Tim Keller | – Where is Your Faith? – Luke 8 Meditation by Tim Keller

Today we continue this special series of meditations by Tim Keller — “Trusting God in Difficult Times.” This series is meant to encourage you to trust God more deeply and to meditate on his word and what it promises, to give you strength and hope in difficult times. After the meditation, Tim will be joined by Kathy Keller for a short Q&A.

These meditations are 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 this meditation and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting [support us] and making a one-time or recurring donation.

About The Author

Gospel in Life Sermons and talks by Timothy Keller, founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City and NY Times best-selling author of "The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism." For the latest sermons from Tim Keller and additional resources, please visit https://www.GospelinLife.com Gospel in Life

Comment (47)

  1. We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5
    The devastating whispers may come. The enemy may tell you you’re a failure, your case is hopeless, the petition you most hope for will never be answered, and God doesn’t want anything to do with you.
    Your enemy knows the messages that will most dishearten you, and he is very effective at striking you where it hurts the most.
    But right now remember, he is a liar (John 8:44). Do not give in to him. Those demoralizing whispers are obsoletely not true, so you must immediately reject them and replace them with the truth of God’s word.
    And what is true for you as a believer? That Jesus takes responsibility for your success as you walk with Him (Proverbs 16:3). That with your Savior, there is always hope (John 16:33). That not only does God hear your prayers, but He is faithful to answer you (Matthew 7:7-11). And that the Father loves you so much, He will never let go of you (John 10:11, 27-28).

      Lord, please root out the enemy’s lies and replace them with Your Word. Remove his strongholds so I may walk in Your freedom and glorify your name, amen.

  2. If you are a preacher, then you know that there is no greater compliment to a sermon than hearing the impassioned thoughts of your wife and seeing that it was clearly thought provoking for her. Really enjoyed seeing that in Kathy! Great comment, and way to go Tim and Kathy!

  3. Neither Luke, Mark, or Paul ever met Jesus, nor were any of them present @ Pentecost, so all were carnally minded. The writings of Mark and Luke were based on hearsay. The writings of Paul were based on his understanding of things that he wasn't capable of understanding. Paul's writings were included in the Bible because the Catholic Church put the Bible together, and since they had no better understanding of the teachings of Jesus than anyone else, they used Paul as their guide. Besides, unlike Jesus, Paul promises a 12 lane highway into heaven. Preachers focus on Paul's writings because nobody is going to give a preacher money if he quotes Jesus; "Be ye there-fore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.' Instead they have you repeat the magic words and say 'once saved, always saved'. There is also my favorite preacher position of insinuating that the real sinners are the ones not listening to him. Suckers.

  4. Before I was born again, I remember envying the people who seem to have enormous faith in spite of their own suffering. I genuinely thought that I could "get" faith if only I just study it, like I could study geometry! Oh no, faith can only be acquired if its given, its a present from God, it's a gift which is mostly given to the ones who are truly seeking with all their hearts. God bless you pastor Tim, thank you for all that you do!!! May The Lord keep you and all your loved ones well.

  5. The yeats after getting saved are some of the hardest years in my life. I have so many unanswered prayers and losing my faith gradually every single day. I have a coworker who said that she does not believe in God but got promoted right away, is loved by everyone at work, and has so much energy. Meanwhile, I am sick (for years), and being treated unfairly at work. At a point, I have thought of giving up on my faith since the negative voices inside me kept telling me that being a Christian is only about suffering. However, I got reminded of all those times Jesus worked things out for good after watching this video. It literally made me cry and question where my faith is. Thank you

  6. I guess that’s what it means to grow God in you.
    It took God a couple of decades taking faithful care of me to finally start resting in Him.
    I wish it wouldn’t take that long on you.

  7. When I got shocking news one day about my son, I was so upset and started to cry out to God, I got a gently voice whisper, what do you truly believe and at that moment my whole situation changed as I knew that God was in control and my faith in God brought me through it.

  8. "Faith is deliberate action." This is such an interesting perspective,…which is totally true, faith is an act in choosing to believe and trusting Jesus even through difficult times.

  9. Pastor Keller, thank you very much for making these video messages. They are very helpful. I wonder if I may have your permission to translate to Chinese and add Chinese closed caption in some episodes, like this one, to help those whose primary language is Chinese. I worship and serve in a Chinese speaking CMA church.

