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Timothy Keller- The King has Come- Matthew 21:1-17

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Matthew 21: 1-17

21 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,

‘Behold, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt,1 the foal of a beast of burden.’”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, x“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

12 And Jesus entered the temple2 and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies

you have prepared praise’?”

17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

This is the first time that Jesus publicly proclaims himself to be the Messiah, to the people he healed on the side of the road.

Jesus arranges his triumphful entrance.  He sends the disciples into Bethpage and Bethany to the place where he raised Lazarus from the dead to get a donkey.  It’s not normal for someone to just go to a town and ask for a donkey but people know Jesus there and they believe in him there.  Jesus knows when he sends his disciples there that those people will follow him or be there for his arrival in Jerusalem.  Scripture says that the crowd is around and behind him; they are following him into Jerusalem.

Jesus chooses a donkey to ride in on, servants ride donkeys.  He doesn’t choose a war horse or anything prestigious.  Jesus is sending a mixed message; he is king, but riding in on a donkey.  Verse 5 it says- behold your king comes to you gentle.

Jesus is tremendously humble but not modest.  He continually makes incredible claims.  He goes into God’s house and says it’s his house.  He says crown me or kill me and he says it to everyone.

Jesus isn’t magical power- if you aren’t submitting and obeying and delighting in the Lord he is nothing.  He is not magic he is king.

Any general who rides into battle on a donkey is going to be slaughtered, Jesus comes in on a donkey meek and vulnerable.

Money changes- using God instead of letting God use them.

Gospel- Sin is putting yourself in the place of the king, salvation is the king putting himself in the place of the servant.

We are not saved by strength and our own efforts we are saved by grace.

You’ll be bold but not humble, because you believe think you’re living up to standards

You’ll be humble not bold, because you feel like you’re not living up to standards

If something bad happens in your life you’ll either think, well yeah I deserved that because I wasn’t living up to a standard or you’ll be angry with God because you believe you were living up to a certain standard and you don’t deserve bad things to happen to you.

You have to see that when bad things happen it is God doing something in your life through it.  Recognize you are a sinner but you are saved by grace.

Palms- when Jesus comes back completely, when his kingship is absolute this world will burst into all of what it’s supposed to be.  

Matthew 27: 45-56 The Final Hour Timothy Keller

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Matthew 27: 45-56
45 Now from the sixth hour[a] there was darkness over all the land[b] until the ninth hour.[c] 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son[d] of God!”

55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

There are 3 cries in the dark, during Jesus' death.

The first cry-  9th hour, my God my God why have thou forsaken me.  Jesus screamed to God.  This has troubled many, because it sounds like Jesus has given up on God.  A lot of people believe that the bible is made up, but why would people make up these words as Jesus' last words?  Such an unheroic statement.  What does it mean?  The deepest revelation of the passion of Jesus.  The original use of the word passion was suffering.  We have a totally different meaning for it now.  In today's world we equate it with love.  What this passage shows us is that Jesus' love came with deep suffering.  Jesus is also saying my God my God.  He isn't complaining about his physical suffering, he has been beaten, nails have been driven through his hands and feet and he doesn't complain about his physical pain.  He doesn't complain about his emotional pain, he doesn't cry out to his friends and family or the people who have betrayed him.  He doesn't complain about how alone he must feel after most everyone has turned their back to him.  Jesus is always poised and in complete control.  He is always calm no matter what is happening to him.  The fact that he cries out to God like this shows that something entirely different is happening to him.  This is something that makes torture look like a mosquito bite.  It is infinite spiritual suffering.  The darkness that came down on the land, that was like the spiritual suffering that was coming down on Jesus.  Jesus' soul is being plunged into utter spiritual darkness.  There was a sense of being eternally lost in darkness.  He experienced an eternity of suffering that we were supposed to suffer ourselves.  The ultimate rejection.  No one has ever been so one with someone else to feel the rejection Jesus felt.  Jesus was one with the Father and was cast out for that moment.  When the father cast out the son the experience would have been worse than anything we could ever imagine.  Infinite suffering.  Why though?  This cry is a quote of Psalm 22.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
    and by night, but I find no rest.

All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
    even the one who could not keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
    it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
    that he has done it.

This says two things, one is that he is being forsaken the other is that he knows there is a plan from God and that he is sticking with it.  Why is he being forsaken?  It's for us.  We are Jesus' passion.  When he cries out he is quoting something, he knows it's bigger, he knows he is being forsaken but he knows it's for a reason.  Jesus is willing to take on infinite suffering out of infinite love for us.  The modern problem in our society is that God has died in the minds of most people because of the tremendous suffering we've experienced in the 20th century.  We have created a god through religion that says "do good and be good and good will come to you, do bad or evil and bad things will happen to you"  Example, Hitler.  Millions upon millions of people died at his hands and the god created through religion died because that "god" was aloof in that situation and horrible indescribable things happened to wonderful people.

Frederick Niche- the last man- he accepts the news that god is dead and goes on with life as if ideas like truth and falsehoods right and wrong justice and injustice good and evil, still make sense."  If there is no god you never have warrant to tell anyone what they should and shouldn't do.  People who do not believe that there is a god but still believe there is a reason to be good or that they still have a purpose are sorely mistaken.  If God died with social injustice he took any reason for there to be justice with him.

