Keller Sermons

In case you didn’t see it on The Resurgence, Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC is offering 150 of Tim Keller’s sermons for free.

Work & Rest

Here are the last two rhythms.

Work. Work has been a rhythm of human life since the world began, even before the Fall. God gave the first humans a mission, a task to fulfill. Of course, because of sin, work is now painful, laborious, and we often see little yield from hours upon hours of toil. Nonetheless, work is a good gift from God, and we must allow the gospel to redeem that (large) part of our lives as well. Our jobs, our employers, our co-workers, our side-projects – these are all things God desires to redeem through Jesus.

Rest. After God created the universe, he rested, and would go on to tell his people to do likewise. Resting is our acknowledgment that we are not God; we need to rest. This is a daily ritual every human being shares, and we desire to do it in ways that glorify God. Whether we’re relaxing with friends over coffee and conversation, enjoying a favorite hobby, or simply sleeping, we pray that God is restoring our souls as he sustains the universe apart from our efforts.

Rhythms: Listen & Bless

The identities previously discussed are to act as “lenses” through which we see all of life; we understand how to act in our daily rhythms through understand who we are. Of course, there are many daily rhythms we all have, but the ones we’ll discuss here are hopefully universal for Christians. We want to see these rhythms transformed by the gospel and lived to the glory of God. Since they’re shorter, I’ll list two at a time:

Listen. Often as he taught large crowds, Jesus would say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” We want to listen to God through reading his word and praying, because he is a good Father who knows what is best for us. We believe that the words God speaks to us actually sustain our lives. We also want to listen to people, hearing their stories, and helping them understand how their stories are confronted and changed by hearing the story of God.

Bless. God made a promise to Abraham, that through him all the peoples of the earth would be blessed. We now know that this blessing comes through Jesus Christ. Therefore, as Jesus’ people, we know that we are to be agents of blessing. Scripture tells us to “bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” Friend and foe alike, we are to seek the good of others, loving them and telling them about the ultimate blessing they can find in Christ alone.

Here’s how we want these to work: How do we listen to God and people as family? As missionaries? As servants? As learners? The same question can be asked for the other rhythms. As we answer those questions, we learn how to live all of life inside of our new identities, purchased for us on the cross by Jesus Christ.

So what do you think? I know that I am terrible at listening to God. I listen instead to myself. I listen to my own ideas, my own emotions, etc. Such foolishness! I want to learn to listen what God has to say about the world instead.

What about the rhythm of blessing? Do you see blessing others as a significant rhythm of your life? It’s a big part of God’s story. So big that it culminates in God’s sending of his own Son to live and die for us.

Learners

Our final identity is that of “learner”. This is taken from Jesus’ command to make disciples, people who are students of their Savior, learning to know and obey him.

Learners. After Jesus rose from the dead, he charged his disciples to “make disciples of all nations” and to “teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Becoming a disciple of Jesus necessarily means that we are turned into life-long learners. Through mining the depths of Scripture and seeing how God’s Word intersects with our lives, we gradually become more and more aware of who God is, how we should relate to him and the world, and what it means to obey everything that he has commanded. As learners, we want to have steady, enduring, voracious appetites for growth as the Spirit informs our hearts and minds.

This one kills me, but what about you? Do you feel like a student of Jesus? Have you embraced your identity as a disciple of Jesus?

Humility

The most humble men I’ve ever known are usually the men who are well aware that they’re the most prideful men they’ve ever known.

I think that’s right…your thoughts?

Training my Son

Rachel found her night gown in the toilet, today. Luke needs to learn a better way of expressing his feelings about mommy’s clothes. Daddy has much teaching and training and…to do; and I look forward to it every day.

“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalm 127:3).

Celebrate

Today marks three years of God’s faithfulness in my marriage to Bethan. We celebrate his goodness to us and his patient, loving transformation of our hearts through the gospel. He is good!

Great Answer

John Piper gives an explanation as to how to be relevant with the gospel. “Amen” to it.

[HT: JT]

Update on Catalina

This is from Elise on the Chripczuk’s family blog:

For those who don’t know…they removed the brain tumor and found it to be benign. Awesome. However, the recovery from the surgery was awful. She started swelling really bad and less than 24 hours they had to go back into surgery and remove half of her skull to allow for the swelling. At this point they didn’t know if there was major brain damage or if she would ever wake up.

She is slowly, slowly waking up. she still cannot open both eyes and cannot speak. Her whole left side is paralyzed. However some good things are happening every day….

Some highlights….
–she squeezes our hand and shakes it as a response.
–she waves
—she gives a thumbs up
—she can point to things when they hurt
—she knows who we are and knows our kids
—she knows she had surgery
—she can write sentences in Ukrainian, Spanish and English

The doctors say that the recovery process can take a year. So we have a lot of waiting to do. Meanwhile, we are so thankful that she is alive.

Urgent Need for Prayer

Read about Catalina Chripczuk here.

My best friend Mark’s mom, Catalina, came out of brain surgery on Monday, and she’s not doing too well. Mark informed me that the doctors say her brain stem “folded over” and she is currently in a coma. They’re unsure if she’ll wake up, or, if she does, what sort of condition she’ll be in.

This is the confronting reality of a fallen world, where pain and suffering abound. But praise God for Christ, the Reverser of the fall. If you would, please take a second and call upon the Father, through Christ, and ask him to heal Mark’s mom. Additionally, ask that Mark’s dad would depend on Christ during this time. I am extremely thankful that they love Jesus and have him to turn to for understanding and comfort.