Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life - Meeting the Real Jesus

Episode Date: December 5, 2022

Matthew 11 has incredible relevance to us today. In the last 1500 years in the West, there has always been indifference to Jesus; but never have there been so many people who are offended at Jesus. John the Baptist is in the same place. When in prison, he sends Jesus a message, and he says, “I don’t know that you’re the One. Are you the Messiah? How do I know?”  In Jesus’ response, we see three groups of people that don’t take offense at Jesus: the poor, the violent, and the least. Each one tells you something about what you have to be and what you have to do if you’re even going to be open to Jesus’ claims. These three are a model for us to be open to who Jesus is. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 15, 1996. Series: The Real Jesus, Part 1: His Teaching. Scripture: Matthew 11:4-15. 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.

Do you know the real Jesus? If you're going to find out whether Jesus is the one to be king of your life, you have to make sure you understand him first in order to understand who you're meant to be, and you should know that if you reject him, you'll never be able to stop searching for him. Today on Gospel and Life, Tim Keller is looking at the Gospels to show us who the real Jesus is and what that means for our lives. After you listen, we'd appreciate it if you'd take a few moments to rate and review the

podcast. When you do, you'll be encouraging others to listen so they can discover the real Jesus because the gospel changes everything. Now here's today's teaching from Dr. Keller. Matthew 11, 4-15, please turn to it with me. Jesus replied, Go back and report to John what you hear and see. The blind received sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf here, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." And as John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John. What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No. Those who wear fine clothes are in King's palaces.

What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written. I will send my messenger ahead of you who will prepare your way before you. I tell you the truth. Among those born of women, there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist, yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

From the days of John the Baptist till now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the prophets in law prophesied until John, and if you're willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come, he who has ears. Let him hear. This is God's Word. Last week we began looking at Matthew 11, and we're looking at it in the early weeks of the fall.

Here's the reason why, because of its incredible relevance to us today, and especially us here in New York. John has sent Jesus a message. It's in verses 1 and 2. We didn't print it here. In the very beginning of 11, John the Baptist, who's in prison, sends Jesus a message, and he says, I don't know that you're the one.

Are you the Messiah? How do I know? He's in doubts. And Jesus says down here in verse, in the verse six, he says, blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of me. Now, a better translation of that, I think, is to bless is the one who's not offended at me. The Greek word that is used here in Jesus' sentence

is the word scandal on. Jesus says, blessed is the one who's not scandalized by me. To be scandalized is not to disagree. It's much more than that. To be scandalized is to be so outraged that you utterly reject, outraged into rejection. And John, Jesus is saying, is feeling that offense. He's beginning to take offense. He's outraged by Jesus. He's scandalized by Jesus. Now, the reason that is so absolutely relevant to us, to see not just John's question, but the answers that Jesus gives in the rest of the chapter is because in the last 1500 years

in the West, there has been sometimes more indifference to Jesus and sometimes less indifference. But never in the last 1500 years has there been so many people who are offended at Jesus in the Western world. And I would say that New York is the center of that. There are just many people, and probably, and I hope plenty of people here who find the original Christian understanding of Jesus, the original claims from Jesus of who he is offensive.

They're not just indifferent, they're offended just like John. And how amazing that we have a whole chapter in which Jesus responds to offended people, smart people, John the Baptist, great people, John the Baptist offended. Now Jesus begins his answer and what he does is he begins to respond like this. He says, let me tell you the kind of people that are offended by me and who, therefore, the kinds of people who are open to me. He says there's a kind of spiritual closeness that makes people not just disagree but be scandalized, offended by me.

And he says, I would like to show you the kind of people who are open to me and therefore meet me and find me. And he gives three descriptions in this passage. And they're not really three different groups. They are really three aspects of the same group. He's saying, let me show you who is open to me. And of course, by way of negation, the people who are close to me. And he describes three kinds of people that meet Jesus who do not take offense at Jesus,

the poor, the violent, and the least. Get ready. The poor, the violent, and the least. And each one tells you something about what you have to be and what you have to do. If you're even going to be open to Jesus' claims and even to be open to who He is. First of all, He says in verse 5, go back and tell John what you see and what you hear, and there's these people are being healed, but in particular, the poor have good news preached to them. Now, the word good news is the same word that's often translated gospel. It's a Greek word gospel, which means good news.

