Living Authentically: The Legacy of Tim Keller

Devotional

Day 1: Authenticity in the Gospel

The life of Tim Keller exemplifies the power of living authentically for the gospel. He was not concerned with being "cool" but focused on letting the truth of Jesus shine through him. This authenticity is a reminder that our lives should reflect the simplicity and power of the gospel. Keller's approach challenges us to examine our own lives and consider whether we are living in a way that truly reflects the teachings of Jesus. Authenticity in faith is not about conforming to societal expectations but about being true to the message of the gospel and allowing it to transform us from the inside out. [01:54]

"For we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man." (2 Corinthians 8:21, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life are you tempted to prioritize being "cool" or accepted over being authentic to your faith? How can you let the truth of Jesus shine through you today?

Day 2: Urban Ministry and the Heart for the City

Tim Keller's heart for the city challenges us to consider the importance of urban ministry. Just as the Apostle Paul longed to reach Rome, we are called to bring the gospel to densely populated areas where many souls are in need. Urban areas are often places of great diversity and opportunity, but they also present unique challenges for ministry. Keller's vision for city ministry inspires us to engage with these challenges and seek ways to bring the transformative power of the gospel to the heart of our cities. [03:10]

"And seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." (Jeremiah 29:7, ESV)

Reflection: What is one practical step you can take this week to engage with your local community or city in a way that reflects the love and truth of the gospel?

Day 3: Faith and Intellect

The relationship between faith and intellect was a hallmark of Keller's ministry. He addressed complex topics with clarity and humility, encouraging believers to engage thoughtfully with questions of science, faith, and scripture. This approach reminds us that faith and reason are not mutually exclusive but can complement each other in our spiritual journey. By engaging with intellectual challenges, we can deepen our understanding of God and strengthen our faith. [03:52]

"Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them." (Psalm 111:2, ESV)

Reflection: What is one intellectual or theological question you have been hesitant to explore? How can you begin to engage with it thoughtfully and prayerfully this week?

Day 4: Humility and Respect in Discourse

Keller's humility and respect in discourse serve as a model for how we should engage with others. In a world where many voices lack civility, his approach reminds us of the importance of respecting those we engage with, regardless of their beliefs. This respect fosters meaningful dialogue and allows us to share the gospel in a way that is both loving and effective. By approaching conversations with humility, we can build bridges and create opportunities for genuine connection and understanding. [04:23]

"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." (Colossians 4:6, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent conversation where you disagreed with someone. How can you approach future discussions with humility and respect, even when you hold different beliefs?

Day 5: Hope of Resurrection

The hope of resurrection is a central theme in Keller's teachings. His reflections on death and new beginnings remind us that, for believers, death is not the end but the beginning of a new life with Christ. This hope gives us the courage to face life's challenges and uncertainties with confidence, knowing that our ultimate future is secure in Christ. The promise of resurrection encourages us to live with purpose and dedication to the truth, just as Keller exemplified in his life. [10:42]

"For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his." (Romans 6:5, ESV)

Reflection: How does the hope of resurrection influence your perspective on life's challenges and uncertainties? What is one way you can live out this hope in your daily life?

Sermon Summary

In reflecting on the life and legacy of Tim Keller, we are reminded of the profound impact one individual can have through a life dedicated to truth, humility, and service. Tim Keller, a pastor, author, and thinker, was a beacon of wisdom and grace in our modern world. His deep belief in the gospel's truth and his ability to communicate it with simplicity and confidence set him apart. He was not concerned with being "cool" but rather with letting the life and truth of Jesus shine through him. This authenticity and dedication to the gospel are what made his ministry so influential.

Tim's heart for the city was another defining aspect of his ministry. He understood the importance of reaching urban areas, much like the Apostle Paul, who longed to bring the gospel to Rome. Tim's vision for city ministry has inspired many, including my wife Nancy, who leads a movement to transform metropolitan areas with Christ. His love for the life of the mind was evident in his writings and teachings, which addressed complex topics like the relationship between science and faith, the trustworthiness of the Bible, and the resurrection.

Tim's humility and civility in discourse were refreshing in a time when many voices in the church lacked these qualities. He respected those he engaged with, regardless of their beliefs, and this respect made him a spokesperson for many. As we journey through Genesis, we are reminded of our mortality, symbolized by dust. Yet, in our brokenness, there is hope. Tim's writings on pain and suffering, particularly his reflections on Isaiah's prophecy of a servant who would not break a bruised reed, offer comfort to those who feel fragile and hopeless.

Tim's life and death remind us of the hope of resurrection. He often spoke of the assurance that death is not the end but a new beginning. As we remember Tim Keller, we are encouraged to live with the same hope and dedication to truth that he exemplified.

