by Timothy J. Keller
The following sermons are in MP3 format. To download, right click and save to your hard drive.
Worship
Adoration: "Hallowed Be Thy Name"
When we say "hallowed be thy name," we are making the adoration of God the ultimate concern of our lives. By giving God the praise he deserves,we will heal our worldview as well as our souls. Scripture: Matthew 6:6-15; Philippians 4:6
Discipline of Desire
Only God can bring us to the place where we are earnestly seeking him. When we begin to experience a spiritual appetite for him and his presence,we will know that we belong to him. Scripture: Psalm 63; Acts 17
Worship (YouTube)
The worship of the living God gives us peace and equilibrium to face the troubles of life. Worship engages our entire being in adoration and brings us to a sense of joy in God's ravishing beauty. Scripture: Psalm 95:1-11
Benediction
The benediction at the conclusion of a church service is not merely a perfunctory few words while the congregation reaches for their bags. Rather,it is a reminder of the great blessing of God. In this sermon,Tim Keller explains what God's blessing is,how we can get it,and how it reshapes our lives. Scripture: Numbers 6:22-27; Genesis 1; Genesis 49; Exodus 33:20; Hebrews 10: 11-12; John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Genesis 27:11-13; Mark 1:11; John 17; Matthew 28:19; Romans 12:14
Scripture
What is the Bible?
If you want to gaze on the gospel as "the angels long to do," you need to understand what the gospel is,how to gaze into it,and how to read the Old and New Testaments in light of Christ. Scripture: 1 Peter 1:10-12
Bible, End or Means?
Jesus tangles with the beliefs of the most scrupulous scripture readers,the Pharisees. He argues that Scripture is divine testimony but that it is still possible to believe this testimony as true and be as deaf to what God is saying as if you had no faith at all. The purpose of the entire Bible is to point us to Jesus. Each story is not an end in itself but the means to illuminate the Son. Scripture: John 5:31-47
Prayer
Thy Will be Done
We mistake the purpose of prayer when we interpret it as little more than a means of persuading God to grant our petitions. This is why when Jesus instructs us how to pray,He has us pray "thy will be done" before we ever ask for our daily bread. When we pray as Jesus taught,we find that the true purpose of prayer is to get God Himself,not merely to get God's gifts. Scripture: Matthew 6:9-15; Philippians 1:9-11; Colossians 1:9-14; Ephesians 1:15-19; Ephesians 3:16-19; Mark 14:36; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Luke 11:9; Isaiah 65:1-2; John 14:12-13; Genesis 32:22-30.
Praying in the Spirit
To address God as Father was an intimate and shocking thing for Jesus to do. As we move toward the Father in intimacy of prayer,the Spirit will grow in us a deepening wisdom,develop beauty of heart,and give us spiritual clarity. Prayer is primal,realistic,positional,experiential,and communal. Scripture; Romans 8:15-27; Matthew 14:30
Personal Prayer
Jesus tells his disciples to have private prayer lives. Using the disciplines of morning and evening prayer,we can process our lives before God and bring him our requests while being at peace with the outcome. This talk was given during a leadership training session at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City,and includes suggestions concerning Bible study,meditation,and contemplation. Scripture: Psalm 4, Psalm 5, Romans 8:28
Communion
The Upper Room
Jesus shares insights into the meaning of his life and approaching death,illustrated by the Passover meal. The cross is a symbol for the center of history,the foundation for a new community,and the solution to the Mystery.
Luke 22:14-34; Deuteronomy 26:5-9; Deuteronomy 16:3; Luke 2
Changing the World through the Lord's Supper (manuscript)
The Lord's Supper builds personal spirituality, the church community, and Christian character. Through it, God calls us to link our beliefs more closely with our relationships, our practices, and our witness to the world.
Relationship
Friendship
Wise people are good at choosing, forging, and keeping friendships. The marks of a true friend are constancy, carefulness, candor, and counsel. When you are liberated to be the great friend you need to be by the great friendship of Jesus on the cross, then you will find yourself getting, paradoxically, all the friends your heart needs. Scripture: Proverbs 17:17; 18:24; 25:17,20; 26:18,19; 27:5,6,9,14,17; 28:23; 29:5; John 14-17, Genesis 3:8
Perseverance
Cross; The way to Endurance (YouTube)
No one knows better than Jesus that life is full of suffering. What does it mean to rejoice in our sufferings,or even grow from them? There is only one thing on which you can build your life and not be shaken _ your love for him and his love for you. Scripture: Romans 5:1-10
Knowing that we Know
1 John is one of the greatest places in the Bible to test one's assurance of salvation. John gives us three external tests and one internal test. The external tests are behavioral,relational,and doctrinal. The internal test is an experience of knowing God - with all the connotations of the Biblical word "know." Scripture: 1 John 2:3-11; Genesis 4:1; Matthew 7:22-23; Hebrews 11:2; Galatians 2:14
The Still Small Voice
The reality of God is far greater than our conceptions of God. In this passage,Elijah,persecuted and feeling hopeless,returns to the mountain where God appeared to Moses and hopes for a similar spectacular revelation of His glory. Yet God confounds and comforts Elijah by appearing as a still small voice. Scrpture: 1 Kings 19:1-18; John 11:21-35; Luke 16:19-31; Luke 9:28-36; Proverbs 11:29; Matthew 11:2
Finding God (YouTube)
Seasons of spiritual dryness and disillusionment are inevitable in life,and may derail your faith. They don't seem to fit with a just and holy God. Psalm 42 offers a prescription for your soul when it seems impossible to feel close to God and sense his lovingkindness.