And it was a word that Jesus used very, very deliberately, the New Testament uses very deliberately because it had a very specific meaning. A gospel, good news, was a Greek word that meant the announcement of a historic event that brought a new joyful, wonderful new order of things. It wasn't a word that was used lightly, and it wasn't also a word that was used except to describe some historic event that brought a wonderful new order of things. So we actually have an announcement of the coronation of Cesar Augustus, Octavian Augustus

becoming the emperor of Rome. And when the bullet went out, it said, this is the beginning of the gospel of of Caesar Augustus Octavian Augustus becoming the emperor of Rome. And when the bullet went out it said, this is the beginning of the gospel of Caesar Augustus. It meant historic event, announcement, new order of things. It was something that was used to talk about a good king being crowned or an invasion and invading army being repelled and so forth. Now, why does Jesus use this term? He says, my essential message is different in form from other religions, because good news is always the announcement of something that's been done,

not something you do. Good news is not teaching, it's not an ethic, it's not a discipline, it's not a philosophy that says, this is what you need to do. Good news is not teaching, it's not an ethic, it's not a discipline, it's not a philosophy that says, this is what you need to do. It says, this is something that's been done for you. And as a result, Jesus by using the word gospel tells us that history to Christians, history to Christianity. The historic events that surrounded the founding of Christianity are far, far, far more important than the historical events that surround the beginning of any other religion. I've just recently been reading a little bit

about the origins of Buddhism, and I like Buddhism. And I always enjoy the story. And of course, the story, the account is that there was a main name, Gautama, who was a prince in India, and his father had given him a kind of sheltered life, but he went out four nights in a row. One night, he had the first distressing sight. He saw sickness.

The second night he saw age, the third night he saw death, and so on. And after that, he decided to figure out the mystery of life, and he sat under a tree. And after he realized that he stood up, and he spoke to his disciples, and he enunciated the four noble truths. Now, the point, as interesting as the historical events are about Buddha, the historical events

around Muhammad, all the historical events tell you is how they learned the way of salvation. But Christianity, in Christianity, the historical events of Jesus' life are the way of salvation, utterly different. Because other religions say, here's how to reach up to God. Other religions are a philosophy, but Christianity is a gospel. It's saying God's reached down. It's a historic event. What's the historic event?

God has broken through. He's broken through. A cleft has been opened in the pitiless walls of the world. There's a concrete slab between the ideal and the real, and the ideal has broken through and become real. God has become human, and He's died on the cross and He was raised from the dead, and He's dealt with the barriers of sin and evil between us and God. Very different.

Historical events of Jesus' life don't explain how He learned the way of salvation. They are the way of salvation. Now, why do I, we often mention this, we often say this, but here's what's so interesting today. Jesus says it's the poor who get that. It's the poor who understand that in general as a class, the poor understand it better than the rest. And you see, by looking at what Jesus is saying, and it better than the rest. And you see, by looking at what Jesus is saying, we get an idea about what this means to say that Christianity is not a philosophy or an ethic.

First, it's a gospel. And what Jesus tells me here, what Jesus tells us here, sheds light on a very interesting phenomenon. And we should all be, if you live in New York City, we're all aware of it. In Manhattan, this is the center of the privileged classes, of the cultured classes, of the educated classes. And what you'll find when you go into the churches of Manhattan, and not all of them, of course,

but in general in the churches, you will find that you'll hear this, something like this. We are a Christian church, they say, but we're very modern. In that, we have discarded many of the primitive old doctrines, the doctrines of the virgin birth, of the atonement, of the miracles. Those things really aren't important. They're not essential. The idea of Jesus dying on the cross under the wrath of God, the atonement. Those things aren't as essential.

Some people believe this, some people believe, we believe in the essential of Christianity, and that is we follow the teachings of Jesus. We follow His teachings against materialism, against hate, against selfishness. That's the important thing. And that's what you're gonna hear in Manhattan. But when you go out of the center city, into the inner city,

and you go into those churches, it's a very different kind of Christianity. It's a frankly supernatural Christianity. They talk about the blood. The blood. They talk about the blood. They talk about miracles. They talk about the resurrection.

They talk about these things. Why the difference? Now, let me tell you why I think most people in Manhattan believe there's a difference. It's very seldom set out loud because it is such a patronizing and such an unbelievably paternalistic conviction, but it's there. The average person in Manhattan believes the reason that the churches in Manhattan are different from the churches, the center of the city, the churches in the inner city, is those people aren't as educated as we are.

