11/11/2023 0 Comments Preaching tim keller![]() I learned that giving my congregation five steps to becoming a good husband is not nearly as powerful as explaining the steps that God took for me-for us. Here’s what I mean: To become generous is to stand in all the generosity God has given. It is incumbent upon pastors to convey that whatever you’re talking about-whether it was being generous or being a good husband-the power to do it is not found in any sort of resolution. But the power to become anything is found only in the finished work of Christ. He used to say, “The gospel is not just the ABCs, but the A to Z of Christianity.” He would also say the gospel is not just the “escape valve” if you’ve messed up your life, you want God’s forgiveness, and you desire to be saved. But the gospel, Tim showed me, is the pool itself. We tend to think that the gospel is the diving board off which we jump into the pool of Christianity. Rather, it changes you on the spot because you start to encounter something of such beauty that you just desire it and want to become it-you want to change.Ī second way Tim Keller shaped my preaching is his unique platforming of the gospel. That kind of moment of worship is something I’m always conscious of in my preaching because Tim would always say that good preaching doesn’t tell you to go and change. And you start saying, ‘Oh my God, look at all the things you’ve done for me.’” Martyn Lloyd-Jones when he said, “There ought to come a time in every message where the pen goes down and the eyes go up and you stop saying, ‘Oh my God, look at all the things I have to do for you. But in every single sermon I preach today, I strive to direct people to worship Jesus and adore him more as opposed to inspiring them to work harder as Christians. Before I encountered him years ago, my messages were heavy on how-tos and performance. Yet, what’s equally important to the humor and the encouragement is the way Tim Keller shaped me as a preacher. When I turned around and walked back to him, this six-foot-five man extended his arm, pulled me in, and said, “You’re doing really good work here.” It was the most awkward, most affirming hug I’d ever received. As we made our way toward the exit, he stopped. ![]() One such occurrence was at the conclusion of a conference when I was walking him out of the venue. But I’m also grateful for the ways Tim Keller encouraged me. I’m grateful for the humor infused into our friendship. In the last paragraph, he calls me “my fellow pastor, J.D.” In fact, if you were to read the foreword, you would see evidence of this rather public inside joke we share. When I wrote my first book, Gospel-which had been influenced so much by Tim-he wrote the foreword. My congregation is familiar with the story and still laughs when I reference “my friend Tim Keller’’ in a sermon. Do you mind if, next time I quote you, I say ‘my friend Tim Keller’?” He laughed and said yes. It would mean a lot-since I quote you so much-if I could call you my friend. I tell them that I’ve listened to you so much that I don’t know where your thoughts end and mine start. I said to him, “I quote you so often to my congregation. The first time I met Tim Keller I asked if we could be friends.
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