Jesus is offensive. He is offensive to every culture in every part of the world and in every period of time. The Gospel message that all our accomplishments are worthless and that we must rely on Jesus alone for salvation offends us to the core. In the Gospels, no one ever “liked” Jesus or responded to Him moderately. They either tried to kill Jesus or they worshipped Him and gave up everything to follow Him.

Additional scriptural references made in this sermon are: Luke 2:29-35; John 14:6; Matthew 15:12; 2 Kings 5; Numbers 22:28-30.

All of us need to come and see Jesus. For skeptics and seekers “come and see” means to come, think, and examine the evidence. For Christians “come and see” means to come and be a disciple of Jesus. We often think we are following Jesus, but we are really just following our own hearts. We must always strive to see Jesus as He is, not as we would have Him be. Finally, “come and see” means processing everything with friends. It means being part of a church where people encourage one another to “come and see” Jesus.

People often speak as if faith and reason are implacable enemies. In this sermon, Tim Keller argues the contrary--that the more we think, the deeper our faith grows. He contrasts the explanatory power of Christianity and atheism, and argues that it is only through Christianity that we can truly make sense of the world we experience.

Additional scriptural references made in this sermon are: 2 Corinthians 5:7; Matthew 6:25-34; Matthew 8:26; Mark 1:11.

The message of Christmas is foolishness to this world. We expect to find wisdom in the palaces of the elite, not the squalor of a manger. Throughout history, what has been considered “wise” has varied from age to age but the truths of Christianity have stood and will stand forever.

Additional scriptural references made in this sermon are: 1 Corinthians 1:20-21; Romans 1.

How do we know that God exists? Do we deduce God’s existence from a series of rational arguments or do we intuitively know that God is real? Is believing in God something that is done with the mind alone or does it involve the whole person? In this sermon, Tim Keller attempts to answer these questions by studying what the book of Romans tells us about our knowledge of God and by studying the journeys of several prominent intellectual atheists as they came to the Christian faith.

Additional scriptural references made in this sermon are: Job 42:5-6; Psalm 19:1.

At Christmas time, we sing about peace on earth, but does religion actually lead us there? It seems that religion more regularly leads to division and marginalization. What if anything, does the Christian message offer that can turn our skepticism into a living, breathing movement toward peace on earth?

Genesis 1 was written more to answer the “why” questions of creation; it’s meaning and significance, and not so much the “how” questions, e.g., how long did it take or how did it transpire? The account is presented as a song. This sermon considers the implications.

Keller addresses three important principles about Christian conversion. First, we are not capable of finding God unless we experience spiritual conversion initiated by God. Second, Christian conversion is not a call to morality and religion; it is a challenge to morality and religion. Third, conversion happens by the transformation of the Holy Spirit.

Doubt is a problem that all of us will face before we can come to grips with faith. To deal with our doubts, recognize that they are based on faith assumptions; examine the object of your faith and whether it is trustworthy; and let Jesus' love for you become your reason to have hope.

Some people claim that they can't trust in the Bible because it is historically unreliable and culturally regressive. But do we have cultural blinders on? Dr. Keller discusses solid reasons that we can trust the Bible historically, culturally, and personally.