After Nazi Germany was taken down and people of Germany started to see what had happened they started pointing fingers at each other to place blame for what happened.  And each time someone was accused they'd point their finger up to whomever was ranked above them and a play was written about it and in the play they ultimately point their finger at God, it was God's fault this happened.  God should be killed for this injustice.  But the real God, the God of the gospel does die, but he does it willingly.  He comes down and shares in the forsakeness that we feel in a broken world.  He does it voluntarily, he does it with, us and for us.  God says to Abraham, now I know you love me because you have not withheld your son from me.  In the same way we know God loves us, he did not withhold his son from us.

This is the second human dilemma, Second cry- verse 50 (John 19- It is finished) 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

The temples were highly sacred and Gentiles and women were only allowed so far into the temple and even the high priests weren't allowed all the way in.  Highly guarded, no one was allowed to the center of where God was to dwell.  The curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Accepting everyone.  Jesus paid the price for everyone.  Buddah says strive without ceasing, Jesus says don't you dare, I've already done it for you.

We want to be good, we want to do right, we want to work hard, we want to do the best we can. But we want to have freedom, we want to do what we want.  On the cross we have the great act of obedience.  Jesus quotes scripture to the end.  Every single time he is faced with anything he has scripture on his mind.  Obey because it's finished, not to finish it.

People who are always going, always saying yes to everyone, always trying to do their best and people please.  They're not doing it only out of 'obiedence' to God they're doing it to try and finish what Jesus has already finished for them.  You're sinking because you're trying to make yourself worthy and acceptable.  Keep living that way and you will be crushed by the bible.  You'll never live up to it.  Obey because it is finished, because you are overjoyed at what Jesus has done for you.  The sheer magnitude of it gives you a giving heart a loving heart.  Don't do it to earn what Jesus already did.  Don't try to make what he did for you worthless.  Slow down.  Stop trying to finish what he's already done.

The last cry "surely he was the son of God" The pagans, the criminals, the gentiles they get it.  The understand before the religious elite did.  They thought he was crying out to Elijah and they had pity on him but they still didn't believe he was the son of God when he died.

Christians, we read our devotionals and we try to gain status through good works but we miss the point of the bible.  The importance of it.  Jesus based his whole life on it, in any situation he was completely emerged in scripture.  If it was his life, why do we think we can get by without immersing ourselves in it as well.  Jesus was going through the worst suffering man will ever experience and he still quoted the bible.  We are sorely mistaken if we think we can get through life without it.  If Jesus needed it so do we.

Matthew 11:4-15 Meeting the Real Jesus Timothy Keller

These are my own rough notes from the following sermon: Meeting the Real Jesus

It’s the poor, the broken, who need Jesus.  The people who know they are no better than the poor, that they have been blessed by their circumstance.  They understand the gospel, the importance of it.

Gospel vs. Religion

Only the violent will receive it.  Jesus says, if I am who I say I am, if I am the Lord of heaven, Son of God.  If he is who he says he is and you accept him into your life it changes EVERYTHING.  You don’t ask someone like that to be your secretary, you don’t accept him into your life like a new pet, and nothing else changes.  He changes everything.  Only those who know there will be a violent upheaval of your life understand Christianity.  A complete change in lifestyle.  Christianity is not comfortable.  Christianity is not a comfy home, a boring routine of work, tv, sleep, etc.  This turns some people off to Christianity, but those of us who know that Jesus came and suffered violently know that Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything he hasn’t done himself.  Jesus gave up his cozy life in heaven and suffered violently to get to us.  This doesn’t mean that Christianity is only suffering, it means that we must change our worldly view and completely change our life to follow him.

There is not a better person born that John the Baptist but he is the least of those in the Kingdom of God.  But John questions if Jesus is the son of God because he is imprisoned and set to be executed.  It doesn’t make sense to him that he is having to suffer and that Jesus isn’t taking care of the wicked, so Jesus quotes Isaiah 35:

  “Be strong; fear not!

Behold, your God

    will come with vengeance,

with the recompense of God.

    He will come and save you.”

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

    and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

    and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

  Why does Jesus quote this?  John is troubled because he is like Elijah, Elijah wanted to know why God didn’t condemn all the evil.  Where is the vengeance of God that will save us?  How can you bring blessings without judgment?  Jesus is telling John, if God brought vengeance Jesus would lose everyone.  We’re selfish, we don’t love, we don’t live up to our own standard.  Jesus says that God’s vengeance is here, but it’s coming down on him instead of us.  Those of us who understand this; that we need God’s vengeance to come down on Jesus instead of us, understand the gospel.  Jesus says the most wicked person in the world, standing in Jesus’ righteousness is more beautiful to God than someone who stands in their own righteousness.  Only the deaf hear and only the blind see, if you’re the least you become the greatest. 

Romans 1:17 -  17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,[a] as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”[b]

Whatever is sucking you dry in life is keeping you from the gospel:

The righteous shall live by works.

The righteous shall live by money.

The righteous shall live by finding a relationship.

The righteous shall live by approval.

These are common things that keep us from understanding the freedom of the Gospel.  The righteous live by FAITH.  Nothing else.