They don't have our insights. They haven't known how to sort of bring Christianity up to date, getting rid of the doctrine and concentrating on the teaching. Jesus says, no. Jesus says, so many of us, and I guess we better say, we know where we are, you know who we are. Jesus says so many of us think that we're intellect, our intellects are offended by the gospel,

but actually our pride's offended. So many of us say we've rejected that old fashioned gospel because of our education and Jesus says, no, you're a prisoner of your class consciousness. Because you see privileged people, educated people, cultured people, we believe we're self-made. We believe that we're where we are simply because we work very hard,

but the poor know that it doesn't work that easily, the poor know that it's grace, the poor know that we're not in control of our lives, the poor know how much, how many of the factors that put us in the place where we are today, if we're professionals and so many of the factors that put us where we are today are not because of what we did, but because of what God gave us. The poor knows we're not in control of our lives, and when the poor hear the historic events, atonement, incarnation, resurrection, they see it as good news. When the educated person says the important thing

is the teaching, not the doctrines, what you mean is, I don't need a savior, I just need an example. I don't need these historic events to break through and destroy the barriers between me and God. I can do it myself. We can be good enough. Goodness is enough, as long as you're a good enough person. What you've done is you've taken the heart out of Christianity. And Jesus says it's because you're class consciousness because you don't want to see what the poor see. And that is we need intervention from God if we're going to be saved.

Now what's so intriguing about this is Jesus, oh look, Jesus is not saying, and I'm not saying, that all poor people are saved, and all educated people are not. What are you saying is this? He says, look at the reason why the poor historically and as a class has tended to rejoice in original Christianity, and why the culture classes

have for centuries tried to turn it from a gospel into a philosophy. He says, look at the reasons and ask, are those things in your heart? Is your religion just a religion or is it a gospel? Is your religion a concept or is it a power? And he says, if you want to know, if you want to know, the poor is the test. Okay? He says, I dare you. You and Manhattan, I dare you, get into a time machine and bring your Christianity with you. You're in a fence of Christianity. Your Christianity just of teaching, not of all these doctrines and get into a time machine

and go back and go around the Greek Roman world in the time that Jesus lived, the time of Paul lived, and go into the towns and get up and let all the poor and let all the broken and let all the common people, which was 95% of everybody, let them come together and get up and say, I have a message, the message of Christianity. We need to love each other more. We need to work for world peace.

We need to accept each other's cultural differences in the world will be a better place and see after you're done with your talk how many people follow the ground and say at last. I hated myself but now I have dignity and hope. I have something with which I can conquer the brokenness of the world. They would never do that. That would never do that. That would never do what the gospel did. What the gospel did was it just ripped through the Roman world because it did lift up the needy from the ash heap.

And the way you can tell whether you got just religion or the gospel is the poor. Jesus was saying in 2 and 3 and 4, verse 2 and 3, 4, he says, go back to John the Baptist and show them. Religion always leaves out these people. Religion is only for people who can summons up and work up their discipline. Religion, philosophy, ethics is always for the culture for the people that can pull themselves together.

But the gospel is for everybody and everybody's here. See? He says, look at who I've got. Look who's attracted to it. Look who's lifted up by it. Look, the poor, the leper, the poor, the blind, the poor, the deaf. And therefore, see, let me summarize, I've got to move on. It's the poor who meet Jesus. Again, it's the people who know they're no It's the poor who meet Jesus.

Again, it's the people who know they're no different than the poor who meet Jesus. Again, it's the people who have an understanding of Christianity that gives them absolute hope and compassion and love for the broken and the poor of this world who show that they have met Jesus. It's the poor that meet Jesus. It's the people who know they're no different than the poor that meet Jesus. The people have hope for the poor that show they have met Him. That's the first test.

Forgiving someone who is wronged you can be one of the most difficult things to do in life. In his new book, Forgive, Why Should I and How Can I? Tim Keller shows how the skill and ability to forgive is one of the greatest resources Christianity offers us and, if rightly understood, it is not a hindrance to seeking justice, but a necessary precondition for the pursuit of it.

In the book, you'll discover how both justice and forgiveness are aspects of love. We'll send you Dr. Keller's new book as our thanks for your gift to help Gospel and Life share the love and forgiveness of Christ with more people. Just visit gospelandlife.com slash give. That's gospelandlife.com slash give. Now here's Dr. Keller with the remainder of today's teaching.

Do you see, do you have a Gospel? Or do you have a religion? Now the second test is the violent. You say, where's the word violent? He says, the violent meat. Well, it's this amazing passage. But I have to be brief and I can be on this one. It's down here in verse 12.

