A Reason for Living - Timothy Keller [Sermon]

Tim Keller sermons via Gospel in Life: To find absolute freedom in life, we must admit that life on its own accord is meaningless. True meaning in life is only found through Jesus Christ, the designer of life.
Download or gift the sermon on MP3 for free: www.gospelinlif...
View the series: www.gospelinlif...
This message was given by Rev. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 27, 1994.

[@VicLabs]

I have listened to quite literally hundreds of Tim Keller sermons and talks. This is among his most powerful messages.

[@sabah4123]

After losing our son, l can't find a reason to live. Holding on to Jesus. 😰🇦🇺

[@Leah-fw5kn]

I felt the same way after losing my baby girl. I carry her now in my heart. I'm so very sorry for your loss. As you, I hope in Jesus, he is faithful. How can I pray for you?

[@etc6615]

😨🙏🙏🙏🇵🇭

[@JohnVander70]

I don't say this easily, but try to honor your sons memory with your life and consider that he is in that "Great cloud of Witnesses" mentioned in Hebrews 12:1 watching you run your race.

[@fellow4077]

@@Leah-fw5kn If you don’t mind, could you please pray for me too?

[@Leah-fw5kn]

@@fellow4077 of course I will, praying for strength to endure loss and pain. Peace and hugs to you.

[@foroneanotherwinningtogeth1142]

"What is to become of anything I do?....How could anyone fail to see this (problem)"? Exact quotes from my own mind in recent years as our first child nears college years. I am a Christian minister and yet God still is working me through this question. Thank you for this wonderful insight. It is part of His work.

[@claudinearce9109]

Brilliant and inspiring!

[@curiousgeorge555]

It's sort of funny. I am not a great thinker in any way shape or form but I recognized at the age of 10 or so that life was ultimately 100% pointless if naturalism was true. Seemed rather obvious. I asked my atheist father if he believed in god. He answered by grabbing the flesh on his arm stating "all I know is I am here". At the age of 18 I asked God to reveal himself to me and He did. He told me ( not an audible voice ) "You are on the wrong path, if you continue on this path you will be separate from me for eternity". Then he showed me several miracles two of which were to substantiate that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. I'm not a Calvinist. I believe that any 100% sincere seeker of ultimate truth will find that Jesus is indeed Who He said He is. I pray that you ask.

[@joseguilarte87]

Yeah I miss the animation. I loooove this lecture. It's so freeing and I love sharing it with my friends.

[@AreejCosta]

Brilliant. As always.

[@HVACadvice]

I agree with Sean, Rod, Alex, Lalac and Jose. The version with graphics was fantastic. Please bring it back. I realize s/he violated copyright, but the spreading of the gospel is more important and the visual presentation added to this wonderful message's impact.

[@dibri]

❤️ Thank You Tim Keller

[@cvetanstankov]

Waw! The reason for live bless! Thank you for sharing that

[@Krillian777]

I'm disappointed that the other one with graphics was removed. I thought it helped share the Gospel in ways that only the audio doesn't. Oh well. I was sharing this particular sermon with a number of my non-believing friends and feel the video illustrations added to the message's impact. Still happy that the audio's available though(!) and I'm certain God can take care of the rest.

[@lalacinfiesto1485]

I agree

[@Chirhopher]

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by The WORD Of GOD. We, HIS Sheep, hear HIS Voice, following and obeying YESHUA. Grace, Peace, and LOVE to all The Elect hidden with MESSIAH In YAHWEH.

[@lonestarmum6194]

I agree!! I just spent so long looking for it too:(

[@davidlee9572]

Anybody know if there's possibly an archived version somewhere of the old video? It really was excellent.

[@lindamoorhead3007]

I'm. writing this in Dec 2019. It sounds like the sermon/animation spoken off 4 years ago moved many people. We NEED this .May God help you resolve whatever issues led to its removal, for the sake of revealing Himself to His elect. Can anyone tell me the ways to find the sermon and animation? And would you notify me if it becomes available again? May God bless you.

[@alexberkovich9992]

I agree : I was searching for the other one and it was much better

[@residentialcustomer7031]

I liked the other presentation better myself, I think youtube took it off the air

[@slantsix6344]

I think this is spot on!

[@jcasper1535]

Very good

[@Ken-gn2ed]

"Anyone - who does not have the Spirit of Christ does Not belong to Him." Romans 8:9b

[@rmcboyle]

I'm really saddened that the animated version isn't available too. Why? What happened to it? It was fantastic. :-(

[@JESUS.IS.COMING.SOON..]

..maybe it makes the entire Keller family sad to see his visage? a vast # of ppl are jealous of the success & popularity of his teachings

[@lessandra602]

🙏

[@ellapark8770]

so what is the meaning of life / reason for living?

[@davidwissel469]

He was arguing that its Jesus, the divine Logos from John chapter 1- to know him, love him, serve him, be like him is the reason we exist. Or as the Westminster shorter catechism famously put it "the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever"

[@JasonSchmidt-1979]

Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life!