Reconciliation – Genesis 50 12-21 – Dr. Timothy J. Keller

These are simply my personal notes from the following sermon:

Reconciliation – Genesis 50 12-21 – Dr. Timothy J. Keller

Most spiritual objections are not of whether or not miracles happen.  Not spiritual but personal.  Objections look more like, if God is good why did he let this happen to me?

The story of Joseph shows us again and again how when bad things happen God is probably doing his best work. 

When Jacob/Israel dies, Joseph’s brothers send a message to him basically saying “Dad said be nice to us,” and Joseph weeps at this.  Why?  Because even though he has forgiven them and taken care of them, they still do not trust his forgiveness.  A wrong as severe as his brothers have committed against him takes time to heal from.  They are not reconciled until Joseph says these three things:

Genesis 50: 19-21 

19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people[a] should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

“Each sentence of his threefold reply is a pinnacle of Old Testament and New Testament faith. To leave all the righting of one's wrongs to God; to see His providence in man's malice; and to repay evil not only with forgiveness but also with practical affection, are attitudes which anticipate the adjective 'Christian' and even 'Christlike.'"

3 Marks of a changed heart, changed by grace. 

1.)   Avoids God’s chair- Am I in the place of God? 

§  Assuming that you can be your own moral authority.  Adam and Eve had one command, don’t eat from the tree.  The serpent comes and says eat from the tree and you will be as God.  Do not try to be God.  If you decide what is right or wrong for you rather than what God word and authority you’re putting yourself in the place of God.  A lot of us look at the bible and say it is prehistoric and we cringe at some of the things that it says and we decide that we don’t agree with bits and pieces of what it says.  80 years from now people are going to cringe at what we say about life and what is right and wrong right now.  We cannot take our own opinions that we have today in our culture and replace God’s word with them.  That means we are trying to take the place of God and pick and choose what we believe is still relevant. 

§  Also by letting people look to you to meet their deepest needs you are putting you for their deepest needs. 2 Kings 5- king of Israel tells a man coming to him looking for healing “Am I God?  Can I kill or make alive?  Only God can do these things.  The deepest needs you have can only come from God, there are a lot of things a King can do but he says he cannot do what only God can do.  Modern day, our psychologists our self help guru’s etc should be saying look I can do what I can to help you but there are some things that only God can do.  Don’t look to us, look to God.  This happens in relationships.  Some people think when they get married their entire life will be wonderful, it will fulfill everything they’ve ever wanted.  At some point everyone in a relationship should say to their spouse, don’t look to me for the deepest needs of your heart, look to God.

§  Inordinate worry- Matthew 6, why do you worry so excessively about what you eat, clothes and health.  Only your father in heaven knows what you need and has the power to give you what you need.  If you excessively worry about these things then you are basically saying you know what you need and you’re afraid God isn’t going to get it right.  The more you realize that you don’t know what is right, the more you take yourself out of God’s chair

§  Keeping a grudge- Joseph says to his brothers, of course I have forgiven you, am I in the place of God?  Every person who holds on to their anger for someone who wronged them is sitting in the place of God Romans 12:19 says “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” God is saying get out of my chair.  Only God has the right to sit in judgment, only God has the knowledge needed to make judgment, you don’t know what the person deserves.  We sit and wish ill on people who have wronged us as if we know what their punishment should be.  We don’t know them, we don’t know the things they’ve been through, what life they’re leading.  God does.  Only God has that power not us, we are to be judged in the end too.  Only God has the power to judge someone without becoming evil himself.  When we nurse our anger, if we want or seek the power to payback, if we don’t forgive, we are becoming evil ourselves.  The evil that moved the perpetrator used to wrong us, comes into us.  If we try to beat the evil doer at their own game, even if we ‘win’ we end up losing.  By repaying evil with evil you become evil.  The fastest way to become like Satan is to try to be God.  The fastest way to be like God is to refuse to try to be God. 

2.)   Take God’s view- If you get the view from on top you’ll be fine, if you get a view from down in the valley you’ll be lost.  Do you look at your troubles from God or from the world.  You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.  Joseph looks at his views from the top, from God, not from the world.  In the valley, the normal human way, there is two sides to the spectrum.  One side is an optimists view, they believe troubles are an anomaly, they believe if you’re good to people they’ll be good to you, if you believe in God and are good God will bless you.  People on the other side of the spectrum.  Pessimists, people are out to hurt you, stab you in the back, good times don’t last.  A lot of people believe if life is good God is good.  If life is bad God is bad.  Joseph looks at it different.  Life is difficult, life is hard, but God is always good.  Evil is real, Evil exists, but God is always working for good, even if it takes years, centuries to see it.   Joseph says “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good” he’s saying that his brothers tried to hurt him, they did hurt him and it was hard and it was upsetting but they can’t sink him, no one can sink him.  You tried to be rid of me you tried to push me down but nothing can do that.  Not really in the end because God is always works for our good.  The view from the top says you can’t mess up your life.  Everything that happens is God working for your good.  What a great piece of information this is, you can’t mess up your life, God is always good no matter what, if you believe in the God of the bible then use it! 

