There’s one guy who is so preeminently an example of a life of faith that three religions look to him as the paragon of faith. That guy’s name is Abraham.

Here’s the story of Abraham’s life: God said, “Get out!” Abraham said, “Where?” God said, “I’ll tell you later. Just go.” The Lord said, “I will give you this land.” Abraham said, “When?” God said, “I’ll tell you later. Just wander around in tents.” The Lord said, “I will give you a son.” Abraham said, “How?” God said, “I’ll tell you later. Just wait around.” The Lord said, “Slay your son.” Abraham said, “Why?” God said, “I’ll tell you later. Just walk up the hill with him.” If you read the whole narrative, you’ll find that he fell down a number of times. But every time Abraham masters the situation.

In the face of it, the circumstances didn’t master Abraham. How? Three principles: 1) he heard the call of God, 2) he obeyed the call of God, and 3) he looked to the city with foundations.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 23, 1994. Series: The Nature of Faith. Scripture: Hebrews 11:8-16.

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Abraham had greatness in the face of a completely uncertain future. He had no idea what was coming, and yet he lived a life of greatness. How can we?

The writer of Hebrews is writing to a group of Christians whose lives were going very badly. And in chapter 11, he says to them, “You don’t understand. The great men and women of God have never had designer lives. Yet they lived great lives.” And Abraham is perhaps the greatest case given.

How we can live life with greatness, with stability, with confidence? There are three principles: 1) the negative principle, 2) the positive principle, and 3) the ultimate principle.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 16, 1994. Series: The Nature of Faith. Scripture: Hebrews 11:8-16.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

Enoch is a very mysterious Old Testament figure. God took him right to heaven without him tasting death—because he walked with God. What’s so special about walking with God?

In the garden of Eden, in the beginning of time, God took long walks with us every evening. And yet the minute human beings disobeyed God, they couldn’t stand intimacy with infinity anymore. Humans no longer walk with God. But suddenly, in Genesis 5, Enoch shows up and he still walks with God. What? It’s still possible? Yes, it’s possible by faith. Faith. You can do it too.

Being a Christian is not about a general belief in God—it’s about walking with God. To walk with God is to 1) walk in peace with him, and to 2) walk in the presence of God. Let’s look at these two aspects and then, 3) look at how these two are drawn together.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 9, 1994. Series: The Nature of Faith. Scripture: Hebrews 11:5-7.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

Many of us are wondering how we’re even going to face Monday, but the men and women in Hebrews 11 didn’t just know how to face life—they were enabled to even go against the whole world. And the thing that enabled them was they were commended by God.

Abel got the commendation from God—he was shown God accepted him as absolutely righteous, and as a result, he became one of these great hearts who can face the world, can face anything. By looking at Abel, and the contrast with Cain, we can have some understanding about how we also can know this same thing.

The best way to understand the case of Cain and Abel is to ask: 1) how were Cain and Abel alike, 2) how were they not alike? and 3) are you Cain or Abel?

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 2, 1994. Series: The Nature of Faith. Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-7.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

Christian faith is more than thinking, because the Christian message, the gospel, is much more than an idea. It is not just an idea; it’s a power.

The gospel bears fruit in you. It’s a living thing. But how does faith move from being an idea to being a power? You stop just believing in God and you start believing God. Noah shows us the way.

Hebrews 11 shows us that Noah does three things that bring the power of faith into life: 1) he believes God, 2) he condemns the world, and 3) he hides in the ark.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 25, 1994. Series: The Nature of Faith. Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-7.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

The Bible tells us faith begins with thinking. The Bible says faith requires and stimulates the profoundest thinking and reasoning. You cannot be a Christian without using your brain to its uttermost.

Nowadays, we’re told by our culture from the time we’re very little that the big questions—what is real, what is right and wrong, and what we should be living for—are questions for the philosophers. We’re taught that the important things are standard of living, career, appearance, and psychological needs.

Hebrews 11 shows us three aspects about faith: 1) that thinking leads to faith, 2) how thinking leads to faith, and 3) whythinking leads to faith.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 18, 1994. Series: The Nature of Faith. Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-7.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

What is faith? What is it made of? How do you know if you have it? How do you lose it? How do you get it back? Hebrews 11 deals with all of these things through specific personal case studies of men and women who wrestled with issues of faith.

I would suggest that it’s the easiest to understand the parts of faith as three layers, one of which comes first, then the others resting upon it. But the reality is it’s more complex than that. If you look hard enough at any one of these aspects, the other two are contained in the one. Yet all three are absolutely critical if we’re going to understand faith.

Faith 1) begins with understanding, 2) which leads to conviction, but 3) completes itself always in commitment.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 11, 1994. Series: The Nature of Faith. Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3, 6, 7.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

One mark of a supernaturally changed heart is a changed attitude and view of races and cultures.

In social relations, grace-changed Christians use their power to serve, not exploit. We’re going to look at this by looking at a dispute that happened in the church of Rome, and by comparing it to another dispute.

These passages show us 1) the problems that culture poses, 2) the solutions, true and false, and 3) how we get the power to implement the true solution.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on June 26, 2016. Series: What We Are Becoming: Transforming Love. Scripture: Romans 14:1-3, 14:14-15:7.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.