A Tribute to Timothy Keller

A few years ago, one of my friends suggested that I listen to Tim Keller’s Sermons. When I listened to them, I was instantly amazed by the kind of sermon that he preached. From there, it was a snowball effect, and I started listening to a lot of his sermons, reading his books, etc.

I especially like his style of crafting a sermon. Although I’m not an expert at it, I have reduced it down to this framework/arrangement. First, he’ll take a cultural notion or idea and explain it while also substantiating it with cultural references (e.g., the movie Frozen, or the general statistics from peer-reviewed surveys). After that, he would flip that idea upside down. He would show how the Bible is either against it or how it has a different view of seeing things. Lastly, and most importantly, he would either land at the Cross of Jesus Christ or justification by faith alone. He does all of this while also quoting the great preachers and theologians on the way. Theologians like Jonathan Edwards, C S Lewis, etc.

This style of construction is not limited to his sermons alone. It is extended into his books too. It is probably not unique or limited to him (I don’t know, because as I confessed, I’m not an expert). And while I may not agree with him on everything under the sun, I do appreciate his life and ministry done for the glory of God. He is one of the greatest preachers and thinkers and writers of the 21st century.

In the final years of his journey here on earth, he suffered from pancreatic cancer. He passed away on May 19, 2023, at age 72.

I love his short quotes. They are thought-provoking. A few of them include:

“Do you realize that it is only in the gospel of Jesus Christ that you get the verdict before the performance?”

“The only person who dares wake up a king at 3:00 AM for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access.”

“All death can now do to Christians is to make their lives infinitely better.”

Some of his favorite works that proved amazing and eye-opening for me are these.

Have you engaged with any of Tim Keller’s works (sermons, quotes, books, etc.)? If so, you can reply to this email and let me know. I’d love to talk about it.

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Regardless, I appreciate you, my friend!