§  Story to explain.  Timothy Keller studied in seminary under a Presbyterian teacher.  The reason he was able to study under that teacher is because he knew Gerald Ford’s son who was able to help him with his visa to come teach because his father was the president.  Gerald Ford was president because of Watergate.  Watergate was discovered because one man forgot to re-latch a door after leaving the office and because a night watch man walked past and notice.  This string of events caused Timothy Keller to become Presbyterian and start the church her pastors now.  He obviously doesn’t believe that Watergate happened so that he could start a church, but this is a view from the top, that God is always working in a million different ways at all times.

3.)    He images God’s love- He is loving his enemies.  This is incredibly hard and the reason Joseph can do this is because he has done the first two points.  He does not put himself in God’s place (humble.)  He has God’s view (confidence,) he knows that no one can sink him.  If you’re going to love your neighbors you have to have enormous confidence and enormous humility.  He knew that God loves him when he doesn’t deserve it.  Jesus knows we can’t do what Joseph did he says we can do better Matthew 11, he says that John the Baptist is the greatest man born to that moment.  Better than Joseph, Abraham, Moses.  The least in the kingdom of God is capable of being greater than John the Baptist.  “11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”  Jesus is the ultimate Joseph, Jesus is the ultimate example of the world creating evil but God bringing good out of it.

Genesis 38 Timothy Keller- The Mothers of Jesus: Tamar

These are my own footnotes for the following sermon

Timothy Keller- The Mothers of Jesus: Tamar

Genesis 38:11-19, 24-30

Perez means breakthrough/breakout.  The moral of all bible stories, morals will not save you.  Here is how the grace of God breaks out.  The bible isn’t about just a moral way to live to get to God it’s about how God’s grace covers the immoral. 

Tamar is about 15 years old (verse 11) most people married at puberty.  Tamar is a widow (twice) and in her teens throughout the text.  A widow is the most vulnerable woman because it is highly unlikely that any man would choose her as a wife.  The father of the dead husband, it was his job to provide for the widow.  If he had any other sons he was to give one of his sons to her as a husband.  He tells Tamar that when one of his sons (Shallah) grows up you can be wedded to him.  He tells her to go home to her father and when his son is of age he will send him to her.

Judah blames the death of his son on Tamar and really doesn’t want to give Shallah to him because he believes that it is Tamar’s fault there his sons is dead and believes that she will be the death of Shallah as well.  When Tamar finds out that Judah is not going to bring Shallah to her.  She takes action

When Judah came to Tamars town she covered her face as he walked by, he thought she was a prostitute so he laid with her.  Leaves as a pledge against the fee that he promises, his seal cord and staff.  Leaving this with her was like leaving a wallet with her.  She takes it and goes home.  Tamar is going after justice. 

Tamar uses the sexual double standard against Judah.  She knew if she sat on the side of the road pretending to be a prostitute because she knows that he would go for her.  The double standard is that Judah can have sex outside of marriage whenever he wants but if she does he wants her put to death, she is supposed to be a alone, childless, widow. Back then education didn’t matter the only thing that mattered was having a spouse and a family.  Nowadays if someone in our society doesn’t have an education they’re outcasts.  This is the same thing that Judah is doing to Tamar.  He is making her a social outcast because she is a widow.  He has the power to help her by giving her Shallah as a husband.

In the end Judah knows that Tamar is just in what she is demanding.  He says she is just.  He doesn’t say that she is righteous he says that she is more righteous than he is.  She might be wrong but he is more wrong than him.  He has the power to help her and do what is right, do what is written in the law but he refuses so she acts out.  He is more wrong than she is.  There is another place in the bible where this topic is brought up…  Hosea 4:14 "I will not punish your daughters when they turn to prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, because the men themselves consort with harlots and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes-- a people without understanding will come to ruin!”

Psalm 146, Jeremiah 46, Isaiah 117-  God says have mercy on widows. 

This says social injustice is a big sin.  When you have what enables you to be included in society.  Money, education, connections, privileged, etc.  When you have those things and you’re not helping others to get those things it’s a big sin.  God expects us to help others he gives us blessings and privileges not so we can look down on those who don’t have them, but so we can extend our hand to those who don’t.

Do we have the same type of passion for social injustice as Tamar does? 

The breakthrough of Judah-  Tamar goes home with his things, Judah tries to send a goat the prostitute for payment but he can’t find her.  Later he hears that Tamar was a prostitute and is now pregnant, the only thing he says is “take burn” he commands that she be burned.  This is disproportionate punishment.  There were a lot of punishments back in that day that we find very harsh but burning was reserved for the most heinous of crimes.  Verse 11b, the reason he decided to deprive and oppress her, he needed to believe bad things about her in order to prove that her being a bad person is the reason bad things happened to her son, to shield himself from the terrible things HE did to his sons himself, to shield himself from his own sins.  The fact that he finds out that she is a whore this gives him ammo.  This makes him feel justified.  But in fact he is taking a completely innocent woman whom he has wronged and is torturing her.  So actually when he orders Tamar to be burned he’s also burning himself too.  He will have to keep up this lie in his mind that Tamar is a horrible whorish woman when he knows that she is not.  Why is he able to do this evil thing?  Terrible person?  He has in his heart the same thing that we do, every human heart has to justify itself.  We have to shift the blame.  Nothing is our fault, look what it can lead to.

