Tim Keller - Human Race: The Pursuit Of More?

Tim Keller speaking at Human Oxford 2019, a week of events exploring the story of Jesus and what it means to be human.
Want to find out more? Join us at The Search for free coffee and thought-provoking conversations from 7.30 - 9.00 every Monday in term-time at Costa Coffee, Queen Street.
These videos are brought to you by the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union.
You can watch the rest of the talks at • HUMAN 2019

[@williamlashonse1013]

I am so grateful for Tim. His skill and precision in talking to younger audiences was master class. Rest in peace my brother.

[@sabah4123]

Happiness comes & goes. Contentment & trusting Jesus is far more satisfying. Lower expectations, less is more. 🤷‍♀️🇦🇺

[@jojocatattack]

I needed to hear this today. Thank you Jesus.

[@gospideygo6061]

Great sermon. I can’t believe THIS is the sermon I randomly clicked on. I’ve been valuing career success and women approval too much lately. Those things won’t even satisfy my deepest desire! Pray that God uses me to for his purposes

[@michaelbrickley2443]

Go Spidey Go! I think the Holy Spirit was leading & I pray you continue to listen and he will lead you on the road to sanctification

[@celenecranenburgh9566]

Yes spidey, you keep on following Jesus, BECAUSE He's got you...paid for you...died for you. That's Love to you and me right there. Astounding, innit? If I don't meet you soon I'll meet you later at the Throne. Xxx

[@HC24189]

I love listening to Tim.

[@nate2748]

Absolutely brilliant.

[@susankurien8841]

Wonderful...

[@vonniehudson]

@26:54 through @28:09... was so profound... omg

[@andreanittel2240]

..so true that stuff doesn't create happiness- and if it does- very fleetingly, until u look for the next "it".........

[@andreanittel2240]

..all the more so, as you get older

[@Judiee]

how do i like something more than once

[@michaelbrickley2443]

Judiee, too bad we can’t express to others more than once but we can listen to Dr. Kellers’ teachings more than once

[@milels6917]

I would say we are never satisfied in this world if we only look at material things or superficial things

[@julieolson9556]

Listen to this sermon again. I can't say it any better than Tim does. What I understand is that if you are loving God and placing Him first, then you will love other things better and in the right order, always placing God first!

[@zach2980]

These questions from the students are great. It's nice to see the rationale that arises from a more secular society. Hopefully we in the US aren't too far behind. So christianity and heaven boil down to being just a stand in for something to look forward to? This reminds me of someone who plays the lottery everyday. Who benefits in the lottery? Likewise, who benefits in the the christian story?

[@dennis9423]

"who benefits from the Christian story?" Anyone who believes. It is open to all and not reduced to a simple lottery. If it doesn't appeal to you, then "file it away," as Tim puts it. It could be helpful later on.

[@zach2980]

dennis .....”If” it’s true. I’m familiar with the subtle threat Tim and others make here. If he could get by with it he may indeed preach hellfire. If Christianity isn’t true he and other like politicians etc benefit because it’s profitable and useful. I’m not saying he doesn’t believe mind you, I don’t know. I’ve no reason to think he’s not sincere. Do you think Tim ever wishes Jesus had never made hell for people’s honesty?

[@dennis9423]

@@zach2980 I think it comes down to faith for you. The message of Christianity is an all or nothing proposal. I encourage you to seek it out fully and enthusiastically. If God exists (and He does) what are the benefits of believing in His Son and His doctrines? The questions you have will be answered when you start with your own struggle of faith. Begin at the bottom, "Is it true?" then, work you way around to these other things. You are at a great starting point. Keep it up.

[@zach2980]

dennis prove it, seriously present some good evidence. Prove “He” has a penis. I know that may sound stupid to say but isn’t it silly to think about? Seriously what would a God do with a penis? Just saying something is true doesn’t make it true. No pressure Dennis, because if there were good evidence we would know it. Peace

[@dennis9423]

@@zach2980 I cannot prove to what the appearance of God is other than to point to His Son, Jesus. The Bible states that Jesus is God in the flesh so that is our point of reference. However, God does refer to Himself in the male gender as "Father." This is the way He has chosen to reveal Himself and I honor that. Far be it from me to change His self-identification anymore than if I changed yours or you changed mine. As far as proof to the Truth of the Bible, I think I would point you to creation itself. It is too wonderfully balanced and designed to be a random accident. There must be Someone who, as Einstein put it, "monkeyed with the details." It is a good start. If you honestly and sincerely search with an open mind, you will find Him. Read the Book of John in the New Testament. If you want, I am available for any questions you have as you read it. Peace back.

