Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life

We’re looking at a subject that’s controversial. I’m going to try to speak as personally out of my own experience as I possibly can. Yet it’s still an area to think carefully. In our series on marriage, we look for the second time at Ephesians 5:22: “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.” What does this mean? It means a whole lot.  Let’s look at what this passage teaches about the head: 1) head means the husband and the wife complete one another, and 2) head means there is an authority structure inside marriage. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 6, 1991. Series: Marriage. Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33. 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.

Depending on the culture it’s sitting in, Christianity can either be considered radically liberal or horribly conservative. But Christianity isn’t to the left or to the right. In fact, if it’s true that Christianity doesn’t arise from the human spectrum of thought, but that it comes from above, then it’s natural that it doesn’t fit any particular ideology—and that every ideology is going to be suspicious of it.  In a series on marriage, we come now to the question of whether there’s any differentiation between the roles and obligations of a husband and wife in marriage. And the basic thesis in Ephesians 5 is that being male and being female are overlapping but distinguishable ways of being human.  I’d like to show that Ephesians 5 teaches us 3 things about gender roles: 1) there are roles, 2) why there are roles, and 3) what those roles are. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 29, 1991. Series: Marriage. Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33. 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.

We’re in a series on marriage, and we’ve said the purpose of marriage is friendship and a unique oneness. And we’ve also said there’s a structure in marriage.  Ephesians 5 teaches that there’s a mutuality between husband and wife, and yet the commands are not the same to both. They’re equal, but they’re not equivalent. We’ll look now at 1) the concept that in marriage you become one flesh, 2) how this oneness happens, and 3) how this oneness bridges into the subject of role relationships between men and women in marriage. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 22, 1991. Series: Marriage. Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33. 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.

Marriage is a cosmic friendship, a spiritual friendship, a friendship with eternal dimensions. Marriage is not romance garnished with friendship. Rather, biblically, marriage is friendship garnished with romance.  If you’re going to marry somebody, you should marry someone who is now or has the potential to be your very best friend. But friendship is not just a feeling of affection. Friendship is a particular form of love, and it has a structure.  The structure of friendship is a deep oneness that comes from two people journeying together toward a common horizon. Let’s look now at 1) the common horizon, 2) how you get to that horizon, and 3) the implications of journeying together toward that horizon. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 15, 1991. Series: Marriage. Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33. 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.

I’m tired of listening to sentimental, slurpy talks on marriage during weddings and in Sunday school and in sermons. They have about as much depth and reality to them as a Hallmark card. The fact is, marriage is many things—in fact, it’s everything except slurpy and sentimental.  Marriage is glorious: it’s a burning strength and joy. Marriage is hard: it’s blood, and it’s sweat, and it’s tears. It’s defeats, and it’s victories. It’s almost everything except sweet.  We’re in a series on the Bible’s view of marriage. We’ve already looked at the power, the definition, and the priority of marriage. We look now at 1) the great purpose of marriage, and 2) what this purpose means in practicality. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 8, 1991. Series: Marriage. Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33. 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.

The purpose of marriage is friendship, companionship. Your spouse has to be your best friend, or you don’t have a marriage. I know that’s not traditional, but it’s biblical. We’re in a series looking at marriage: at its power, its definition, its priority, its purpose, its structure, and its mystery. So far, we’ve looked at the power of marriage and the definition of marriage. Now we’ll look more into the definition of marriage and then at the priority marriage.  We’ll look now at 1) three critical aspects without which a marriage will not run, 2) the definition of marriage, and 3) the priority of marriage. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 1, 1991. Series: Marriage. Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33. 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.

Ephesians 5 is the most detailed and famous of New Testament passages about marriage. It shows us the power, the definition, the priority, the purpose, the structure, and the mystery of marriage. In this series, we’ve already looked at the power of marriage, though we’ll talk a little more about it now. Then the next aspect to discuss is the definition of marriage: that marriage is a covenant. We’ll look at 1) what it means that marriage is a covenant and 2) the amazing and practical ramifications of marital commitment. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 25, 1991. Series: Marriage. Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33. 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.

Whether you’re single, married, widowed, or divorced, you can immediately apply Scripture’s teachings about marriage to your life. According to the Scripture, marriage is a divine invention. It stands apart from other human institutions because it didn’t evolve out of human thinking. And the basic principles for marriage that are laid out in Ephesians 5 are critical to our understanding of what God says marriage is. We’ll look now at the first of these basic principles: Self-centeredness is the main enemy of any marriage. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 18, 1991. Series: Marriage. Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33. 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.

There are obvious ways Christian hope affects us, like in the way we face death and troubles. But I’d like to show you that Christian hope affects everything, every area of our lives.  The biblical understanding of hope is a life-shaping, joyous certainty that your future is the eternal love and glory of God and a new heavens and new earth. And this Christian hope even determines and revolutionizes our whole attitude toward sex, romance, singleness, and marriage.  This passage in 1 Corinthians 6 and 7 is outrageous in all sorts of ways. It shows us that 1) Christianity gave the world a revolutionary view of sex, 2) Christianity gave the world a revolutionary view of singleness and marriage, and 3) Christian hope radically reshapes our approach, 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 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.

There are two problems people have with God today: the problem of evil and suffering, and the problem with the exclusiveness of religion.  We’re all in the same boat here. Whether you believe in God or you don’t believe in God, you still have these two problems. Because they get at something that really is a problem. But the real question is, are they insurmountable? Can we find a way through them? I’d like to give you something to consider as a possible way through: it’s important to see 1) that people’s problems with religion are themselves beliefs which in turn have their own problems, and 2) that Christianity has a unique resource for each of these problems. This talk was given by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 9, 2003. Series: Redeemer Open Forums.  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.