Verse 25.  As she was being brought out, as they were dragging her to the fire.  She has a message for her father-in-law.  She sends him his stuff that she kept when he left from laying with her.  Law says that whoever lies with the prostitute should be burned too.  She says to him recognize.  As if to say do you recognize these things and also recognize what you are doing.  She is forcing him by God’s grace to recognize himself, do you see who you are, do you see what you’ve become, the sexual hypocrisy, the hate in your heart?  Judah did recognize and says she is more righteous than I.  He was on the verge on going all the way under but he has a spiritual awakening. 

You have to have a spiritual awakening so that your heart doesn’t keep going down the path of Judah’s.  Trying harder isn’t enough, just being a good person isn’t enough.  The problem, deficit, character flaw, in your life that is hurting the most people around you is the one that you can’t see.  Your only hope is that the Tamar’s of the world to wake you up.

Spiritual awakening- When you begin to see the people that you used to despise, you start to realize that you’re no better than they are.  If you’re a liberal, when you start to realize you’re just as much a bigot in your own way as the people you consider to be bigots.  Conservative- you begin to realize your own self-righteousness, pride, etc is no better than those running around having sex in the streets.  When the people you look down on begin to be the people that you look up at and see your own flaws. 

The only way to find a lost sheep is to grab it tie it up and force it to go back home.  When someone is lost they don’t feel like they’re lost, they don’t know that they are, they do everything they can to resist being saved.

Genesis 27- Judah and his brothers take joseph’s coat and pour lamb’s blood on it and take it to Jacob (joseph is Jacob’s child) and say recognize to deceive him, in 38 Tamar deceives Judah, they conceive a child and Tamar says to him the same Hebrew word meaning recognize.

Judah needed a spiritual awakening, it took a very painful series of spiritual awakenings to be a vehicle for Christ, Christ comes through Judah’s descendants.  It took a lot of painful experiences, learning and growth awakenings for Judah to be more like Christ, and that is exactly what it’s going to take for us to do the same and to spread Christ.

Matthew Chapter 1, genealogy of Jesus.  A woman’s name Tamar, Judah, Perez.  Why and how?  Tamar had her life back and when Judah looked at her and said you are righteous in spite of all your sin.  The thing that we need to work for justice is we need to hear Christ look at us and say truly in spite of all your sin you are righteous.  We have to know that kind of acceptance.  When we know that type of freedom we can go after justice and become someone great.

Genesis 18:16-33 Real Friendship and the Pleading Priest Timothy Keller

These are simply footnotes from the following sermon: Click here.

First recorded prayer.  Abraham is not just praying he is priesting.  He is praying to God on behalf of his people.  God invites him in to be a priest and Abraham follows through.

3 Men show up at the door of Abraham and Sarah, these 3 men are the lord and two angels.  They walk towards Sodom which is where lot lives.  Lord tells him he’s going down to judge them because they had become so vicious and unjust that there was an outcry so great (Hebrew word  for those who are oppressed, victims of injustice) against them.  This is why the Lord is going to judge them.   There are a lot of people who say I don’t believe in a judging God.  I only believe in a merciful God.  God is hearing the cry of the oppressed; a God who never judges isn’t merciful.  He allows Abraham to intervene, he allows his opinion.  “Should I hide what I’m about to do from Abraham.”  Also God is going to go to see for himself it is as bad as the outcry he has heard.

Why is God going down to see if it is as bad as he hears?  Why does God have to go see?  He is God.  God comes down to speak to us, to be accessible; he’s treating us as people he wants interaction with.

Verse 25 “then Abraham approached him” approached is significant because he was already standing in front of him.  Approach in Hebrew means ‘approach the bench’ ‘to plead a case’ Abraham is granted the right to ‘legally’ represent his people.  He pleads for them. 

1 

        It is a universal prayer.  He is not just asking that God would take his family out (Lot.) Verse 24 he asks that the entire place is spared, not just his family.  Although he is thinking of Lot, he never mentions them, he is pleading for Canaanites.  All prior prophets pleaded for their people only.  Moses, etc.  Abraham pleads for all people.

  

     Theological- not just praying he’s being a lawyer.  A lawyer assumes a law.  Abraham starts with the judge of law Verse 25.  He says of course you’re a just God, you demand righteousness.  Will you not spare (Hebrew word for spare is forgive) the many for the sake of the righteous few?  Could you value the righteous few so much that it covers the unrighteousness of the many?  Could the righteousness of one save another. 

The reason a lot of us missed the jist of what Abraham is doing here is because we live in a western culture an individualistic culture, especially as Americans, we deny the idea of corporate responsibility we believe in individual responsibility .  We believe it doesn’t matter what my father or grandfather or race or my people have done I am not responsible for what anyone else is done no one else’s record affects me.  That’s a very western point of view.  In most places they have a more balanced view; the bible has a more balanced view.  We still value individual behavior but there is still corporate responsibility.  You do not make yourself rich by plundering others.  God said do not be imperialistic, when you defeat a town you do not keep the money for yourself.  You give it back to the tabernacle for the Lord’s work.  

