Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life

We’ve been looking at the ways in which an experience of the grace of God creates a new interior character of the heart. At the end of 1 Corinthians 13, Paul tells us that the secret, the key, to developing that interior supernaturally changed heart is to look to the future—to something that’s going to happen in the future. If we’re going to understand this, we need to look at this whole passage and what it shows us about 1) the problem, 2) the remedy, and 3) how to use the remedy. This sermon was prea...

Gospel in Life recently launched The Global Reach Project (https://theglobalreachproject.com), which is an initiative to translate 500 of Tim Keller’s most foundational sermons into 30 of the world’s most spoken languages. This project is something Kathy Keller and her family are truly excited about, and we brought them together to talk about what they think of it and what they hope God will accomplish through it. We hope this episode of Kathy, David, Michael and Jonathan discussing the project gives you a deeper understanding of why we think this project is so important and why we h...

Long before Marx, Nietzsche, and Foucault rightly noticed that normally people follow moral virtue out of fear, pride, and a desire for power, the apostle Paul said it’s extremely possible to live a completely ethical life without any love at the root of it. We’re looking at the traits that show not just moral restraint but a supernatural change. And in Galatians 5 and 1 Corinthians 13, we see a list of a wide spectrum of traits that are in a supernaturally changed heart. Let’s look at 1) how to know them, understand them, and recognize them...

In the last 40 years or so, we’ve had an explosion of 12-step groups helping people with a range of addictions. And even if you don’t have those addictions, think of how much misery there is in our lives because we can’t control our tongue or our time or our thoughts. Just about everybody has a problem with self-control in some area. What’s the solution? In 1 Corinthians, Paul says he has self-control. And he says he’s going to share the secret to having self-control. Let’s look at 1) some principles about the nature o...

A lot of people think that to say Christians have a changed relationship to the truth means that Christians become honest. It’s not less than that. Technical, ethical honesty is one thing. But we’re talking about something more and deeper. In Ephesians 4:15, Paul says, “speaking the truth in love.” But what Paul actually says in Greek is, “truthing in love.” He turns a noun into a verb. It’s an awkward phrase. And it harkens to a place where Jesus speaks of his followers as people who are of the truth, sort of made of truth, swimmin...

To talk about humility means we’re getting into a very culturally interesting subject, which is self-esteem. Traditional cultures have believed that having too high a view of yourself is the real root cause for most of the evil in the world. But in modern Western culture, particularly in the United States, we have an utterly opposite consensus: that people misbehave for lack of self-esteem, because of too low a view of themselves. What’s intriguing about 1 Corinthians 3 is that it gives us an approach to self-regard, an approach to the self, that is absolutely, utterly different than...

How can you relate to someone whose views and values and practices offend you and distress you? How can we relate to people with whom we deeply differ? Our culture says we need to be tolerant, but I want to show you that Paul says the mark of a supernaturally changed heart is to go way beyond tolerance. It’s something better than tolerance, something greater than tolerance, something I’m going to call gospel-receptivity—a loving, peaceful receptivity toward people with whom we deeply differ. What is this receptivity, this receptive grace? The best way to...

One trait or quality of a supernaturally changed heart is peace. There’s a difference between a supernaturally changed heart and a morally restrained heart. The marks of a supernaturally changed heart are sometimes called the fruit of the Spirit. They’re listed a number of places in the New Testament. And peace is always included. So let’s look at 1) what is this supernatural peace that’s available to us? and then 2) how can we cultivate it? This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 3, 2002. Series: Practica...

Every religion in the world gives you a list of virtuous behaviors. But the New Testament gives you something different. It does give you a list, but it’s of aspects of how a supernaturally, grace-changed heart shows itself.   The apostle Paul says it’s possible to do all the morally virtuous behavior without any love at the core, for virtuous behavior to flow out of an inner emptiness rather than an inner fullness. Jesus actually talks about this constantly. And so we’re looking at what we’re calling practical graces, at the aspects of a heart tha...

Morally virtuous behavior can arise out of a heart that hasn’t actually been supernaturally changed. For example, in traditional moral training, we teach people to be honest by using a motive of fear and insecurity. But only for a heart that feels absolutely loved is lying unnecessary and unnatural. It’s only an experience of the grace of God through Jesus Christ that changes the heart rather than restrains the heart.  We’re looking at the marks of a supernaturally changed heart, and we come now to patience. Let’s look at patience: 1) why do we nee...

The city of Corinth was a place of commerce. Nobody went there except to be successful. It was built from scratch just a few decades before Paul’s letter was written. There were not old families and traditions. This was a place that attracted an unusually resourceful, talented, ambitious, intense kind of person. And right into this culture, Paul says, “I don’t care how rich or talented you are. If you’re irritable, impatient, selfish, self-centered, self-pitying, driven and anxious, you have nothing. Don’t say, ‘I just have a few personal issues to deal with.’ You have nothi...

This talk was given by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 6, 1994. Series: Redeemer Open Forums. Today's 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.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 29, 1993. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21. Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 22, 1993. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21. Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

As we find ourselves discouraged with our circumstances in life, we usually react in one of three ways. We might harden ourselves by saying life is unfair and we should get used to it, we might be overcome by despair, or we might simply believe everything will get better for us soon. The apostle Paul shows us there’s a better way to deal with discouragement. Even as he writes from prison, he explains how our suffering can’t compare to the gifts God has given us—and how it can deepen our appreciation of how Christ suffer...

We sometimes think becoming a Christian is something that has to take a lot of time and effort. As we consider what we believe, it can be easy to feel as if we’re somewhere between “not a believer” and “someone saved by Christ.” But the Bible gives us a different interpretation: we are either strangers to this world and God’s kingdom, or we are fully citizens of it. And when we profess faith in Christ, we undergo a wonderful, instant change in this identity that doesn’t depend on how smart, experienced, or moral we are. Le...

Get the new book The Stories We Live By this month as our thanks for your gift at gospelinlife.com/give. This video is an excerpt from session 1 of a group study that has also been created to complement the new book. The Stories We Live By Bible Study Guide releases Nov 3rd, but can be pre-ordered today from bookstores or here.

When we think of what it means to be holy, many of us think of a perfect person who never does anything wrong. And if the apostle Paul says that we are being shaped to be holy, how could we ever live up to such a standard? The Bible, thankfully, gives us a bigger definition of the word. To be holy means to be wholly his—someone who has reoriented their priorities around God and his glory even as they make mistakes. Join us as we examine how we, too, can be stones that make up what Pa...

In the Book of Ephesians, the apostle Paul calls Christians stones of a holy temple “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets…” But what does it really mean that these figures of the early church are our foundation, and why is it important? By studying the apostles and prophets’ teachings in the Word of God, we make sure the church is built on a solid basis for a unity that cannot be found anywhere else. Join us as we explore 1) what this foundation is, 2) why it is the foundation, 3) how we can make sure we are laid...

One of the biggest questions the Bible answers is, “If human beings have been separated from God, how can we be in his presence again?” The good news is this: from the days of Adam and Eve to our own lives today, God has been working out a plan that allows us to dwell with him once again. The apostle Paul describes us as building blocks that make up a new temple—one which God himself inhabits. What does this nearness to God mean for the way we think about him and live our lives? Join u...