Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life

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.