, insulting him.
Jesus didn’t only get killed on the cross—he also got shamed and humiliated. This is important because it teaches us three things: 1) the mocking tells us about our own hearts, 2) the mocking reveals Jesus’ heart, and 3) if we let it, the mocking can change our hearts so ours become like his.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 18, 2007. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 15:16-32.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
For the first time, in Mark 15, we have Jesus in front of the political establishment, the Roman state. So we have to ask the question, “What is the relationship of Jesus to politics, of Christianity to the government?”
Pilate asks three questions. He asks Jesus, “Are you king of the Jews?” and, “Why aren’t you fighting back?” Then he asks the crowd, “What shall we do with the king?” The answers to these three questions are a lens by which to explore the relationship of Christianity to politics.
These three answers are 1) the ambiguity answer, 2) the revolutionary answer, and 3) the substitutionary answer.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 11, 2007. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 15:1-15.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The story of Peter’s denial and the story of Jesus’ arrest and trial are intertwined in Mark 14. We’re meant to compare these two stories. Peter is on trial, just like Jesus. Peter is being questioned, just like Jesus.
The question is being put in front of us: do you have what it takes to be a person of truth, of integrity, who does the right thing, who stands up for justice, who tells the truth in general and the truth about Jesus in particular, regardless of what it costs you? According to this passage, no, you don’t have what it takes—but you can get it.
We learn here 1) how Peter failed to be a true witness, 2) how Peter was healed and succeeded in being a true witness, and 3) how that happened.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 4, 2007. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 14:29-31, 53-54, 66-72.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re looking at the final days of Jesus’ life on earth. And in Mark 14, Jesus is on trial.
There’s nothing more dramatic than to be on trial for your life. And there’s no more dramatic moment in a trial than when the defendant is called to testify on the witness stand. And there perhaps has never been a more dramatic and shocking testimony given on a witness stand than the one Jesus Christ gives.
In this passage, we see 1) that Jesus is the judge, 2) that Jesus is the judge who was judged, and 3) if we understand those two things together, it’ll change our lives.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 25, 2007. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 14:53-65.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
As we look at the last part of Jesus’ life, we come to this scene: his arrest. In it, Jesus makes a big deal about them coming for him with swords and clubs.
What we have here is a clash between two kingdoms, two administrations of reality, two sets of priorities and values. We have the right-side-up kingdom of this world and the upside-down kingdom of Jesus and of God.
In this passage in Mark 14 we see, 1) Judas shows us the kingdom of this world, 2) Peter shows us the difficulty of living in the kingdom of Jesus, and 3) the mysterious young man gives us insights into how we get the power to live in Jesus’ kingdom.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 18, 2007. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 14:43-52.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
If you read the rest of the life of Jesus, he’s totally unflappable, but in the garden of Gethsemane, as he faces his imminent death, it says he’s astonished and overcome with horror. The fact that Jesus struggles with his death is not only unique in ancient history, it’s actually almost unique in church history itself.
This passage in Mark 14 helps us 1) see that it all really happened, 2) understand we have a culture, 3) come to grips with the wrath of God, 4) discover a way to deal with trouble and suffering, and 5) get the power to use that method.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 11, 2007. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 14:32-42.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In this special episode, Susan Nacorda Stang interviews Tim about his book, Hope in Times of Fear.
The interview was recorded prior to the book's release in March 2021.
Confucius, Muhammad, Buddha, Moses—they all died in old age, in comfort and blessedness, triumphant over their opponents. Of all the founders of major religions, Jesus alone died alone, young, stripped naked, stared at, mocked, while he died by inches in agony, crying out to God who had forsaken him.
Who, hearing that story, would say, “That’s the spiritual leader I want”? And yet, the suffering and death of Jesus Christ transformed lives at a depth and on a scale that completely changed the ancient world. People’s lives were changed if they grasped the understanding of Jesus’ death that he gave at the Last Supper. So what did Jesus say?
There are three things we see here: 1) the importance of his death, 2) the meaning of his death, and 3) how it can be a transforming power in your life.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 4, 2007. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 14:22-31.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In Mark 14, Jesus predicts his betrayal by one disciple, and he predicts the defection and the failure of all the disciples. So what are we supposed to learn from this?
Even though it will be relevant to everybody, this passage is particularly meant for people who think they are Jesus’ friends, people who think they’re pretty close to him, people who feel they’re really following him, people who even would consider themselves the leaders of the Christian movement.
