Keller on Christ in all of Scripture

More sermons for you. Tim Keller at the Reform & Resurge Conference 2006:

Is the Bible basically about you and what you need to do, or is it basically about Jesus and His salvation? Which is it?

For example, when you're preaching about David and Goliath, what is it basically about? Is it basically about 'the bigger they come, the harder they fall;' 'if you have faith, you can move mountains;' 'God and you can handle anything;' 'you can face the giants in your life'? That's the way it's usually preached - in which case, it's basically about you.

But, now, if you come with a bias that says every theme, every single theme, eventually comes out in Jesus Christ. You can trace all the threads, whether it's the thread of the temple, or the covenant, or the hero, or every prophet or every priest or every king - every thread, if you run all the way through the Bible, in the end, is Jesus.

We would do well to digest that kind of Christ-centered theology.

Driscoll on the Cross of Christ

(I'm watching a bunch of sermons for a class at seminary, and I get to pick which ones I watch. So, of course, I pick my favorites. And I may have posted on this sermon before, but it's worth quoting again.)

Mark Driscoll, in his 2006 sermon, "Death by Love: Reflections on the Cross":

At any point that we deviate from the cross, or we diminish the cross, what we do is end up destroying ourselves and our church."

Desiring God Conference Audio

All of the Desiring God conference audio from the past 19 years is now available online for free. Praise God! Enjoy Him in these messages!

The Holiness of God: DG's Pastors Conference

Go here for all the audio from the recent Desiring God Pastor's Conference, including three addresses from R.C. Sproul on his favorite topic.

How the Cross Does It All

Tim Keller and others gave some wonderful talks on how the cross converts, changes, and unites us. Keller's last one on the cross uniting us - basically on the church - is a can't-miss.

Check out the page here, and thank God for the wonder, the amazement, and the power of the cross of Jesus.

(HT: JT)

We Never Get Beyond the Gospel

God uses Tim Keller to help my soul, and I hope yours. Keller says:

For a long time, a frighteningly long time, I understood the Gospel as being the elementary, basics, you know, the Gerbers of the Bible, just the basic elementary stuff of that people needed to know to become a Christian, just the basic minimum; and theology was the advanced stuff. So the Gospel was the basics, the elementary stuff; and theology was the advanced stuff, the deeper Biblical principles, deeper Biblical themes. How wrong I was. All theology has to be an exposition of the Gospel . . .

We never “get beyond the gospel” in our Christian life to something more “advanced.” The gospel is not the first “step” in a “stairway” of truths, rather, it is more like the “hub” in a “wheel” of truth. The gospel is not just the A-B-C’s of Christianity, but it is the A to Z of Christianity. The gospel is not just the minimum required doctrine necessary to enter the kingdom, but the way we make all progress in the kingdom.

We are not justified by the gospel and then sanctified by obedience but the gospel is the way we grow (Gal. 3:1-3) and are renewed (Col 1:6). It is the solution to each problem, the key to each closed door, the power through every barrier (Rom 1:16-17).

It is very common in the church to think as follows: “The gospel is for non-Christians. One needs it to be saved. But once saved, you grow through hard work and obedience.” But Colossians 1:6 shows that this is a mistake. Both confession and “hard work” that is not arising from and “in line” with the gospel will not sanctify you—it will strangle you. All our problems come from a failure to apply the gospel. Thus when Paul left the Ephesians he committed them “to the word of his grace, which can build you up” (Acts 20:32).

The main problem, then, in the Christian life I that we have not thought out the deep implication of the gospel, we have not “used” the gospel in and on all parts of our life. Richard Lovelace says that most people’s problems are just a failure to be oriented to the gospel—a failure to grasp and believe it through and through. Luther says (on Gal. 2:14), “The truth of the Gospel is the principle article of all Christian doctrine… Most necessary is it that we know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually.” The gospel is not easily comprehended. Paul says that the gospel only does its renewing work in us as we understand it in all its truth. All of us, to some degree live around the truth of the gospel but do new “get” it. So the key to continual and deeper spiritual renewal and revival is the continual re-discovery of the gospel. A stage of renewal is always the discovery of a new implication or application of the gospel — seeing more of its truth. This is true for either an individual or a church.

Amen! Lord, help me! Help my family and my church understand and apply and preach Your Gospel, in all its fullness, in every area of life, with Christ as its goal and center and Savior! Amen!

An Old Piper Sermon

John Piper in a sermon on Luke 14:12-14 from 1980 entitled, "Whom Shall We Invite to Thanksgiving Dinner?"

