Infallible Joy

10/27/23 • 34 min

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Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life

There’s a whole field now called happiness studies—whole departments in academia are dedicated to happiness studies. And of all the things I’ve read, none of them are as nuanced as what Jesus says.

Jesus says one of the main resources his disciples need in life is joy. And he says joy is something he gives. In John 15:11, he says, “I give you my joy that your joy may be complete,” but he doesn’t elaborate on it. In John 16, he gives us more information.

What does John 16 tell us about the joy that Jesus gives? Five things: that this joy 1) is inevitable, 2) is not circumstantial, 3) is thoughtful, 4) is prayerful, and 5) is based on wonder.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 2, 2017. Series: Jesus, Mission, and Glory: New Power. Scripture: John 16:16-27.

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What does John 16 tell us about the joy that Jesus gives? Five things: that this joy 1) is inevitable, 2) is not circumstantial, 3) is thoughtful, 4) is prayerful, and 5) is based on wonder.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 2, 2017. Series: Jesus, Mission, and Glory: New Power. Scripture: John 16:16-27.

Previous Episode

He Will Glorify Me

When you’re about to die, you don’t make small talk. You talk about the most crucial, important things. And on the night before Jesus is about to die, he’s talking about the Holy Spirit.

Why is Jesus so constantly talking about the Holy Spirit? I think we see at least two reasons. One is a hard reason, at least it’s hard to hear. And one is a wonderful reason.

I think the two reasons that Jesus thinks the Holy Spirit is so important to talk about, so crucial to understand, so important to have, is because 1) without the Holy Spirit there’s no remedy for our spiritual blindness and cluelessness, but 2) with the Holy Spirit, we can be taken into realms of experience and transformation that we can’t imagine.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 26, 2017. Series: Jesus, Mission, and Glory: New Power. Scripture: John 16:5-11.

Next Episode

Overcoming the World

We all want peace, contentment, groundedness. And Jesus says, he will give us his peace. But he doesn’t just zap us with it. He says it comes through learning who he is.

John 16 is the end of the training course Jesus gives his disciples. It’s just before he dies, and verse 28 summarizes everything he’s been saying: he explains who he is, how he came, why he came, and what he accomplished. But the key to this whole thing is in verse 33 where he says, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus has been teaching about himself. And he says this doctrine leads to peace, but only if you do two things. So let’s look at this under two headings: 1) what is this doctrine that you need in order to have peace? and 2) what are you supposed to do with it?

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 9, 2017. Series: Jesus, Mission, and Glory: New Power. Scripture: John 16:28-33.