In Judges Chapter 7 Aiken takes a pile of money for himself when he defeated a town and he was executed for his wrong doing.  Americans don’t see anything wrong with Aiken taking the money for the town he devoured; in the bible this is wrong.  The record of someone else that I have some sort of solidarity with comes back to me, this is how things work in the bible.  African Americans have believed that whites are able to participate in the privilege of being white, which stems from injustice from years ago.  Most whites do not believe in that because then they are held to some sort of corporate responsibility for something they individually have had no part of.  Abraham is asking this fantastic question, in reverse, if the sins of someone else could come onto me and make me guilty, then couldn’t someone else who is a sinner have grace because of my righteousness?  Bold new kind of corporate responsibility. 

God’s will to save is greater than his will to punish.  Abraham didn’t end up saving Sodom.  We wait for Abraham to say this “God you are an amazingly righteous and gracious God, would you save Sodom for 1 righteous person. “  Abraham instead goes home at ten. 

Lot is only relatively righteous.  Abraham went home knowing that he didn’t have one totally righteous person living in Sodom.  As great as Abraham was he wasn’t able to save Sodom because we need one high priest, there is only one, Jesus is the only one who can save people.  Abraham risks his life for the people he was praying for.  Jesus give his life for those he prayed for.

Abraham discovered the principle; the righteousness of someone else can save us. The righteousness of Jesus can save us. Jesus is the only truly righteous person.  Jesus is the only one who can fulfill what Abraham was asking of God with relation to Sodom.  When you believe in Jesus you enter into solidarity with Him and His righteousness becomes yours. 

Jesus says to Peter, you’re going to deny me three times but I’ve prayed for you so when (not if but when) you recover strengthen the brethren.  Jesus has prayed for Peter, Jesus is the high priest that cannot be turned down, he is the one truly righteous who saves the unrighteous by his righteousness.

A Priest is a bridge.  It stands on the side of people and the side of God.  Deeply sympathetic to the needy, hurting and broken, the poor.  Priestly hood is no longer reserved for Moses, Abraham, etc.  It is for all of us, every single Christian.  It requires an intimate relationship with God, great prayer life, be deeply sympathetic to all people even the oppressor, look down your nose at NO ONE.  Do you just say your prayers or do you have a true relationship with your God?  Do you have a sense of God? Is there anyone you can’t be sympathetic with?  Is there anyone you can’t care for?  You can never be like Abraham if you can’t follow the one that Abraham points to. 

It’s not just about following a set of rules, sending up words as prayers, it’s about recognizing the one Abraham points to, the one who fulfilled what Abraham could not.  It’s about having a real relationship with Christ.  About recognizing how imperfect you are and your need for Christ which humbles you, while knowing that Christ makes you perfect which gives you a boldness.  It’s about recognizing both of those facts at the same time.

Revelation 1:6 - and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Genesis 9: 1-17 - Timothy Keller- Noah

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Timothy Keller- Noah- Genesis 9: 1-17

The story of Noah and the flood is about second chances and new beginnings; God is ready to give us another chance. God calls us into three great relationships: with the earth, with all the people on earth, and with the Lord of the earth. God never calls anyone into a covenant relationship unless it is a saving relationship.

Three relationships- Earth (ecology), people of the Earth (justice) and  with the Lord of the Earth(grace.)

Earth- Verses 2 and 3 by themselves have you thinking that God may have been saying do whatever you want.  10 says the covenant is with us and every living creature.  16 says all living creatures, every creature on the earth.  13 says between God and the earth.

A covenant relationship is a saving relationship.  You’re in trouble because of evil and sin and God is going to save us from sin through a relationship.  He’s doing that with us and animals and the earth.  It’s our sin that we will commit, not animals, not trees.  NEVER AGAIN WILL I CURSE THE EARTH BECAUSE OF MAN.  Nature doesn’t work well in general because of our sins, humans exploit nature. 

Romans 8- There is no one perfect balance in nature.  God is committed to saving nature, renewing it.  God calls us into a personal relationship with nature as well. 

God is renewing everything.  He brings heaven down to earth to renew it through Jesus Christ.  All other religions are totally different.  God comes to US, he saves us.              

Psalm 19- The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;  night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words;  no sound is heard from them.

Creation is speaking to you.  Why do people look at nature and say God must be real.  Because they are speaking to you.  It’s our jobs to make sure the birds keep singing, the waterfalls keep flowing etc.

Psalm 96  Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;  let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth.

Justice with all people of the earth-  Genesis 9:5 And surely your blood, [the blood] of your lives, will I require; At the hand of every beast will I require it. And at the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, will I require the life of man.

Every single person rich or poor, smart or dumb, black or white, strong or weak is the same in God’s eyes.  Do not strike anyone for any reason or God finds that as an attack on himself.  Every life is precious to God. 

Human life is valuable.  If all there is to life is nature then none of our lives mean anything.  If there is a God all of our lives are incredibly valuable.  No one is better than another.

This world matters.  We should be indiscriminate in giving practical help to people, whether they believe or not they are valuable to God.  We need to help EVERYONE.  Have no superiority.

Genesis 4:3-15 -- Cain and Abel -- Timothy Keller

These are simply my footnotes from the following sermon:  Timothy Keller- Sin as Predator

Timothy Keller Genesis 4:3-15  Cain and Abel

What’s wrong with us?  What’s wrong with the human race?  What leads people to do such horrible things?  A problem of underestimation.  You see that in scary movies, we continually underestimate the power of the predator.  We underestimate the power of sin.  Genesis 4:7 God says “sin is crouching at your door.”  The problem isn’t just sin, it’s that we don’t see the sin we have within us.  Sin hides itself, it is powerful, we must master it.  There is hope that we can master it. 

