Tim Keller

I'm posting notes from sessions at the Exponential Conference. I heard Tim Keller at a breakfast this morning, but didn't take notes. Unfortunately, what he said was awesome, so I really wish I took notes. Later he spoke at a main session, and I did take notes (though my notes aren't that great) (and he was good at the main session, but not nearly as good as at the breakfast). Here you go:

Christian world now in a position where people don’t know the gospel anymore.

The story of your culture can only find a happy ending in Jesus.

3 points of the gospel:

1. Upside Down Kingdom (God empties Himself)
- Because god emptied Himself, came down, it should turn the world’s values upside down.
- God won by losing. He triumphed by being killed.
- We’re about serving, racial reconciliation, lifting up the poor

2. The ??? Kingdom (God substitutes Himself)
- Pharisees repent of their sins. If you only repent of your sins, you’re a Pharisee.
- What makes a Christian different is that they repent of their good works.

3. The ??? Kingdom (God returns to create a new Heaven and new Earth)
- Christianity is a fighting religion. It knows that God hates suffering, hates poverty, hates hunger – and will someday destroy these things. So we are not passive.

How apply? Three parts of the gospel, but almost nowhere in the Bible do we see those three points all put together. So when we preach or present the gospel, we don’t have to give all three points.


Ways of illustrating each of the "parts" of the gospel:


1. Incarnation

- Russian astronaut: “We went to the heavens and did not see God there.” C.S. Lewis: If there is a God you wouldn’t relate to him the way a person would by going upstairs to find someone. You’d relate to him the way Hamlet would relate to Shakespeare. Not by going backstage. The only way you’d know of the existence of Shakespeare is if he wrote himself in the play.

- Dorothy Sayers wrote series of books. Fell in love with a character she created. In the middle of the series she wrote herself into the series. Married the character.

- That’s the incarnation.

2. Atonement
- Tale of Two Cieties: Two guys who look exactly alike. Both love Lucy. Lucy chooses and marries Charles. During the French Revolution. Charles is arrested bey the revolution. Waiting in prison to be executed. Syndey breaks into jail, “Let me take your place. Then you can be free to live the rest of your life with Lucy and your child.” Chales says no. Sydney knocks him out, gets taken out of prison. Sydney now in prison waiting to be executed. Another woman waiting for execution. A seamstress. Comes up to talk. Eventually realizes now Charles. “Are you dying for him?” “Shhhh, yes, for him, and his wife and child.” She says, “Haven’t known how I can face my death, but if a brave stranger like you holds my hand to the end, I think I could do it.”
- What gave her courage? His substitutionary sacrficice. And wasn’t even for her. And if that was life-changing for her, how much would it mean for you?

3. Resurrection
- N.T. Wright. In Surprised by Hope. Makes case even if you don’t believe in resurrection, you should want it to be true. People care about people, world. But believe world caused by accident. Dissapointmented that more people don’t care about things. Don’t realize their own world view undercuts what they desire. If this world is all there is, then who cares… Easter means that things matter.

- featured on newchurches.com