This passage teaches us about 1) the breadth of sin, 2) the depth of sin, and 3) how to overcome it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 28, 2007. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 14:12-21, 27-28.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
It’s very clear what Jesus Christ came to do. He came to die. That sets him apart from the founders of every other major religion. They came to live and be an example. He came to die.
Most of the people in the world fall into one of two categories with regard to the cross of Jesus. Many people struggle too much with the cross, because they find it offensive and nonsensical. Many other people struggle too little with the cross. They think they believe it, but it’s not changing their life at all.
Mark 10 speaks to both groups. There are two things it shows us: 1) why Jesus came to die, and 2) how that should change us from the inside out.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 14, 2007. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 10:32-45.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Jesus tells the disciples that Jerusalem and the temple, at some future time, are going to be destroyed by the Romans. And Jesus says this is a foreshadowing of the end of the world, of judgment day, of his second coming to earth.
Jesus then tells his disciples to watch and yearn for his coming back to earth. A lot of people, both inside and outside the church, really struggle with this teaching.
Three questions come up immediately: 1) Doesn’t this lead to fanaticism? 2) What difference does it really make? and 3) What does it mean to watch?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 10, 2006. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 13:24-37.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The first three chapters of Ephesians has a lot of heavy theology about what it means to be a Christian and who we are in Christ. Then, it suddenly gets incredibly practical—and it’s not actually a different subject.
All of the theology has an effect on how we live in our practical lives. Christ really is Lord of every area of life. Two of those areas are now laid out for us: work and family.
We’re going to look now at 1) Jesus and your work, 2) Jesus and your family, and 3) Jesus and your life.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 22, 2012. Series: A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Luke 6:1-11.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Isaiah 60 describes the new heavens and the new earth. It’s looking to the end of time when God makes everything right—paradise restored. And in this passage, all the nations of the world are bringing their work products.
What is gold and silver? What is the flux and the grain? They’re bringing the products of their work to God as offerings to God. And this means that just as there was work in the original paradise, there’ll be work in the future paradise.
What does that mean for our work? Let’s notice three things: 1) the goodness and dignity of work, 2) what’s wrong with work, and 3) how work can be healed.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 10, 2016. Series: Where We are Going: The City and the Mission. Scripture: Isaiah 60:1-11, 18-21.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In the Bible there’s a view of work that’s revolutionary. It’s so revolutionary that Dorothy Sayers writes that society as a whole, and individuals in particular, are dying for the lack of it—that individuals are hurting because we don’t have it.
Unless you understand the biblical doctrine of work, you will never find rest. That’s the irony. You see, there’s a kind of work that arises from rest, and on the other hand, there’s a kind of restless work. It’s one or the other.
The biblical doctrine of work has 1) two practical guidelines and 2) two motivational principles.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on July 7, 1996. Series: Thessalonians; The Gospel and the End of Time. Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
How does the gospel give us hope? And how does that hope shape our public life?
We’re looking at how hope shapes the way in which we live our lives—not just in giving us inner peace and not just in our family life, but in our public life out in the world. In particular, how does hope shape the way in which we do our work?
We’re going to see 1) the passion of hope, 2) the case study of hope, and then 3) the reason for hope.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 25, 2009. Series: The Gospel, Hope, and the World. Scripture: Titus 2:11-3:9.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The night before Jesus is going to die, he’s trying to get his disciples ready to be sent out into the world to represent him. And what does he do? He washes their dirty feet.
We’re meditating on the fact that he washed their dirty feet. Only when you understand this picture, do you really understand the kind of love that Jesus is calling all Christians to.
The love that Jesus is calling us to 1) is not just attraction, it’s action, 2) is not just giving, it’s investing, and 3) is not out of our emptiness.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 23, 2016. Series: Jesus, Mission, and Glory: New Purpose. Scripture: John 13:12-17.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
When Jesus knew it was his last time to train his disciples, he started their training with foot washing.
He gets up out of his place as the guest of honor, and he puts on a towel, picks up a basin, and begins to wash their feet. We’ve seen that this has symbolism that tells us who Jesus is. We look now at how it tells us what he came to give us: his salvation.
We learn here that 1) we have a deep problem, 2) there’s a twofold cure, and 3) why and how we can get it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 16, 2016. Series: Jesus, Mission, and Glory: New Purpose. Scripture: John 13:6-11.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
On the night before he went to the cross, Jesus was about to send his disciples out into the world in a new way, and so he trained them. He started with this remarkable act of foot washing.
Jesus has just finished talking about who he is and what he came to do. And then he gets up and begins to wash the disciples’ feet. So the foot washing is clearly a sign, a symbolic act.