[@claydoyle5377]

Ok, and true, but whew.. takes a lot of patience to listen to him get to the point! I understand that he is speaking in a secular setting so, I think his talk is ok. Though, I wonder if Keller knows how to simply present the gospel in other environments where his listeners are not complex (?) I've heard expository teachers of scripture incorporate his entire speech in a few sentences. Is God's word so weak that one must present gobs of philosophy in order to placate 'sophistacated' listeners as well as giving place to Augustine. I do say that Keller has had far more impact and character in his life than I can claim for myself!

[@dennis9423]

A good speaker tailors his talk to his audience. Yes, he had to present an intellectual presentation for an audience who was familiar with the authors he cited. This same talk would not have worked with a group of nine-years olds, would it? So, he frames the Gospel in a way that is familiar to his hearers. This is not a compromise of the Scriptures, but a philosophical introduction to them.

[@claydoyle5377]

@@dennis9423 (Hi Dennis. Please excuse me. I didn't realize I would write this much! Ah!) Yes, I agree. I probably did not make my comment clear. I tried, of course, in say, my statement, 'I understand he is in a secular setting' It is a good speech and it helped me as well. As for philosophy, jt can be alright for general interests and fun. It can also interfere with the simplicity of the gospel. As well, many use the deductive method of attempting to make the scripture 'prove' their pet, vain point. Perhaps you know a lot of church history(?) Anyway, you made a comment about philosophy. A super large battle for truth in scripture began recently in the last 100 - 200 years as modern man latched onto Darwin, Freud, B. F. Skinner and on and on. These are men whose attempts largely infiltrated/impacted the church. Anyway, in 40 years when I have heard philosophy slip out of my mouth, I have to retract. Philosophical reasoning goes only as far as the ceiling. As well, it is not pleasing for God that we sometimes dull down a conversation with our NATURAL reasoning rather than utilizing the sharp SWORD OF THE SPIRIT. Please excuse my very lengthy response! Please forgive me for not being clear in my initial note. Thanks Dennis! God Bless P.S. I have read all of C.S. Lewis several times. His writing is so enjoyable, I do not think he found it necessary to weave a lot of philosophy into his theology. As well, Paul's MO was always simplicity in the power of the Holy Spirit

[@dennis9423]

@@claydoyle5377 Thanks, Clay.

[@Jcoch_27]

Ancient way: Supress the desires of your heart Modern way: Indulge the desires of your heart Biblical way: Re-order the desires of your heart "Our heart is restless until it rests in You." - Augustine

[@cliftonburton2244]

“The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

[@cliftonburton2244]

This is the parable that came to my mind to the last question asked on this video what if I am perfectly happy and do not see any need for Jesus Christ

[@NYGiantsDiEhArD]

Starting at around 10:00, I start questioning the true implications of this way of thinking. See, this sounds too much like a low-resolution and naïve romanticism going on. You can strive and strive all you want, but you'll never be truly happy. That's meme material; I hear it all the time. Except the only problem is, thinking realistically, what do you do, then? Secular, non-religious gurus usually agree that "money, nice cars and Gucci clothes can't buy happiness," and they're right, but subsequently give a pep-talk about why you shouldn't sleep in tomorrow morning, why you should strive to transcend yourself with your effort towards living. The thing is though, *living* still constitutes *something*, doesn't it? I mean, we can narrow down a meaningful pursuit to what's definitive as specifically as we can, and yet, what we get is a noun. It's a goal, an outcome, an achievement. The secular guru really means that nothing material can ever be meaningful outside of being an attainment. Put away your pleasures today in honor of what you can be tomorrow, he says. The Christian, however, is obligated to remove even the deferred glory. His conviction is that the guru's ideal is still a material; you strive as an athlete for a championship, even though the championship itself isn't exactly the locus meaning in the endeavor; you strive to help the less-fortunate, even though it's not the goods or services themselves that matter. But in order to have the virtues matter, it still must be that one strives unconditionally towards the things, otherwise the virtue of the striving can't exist. The virtue of being the victorious athlete is typically the indominable will exercised as a sacrifice to attain the victory. But start quibbling about how it's not the victory itself, how it's the ethic of exercising indominable will, and you've now ruined your indominable will - which was towards getting the victory. You're now facing the impossible paradox of striving as if to win without trying to win. While this intuitively sounds like a problem, somehow - and I haven't quite figured out how - the Christian embraces the notion that nothing of the world can satisfy you. And it sounds so pretty, so triumphant, and yet, you can pursue no beauty, no triumph of the sort, because those are things - things of the world. If you really think about it, there's something entirely suicidal about the subtly radical notion, "you can't do anything to make yourself happy." Unless I've gotten something wrong.