Key Takeaways

1. Tim Keller's life exemplified the power of living authentically for the gospel. He was not concerned with being "cool" but focused on letting the truth of Jesus shine through him. This authenticity is a reminder that our lives should reflect the simplicity and power of the gospel. [01:54]
2. Keller's heart for the city challenges us to consider the importance of urban ministry. Just as the Apostle Paul longed to reach Rome, we are called to bring the gospel to densely populated areas where many souls are in need. [03:10]
3. The relationship between faith and intellect was a hallmark of Keller's ministry. He addressed complex topics with clarity and humility, encouraging believers to engage thoughtfully with questions of science, faith, and scripture. [03:52]
4. Keller's humility and respect in discourse serve as a model for how we should engage with others. In a world where many voices lack civility, his approach reminds us of the importance of respecting those we engage with, regardless of their beliefs. [04:23]
5. The hope of resurrection is a central theme in Keller's teachings. His reflections on death and new beginnings remind us that, for believers, death is not the end but the beginning of a new life with Christ. [10:42]
** [10:42]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:22] - Paul Simon's Reflection on Life and Death
[00:51] - Remembering Tim Keller
[01:36] - Tim Keller's Belief in the Gospel
[02:10] - Influence of Dallas Willard
[02:40] - Heart for the City
[03:23] - Transforming the Bay with Christ
[03:37] - Love for the Life of the Mind
[04:04] - Humility and Civility in Discourse
[04:39] - Genesis and the Symbolism of Dust
[05:31] - Science and Faith Conference
[06:17] - Humility and Humanity
[06:38] - Jim Brown's Legacy
[07:44] - Tim Keller on Pain and Suffering
[09:22] - Jesus and Hopeless Cases
[10:42] - Hope of Resurrection

Sermon Clips

Tim Keller was the pastor of Redeemer Church in New York City, an author and a thinker one of the most helpful and influential Minds spokespersons for Jesus in our day and one of many challenges in his absence is if we all were going to look for anybody to talk about Tim Keller in his life and how should we think it how should we hold how should we grieve how should we hope what should we learn the person that we would all want to do that is Tim Keller but he's not here to do it. [00:00:59]

One of the strong distinctives of Tim's life and Ministry was that he deeply believed in the truth of the gospel and the truth that Jesus told and he very confidently allowed just the Simplicity of that truth to win the day, he was not cool. I was thinking another voice that has influenced many of us and other profound mind belonged to Dallas Willard interestingly Tim died of pancreatic cancer 10 years to the month after Dallas Willard died of pancreatic cancer. [00:01:14]

Tim had a great heart for the city and when I was starting on a Ministry very often a lot of folks were going to personal Ministry and try to build great big mall-like churches in the suburbs really Tim was more than anybody else the person who talked about having a heart for the city and how the Apostle Paul was somebody who had a heart for the cities of his day wanted so badly to get to Rome before he died because it is so important to try to reach the city. [00:02:44]

God loves everybody but he's got a heart for the city because there's so many people there and Tim led the way and my wife now Nancy leads a Ministry transforming the bay with Christ that is uh part of a movement to reach cities metropolitan areas all over the place that was influenced more by Tim Keller than anybody else I'm so grateful for that. [00:03:15]

And then his love for the life of the mind I have uh this is my Tim Keller bookshelf and I think I've got all the books that he wrote and if you're a pastor you have that sort of thing and if you wanted to talk about how does the bible relate to science or how do we know that we can trust the Bible or why should we believe in the resurrection Tim Keller was about the first guy that you would go to on those kind of topics. [00:03:40]

He had an amazing tone and humility of voice that we need so much in our day when so many people who claim to speak for the church should not be speaking for the church but with Tim for all of his Brilliance he had a humility in Civility and a respect for whoever he was talking with that was profound and so he became a spokesperson for so many of us. [00:04:08]

We're going through Genesis and in the second chapter of Genesis when God creates the man Adam we're told that he shapes him from the Dust and the idea there is not that it's a little Dust Bunny that gets animated um John Walton Old Testament scholar talks about how in Genesis 3 that word comes up again and God says because now there's the curse now there's sin in the fall and death has come in. [00:04:36]

You will live by the sweat of your brow from the ground until you go back into it for from dust you came and to dust you will return dust is a picture of our mortality and uh in Psalm 103 we're told in in the same vocabulary for God knows how we are formed he remembers the weird dust. [00:05:06]

Tim goes on the Hebrew word translated as bruise does not mean a minor injury it denotes a deep contusion that destroys a vital internal organ in other words a death blow if applied to a person it means an injury that doesn't show on the surface but it is nonetheless fatal when it refers to a bruised Reed it means a stalk of grain that is broken at an angle not in the two pieces but because it has been thus broken it is never going to produce grain. [00:08:26]

In Matthew 12 it is said Jesus will not break the bruised Reed or snuff out the dying candle it means Jesus Christ the servant is attracted to hopeless cases I am so glad to hear that Jesus Christ is attracted to hopeless cases for I am one I'm a bruised read and a smoldering Wick he cares for the fragile he loves people who are beaten and battered and bruised they may not show it on the outside but inside they are dying two billion heartbeats and up but there is hope. [00:09:11]

Tim on his deathbed this weekend and his son said he just wanted to go to Jesus and he wrote about the hope of the Resurrection he wrote one of his books about Dwight Moody the Evangelist back in the 1800s when he was near the end of his life said to a friend soon you will hear that Dwight Moody has died don't you believe it I shall be more alive then than I have ever been. [00:09:47]

For the God who formed you out of dust is capable of reforming you The God Who created a place for you in this world is fully capable of creating a place for you in the world that is to come and now Tim knows I'll often think about that when somebody dies we look through her glass Darkly we always wonder in this life but the day is coming when we know Dallas knows Tim knows one day I will know one day you will know. [00:10:32]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?