In the foot washing, we’re going to learn something about Jesus. This act shows us 1) his person, 2) his power, and 3) his pattern of life for us.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 9, 2016. Series: Jesus, Mission, and Glory: New Purpose. Scripture: John 13:1-5.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Does becoming a Christian mean the end of your freedom? Is a relationship with Jesus Christ a radical challenge to your freedom? The answer is yes and no. But ultimately, no.
Now I know somebody’s going to say that sounds like an ambiguous answer, but actually, it’s a complex answer.
In John 8, Jesus teaches about freedom. Jesus shows us 1) the complexity of freedom, 2) the enemy of freedom, 3) the ultimate source of freedom and the true liberator.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 2, 2016. Series: Jesus, Mission, and Glory: New Purpose. Scripture: John 8:31-36; 56-59.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
We’re looking at the last sermon that Jesus Christ preached publicly to the world at large. And when you know this is the end, that you’re never going to speak to people again before you die, you usually say the things that are most important to you.
There are three ideas that Jesus gets across in this passage. They are not easy messages for the world to hear, but they’re brilliant.
Jesus is saying three things: 1) you need my power to believe, 2) you need my light for your darkness, and 3) the only hope you have is the judgment of God.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 25, 2016. Series: Jesus, Mission, and Glory: New Purpose. Scripture: John 12:37-50.
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According to the Bible, there’s nothing more eminent than the glory of God. But that term is so remote to us now. Most Christians have heard of doing things for the glory of God, but what does that mean?
Do you want to have meaning in life? Do you have some need for deep personal change? Are you concerned about justice in the world? The key to all those things is the glory of God.
We see in John 12 that to live for the glory of God is to 1) treat God as supremely important, and 2) see God’s beauty. And then we see 3) how to do it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 18, 2016. Series: Jesus, Mission, and Glory: New Purpose. Scripture: John 12:27-36.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
At first glance, Psalm 111 seems to be a generic recitation of the great things God has done for his people. But there’s more to it than meets the eye. If you read consecutively, Psalm 111 and 112 look a lot alike—and there are remarkable links between the two.
Psalm 111 describes the great God, and Psalm 112 describes a great, flourishing, happy life. The links between the two are unmistakable. If you want the life of Psalm 112, you need to know the God of Psalm 111.
This psalm teaches us about 1) a powerful, involved God, 2) a supernaturally changed life, and 3) the way to connect the power of God to your life.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 25, 2013. Series: Open My Lips: Studies in the Psalms. Scripture: Psalm 111.
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Psalm 96 is an astonishingly happy psalm. It depicts joy and rejoicing for the whole human race, and not just for everyone, but for everything—even the trees, the fields, the mountains, the earth, and the seas are filled with joy and rejoicing.
But this isn’t the world the way we know it—where there are hurricanes, natural disasters, diseases, and death. So how do we get from where we are to there? Is this nothing but an inaccessible, crazy idea, or is it possible to get to a world like this?
In order to find the answer to that question, we need to look at the psalm itself, which is a series of invitations. Let’s look at the call 1) to see, 2) to sing, and 3) to rejoice in judgment.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 18, 2013. Series: Open My Lips: Studies in the Psalms. Scripture: Psalm 96.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In this series, we’ve been saying beliefs don’t automatically change your life. They have to be instilled into your heart through spiritual disciplines, through Christian practices. I’d like to talk now about a Christian practice you probably don’t think of as a practice—the practice of friendship, especially friendship between believers.
Friendship only happens to the degree you work at it. The ancients considered it the most virtuous of all the loves—because it was the most deliberate. The Bible understood, like all ancient people, how important friendship was. The practice of friendship was something Christians were to extend to everybody in their Christian community.
That didn’t mean there weren’t levels of intensity. Jesus said to his twelve disciples, “You’re all my friends,” and yet, John was his best friend, and Peter, James, and John were close friends. With some people you practice more intensely, but the Bible says all other believers in your Christian community must be friends. You must practice the disciplines of friendship.
There are two great features of friendship. In Galatians 5 and 6, let’s look at 1) the constancy of friendship, 2) the intimacy of friendship, and 3) the power to fulfill them.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on June 1, 2008. Series: Practicing The Christian Life. Scripture: Galatians 5:26-6:5.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Many people believe God is real and God loves them. That belief ought to make you more secure, happier, and more humble. But beliefs don’t automatically turn into changed thoughts and feelings and behavior. Beliefs have to be turned into changed character through Christian practices, through spiritual disciplines.