[@calebberens1536]

I may not have completely understood your comment so please forgive me if this be either offensive due to misunderstanding or any other sort of thing. I personally came from a secular perspective and at least on my journey in that I found the notion, nay the living in and of a secular belief system to be exactly what you had said later in your comment. A rather suicidal a “subtly, yet radical notion.” I found a system of performance of self-autonomy and animalistic traits. Eat. Drink. Take pleasure. And die. Then sooner or later my family and all the impact I had will follow suit and die. Meanwhile to maybe help answer your question about maybe being incorrect, is the next part of my journey which was that one of two things to me became clear. At least from this normal man’s life I boiled it down to nihilism or Christianity. I did not blindly chose Christianity as a comfortable back up and there is so many more semantics and details to get bogged down in there, but anyway I found either the excuses of secularism to try and paint a pretty picture of living self autonomous lives is a facade for, if that reality was the truth, myself and all my convictions are just pure animals and I have no distinct value and I am impermanent, alone bag of fresh floating through space with nothing to live for. Nihilism. Then the other alternative. Christianity. Where again on my journey I found the only answer to the unsatisfaction, or emptiness in this life, now we finally get to your end statement, Where in I don’t find the fact the Bible pokes a hole in the worldly saviors by stating none of that will satisfy you dangerous. I find it refreshing. I also find it to be the ONLY thing that truly tackled the problem of purposelessness, nihilism, and everything I have stated above. Not by some statement or idea that the world sucks and is in a hopeless state but that there is a God who recognizes it all yet calls us His own and is so moved to get involved in it. Put a point to it all. Put actual ground down in what used to be a metaphorical liquid ever flowing space with no container to hold it. It tackles the issue of the complete lacking in the world, the lacking in us, and the giving of purpose and grace. Of course I believe there are so many more reasons for God U would strongly recommend “the problem of God” but Mark Clark but I hope that explained some of the heart in a Christ following faith and I hope you find what you are looking for. In peace. ✌️

[@JDF3889]

This man contradicts himself at every turn. And when asked why “I don’t feel God” he BLAMES the person asking. Such a cop out theologically.

[@dennis9423]

Theologically, how is this so? Ever read the Book of Job? How 'bout Jonah? Psalms? Please comment.

[@JDF3889]

@@dennis9423 Well to say that the intimacy between an individual and God is based in any way off the effort of the individual and not God is illogical. If God wanted to be felt than he would be, since God here is all powerful. This is clearly shown in Job, where he looks for God and finds nothing. Job's choice to believe or not believe is still his own, whether or not God shows himself or really cares at all. The suffering of Job means nothing to God. The will of God is not to be questioned, Job 12: "He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away. 24 He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a trackless waste. 25 They grope in the dark without light, and he makes them stagger like a drunken man." To believe in God and have faith is to feel God and also feel seperate from God. With him you feel peace, in his absence you feel his Glory in your own seperation and human weakness. To be without God, seperated from God is when we have the clearest vision of God as something 'Other' than us, beyond understanding and of his own will. To seek 'feeling' God is merely your own perception, we cannot choose to be closer to God, only he can choose to reveal when he wants.

[@dennis9423]

@@JDF3889 Jacob, please let me respond, point by point. I kinda understand what you are saying about the depravity of man and his inability to get closer to God by his own strength. And, yet, we are implored by scripture to “draw closer to God and He will draw closer to us.” This is one of those dynamics I can’t reconcile where we see both the sovereign will of God and human volition in tension. Because God is sovereign and does initiate intimacy it would seem that man cannot do anything to affect His actions. But, if man rejects God’s intimacy, God will not force it upon man. I wonder if this is what Tim is hinting at regarding man’s role. People can resist the love of God. Take Pharoah, for example. You also said that the suffering of Job means nothing to God. I beg to differ. Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. He saw the suffering of the mourners, particularly the women. He was moved. Jesus is God Incarnate and gives us a clear picture to the heart of God. I believe God cared greatly for Job’s suffering just as He cares for yours and mine. As far as the separation or closeness one “feels” from time to time can be a very fickle thing. Personal sin can greatly affect that (David, Peter, Jonah, the Nation of Israel). That is when men do play a role in the closeness of God. But, there are the other times when God seems silent (and indeed He can be very silent) and His Presence is not evident. A clear reason why is not given, only silence. These are difficult times to understand. It is very hard to accept a mute God. Take the Intertestamental Period (that’s the time between the O.T. and the N.T.). There’s not a peep out of Him for 400 years. No prophets, no writings...just crickets. For all that time, men relied on what scriptures they had and relied the prayers they offered. God was very active, but not at all noisy. I do agree with you that He is under no obligation to make Himself known at our command. He does as He pleases, but always according to HIs character and for HIs glory. Yes, intimacy is God generated and God maintained, but I do think the actions of man do interfere with that intimacy. Thanks for responding

[@ckydy249]

@dennis - Amenl Praise Jesus for your sharing !