Sermons by Tim Keller, founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC and NY Times best-selling author of ”The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.” For more sermons and resources, visit www.gospelinlife.com.
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In this sermon, Timothy Keller challenges the modern, simplified understanding of God's love, arguing it doesn't originate from common sense, history, world religions, or nature, but exclusively from the Bible's framework of creation, fall, and redemption. He emphasizes that God's character is complex and multifaceted, encompassing roles like Father, King, Counselor, and Friend, and warns against reducing Him to a "cartoon god." Keller reveals how Jesus's sacrifice on the cross resolves the apparent impossibility of God's justice and boundless mercy, enabling transformative love to be received by all who recognize their need.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 19, 1996. Series: Love: The Way to Grow Up. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. 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 m...
Tim Keller explores the profound meaning of 1 Corinthians 13, showing it's not a checklist but a sharp rebuke to the Corinthian church's spiritual immaturity. He argues that all believers start as infants and must actively grow up by recognizing their childish preferences for the dramatic and quick over the quiet, lengthy nature of true love. Keller outlines two keys to maturity: admitting one's spiritual infancy and diligently "reasoning out" life's challenges through the lens of the gospel, ultimately pointing to Jesus as the supreme example of enduring, mature love.
Dr. Tim Keller delves into 1 Corinthians 13, explaining that true love is fundamentally different from merely following a behavioral checklist. He argues that genuine love arises from a profound "collision" with God's unconditional love, as perfectly demonstrated by Jesus Christ. This encounter judges our often-selfish human affections, leading to a transformation where we learn to delight in the Gospel and ultimately love God for His own sake and others authentically, without needing their approval.
Dr. Timothy Keller challenges the common interpretation of 1 Corinthians 13, arguing that it's more than a behavioral checklist for good conduct. He reveals how true love, as described by Paul, is an impossible standard for humanity, exposing our inherent inability to love unconditionally. Ultimately, Keller points to Jesus Christ as the only one who perfectly embodies this shattering, saving love, which transforms believers to truly love God for who He is.
Dr. Keller delves into 1 Corinthians 13, highlighting that impressive spiritual gifts and moral standards are insufficient without genuine love. He uses a powerful car analogy to show that our gifts don't reflect our heart's true condition, which is often driven by self-justification, leading to chronic anger and unhappiness. True love, exemplified by Jesus' ultimate sacrifice, involves accepting God's grace, which alone can humble us and bring freedom from the demanding, self-seeking heart.
In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 13, Tim Keller uncovers a powerful warning: possessing impressive spiritual gifts or adhering to high moral standards does not equate to genuine salvation. He details the historical context of the troubled yet gifted Corinthian church, explaining Paul's 'bombshell' message that gifts without love are spiritually worthless. Keller argues that a heart changed by grace, producing love and Christ-like character, is the true supernatural miracle, far surpassing any gift, and calls listeners to root their identity in Christ's love rather than their achievements.
Every single thing Jesus has to say to the church of Laodicea is scathingly negative. The city of Laodicea was a medical center—there was a famous medical school there, and they produced a lot of medicines. Jesus essentially says the church in Laodicea is spiritually sick, and that he has the medicine for them. And whenever we see Scripture diagnosing a spiritual condition, we must always ask, “Is this true of me?” Let’s look at this spiritual condition under three headings: 1) the symptom, 2) t...
There are lots of letters in the Bible, but only one place has a series of letters written directly from Jesus to the churches — and that’s in Revelation. Jesus appears to the now elderly apostle John on the isle of Patmos, where John is in exile, and it is quite an amazing vision. In it, there are three vivid contrasts. Each one tells us something that will make a real difference in our lives. Let’s look at the contrasts: 1) Jesus has come but is coming, 2) John is stunned but still alive, and ...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 8, 1998. Series: Jesus – On Finding God. Scripture: Mark 5:21-43. 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...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 1, 1998. Series: Jesus – On Finding God. Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46. 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 maki...
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 25, 1998. Series: Jesus – On Finding God. Scripture: Matthew 16:21-27. 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 maki...
Dr. Keller examines Jesus' challenging words about two paths: one broad, leading to destruction, and one narrow, leading to life. He unpacks the paradox that the "narrow" gospel actually leads to profound spaciousness and freedom, while seemingly "broad" approaches based on self-righteousness result in suffocating narrowness. The sermon clarifies that both paths often involve "good" deeds, but the underlying motivations – using God versus loving God – make all the difference, emphasizing salvation by grace through Christ.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 11, 1998. Series: None. 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 r...
In Jonah, the antagonists are the religious, moral people. It’s us. It’s the city-disdaining, city-phobic, religious, moral people. We’re the antagonists, and God is the protagonist. It all comes down to this last question when 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’s love for a big, unbelieving, unjust, violent, pagan city. We can learn about three things here: 1) God’s call to the city, 2) God’s view of the c...
History tells us the Assyrian empire brought cruelty and massacre to a new level. It was a violent empire that slaughtered helpless people. And Jonah’s response to it is anger. He wants them punished. Yet, in the book of Jonah, we see one of the greatest surprising turns of all the stories in the Bible. God refuses to accept either the violence of Nineveh or the poisonous anger of Jonah. Let’s look at three things that this text tells us about violence: 1) the surprising sources of violence, 2) ...
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) ...