Over the next three sermons we’re going to look at different aspects of community-building. The importance of Christian community is masked when we read the Scripture. Because we are Americans, in many cases we’re individualistic, and we tend to read the Bible through individual lenses. Also, the English language doesn’t have a second person plural pronoun. So when we read the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus says “you must do this,” we read it as how God wants us to behave individually. Actually, almost all the pronouns in there are “you all”—they’re plural. What Jesus is saying is “I want you to be part of a community like this.”
Let’s begin looking at the importance of Christian community. From Romans 12, I want to pull out three things we’re going to learn about community: 1) the family nature of Christian community, 2) the graciousness of it, and 3) its ultimate source.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 25, 2008. Series: Practicing The Christian Life. Scripture: Romans 12:9-21.
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We’re in a series on Christian practices. We’ve said beliefs have to be turned into changed character through Christian practices, through spiritual disciplines.
We come now to forgiveness and reconciliation of relationships. In our culture, we tend to think of forgiveness as a private, emotional process. But the Bible sees it as a communal discipline that we all have to practice. Matthew 18 is a very hard-hitting chapter on this subject of forgiveness and relationship reconciliation.
Let’s look at forgiveness under three headings: 1) why it’s so crucial, 2) what it is, and 3) how you do it.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 18, 2008. Series: Practicing The Christian Life. Scripture: Matthew 18:15-17, 23-35.
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We’re in a series on Christian practices. Beliefs don’t automatically produce a changed life. Beliefs have to be turned into changed character through Christian practices, through spiritual disciplines.
We’re going to look now at a Christian practice that never stands on its own. Rather, it happens within the other practices. When we get to Galatians 6:1, it says Christians shouldn’t hold one another accountable without examining themselves. But what are we examining ourselves for? The answer is here in Galatians 5. We’re supposed to be examining ourselves in order to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, spiritual fruit. Otherwise, the Christian practices can just become mechanical.
It’s important to say, “What are we doing in our Christian practices?” We’re supposed to examine, look for, and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Let’s look at this very famous passage under three headings: 1) the necessity of spiritual fruit, 2) the cultivation of spiritual fruit, and 3) the root of the spiritual fruit.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 11, 2008. Series: Practicing The Christian Life. Scripture: Galatians 5:16-26.
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The belief that God loves you ought to make an enormous difference. But in so many cases, it does not. Beliefs don’t automatically produce changed character. Beliefs must be turned into changed character through Christian practices, through spiritual disciplines.
Maybe the Christian discipline par excellence is observing the Lord’s Supper. In 1 Corinthians 11, there’s a Greek word that shows up five times: synerchomai, which means to bring together, to come together, to unite, or to connect together. It’s translated in different ways through the text, so when you’re reading it in English, it’s not as striking. But the theme is that the Lord’s Supper connects things that otherwise would be fragmented.
In order to understand what it means to observe the Lord’s Supper and to have it really change your life, you need to know what some of those connections are. Let’s look at four ways the Lord’s Supper connects things: 1) it connects the present to the past, 2) it connects your soul to God, 3) it connects the individual to community, and 4) it connects your life story to the future.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 4, 2008. Series: Practicing The Christian Life. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:18-34.
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We’re in a series on what we’re calling Christian practices or spiritual disciplines. You may have beliefs, but those beliefs don’t automatically produce a different character unless your beliefs are turned into actual changed character through spiritual disciplines, or Christian practices.
Today we come to a very important spiritual discipline. It’s the subject of Psalm 1: meditating on the law of the Lord, the Scripture, to the point of delight. Psalm 1 says that meditating on the Scripture is what will bring blessedness—absolute well-being. The magnitude of that claim, and in some ways the simplicity of the claim, is easy to miss. Yet here, smack in the middle of the very introduction to the Psalter, we’re told that not just belief in God but meditating on the law of God, on the Scripture, is the key to blessedness.
This is an extremely important, crucial part of what it means to be a Christian. There are three things I’d like to show you here: what meditation promises, how it’s practiced, and why it works.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 27, 2008. Series: Practicing The Christian Life. Scripture: Psalm 1:1-6.
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Christians have all of these great beliefs, yet the beliefs we have don’t automatically produce changed character. That’s the reason there are so many people who profess Christianity who are just as selfish as everybody else. Beliefs don’t just produce character. Beliefs have to be turned into character through practices, through spiritual disciplines.
Today we’re going to be looking at how we are supposed to use Scripture, the Bible, in our lives. Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Bible (176 verses), and it’s all about the practical uses of Scripture in our lives. If you want the Scripture to be used in your life to translate beliefs into character, then you have to recognize its majesty, tap its power, and unlock its secret.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 20, 2008. Series: Practicing The Christian Life. Scripture: Psalm 119.