He says, from the days of John the Baptist till now, which is really Jesus' way of saying, now, in these last few years, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing and forcefully lay hold of it. Now, you know what, if you pick up three different translations, it's going to give you three different translations, it's going to give you three different words.

And here's the reason why. First of all, it's the word violence. And literally, Jesus says, in these last few years, the Kingdom of God is violent-sing. I'm using that term very carefully to show you why it's hard to interpret. The Kingdom of Heaven is violent-sing, and it's the violent who receive it. Or it's Flanery O'Connor, you know, Flanery O'Connor, wrote a story on the basis of this verse in her title was the violent Barrett Away. The Kingdom of Heaven is violent-sing.

Now, the reason it's a little hard to understand is because the trouble is this word, balancing, used as a verb and the kingdom of God is the noun. You know, give me 15 seconds to do a little bit of background here. It's a middle tense. It's a middle voice, excuse me, and the middle voice in Greek can go either way. It could be translated. The kingdom of God is receiving violence. It's suffering violence. it's suffering violence. That's why the old King James version says the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence. But it also could be translated. It produces violence. It moves ahead violently. And I think

the reason, and the trouble, if I'm not a translator fortunately, because if you're a translator, in English, you've got to choose. You can't say the kingdom of heaven violences. But what you can do, if you're an interpreter like me, is to point out that I think Jesus is cutting both ways. And here's what he's saying. First of all, on the one hand, the kingdom of God comes violently. Now this is just an only the violent will receive it. This is a kind of an extension, but also a clarification of a point from last week.

Jesus says, you will never receive the kingdom of God unless you see that it will change everything. It will bring absolute upheavals, because if I am who I say I am, if I am the Lord of history, not a teacher, not a nice guy, not a nice teacher with proposals, if I am the Lord of history, if I am the Lord of heaven, if He's the one, to whom the stars, to us, a star is a world, a universe of exploding, flaming gases.

But if Jesus Christ, the one to whom the stars are like pieces of lint, if He is who He says He is, then if he comes down into our lives, he changes everything. You can't ask someone like that into your life to be your secretary. You can't ask a person like that to come into your apartment like you bring a cat in, you put the cat in a corner and nothing else changes. And when anyone comes to Jesus thinking and saying, I'd like to become a Christian, but will he help me be the lawyer I want to be and get through law school? Will he help me find the man or woman of my dreams?

Will he help me? Jesus says, you're not thinking. Last week we said, Jesus is saying, you're not being sensible, but this time he's saying you're being a wimp. You're being a coward. Don't you see, if I come into your life, everything will be changed, your perspective on everything will be changed.

No one comes, even begins to understand me unless you're ready for an adventure, and that's putting it, adventure, very mildly. Only those people who know force is coming down. Only those people who know violent upheavals, everything will be changed, your view of everything, your priorities, everything will be changed. All bets are off. If you're even going to be open to Jesus, you haveavals, everything will be changed, your view of everything, your priorities, everything will be changed. All bets are off. If you're even going to be open to Jesus, you have to say, if he is who he says he is, everything will change.

But you see, there's another side. It probably also does mean the kingdom of heaven suffers violence. You see, Jesus, look, somebody's going to be here and I know what you're thinking. You're saying, you know what? This is the last time I'm coming. I've been thinking about Christianity because I know I need a little something extra. I mean, I know that I have some needs. I know that I'm having trouble just, I need more strength.

I need something over the hump. But, you know, if you're trying to rip me in, you're doing a very bad job of it. When you tell me I've got to be ready for these incredible changes, you've turned me off. I don't want this sort of thing. You see, I don't need it. But you see, Jesus is not asking you to do anything that He hasn't endured Himself. Jesus is saying, you're telling me that you like this idea of me breaking through and saving you and all these, you want Jesus and a nice little life, my dear friends, in order for

me to come to you, I have had to suffer violence. For me to come to you, I've given up my nice little life. The violence of divine justice is gonna come down on me. I'm gonna be nailed, I'm gonna be spirit, I'm gonna be killed. And to come to you, I suffered the violence of death. And all I'm asking for you to do is if you come to me

to suffer the violence of life, what's that? Surgery. If you go to a surgeon and you say heal me, and she puts you under the knife, she's healing you with a violence of life. You've got to be totally vulnerable to her. You've got to be totally still. You've got to give her total control. But it's not the violence of death, it's the violence of life.