Sin by its nature hides itself “sin is crouching at your door” a cat crouching (makes itself smaller) toward a mouse.  Our own sin looks smaller than it is. 

Offering, there are a number words for offering in the Hebrew language, this was a dedication offering, you give it to God that everything you have belongs to Him.  Like when a man gives a woman a wedding ring.  It’s a symbol of dedication.  Not roses when you’ve done something wrong.  Or a man who gives a woman a wedding ring but the woman knows he’s been unfaithful.  You have to back up your offering with your life or its bribery, it means nothing. 

Keller says there was nothing wrong with Cain’s offering, God knew his heart was not in it like Abel’s was.  1 John 3 says "Please do not act like Cain, who was of the evil one. He brutally murdered his own brother." Why would he do something so despicable? Because his life was devoted to evil and selfishness, and his brother chose to do what is right.  Cain wants to be able to make the rules

From Cornelius Plantinga's book-- God is a means to get to your happiness.  God is an accessory; you only want your way.  And if you don’t get it you get angry, you’re not living for God.  Cain felt that way. 

We want to believe that ordinary people cannot do monstrous things.  If they’re capable then we’re capable.  God says in the heart of the ordinary there is a monster, we’re capable of it.  We have to be tame it as God tells Cain.

The worst sins in your life look much smaller to you than they do to anyone else.  If you ask close friends who will tell you the truth about your life, they will tell you clearly the things that are wrong about your life.  Sin comes to you and says I’ll just be over here in the corner, but every negative thought, every grudge is murder in a little ball, every lust is adultery in a little ball, every envy is robbery, self pity is idolatry.  We need people around us that know us that can help us see what we can’t see for ourselves.  Our sin crouches so that we cannot see it on the inside.  Do not give sin any spot in our lives.  We see it in the corner of our lives and we ignore it, but really its crouching, getting ready to pounce. It will not stay in that corner.  Do not tolerate it.

Sin’s desire is to have us.  If we do not do right, when we sin we create something that haunts you and stays with you and will devour you.  After you’ve done a sin, the sin does you.  They do not just go away, they take on a being and a life of their own.  Two sides to the power of sin, when you tell a lie you’re not done with lying, you usually end up having to lie again.  You will also find that you will be lied to as well. 

All addictions are not a sin, but all sins are addictive.  The more you lie the easier it becomes to keep lying.  It’s easier to pick up bad habits than good ones.  When you misuse someone out of hate, you have to keep hating them to justify what you’ve done to them. 

Law of great returns- there is something about the universe that when you sin you’re not just going against God it goes against yourself.  If you’re a liar you’ll find that you’re lied to, if you’re a hater you’ll find that you’re hated, if you’re a gossiper you’ll find that you’re gossiped about.  It all comes back to you.  Sin eats away at you, they will devour you.  When you sin you can’t say I sinned once it’s all over, it keeps coming.

There is hope for sin- God comes to Cain, and says why are you angry and why are you downcast.  Cain do you not see that your real enemy isn’t Abel, it’s not God, its sin.  It’s what’s within you, not God, and not what is done to you.  You are miserable because of your response to what has happen to you. Pride, hurt feelings, etc.  Repent because it’s the only hopeful response.  You can do something about the sin in your heart, you cannot do anything about outward things that happen to you.  God gives Cain one last chance to change his heart and Cain does not. 

When our sin ruins other people, God cannot NOT hear those who cry out to him because of our sins.  He is for peace.  All human blood cries out to God.  Hebrews 12:24

When God went to Cain after he killed Abel, God said that Cain’s blood cried out from the ground, God took Cain to his brother’s pool of blood and cursed him.  When Christ died his blood cried out to God “save them” instead of curse them.

Anyone who says I’m religious but not fanatical about it, watch out Cain.  

Genesis 1:26-2:2; 2:7-9, 15 Made for Stewardship Dr. Timothy J. Keller

These are simply my footnotes from the following sermon: Timothy Keller- Made for Stewardship

Made for Stewardship                  Dr. Timothy J. Keller       "Genesis 1:26-2:2; 2:7-9, 15

Work & rest… 

What is it with the world and how much we work now.  No more 40 hour weekends.  Remember when we used to just eat, now we eat and read or eat and work.  There is no more rhythm of work and rest.  Something is going on.  We must understand work and rest to live.

What we’re called to do:  We’re called to work.  Verse 2:2 God finished the work he had been doing.  Mythology stories of creation say that work is bad.  God says it is good.  In old mythology gods did not do work.  In the bible God does work, it is good.  God got dirt under his fingernails.  God plants gardens.

No matter how high you are in society right now, your ancestors are still groundskeepers.  It doesn’t matter what you do, work should be valued.  All work.  No matter what it is.  All work has dignity.  All work is a calling of God.

How are we called to work: Look in at what you’re gifted to do.  Look out at what people need.  Look up to God to the one who has called you. 

Look in: GEN 1:26 Let them rule.  We are made in the image of God, he creates we are to create.  Something out of nothing.  Does not have to be art.  Make something relatively new out of what you are given.