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An awful lot of people who believe in God are as messed up and as selfish as everybody else. Why? Because beliefs don’t automatically create changed character. You have to turn beliefs into character with something in the middle. Between beliefs and character come spiritual disciplines or Christian practices. Unless you understand what those practices are and unless you participate in them, you will not actually change your character.
The second most commanded Christian practice in the Bible is one that when you see it, you usually don’t even realize it’s a command. We’re commanded to sing God’s truth, to sing God’s praises. Ephesians 5 gives five things that flow from being filled with the Spirit. Of the five results, three are about music. If you do not learn how important it is to sing God’s praises regularly with others, to listen to God’s praises sung, you will not be changed by the gospel.
Why would music be that important? Let’s take a look at Ephesians 5, especially in light of the entire history of music in the Bible. We’ll learn the power of music (what it does), the grace of music (what it can do), and the future of music (what it will do).
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 13, 2008. Series: Practicing The Christian Life. Scripture: Ephesians 5:18-21.
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As we come to the end of the book of Jonah, we can ask ourselves the question, “What’s this story about?” Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist? It’s not Jonah who is the protagonist. It’s not the fish who is the protagonist.
It all comes down to this last question in the passage. In the last question, God says, “Should I not have compassion? Should I not love that great city?” This is what the story is about. It’s about God, who is the protagonist, seeking to bring grace and love and mercy to a big city. The antagonists are the religious, moral people who believe in God and who obey his commandments. It’s us. It’s city-disdaining, city-phobic, religious, moral, good people. We’re the antagonists, and God is the protagonist. The book is about God’s love for a big, unbelieving, unjust, violent, pagan city.
So, what are we supposed to learn about the city from this book? I suggest we learn three things here: we learn about God’s call to the city, God’s view of the city, and God’s love for the city.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 14, 2001. Series: The Church in the City. Scripture: Jonah 4:1-11.
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Jonah was called to go to Nineveh to preach, and after a lot of detours, he did. When he got there and began to preach, we’re told that Nineveh, by and large, turned from its violence and its evil ways. Now this is a marvelous thing and we would expect great joy in Jonah’s heart. But surprise, in 4:1, we read, “But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry.” Why is that? The bottom line is Jonah can’t figure out God’s love.
Jonah, like everybody, believes in love in general, but when it comes right down to it has a fatally inadequate understanding of how love actually operates, and in particular, how God’s love actually operates. In the same way, many, maybe most, of our own struggles and collapses (just like Jonah here) are due to our own inadequate understanding of how God’s love really operates.
Let’s look at two things that God is trying to get across to Jonah. First, God’s love is refining fire. It is life-purifying. Secondly, God’s love is a seeking fire, a seeking power, a seeking love.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 16, 1990. Series: Jonah. Scripture: Jonah 4:1-10
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In these short parables, we see sacrifices made in the context of such tremendous riches that the sacrifice is made with incredible joy. In other words, the characters sacrificed in the joy and knowledge of what was on the way.
This story shows us several principles of the kingdom of God: 1) Give up your small ambitions; 2) Christianity is a change of dimension and of essence; 3) To make that change, Christianity requires you to sell everything; 4) What Jesus gives in response to unconditional surrender is unimaginable splendor.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 28, 1994. Series: The Parables of Jesus (1994). Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46.
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In this parable, we see Jesus teaching about how he wants his followers to live. The main theme of this story is that a Christian is no longer his or her own, but a Christian is a servant.
Through this story, we'll see that a servant is somebody who has settled something intellectually and emotionally; they’ve settled that God owes them nothing. But we'll also see that a Christian is more than a servant: Christians are sons and daughters of God.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 21, 1994. Series: The Parables of Jesus (1994). Scripture: Luke 17:1-13.
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The parable of the Great Banquet shows us that God's kingdom is a feast, but it’s not the kind of feast you’d think. Instead of the feast for the rich and the proud, it’s a feast for the humble.
How can we humble ourselves so we can enter the kingdom? First, Jesus shows that you must be humbled under the slowness of the kingdom. Secondly, under the freeness of the kingdom. Thirdly, under the commonness of the kingdom. Fourthly, under the priority of the kingdom.
his sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 30, 1992. Series: The Parables of Jesus (1992). Scripture: Luke 14:7-24.
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Susan Nacorda Stang interviews Tim Keller as they discuss how to communicate the Gospel in preaching, teaching and writing.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In the parable of the sower, we see that Jesus did not just come to bring forgiveness of sins, but the very kingdom of God—in other words, forgiveness of sins is just the beginning. The kingdom of God is nothing less than the power of God in heaven entering the world to heal every alienation and every brokenness.