Jesus Christ says, don't you see? Look at the people I have had to go through in order to come to you. And you don't want to go through any in order to come to me. I'm not asking you to be spiritual. I'm asking you to be sensible. I'm asking you to be appropriate. I'm asking you to be wise.

I'm asking you to think. It's the violent. In fact, I must tell you, when I talk to somebody, after service, and one of the Q and A times, and I see they're upset, agitated even, kind of worried and bothered and upset by what they've heard, agitated and kind of confused by Christianity. It's a good sign. It's much better than the smug person that says, well, of course I believe in Christianity,

there's no use getting excited about it. Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent and only the violent bear it away. Now lastly, Jesus also says, there is none born of woman who is greater than John the Baptist, but I say to you, the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Now at this point, if we want to understand, in a sense, Jesus has told us something about why we have to look at the poor.

The poor are open to the idea that we need news, not a philosophy. We need God to reach down, not us to reach up. And the violent are aware of what Jesus has done and who Jesus is, and at least before you even begin to decide who he is, you get ready for an adventure. But at this point, in this verse, Jesus gets to the heart of who meets him.

And in a sense, that verse gives you an idea. In order to understand it, verse you have to understand the whole sweep of this entire verses, all the verses from four to 15. And I spent a lot of time working on this and thinking about this, and suddenly it opened up, and here's what happened.

When John the Baptist says, I don't know how you could be the Messiah. Jesus goes to, and he quotes, in the very beginning of the chapter, Isaiah 35. Now Isaiah 35 tells about how God is going to come back, and he's going to put everything right. And in Isaiah 35, this is what we read, strengthen the feeble hands and study the knees, say to those with fearful hearts, be strong, do not fear your God will come.

He will come with vengeance and with divine retribution, He will come to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be open and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shop for joy and the ears of the deaf unstopped, then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shop for joy, and the ransom of the Lord will enter Zion with singing, everlasting joy, crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Overtake them, you don't go looking for this. When you start looking for it, it's already nipping at your heels. Now look, why does Jesus actually quote this?

He says, look, I'm here. Doesn't the text say? Doesn't the prophecy say? When God comes, when He comes to save, then will the eyes of the blind be open, then will the ears of the deaf be unstopped, then will the lame leap like a deer? Look, there they are. The blind, the deaf, the lame leaping, the lepers that pour, they're all there. I'm liberating the captives.

But when Jesus goes to that passage, so intriguing, he actually goes to the very heart of what's troubling John. See John the Baptist was an awful lot like Elijah, and that's what Jesus keeps pointing out. John is like Elijah. He is the spirit of Elijah. And that's what Jesus keeps pointing out. John is like Elijah. He is the spirit of Elijah. He's like his ancient prophetic person, Elijah. And now he is the greater. He is the spirit of Elijah. He's like Elijah. If you go back to see Elijah, one thing Elijah could not understand

is why God didn't judge all the wicked. At one point Elijah says, why aren't you judging the wicked? Why aren't you bringing the fire down on everybody? And God says, why aren't you judging the wicked, why aren't you bringing the fire down on everybody? And God says, he says, do Elijah go outside? And I'm going to pass by and he went outside and a great win came by. And the Lord was not in the wind and a great earthquake came by. And the Lord was not in the earthquake and a great fire came by. Lord was not in a fire.

And then a little still small voice came and that was the Lord. And what in the world was he saying to Elijah? I cannot imagine that Elijah understood but a vague sense of it. But what he was saying to Elijah is, I will come, not in power, not in strength, not in judgment, but I will come. I will come my way.

I will come in a way you don't know about. I will come in a silent way. I will come actually in a weak way. Now the reason John the Baptist and Elijah, and most of us, are wondering about Jesus, as Jesus says, the eyes of the blind are open, the ears of the deaf on stop, but what's John the Baptist saying? What's Elijah saying? But John the Baptist saying, wait a minute, before verse 5 comes verse 3 and 4, it says,

God will come with vengeance. God will come with retribution. Then we'll be blind. Well, no, wait a minute, Jesus. Jesus, this doesn't make sense. Where's the retribution? Where's the vengeance? How could the blind, how could the poor,

how could they be leaping around? How could you be healing them and saving them? If the vengeance of God's not coming down, it's the vengeance of God that will save us. Where is it? Jesus, we worth suffering violence. How could you be the Messiah? I'm about to be killed in prison.

You look like you're on the road to the same thing. How in the world can you bring the blessings without the judgment? And what Jesus is trying to show him. And he shows it to him in this verse 12. He's trying to say, John, Elijah, you want a religion, you want a salvation for the good against the bad, but if I came down in judgment, I'd win the battle and I'd lose you. If the fire of God would come down to consume the wicked, it would consume everybody here.