Jonah runs away for two reasons: fear and hate. God has told Jonah to go to Nineveh to warn them, but Jonah refuses. He’s afraid to put himself in the midst of his enemies, but he’s also filled with hate toward them. So the book of Jonah addresses in a real way the questions “What do I do about my fear?” and “What do I do about my anger?” Let’s notice three features of the story: 1) the stormy sea shows us who we are, 2) the religious sailors show us the wrong thing to do about it, and 3) the wi...
Words like sin, sinner, heathen and heretic have been used for centuries to exclude and oppress people. That’s one reason we need the book of Jonah. Jonah gives a concept of sin that can’t be used to oppress people. In fact, it shows that it’s one thing to believe in sin and another thing to understand it in your own heart. Jonah was a prophet, but there was a kind of sin in his heart that flew under his radar—until it blew up. Let’s look at four features in the narrative that each tell us somet...
In the old tales, if they were sending people out on a quest, they always gave them special gifts with special powers. That’s what Jesus is doing in John 14—he’s sending his disciples (us) out into the world. The night before he dies, Jesus is giving mighty gifts with special powers to his disciples and to us. And of all the gifts that he gives, the greatest gift possible is this one: the Holy Spirit. Let’s see what we learn in this passage about 1) who the Spirit is, 2) what the Spirit does, an...
Dr. Tim Keller delves into the transformative power of prayer, emphasizing that God truly acts when we ask. He outlines key conditions for prayer, including our identity in Christ and the purity of our motives, cautioning against selfish desires. Keller explains that prayer's ultimate purpose is not just immediate gratification, but to align our hearts with God's glory, a concept illuminated by St. Augustine. The sermon culminates in revealing that the very foundation of answered prayer lies in Jesus' great unanswered prayer in Gethsemane, demonstrating God's perfect fatherly love and provision through Christ's sacrifice.
This episode delves into Jesus' teachings on knowing God personally, contrasting it with mere intellectual belief or religious activity. Tim Keller explains how this profound knowledge is possible through Jesus' words and unique character, leading to a heart-level experience of God's love. He also outlines the marks of a genuine relationship with God and highlights how Christ's sacrificial death enables this transformative connection.
This episode explores how Jesus provides an untroubled heart amidst life's inevitable difficulties, drawing from John 14:1-3. Keller delves into the profound human longing for 'home' and how Jesus fulfills this through a guaranteed place in heaven, a world of infinite love. The discussion highlights the Christian perspective on death, not as an end, but as a transition to a greater reality, made possible by Jesus's sacrifice on the cross for our spiritual 'homelessness.' Believers are given a 'watchtower' perspective, allowing them to live confidently, knowing their eternal home is secured.
To live a Christian life is much more transformative than just trying to live better. If you’re a Christian, you are a living stone in the temple of the Holy Spirit, and you are a holy priesthood called to do sacrifices to the Lord, because you’re related to the cornerstone, Jesus Christ. Now that’s quite an image. What does it all mean? Let’s unpack that under three headings: 1) what we are called to be, 2) what we’re called to do, and 3) how we can be enabled and empowered to do it. This sermo...
The Christian understanding of freedom is at complete loggerheads with what our culture tells us. And I’d say most of us as Christians have trouble understanding it ourselves. An extremely important concept for understanding the Christian life is the freedom of a Christian. It’s a theme that runs all the way through the New Testament: the paradox that Christians are free through submission, free through service, free through obedience, free through submission to liberating authority. Let’s look ...
Dr. Timothy Keller explains that genuine spiritual growth, driven by the Holy Spirit, is an organic transformation of character rather than mere self-effort. Drawing from 2 Peter 1:3-11, he outlines five key aspects: growth is possible, gradual, essential, practical, and wonderfully motivated by remembering God's love. Keller details practical disciplines, including dedicated time with God, vulnerability in community, and submission to God's will during suffering, all culminating in a life of freedom and love.
The book of 1 Peter is probably more about suffering than anything else. It might be the only book in the New Testament completely devoted to the subject of suffering. And it shows us that going through trials, troubles, and sufferings is one of the main ways in which we grow into Christlikeness. So let’s see what we learn here about 1) the inevitability of suffering, 2) the good potential of suffering, and 3) the disciplines of suffering. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeem...
When we become Christians we don’t just turn over a new leaf, we’re spiritually raised with Christ and his resurrection power comes into our lives. And so, what does such an empowered life look like? We’re called to be holy, but this is a difficult term to get ahold of. In our modern culture, both the word “sin” and the word “holiness” are almost never used anymore except ironically. But we need to take it seriously. So let’s ask 1) what is holiness? 2) how does it grow and develop in us? and 3)...
Timothy Keller delves into 1 Peter to define the Christian life as that of "joyful exiles" or "resident aliens." He explains that believers are called to be deeply engaged in culture while maintaining a distinct identity rooted in Christ. The sermon presents a test for this life: authentically living out Christian values will paradoxically make one both offensive and attractive to the world. Keller reveals that the power to live this courageous and compassionate life comes from understanding God's unconditional love and the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our "ultimate exile," enabling us to find our true home in Him.
Tim Keller explores the concept of new birth through Christ's resurrection power, which instills a spiritual transformation and an imperishable hope in believers now. He details how this new vitality and identity are experienced in various ways, from dramatic conversions to subtle, gradual changes, rooted in the cosmic power of regeneration. The sermon highlights how this living hope reshapes our deepest desires, strengthens us through life's trials, and is ultimately guaranteed by Jesus Christ's sacrifice, offering a profound healing for existential despair.