What does it mean to enter the kingdom of God? How do we come into the power of the kingdom of God? In this parable, we learn that listening well, listening deep, and listening in understanding is the primary skill of the kingdom of God.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 23, 1992. Series: The Parables of Jesus (1992). Scripture: Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23.
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Two people find themselves in the same room with Jesus: Simon, an intellectual and a religious man, and a woman, who we are told lived “a sinful life.” What happens with them? Why does one of them remain cool and detached, while the other one sees their life transformed and changed?
In the parable of the two debtors, we see what happens when people come to Jesus with two different conditions, and how Jesus responds to each of them.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 16, 2008. Series: The Parables of Jesus (1992). Scripture: Luke 7:36-50.
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In this special podcast episode Susan Nacorda Stang interviews Tim Keller as they discuss why he wrote his new book "Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I?" which will be published in early November.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In the parable of the weeds, we see Jesus depicting a cosmic truth about the kingdom of God in a very concrete way. Jesus shows us that to enter the kingdom of God, you must make Jesus your king—you must obey the one who saved you. The parable also shows us we must have patient diligence, and be careful to be neither too zealous nor too passive.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 9, 2008. Series: The Parables of Jesus (1992). Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30; 36-46.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus teaches that love is what God built us to do, that love is the essence of what it means to be human. In this story, we see that real love doesn't begin until you see that you can't really love—it doesn't begin until you see you're a sinner saved by grace alone. We also see that real love begins when you're stunned into silence by the love of Christ for paying your debt. Once you've experienced and been humbled by that kind of love, then you're capable of concrete and costly love toward others.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 2, 2008. Series: The Parables of Jesus (1992). Scripture: Luke 10:25-37.
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The doctrine of the Trinity is that God is one being who eternally exists in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In this passage of Jesus’s “high priestly prayer”—his prayer for his disciples the night before he died—Jesus gives us insights into the inner life of the Trinity.
In this sermon, we will see how the doctrine of the Trinity helps us understand true glory. There are three things about God that we learn from the passage: 1) The ancient love; 2) The ultimate hour; 3) The welcoming glory.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on June 19, 2011. Series: To Know the Living God – The Adequacy of God. Scripture: John 17:1-6, 20-26.
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The fact that God can be our Father is possibly one of the most important things that the Bible tells us. Jesus came and lived and died, so that we could have a family relationship with God — so that we can call God “Father.” This should be a source of wonder for us, something that electrifies us, and should never be commonplace.
If God is our Father, then, what does that mean? 1) To live in covenant; 2) To live in grace; 3) To live in confidence when bad things are happening; 4) To live in intimacy; 5) To live in gratitude.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on June 5, 2011. Series: To Know the Living God – The Adequacy of God. Scripture: Psalm 103:1-18.
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In some cultures or social locations, God isn’t seen as compassionate enough, because he allows terrible things to happen. In other cultures, he is seen as too compassionate and forgiving to people who have done terrible things. To fully understand the compassion of God, we have to look at what the Bible says about it.
At the end of this famous story of Jonah, the word “compassion” shows up three times — what does it tell us about the compassion of God? This sermon will look at the compassion of God under three headings: 1) What is the compassion of God? 2) What is the compassion of Jesus? 3) What is the compassion of you and me?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 29, 2011. Series: To Know the Living God – The Adequacy of God. Scripture: Jonah 4:1-11.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
If you are facing a difficulty you don’t know how to bear, a decision you don’t know how to make, or a complicated relationship you don’t know how to navigate, what you’re feeling is the need for wisdom. This simple yet profound passage is a great poetic hymn to wisdom, and it shows us that we can only find wisdom in God. In this sermon, we will see 1) The absolute importance of wisdom; 2) The only source of wisdom (God); and 3) How you can get wisdom.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 22, 2011. Series: To Know the Living God – The Adequacy of God. Scripture: Job 28:9-15; 20-28.
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Many people accuse the Bible of being a document that promotes oppression and injustice—but that’s not true at all. This text tells us God is a God of justice, and that, to walk with God, we must love mercy (our heart motivation) and do justice (the life we’re supposed to live). Therefore, Micah 6:8 actually summarizes what it means to be a follower of God by saying, “Do justice.”