[@ghanaserapis999]

To Glorify God. Can you show your neighbors as much love, as you show yourself?

[@snowyavrmobile]

Hugging or mugging? 🙃

[@PerlaLertora]

:O

[@captz8]

L

[@bonnie43uk]

I think most people don't think to themselves "what is my purpose in life", for most people life just happens and we spend our hours and days simply getting on with our lives. There is a saying "Life is what happens when your busy making other plans". I think purpose and reasons for living is mainly a question for those who are interested in philosophy and actually have time on their hands to think seriously about it. Speaking for myself , I don't think I have a specific meaning or purpose, in that ultimately when i die, I don't believe in an afterlife, so when i breathe my last, that will be the end of me. But that doesn't take anything away from the life i am living now, I have lots of purpose and meaning in living a fruitful life, helping others and doing the best i can, while also enjoying the good things in life, music, tv, comedy, sex, food, the list is long. Tim is very wrong in saying "nothing I do in life will make any difference" ( i think he was quoting Camus), the things I do here and now impact on other people's life's, if I can make their life a little better than it has purpose and meaning. He's right in saying 'ultimately' in the big scheme of things, in billions of years time it wont have made any meaningful difference, but that's fine with me. It's what we do in the here and now that matters to us. We all live in the NOW and that is what matters.

[@jackroy9094]

bonnie43uk why should I believe you over Keller. And does it ultimately matter. Hmmmm. Thanks for the athiestic sermon though. You must think you are God to be so arrogant as to tell people what you regard as absolutely true.

[@Simon0896]

Jack heinsohn, couldn't you respond more kindly to someone stating his view on meaning in life?;) bonnie43uk, Keller mentioned that most people don't think about their purpose in life. I see that you agree with him on that subject, so that's good to see. Am I right if I understand the following from your view on meaning in life: I make impact on the lifes of others now (!), that's enough to make my life meaningful. My question to you is: how can life ever be meaningful, when ultimately there is nothing (from an atheistic perspective)? You say it's fine with you that everything will be gone, very well. But how can you simultaneously say that it still matters what we do now? In my opinion, if there is no goal to be achieved, the things we do are quite pointless. Looking forward to your reaction.

[@spencersmith8011]

If you're an atheist, why does it matter what we do in the here and now? That's the whole point. As Tim often says, if you can admit that the creation of the world and life within it is random and without a Creator, and that life hereafter is non-existent and has no meaning, then how can you say there is meaning and purpose in the here and now?

[@godsbabeborn-again5945]

@Leonard Dunning you said it! God bless you.

[@Peteroranje]

This is a perfectly fine life choice but you are choosing to splash in a puddle rather than swim in the ocean :). And unlike millions of other you are 'lucky' to have a puddle big enough to satisfy you.

[@bonnie43uk]

Listening to Tim, he keeps repeating over and over, from the atheist perspective, life is ultimately meaningless! As an atheist myself, I have *never* heard any fellow atheist say that life is ultimately meaningless. We are all too busy enjoying life itself. It does not bother me one iota that in a million years time ( or whatever timescale you want to include) that my life will not be relevant. The intense happiness and joy I've experienced throughout my life *is* and *was* relevant to me and to those around me who shared in my joy and happiness. To all the countless billions of people who have lived thousands of years ago and are no longer here, whatever they experienced in their life meant everything to them, the fact they are now completely gone doesn't detract in the slightest from the lives they led. Find me an atheist living today in the here and now who says their life is meaningless. I'd certainly like to talk to him, and discuss a few things with him. Sorry Tim, you are very wrong.

[@estherbauscher65]

I don’t think you listened to or quite understood his philosophical reasoning. Have you read any works by Sarte or Camu?

[@stefjonesee6180]

bonnie43uk Maybe you should listen to the message again. Your statement that "I would like to meet an atheist that thinks life is meaningless" proves part of what he is saying.

[@MazDanRX795]

Well written reply, but like the others I do think you misunderstood, or took the message too literally. In order to be truly free and without any guidance or structure from a higher power, you admit life has zero boundaries and anything goes. Life is simpler, it is just about your own greed and selfishness and you aren’t accountable for the life you lead, the choices you make, and what may or may not happen to you after your flesh has died. And that is practically the way of an atheist. I’m not condemning you or agreeing with you. I’m no Christian, but I am even further from being an atheist. Oh and one important thing I forgot to mention above: being truly free is NOT a good thing. It’s dangerous and uncontrollable.

[@Soaptoaster]

When you insist upon the universe being a random, purposeless accident then clearly there is no ultimate meaning of any kind to human existence. That us undeniably clear and what all thinking atheists acknowledge and embrace.

[@Midnight_Rider96]

Yes you can have a subjective constructed meaning, but it's ultimately arbitrary because it's not objectively better than any other constructed meaning. Unless there is an ultimate meaning, all the little meanings you can make up don't mean anything. As you might accuse a Christian of adopting a delusional psychological coping mechanism, which is not demonstrably true, an atheist that claims to live a meaningful life has in fact adopted a delusional psychological coping mechanism which is objectively and demonstrably false.