"Man at his worst is religious man using his religion to protect himself from inconvenience and disturbance."

Check it out.

Self-Esteem = Pride

Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA, preached a sermon on the doctrine of Christus Victor in his "Christ on the Cross" series about a year ago (go to the Mars Hill website, then menu -> downloads -> sermons -> topical series -> Christ on the Cross), but God has been using it today to bless my friend Gary and me.

"The root of all demonic activity is pride. A euphemism for pride is self-esteem."

"Satan doesn't mind if you have a high self-esteem, as long as you do evil and go to hell. . . When you sin, you're joining Satan's team."

"You shouldn't have high self-esteem or low self-esteem, you should have no self-esteem. You need to have Christ-esteem. . . (because) There's nothing good in us to esteem."

"Satan tempted our first parents with self-esteem, freedom, and choice the Three Great American Virtues - all demonic, all demonic. The Biblical virtues are not pride but humility, not freedom but faith, not choice but obedience."

I'm glad someone finally concurs, because I've been saying this to friends, family, church members, and strangers for 3 or 4 years now (though probably not often enough). I remember protesting my last church's youth getaway handbook because it had the line, "your Christ-centered self-esteem," which seemed not only odd but paradoxical. You can't esteem Him while you esteem you, and neither can I. It's one or the other. One is pride, and the other is true humility.

(HT: Gary Beecham)

Sean Cordell on 1 Peter 3

My pastor here in Raleigh, Sean Cordell, preached a sermon on 1 Peter 3:12-17 yesterday. We missed it because we were out of town, but I am listening to it today. He has some wonderful quotes:

"The American culture is shot through with the epidemic of comfort, and the problem is we don't even see it."

"There is a massive amount at stake in what you are passionate for."

"We must believe that, at the end of the day, Jesus has everything in His hands. Satan only acts by permission, not by sovereignty."

Sean did a beautiful job of summing up Peter's call to suffer well for the name of Christ.

D.A. Carson on the Supremacy of Christ and Love

I'm listening to this sermon delivered by D.A. Carson at Desiring God's recent national conference on postmodernism. He has several good analogies and shows his vast array of Johannine knowledge in John 17, but the best part for me so far has been the story of his Pakistani Muslim friend.

That story makes me want to speak up more for the name of Jesus in public places, and God is using Carson's exposition of John 17 to give me life by His Word. Check out the whole thing, it's worth the time invested.

One quote from D.A.:

"Before we start thinking of God's love for us, or Christ's love for us on the cross, we must think of the eternal Father's love for the Son, and the love of the Son for the Father, so that whatever the Father does the Son does, and the Son does whatever the Father has for Him to do, which of course issues in Gethsemane itself."

Are You Mighty in the Scriptures?

One of my former pastors preached an excellent Sunday school sermon on Acts 7 (Stephen's sermon and death) last Sunday at Providence Baptist Church's college ministry. This was one of his closing applications:

"Stephen had the whole Biblical narrative within his grasp at any moment he needed, and he was able to direct it (in) pointed application to his hearers. . .

Are you mighty in the Scriptures? If you're not, you're probably not going to be very bold in life. So the fires of this kind of passion are kindled over the pages of the Bible."

What an encouraging line to hear! It makes me want to be mighty in the Scriptures! To preach at a moment's notice the story of the Bible! To be kindled by the words of Scripture!

Thank God for the pastors of Providence. How I miss being with them and their teaching. I praise God for them.

Meet Tim Keller and Mark Driscoll

The God of heaven and earth has been blessing me through the preaching and teaching of two particular pastors a lot lately. Their names are Tim Keller and Mark Driscoll. They are different in ministry setting, age, tone, and style, and yet very alike in theology, God-centeredness, and heart application.

Check out Tim Keller on:

• Preaching the Gospel
• Born of the Gospel: 1 Peter 1
  
• The Supremacy of the Christ and the Gospel in a Postmodern World

And check out Mark Driscoll on:

• Death by Love: Reflections on the Cross
  
• The Supremacy of Christ and the Church in a Postmodern World
  
• Habakkuk 2:4 (go to Downloads > Sermons > Books of the Bible > Habakkuk)
  

I have listened to all of these and a few more, and loved them all. If you only have time for one or two, I highly recommend the first in each list. For further research and resources, here is the page for Keller's church, and here is Driscoll's. Also, here is a page of resources for Rev. Keller, and here is one for Rev. Driscoll. I have found these very helpful and will post more from these Godly, God-gifted, God-pursuing men on their greatest Passion.