This sermon will look at “doing justice” under three headings: 1) The life of justice; 2) The God of justice, and 3) How to live a life of justice before God.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 15, 2011. Series: To Know the Living God – The Adequacy of God. Scripture: Psalm 146:1-10.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In this psalm of David, we see David’s desire to behold the beauty of God. It is the beauty of God, in fact, that allows David to hold his head high even though his enemies surround him. To find God beautiful means that the perception of him— his attributes, names, and actions— brings pleasure. This sermon will explore the beauty of God: 1) Why we need it; 2) What it is; 3) How it changes our lives.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 8, 2011. Series: To Know the Living God – The Adequacy of God. Scripture: Psalm 27:1-14.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The incarnation— the event of God becoming fully human in Jesus Christ— is the paradigm-shattering event of human history. In the incarnation, the ideal became real, the absolute became particular, and the invisible became visible. If we can grasp this doctrine, it has enormous implications for our lives. This sermon will cover 1) What the incarnation is; 2) What it does in your life; 3) Why it can do this.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 19, 2010. Series: To Know the Living God – The God Who Can Be Known. Scripture: Hebrews 2:5-18.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
What does it mean that Jesus is called Immanuel, or God with us? Every other religion was founded by someone who was a prophet or a teacher who came to tell us how to find God—but Christianity says, “No, our Founder, Jesus Christ, is God come to find you.” This sermon will consider three things about Jesus Christ as Immanuel: 1) He is God; 2) He is us (human); and 3) He’s with us.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 12, 2010. Series: To Know the Living God – The God Who Can Be Known. Scripture: Matthew 1.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
It’s not enough to just know about God— we must actually know him. One of the marks that you know God is spiritual growth: when the Holy Spirit comes into your life, it is going to change you. That means there are no excuses for Christians not having a changed life. In this passage, there are four things we can learn about spiritual growth— spiritual growth is 1) possible, 2) vital, 3) gradual, and 4) memorable.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 5, 2010. Series: To Know the Living God – The God Who Can Be Known. Scripture: 2 Peter 1:1-9.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
It’s not enough to just know about God— we must actually know him. One of the marks that you know God is spiritual growth: when the Holy Spirit comes into your life, it is going to change you. That means there are no excuses for Christians not having a changed life. In this passage, there are four things we can learn about spiritual growth— spiritual growth is 1) possible, 2) vital, 3) gradual, and 4) memorable.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 5, 2010. Series: To Know the Living God – The God Who Can Be Known. Scripture: 2 Peter 1:1-9.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In the book of John, we see Jesus becoming human and making a way for us to have deep and personal fellowship with God the Father. God is not an unknowable, undefinable force, but a God you can have fellowship with. This sermon will show us: 1) What is fellowship with God? 2) What does it actually look like? 3) How can it be ours?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 28, 2010. Series: To Know the Living God – The God Who Can Be Known. Scripture: 1 John 1:1-2:2.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
There’s nothing more practical than getting to know the true God of the Bible— because everything we do wrong and every experience of inordinate anxiety or anger or pride always comes because, at that moment, we’re forgetting who God really is.
In this passage from Exodus 3, we see the first time in the Bible when somebody says to God, “Who are you?” God shows us that he is not an ineffable, indefinable force, but a God with a name. We will see that he is the God of 2) Brilliant delay; 2) Fiery reality; 3) Absolute sufficiency; and 4) Mysterious nearness.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 21, 2010. Series: To Know the Living God – The God Who Can Be Known. Scripture: Exodus 3:1-14.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Whenever you are inordinately anxious, angry, proud, deflated, it’s because at that moment you’re forgetting who the God of the Bible is— or maybe it’s because you never understood who he was. That’s why there is nothing more practically important than to know the God of the Bible in depth.
