Redeemer Presbyterian Church Sermons
Genesis tells the why of creation, not the how. It’s a poem, a song about a historical event. The Christian doctrine of creation is that this world is good and the purpose of nature is to be a community. We can take joy in cultivating and enjoying the physical world.
Timothy and Kathy Keller continue to discuss the biblical view of singleness and marriage in an open forum setting. Topics discussed include the biblical passage on eunuchs, coping with romantic rejection, spiritual growth as a single person, seeking a spouse, making an idol out of a romantic relationship, meaningless romantic relationships, dating non-Christians, and myths about both singleness and marriage.
Christianity presents a revolutionary view of sex, singleness, and marriage that rejects both traditional and modern conceptions of the purpose of sex. Ultimately, our hope in our future family, future journey and certainty of our true love, Jesus Christ, shapes our attitudes towards sex, singleness, and marriage.
Lust exists, it is powerful, and we must respect its power. The Bible rejoices in sex and sexual desire, but lust is an impersonal, inordinate desire and an idolatrous search for meaning. Lust can be overcome if you esteem Jesus as your bridegroom and the lover of your soul.
If God was unipersonal, there would have been no love until he created the world. However, if the world was created by a triune God, then relationships of love are what life is all about. The Godhead is characterized by mutual self-giving love as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit orbit around one another in a dance. It is impossible for us to join in if we focus on ourselves, but through Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death on the cross, we can be brought into the dance.
In dealing with inner emptiness we often hope for “one true love.” Jacob and Leah have that hope after the failure of their lives. When their dreams are achieved, their hopes are dashed. Leah eventually achieves inner peace by placing her hope in God, who alone can deliver.
Near the end of his life, Joseph displays his hard-earned wisdom. He shows us that we need to leave all righting of wrongs to God; we must see God’s providing hand in man’s malice; and we must never repay evil with evil, but instead we must meet evil with forgiveness, and even affection.
All of us are at war with God, whether we admit it or not. Finding peace comes from being shocked by God's love into a new relationship. Being a peacemaker is sharing this good news and letting God’s glory shine out of your life.
In today's society, absolute truth is thought of to be the enemy of freedom. But truth is more important than you think, freedom is a lot more complex than you think, and Jesus is a lot more liberating than you think. Surrendering to God's absolute truth gives you a deeper, richer freedom in every area, without oppression.