Surprising Means and Imperfect People

Mark Dever is preaching through the book of Ruth for his church, Capitol Hill Baptist in Washington, D.C. Here's a few lines:

"Do you see all the blessings God wrought through that small reflection of His character? Untold blessings because Ruth was kind, in initiating that kind of care for someone else (Naomi)."

"Friend, if you are here today and you're not a Christian, just realize there are things that you need that you are not yet aware of."

Then, here is the kicker for me on God's use of surprising means and imperfect people:

"In this book, an alien, childless widow is the crucial person to bring blessing to Naomi and eventually to the nation, and in, God's plan, ultimately to the whole world. Do you see how God delights to act through surprising means? That brings God more glory! It makes it clear that something more than, something other than, human power is at work, and that's what we see in this book of Ruth. Thank God for all the ways He does that.

Thank God for how He does that in this church. Do you realize how important you members are who are not ideal people? You are especially valuable to us as a congregation, you non-ideal members. I think at last count we had 536 of them. [536 is their entire membership.] You see, when we are full of what appear to be only ideal people, God gets no glory. We look like the civic society. We look like some secular, successful meeting on Capitol Hill. It is exactly in our pain, in our brokenness, around our sins, and where our needs are displayed, that we have, then, platforms for God to glorify Himself through His provision for our need.

So, if you want, you can hide your need, so you won't feel personally ashamed, and so that you will not have to have difficult conversations with other people, but then, of course, you do diminish the glory of God. Or you can be open and honest about, 'yes, I know, I do appear perfect, but in fact I do struggle with this and this and this.' And you realize that what will happen is that God will be glorified as people see you continuing to live and live in this direction and live in joy, even as you're trusting Him and as He is fulfilling you in Him despite this painful relationship or that problem at work or this thing you don't understand spiritually or this physical ailment. "

I appreciate Mark's ability to make clear, Biblical distinctions, applications, and clarifications when preaching through books of the Bible. We all would do well to listen to the Lord's words like this.

(Originally posted at old site 9/5/2006.)

Michael Lawrence on Creation

"The story of creation is a story in which God makes a claim on your life. The story of creation is a story in which He stakes out ownership rights on you and on me."

Michael Lawrence is preaching through the story of the Bible at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Check it out.

Jesus is the very Word of God, "(so) this means that whenever and whatever God creates, whether it's light or human life or spiritual life, it is an act of powerful, irresistible grace."

After expounding Ezekiel 36 and John 11: "The bones in that dry valley didn't say, 'Oh, I don't feel like getting up today.' Lazarus didn't say to Jesus, 'Ask me again tomorrow when I'm ready.' No, friends, when the voice of God rings out in gracious, active, creative power, not even death can say resist! Not even unbelief can say no! Oh, friends, God's voice is irresistable, because it is powerful."

(Originally posted at old site on 7/31/2006.)

Nick Roark on God's Love and Ours

My friend and former teacher Nick Roark preached this sermon on 1st John for Providence Baptist Church's College Ministry this past Sunday. Here are a few of his excellent God-given lines:

"Think of it like this, our love is a trickling stream, a mountain stream, it's small . . . that flows down the mountain and finds its source in God's love. Whatever love you have this morning, give glory to God, because He is the source of love."

"God's love is not a lip-service love - He has done something for you, He has accomplished something for you, by His love . . . God is not like us - when God says, 'I love you,' He demonstrates and accomplishes glorious things for the one He loves."

"God's love is always previous to our love."

"Sin isn't just things that you do to one another; sin is an affront to God. We were sinful, we were hopeless, we needed a Savior, we were headed for death; and God looks upon us and sends His only Son to be our Savior."

"This is the Gospel . . . this is the greatest news, this is worth living for, this is worth dying for - that the God who made us has sent His Son to save us."

Thanks for the tip, Gary! I was encouraged. Hope you all are.

"Think About How to Make Jesus the Subject of More of Your Sentences"

This is just one of the many Scripture-soaked, honey-of-the-Word-dripping sentences that my friend Paul Curtis spoke by the grace of God as he preached at Capitol Hill Baptist Church a few Sundays ago. Here's another:

"On the cross Jesus was purchasing everlasting, soul-satisfying fellowship with God at great cost to Himself."

Listen to the whole thing. May God use it to bless your soul.

(Originally posted at old site 6/29/2006.)