It would consume all of us because we're all selfish, we don't love, we don't live up to our own standards. Instead, Jesus says, I come down in a different way. I come down, and the judgment of God is here, but it's coming down on me. And the ones who understand that they would be judged unless Jesus was judged, that they're not righteous versus the bad, but that they need the judgment of God to come down on Jesus. They're the ones who understand now.

When he says, if you understand the gospel, you will know something. Look at John the Baptist. He's the greatest person who's ever lived. Now, that's an amazing statement. There it is. He says, in all of history, Jesus says, I'm the one who knows who's the most moral person, who's the greatest person, who's an amazing statement. There it is. He says, in all of history, Jesus says, I'm the one who knows who's the most moral person,

who's the greatest person, who's the person with the greatest character? It's John. John's the greatest person, but I say unto you, that the biggest moral failure, the wickedest person, the biggest moral failure, the weakest and most helpless person, Mar person morally on the earth, standing in my righteousness is more beautiful and more ravishing to God than the greatest person

standing in his own. Verse 12 is an amazing statement. We sang about this in the middle of the service. Jesus died blood in righteousness. Jesus died blood and righteousness, Jesus died blood and righteousness, my beauty, your are my glorious stress. When Jesus says, I want you to know that you do not understand Christian, I tell you realize that if you are the morally weakest person on the face of the earth, you are great in the eyes of God, greater than the greatest person who stands in his ownness. And until you understand that, you want to understand real greatness.

You see, Charles Wesley put this into a wonderful hymn, hear him, ye deaf, his praise, ye dumb, ye are loosened tongues, employ, ye blind behold your Savior come and leap ye lame for joy. And I'm so glad that he did what he did. What he's really saying is, in sense now only the deaf hear and only the blind see. Doesn't Jesus say, if you say I see, you're blind and if you say you're blind, you're finally seeing. If you say, I'm the least, you become the great. That's how the gospel works. And if you say, I'm great Lord, come down with your judgment and lead us good people off into battle. You are the least."

And therefore, what this means is, as Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel, it's the power of God under salvation. For us leased to become the greatest. For in the gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed, as it is written, the ones who are righteous through faith shall live. Yesterday I woke up in the morning and I felt weak. I felt upset because I didn't like this sermon. And I was jogging. And I thought about Romans 117 and suddenly it came to me.

He said, he who through faith is righteous shall live. I suddenly said, he who through preaching is righteous shall die. He who through approval is righteous shall live. I suddenly said, he who through preaching is righteous shall die. He who through approval is righteous shall die. He who through performance is righteous shall die. If I try to stand in my own greatness, I will feel like the least my power is gone. If I stand through my leeseness and what he has done for me, I feel the power come back. Who cares what you think? Now dear friends, this means you, you, all of you. Do you feel like you're dying in any way? Do you feel like you're weak? Do you feel like you're leased? You have to just fill in the blank. Whatever is sucking you dry, as Paul says, you who through approval are righteous, you who through performance, through evaluation,

through whatever, you will be dying, and that's why you're dying. But the least in the kingdom of God is greater than He. Do you know who you are? Do you see why John of Apsilus was offended? It's the poor. It's the violent. It's the least. Who meet Jesus, let's pray. Our Father, as we come to you now, as we come to your son's table, we're coming to meet

you. The whole idea behind the Lord's Supper is that He says, I will meet you over the table. Now Father, for those of us who are believers, help us to see that to some degree we are a lot like John that we're forgetting that it's the least in the kingdom is greater than he, that it's in and only in your son's righteousness that we stand great, ravishing, beautiful. Help us to see that. Help us to see that. Help us to put that on more. For those of us who are here seeking to meet you

at the table for the first time, I pray Lord, these people, these folks who are here, might sense that they need to be forceful, that they need to be poor, that they need to admit that the weight of greatness is through leasiness. Show them what these things mean and let them meet you truly today repr and Jesus' name, amen.

Thanks for listening to today's teaching from Dr. Keller on the Real Jesus. We pray that it challenged you and encouraged you. To find more Gospel-centered resources like today's teaching, we invite you to sign up for email updates at gospelonlife.com. This month's sermons were recorded in 1996.

The sermons and talks you hear on the Gospel On Life podcast were preached from 1989 to 2017, while Dr. Keller was senior pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church. you