This sermon focuses on two questions. How do we know God exists? And how do human beings get the knowledge of God? We’ll look at four things Paul tells us in Romans 1: 1) We can know God; 2) We actually do know God; 3) Yet paradoxically we don’t know God; and 4) How we can know God truly and personally again.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 14, 2010. Series: To Know the Living God – The God Who Can Be Known. Scripture: Romans 1:16-25.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
When God seems the most hidden, he’s often working the most for us — and we see that in this account of Joseph’s temptation. This sermon will examine three temptations Joseph experienced and what they mean for us: 1) The power temptation; 2) The sexual temptation; 3) The hardest temptation of all.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on June 15, 2003. Series: The Gospel According to Joseph. Scripture: Genesis 39:1-23.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In the story of Joseph, we learn how to get perspective on the bad things that have happened in our lives. In this first chapter of Joseph’s life, we see three things: 1) The hidden depths of sin; 2) The hidden purposes of God; and 3) The hidden patterns of grace.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on June 1, 2003. Series: The Gospel According to Joseph. Scripture: Genesis 37:2-13; 23-34.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Haman, the enemy of Queen Esther, is one of the most vivid case studies in the Bible of unchecked pride. We learn three things from the account of Haman: 1) The character of pride; 2) The deadliness of pride; 3) The cure for pride.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 29, 2007. Series: Esther and the Hiddenness of God. Scripture: Esther 3:1-6; 6:1-10.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
This sermon looks at the first two chapters of the book of Esther, which shows us how to follow God in morally, spiritually, and culturally ambiguous situations. We will see that 1) God is always at work in spite of appearances; 2) The world is obsessed with appearances; and 3) God’s work can free us from enslavement to the world’s ways.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 15, 2007. Series: Esther and the Hiddenness of God. Scripture: Esther 2:5-10;16-23.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
At the end of the book of Esther, we see the nation of Israel receive a holiday, a day of rest from their enemies. God promised Israel that rest was going to be the upshot of his salvation. In this text we see three things: 1) How Esther got rest from her enemies; 2) How Jesus gets us rest from our enemies; 3) How we can have rest from our enemies.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 6, 2007. Series: Esther and the Hiddenness of God. Scripture: Esther 7:1-10; 9:20-23.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The book of Esther poses a fascinating question to us: In such morally, culturally, spiritually ambiguous situations as this, does God still work with us? We’ll see how God works in this passage under three headings: 1) The importance of being in the palace; 2) The danger of being in the palace; and 3) How to live in the palace with greatness.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on Apr 22, 2007. Series: Esther and the Hiddenness of God. Scripture: Esther 4:5-17.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The prophet Isaiah experienced God showing up at a point of cultural crisis and decline. Isaiah needed some way of facing the crisis and facing the future. When Isaiah experienced God showing up, what did he see? He saw: 1) A God who is not boring; 2) A God who is holy; and 3) A God who is on a mission.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 11, 2011. Series: Theophany: Anticipations of Jesus in the Old Testament. Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
This account of Abraham encountering God is known as a theophany — where God manifests himself in a dramatic, physical expression. Every place where God manifests himself in some dramatic, physical way in the Old Testament points to the ultimate expression of God manifesting in a physical way in Jesus Christ.
This sermon will look at this account of Abraham encountering God under three headings: 1) The questions and doubts of Abraham; 2) The answers and assurances of God; and 3) What this means for us.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on July 3, 2011. Series: Theophany: Anticipations of Jesus in the Old Testament. Scripture: Genesis 15:1-21.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
This is a famous passage from the book of Isaiah — he calls the coming Messiah “Wonderful Counselor.” If we consider those two words in reverse, we have the subjects of wisdom (or counsel) and wonder — this sermon will meditate on those two words.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 23, 2007. Series: Jesus of the Prophets. Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
In this passage, the prophet Micah predicts the coming of the Messiah. What's intriguing about this Messiah is that on the one hand, he’s from of old. But on the other hand, he’s coming in the future. In this sermon, we will ask: 1) What does it mean that Jesus is the ancient King? 2) What does it mean that Jesus is the future King? 3) How we can make him our King?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 16, 2007. Series: Jesus of the Prophets. Scripture: Micah 5:1-6.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
The biblical word for peace, shalom, doesn’t just mean the absence of hostilities; it means the presence of justice. The word justice is closely connected with the word shalom in the Bible, and the book of the prophet Amos is all about that theme, justice. In this sermon, we will see: 1) The meaning of justice; 2) The sign of justice; and 3) The promise of justice.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 9, 2007. Series: Jesus of the Prophets. Scripture: Amos 8:4-10; 9:7-15.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Jacob is that very ancient figure in the book of Genesis and yet an incredibly modern figure. Jacob is a man with an inner vacuum, an inner emptiness. Although he has begun his relationship with God, that does not immediately create a full remedy for his inner emptiness.
People with an inner emptiness have a tendency to give themselves to the hope that out there somewhere there is that right person, that he or she who is somehow going to make their life right and going to fix it, but what we’re going to see here are three things. First of all, we’re going to see what is behind that hope for one true love. Secondly, we’re going to see the disillusionment that generally accompanies that hope for one true love, and lastly, what will actually fulfill that hope.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 11, 2011. Series: The Gospel According to Jacob. Scripture: Genesis 29:15-35.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
Jesus offers us deep, inner rest— not just rest for the body, but rest for the soul. In this sermon, we’ll learn: 1) Why we need rest; 2) What rest is; and 3) How to get rest.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 14, 2014. Series: Matthew 11 - The One Who Gives You Rest. Scripture: Matthew 11:25-30.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.