Most of the great world religions share a tremendous amount of ethical common ground. But suddenly, Jesus breaks through all the conventional principles of morality—he soars into the stratosphere and puts forth the most radical love ethic anyone has ever seriously presented.  On the one hand, when we hear it, we feel we’re in the presence of something sublime. But there’s another side to us that has difficulty with it, because it sure looks like Jesus is saying, “Let people walk all over you.”  But what we actually have here is a set of remarkable balances. Let’s take a look at two balances: 1) There is the balance between the tough and the tender (between justice and kindness), and 2) there is a balance between the inner and the outer.  This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 21, 1993. Series: Hard Sayings of Jesus (1993). Scripture: Luke 6:20-36. 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.

As we look at the hard sayings of Jesus, we see in this passage that Jesus gives us a radical principle of truthfulness.  The whole Bible is built on covenants, public promises, observed words. So what does Jesus mean when he says to let your “yes” be “yes”? He can’t mean you can’t take oaths. What he does mean is actually something almost the opposite, that if you think you can separate and create levels of truthfulness, you’re wrong. Everything is observed. Every yes and every no is an oath.  Jesus is teaching us 1) the importance of truthfulness, 2) the nature of truthfulness, and 3) how you become a person of integrity. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 14, 1993. Series: Hard Sayings of Jesus (1993). Scripture: Matthew 5:33-37. 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.

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.

Sometimes when you read Jesus’ teachings, you feel like you’ve gotten on a horse that’s much too big and much too fast for you. When you read what Jesus says in Luke 12, you have nothing but lightning and blood, but in the center of this teaching is the most wonderful thing a human heart can hear. In this text, we learn two things: we learn about the divisiveness of Jesus caused by his self-centered teaching, and we learn about the agony of Jesus caused by his self-denying love. It may be surprising to many of you to see what he says, but you don’t know the real Jesus unless you understand his divisiveness and the constant agony and pressure under which he labored every minute of his ministry. Let’s look now at these two things: 1) the divisiveness of Jesus, and 2) the agony of Jesus. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 17, 1993. Series: Hard Sayings of Jesus (1993). Scripture: Luke 12:49-53. 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 - Redemption and Restoration. 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 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.

There’s nothing more inevitable in life than suffering, and there’s no book in the Bible, and maybe no work of world literature, that faces the issue of suffering with more realism, integrity, and wisdom than the book of Job. In the middle part of the book, there are long speeches by Job, and most of the time he’s expressing confusion and anger. But there are two places where, in his wrestling, Job wrestles through to remarkable faith and insight. In this one, Job comes to grips with three resources we’re told Christians have in order to face suffering. These three resources are to know 1) the comfort of the presence, 2) the challenge of the glory, and 3) the joy of the resurrection. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 20, 2008. Series: Job - A Path Through Suffering. Scripture: Job 13:20-24; 14:7-17. 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.

How do you bear suffering? How do you get through the inevitable suffering that will come to you? The answer to that is comfort. In the book of Job, Job has three friends who show up and do an absolutely terrible job of comforting. Yet, even by looking at their terrible comfort, we’re going to learn something about the sources of comfort. In this passage, let’s take a look at 1) the bad comfort, 2) the better comfort, and 3) the ultimate comfort. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 13, 2008. Series: Job - A Path Through Suffering. Scripture: Job 5:1-7; 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.

When you suffer, it’s natural to ask the question, “Why?” Instinctively, it’s sometimes the very first thing out of our mouths when tragedy hits: “Why me? Why this? Why now?” There’s no other book of the Bible or piece of literature that addresses the great why question of suffering with the intellectual and philosophical integrity and deftness, the emotional and dramatic realism, and the spiritual wisdom of the book of Job. This text teaches us three things about the why question of suffering: 1) you have to avoid pat answers, 2) you need to embrace living without an answer, and 3) you need to anticipate the ultimate answer.  This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 6, 2008. Series: Job - A Path Through Suffering. Scripture: Job 1:8-22. 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.

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.

We’re looking at a very famous passage about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the temple. And in the midst of this passage, there’s the curious incident of the fig tree. In this we can see 1) the character Jesus has, 2) the power he brings, and 3) how that power reproduces his character in you and me.  This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 17, 2006. Series: King's Cross: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2: The Journey to the Cross. Scripture: Mark 11:1-18. 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.

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: Ephesians 6:1-9. 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.

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.

What does it mean to follow Jesus and apply the gospel to every single area of life? In Luke 6, we look to an area of life that’s covered in the fourth commandment: sabbath rest. We all have somewhat different relationships to work. There are people, for example, who are out of work and would love to have more work. But by and large, one of the biggest problems we have is the discipline of getting sabbath rest.  As we look at sabbath rest, we’re going to ask 1) Why do we need it? 2) Where do we get it? And 3) How do we do it?  This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 23, 2003. Series: The Meaning of Jesus Part 2: Following Him. 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.

The gospel affects how you do your work, how you do your job, and how you pursue your vocation. How does that affect your work?  If we’re going to understand what Paul says in this passage, we need to look at 1) some background work and historical context, 2) practical principle number one, 3) practical principle number two, and 4) the power to carry them out.  This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 17, 2010. Series: The Gospel and the World. Scripture: Ephesians 5:21, 6:5-9. 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 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.