Preaching to the Heart — Tim Keller

I gathered us to consider why and how to speak God’s truth in a way that actually lands in people—so the truth is not only understood, but felt, trusted, and obeyed. Scripture’s view of the heart is not simply emotions or intellect; it is the control center of what we most love, trust, and hope in. Whatever rules the heart directs the mind, shapes the will, and stirs the emotions. That’s why Augustine’s “sifting” of emotions, and Jonathan Edwards’ insistence that real knowledge grips the affections, matter so much. We don’t change through bare propositions; we change when truth becomes vivid and real enough to reorder our loves.

So our task has two responsibilities at once: faithfulness to the text, and faithfulness to the particular people in front of us. We are usually trained well for the first and under-trained for the second. To reach the heart, I urged six practices: preach culturally, affectionately, imaginatively, practically, wondrously, and Christocentrically.

Preaching culturally means unmasking the deep cultural narratives—like the identity script (“be true to yourself”) and the truth script (“only I decide what’s right for me”)—that disciple our people more than they know. Preaching affectionately means we speak from a repaired heart with non-deliberate transparency; people should sense the gospel has dealt with us, not that we’re performing passion. Preaching imaginatively means joining doctrine to sense experience—like Edwards’ spiderweb and rock, or God’s own picture of sin crouching at the door—so abstract truth becomes concrete and weighty. Preaching practically calls for specific, dialogical application; we ask probing questions that function like pastoral counseling in the moment. Preaching wondrously echoes the deepest longings—escape from death, unending love, triumph over evil—and shows how the resurrection guarantees them. And preaching Christocentrically is where a lesson becomes worship; when Jesus is presented as the living center of the text, people put their pencils down and their hearts wake up.

I also noted that the difference between bad and good is largely our preparation; the difference between good and great is largely the Holy Spirit. We should work like it depends on us and rest like it depends on God. Read widely, vary emotional tone, and, where possible, keep space for dialogue—whether in the sermon through probing questions or afterward through Q&A—so truth can be pressed home to real people.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The heart is the control center. The Bible treats the heart as the seat of trust and ultimate love, not merely feelings. What you treasure most will inevitably direct your thinking, choices, and emotions. Real change happens when the gospel displaces rival trusts at this deepest level. [08:30]
• 2. Unmask the culture’s hidden scripts. People don’t merely have feelings; they inherit grids that tell them which feelings are “authentic.” Expose identity and truth narratives as unstable and self-contradictory, and then offer a richer, coherent vision from Scripture. Until those scripts are challenged, eyes glaze over and truth can’t land. [23:37]
• 3. Preach from honest, healed vulnerability. Non-deliberate transparency—speaking as one mended by grace—moves people more than constant excitability. Know your material cold, pray deeply, and let the text’s weight set your tone. Passion that is performed numbs; passion that is revealed awakens. [28:51]
• 4. Make truth tangible through images. Abstract propositions seldom melt the heart until they are joined to sense experience. Use vivid word pictures—like a spiderweb and a falling rock, or sin crouching at the door—to make doctrine felt. When truth is seen, not merely stated, it becomes weighty and compelling. [31:03]
• 5. Lift eyes to Christ with wonder. Name the longings for timelessness, death’s defeat, unbroken love, and victory over evil—and show how the risen Jesus secures them. When Jesus is unveiled as the center of the text, people stop merely taking notes and begin to worship. That’s when head work becomes heart work. [40:38]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:47] - Opening prayer and workshop setup
• [01:48] - Two responsibilities: truth and people
• [05:27] - What Scripture means by the heart
• [10:34] - Sift and redirect the emotions
• [14:49] - When abstract truth becomes real
• [18:39] - Six ways to preach to the heart
• [19:48] - Preach culturally: identity and truth narratives
• [25:31] - Preach from the heart: transparency
• [29:46] - Preach imaginatively: images that land
• [35:22] - Preach practically: specific, dialogical application
• [37:28] - Preach wondrously: holy longings fulfilled
• [40:00] - Preach Christ from every text
• [41:34] - Q&A highlights and closing

Bible reading (ESV)
- Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
- Matthew 6:19–21
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
- Genesis 4:7
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.

Observation questions (look closely at the text and the ideas above)

1. Read Proverbs 3:5. What does the phrase “with all your heart” imply about the heart’s role in trusting God — more than feelings, more than mere assent? [08:30]
2. Read Matthew 6:19–21. Which “treasures” in daily life most naturally draw a person’s heart away from God? How does the passage describe where the heart will be? [21:13]
3. Read Genesis 4:7. What images or actions does the phrase “sin is crouching at the door” bring to mind? How does that image change the way one thinks about temptation? [32:53]
4. Consider the claim that abstract truths land when joined to sensory images (e.g., spiderweb and falling rock). What does a concrete image add that a plain statement does not? [31:03]

Interpretation questions (seek to understand meaning and implications)

1. If the heart is the place of ultimate trust and love rather than merely emotion or belief, how does that reframe what true repentance and faith look like in a person’s life? [08:30]
2. How do identity and truth narratives in the surrounding culture (the “be yourself” and “I decide what’s right for me” scripts) function as rival treasures to God? In what ways are those scripts self-contradictory when held as absolute standards? [21:13]
3. What does it mean to “sift” emotions (evaluate and redirect them) rather than to suppress or simply express them? What biblical resources or practices help a person do that? [10:34]
4. How does centering Jesus in proclamation move a listener from intellectual assent to worship? What is it about Christ revealed as risen and present that wakes the heart? [40:38]

Application questions (practical, personal steps to grow)

1. Make a short list of two or three things you currently treasure more than God (examples: career approval, romantic acceptance, safety, reputation). When did each become central in your life? What would it look like this week for the gospel to start displacing one of those treasures? [08:30]
2. Think of a recent decision where “be true to yourself” or “I decide what’s right for me” felt persuasive. How would choosing God’s wisdom instead change the immediate concrete choice you face (words, schedule, relationship boundary)? Who could you talk with about that choice this week? [23:37]
3. Take one gospel truth that feels abstract to you (for example: “God’s love is sure,” or “Christ has triumphed over death”). Name one sensory image or memory you can connect to that truth this week (a light, a rescued pet, a safe place, water). How will you use that image in prayer or remembrance to make the truth feel more real? [31:03]
4. Next time a strong emotion pushes you toward sin (anger, jealousy, fear, lust), list three concrete steps you will take to “sift” that emotion (for example: name the feeling, ask what it trusts in, pray a Scripture, call a friend, remove yourself from the situation). Try those steps the next time the feeling arises. [10:34]
5. Identify one personal habit or fear that needs specific, dialogical help (e.g., fear of talking about faith, tendency toward pride, an addictive pattern). Whom will you invite to ask you the probing questions that function like pastoral counseling, and when will you meet them? [36:01]
6. Name a deep longing you carry (escape from death, unbroken love, final victory over evil, meaning beyond time). How does the resurrection of Jesus speak to that longing for you personally? How might that conviction shape one thing you do differently this week—in worship, in how you comfort someone, or in how you live courageously? [38:38]

Use this guide to open honest conversation, to press for concrete next steps, and to pray Scripture into one another’s lives.