  10. Tim and Cathy , I am very interested in knowing which books of John Newton you read. Is there a favorite that you would suggest? I love the words he wrote in the hymn, How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds. Thank you.
    Laura

  11. God mysterious way
    His wonders to perform
    He plants his footsteps in the sea
    and rides upon the storm
    ye fearful saints
    fresh courage takes
    the cloud you so much dread
    are big with mercy and shall break with blessings on your head

  12. Amazing Testimony of God completely Curing
    Pancreatic Cancer!!!
    My name is Dae Gyung Kim. I am the head pastor
    of Sarang Jeil Church in Ban Weul Dong,
    Hwaseong city, Gyeongi province.
    Our church is part of The General Assembly
    of Presbyterian Church in Korea.
    I was diagnosed with the deadly pancreatic cancer.
    One morning I collapsed suddenly and was rushed
    to the S Hospital in Seoul.
    Doctors told me I should begin to make
    my funeral arrangements.
    The cancer cells had already spread
    throughout my lymph nodes,
    stomach and intestines,
    and brain so there was no chance for me to survive.
    I received a death sentence.
    But God healed me miraculously.
    Through earnest request I once again received
    a CT scan, an MRI, a spinal examination,
    a radiation examination, a blood test, etc.
    These detailed tests revealed
    that all the cancer cells
    had completely disappeared from my body.
    Doctors said that this was impossible
    and that it was a miracle.
    I did not even go through
    with the 36 chemotherapy treatments
    that doctors ordered me to have.
    But a medically impossible healing did happen to me.
    Only by God’s grace did I receive healing from cancer.
    I was given the gift to heal diseases through intercessory prayer.
    I want to upload my testimony to YouTube
    to be a witness to the living God’s power
    I recorded a short, two minute testimony in both Korean
    and English so that this truth could be proclaimed
    over the whole world.
    I’m so filled with thanks
    that I am using the comment section
    to let everyone know what I have experienced.
    Surely God the creator is alive
    and is in control of all things.
    Please watch this video
    and share it with people close to you
    and let them know that there is a way to live.
    For those who desire their illness to be healed,
    If you leave your prayer requests
    in the YouTube comment section of
    <Reverend Dae Kyung Kim healing prayer>.
    We will pray on your behalf every Sunday at 4PM.
    For English speakers,
    you may upload your prayer requests in English as well.
    I hope you live a long and healthy life
    and afterwards, we are able to meet in heaven.

    (Youtube search : Pancreatic Cancer Healing Testimony)

    @

    @-crQ

    If you request a healing prayer by comment,
    I will pray in order within 30 minutes.
    Please write your name along with the prayer topic.
    I call each and every one to pray.
    Please watch the healing testimony
    and YouTube video posted at the beginning
    of the comment and pray with faith.
    The healing prayer time starts at 4pm every week.
    It proceeds once a week at the same time in order.
    I will continue to pray for those who requested prayer even during the morning prayer time every day.
    Please pray with Amen as you listen to the healing prayer video every day.
    If you pray for not only yourself, but for other patients, you will be healed.
    My wife, Kim Myung-sook, was also cured of diabetes while praying with tears for curing the diseases of the saints.
    I believe that God will hear you
    if you repent of all sins and pray
    with a pure heart.
    Please recover your health and devote your life to the church
    you attend and live a blessed life.
    Healing is done by God…

  13. What would the alternative have been? Why would they have turned to Jesus in the 1st place if their faith was not in Jesus Christ. Their faith was in Christ were it should have been and Jesus Christ says where is your faith. The storm is as real as if it were a venomous snake biting you,the venom will kill you and the storm will drown you. The end is a foregone conclusion. What Jesus is actually saying is this, do not be afraid of earthly things even if they killed you. I am struggling to understand this logic. My only conclusion is that we should believe in ourselves 1st and bear the fruits of Jesus Christ until death. Death is not our master but rather eternal life. So awakening Jesus was proof that we are not ready to sacrifice our life or believe that Christ lives within us. My conclusion is is The Spirit of God is in you have faith in God as a weapon rather than a walking stick.

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