Look out: If you have talents in math and you work hard and you become incredibly rich, you are to give back your blessings.  It most certainly is a blessing because you were born here in America where you can use you talents to bless others.  You could have been born on a mountain in Tibet where your inclination toward math would mean nothing.  God blessed you, you didn’t do that by yourself, your talents worked out in your favor, be a blessing.

Look up:  A love supreme by John Coltrane.  Non do minus (?)- I was put on earth to do a certain things and I’ve done it.  He knew he was called by God and he fulfilled his calling.

God has given me something to do, I need to do something to help those around me, God will use these things to have me accomplish the mission he has given me.  If you work like that you’ll be happy.  Know your mission.

To do God’s work you have to rest.  He hallowed the 7^th day.  He set it apart for us.  You don’t just need REM sleep Psalm 3 says you also need spiritual rest, deep rest of the soul. 

People who do not believe in God have to construct their own meaning, so they work and work and work and do things to call attention to their lives to give it meaning.

At the end of creation God said it is finished so he could rest.  Centuries later Jesus said it is on the cross it is finished so that we could get rest.  Hebrews 4:9

You need approval and significance in God’s eyes not through work.  Rest in that.  We know we’re not worthless.  Who cares what the world thinks, care about what God thinks of you.  It was finished in creation and finished in redemption.  Do not create your own meaning, when you do that you only care about yourself.  When John Coltrane realized God loved him the music he made was about God and the people that enjoyed his music.  Not about himself.  There is so much rest in that, it takes away the burden of having to create your own worth, or in being the best at everything.    

Genesis 1:1-8, 31 - The Song of Creation, Dr. Timothy Keller

These are simply my footnotes from the following sermon:  Timothy Keller- Song of Creation

The Song of Creation     Dr. Timothy J. Keller                     "Genesis 1:1-8, 31"

How questions aren’t as important as Why questions.  Most questions in life you ask why not how.  Why did God make the world, not how did it happen.  Genesis is designed to talk about why not how.  It’s not there to give you details.

Genesis 1 and 2 contradict each other.  That’s only if you don’t read the rest of the bible.  There are usually 2 accounts of things that happen.  Exodus & Judges.  If you’re writing and essay you don’t repeat things but when you’re writing a song you do. 

Genesis 1 is a poem (you can’t press for more details out of a poem; art.)  Genesis 2 is historical reporting.

What does it teach us about how the world began?

God created the world, it’s not an accident. 

Created is a word in the Hebrew text that was only used by God, created out of nothing.  It began by God and it began by nothing.

Ancient mythology always shows that the earth was created from something, something that had to already exist.

Ancient mythology says to avoid pleasure, deny body, deny the earth.  Genesis says the world is good, Christian doctrine says to enjoy the earth, life and pleasure.  Bring heaven to earth.  If there is something wrong with the Earth we fix it, God created Earth.  Build your kingdom here.  This world is great, pleasure is good, we believe some day God is going to come back so we need to take care of the Earth.  We enjoy pleasure but we don’t live for it.

Why did God create the world? 

Clue 1: God never creates without speaking.  He speaks into creation.  God’s word is an agent, it has power.

Clue 2: God’s spirit hovered over the waters.  In Hebrew the word "hover" is only used for mother birds who are protecting her young.

Clue 3: Let us make man in our image (who is us) Isaiah 40 whom does the Lord take counsel?  The reason the father’s word can actually create is because the word of God is a person.  The father’s word is the son.  John 1 says the word of God is Jesus.  The trinity was there in the beginning.  God is a community.  Father, Son & Holy Spirit.  Circle of Love.  3 persons in one God.  One day they decided to expand the circle.  Let us create beings.  Remember Genesis 1 is a song.  Why is God speaking to creation?  Because he wants a relationship.  Why does he create us in his image?  Because he wants us to reflect his glory.  Moon and stars govern light and darkness.  God created in nature a whole community of beings who can glorify God.  He keeps saying that it’s good.  He enjoys his creation.  A community of beings that can enter into his circle.  The purpose of nature is singing.

Why is nature so moving to you and me? Sounds of waterfall, thunder, birds, nature, why is it so moving why does it call you into it?  Because nature is constantly singing its praises to God, it draws us in.

We do not merely want to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words—to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it . . . When human souls have become as perfect in voluntary obedience as the inanimate creation is in its lifeless obedience, then they will put on its glory, or rather that greater glory of which Nature is only the first sketch

Nature is a choir.  Why is nature so happy and we’re so sad.  We’re drawn to it, we’re moved by it.  They’re singing to God . 

Why is the beauty we sense painful.  It calls us in but we can’t go.  It’s painful because we can’t sing the same song.  We have tried to be our own masters, we don’t want to be under God.  Nature can sing this song because they perfectly reflect God.  Nature runs from us because they know we have a quarrel with our maker.  Nature praises God and we do not.  The reason nature is singing a song of praise is because they live under the benediction of God.  They know their maker loves them.  They know they are good.  They know they have no flaws.  We can’t sing the song because we know we are flawed, we question our maker. 

Through Jesus we are made to be able to be a part of the choir.  The maker was unmade on the cross so that we could be made.  So God could look at us through Jesus and say we are good again.  Just like in creation.