AI Summary
5 min readChurch: Building Blocks
Tim Keller begins with a startling claim from Ephesians 2: the church is not a club or a drop-in center—it is a "new humanity." Paul says that God takes people who could never get along otherwise—Jews and Gentiles, which Keller says stands in for every kind of human division—and turns them into "one new man." The differences remain: you are still German or African, male or female. But what Christians have in common now runs deeper than what they share with the non-Christians of their own race, class, or gender. Keller insists most Christians have not yet experienced what this actually means. "We haven't even begun to get radical about the church," he says. "Little churches tend to be clubs and big churches tend to be circuses. And almost none of them really are churches."
You Are a Building Block, Not a Free-Standing Temple
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (00:35) **Introduction: The Church as a New Humanity** - Keller introduces the passage from Ephesians 2:19-22, setting up the sermon's focus on the church as a unique, divinely-created community.
- 2 (07:17) **The Richness of Metaphors for the Church** - Keller explains that Paul heaps up images to show the glory of the church, preparing to focus on one specific metaphor for the sermon.
- 3 (11:58) **You Are a Building Block, Not a Free-Standing Temple** - Keller explains the first implication of the "living stones" metaphor: individuals are designed to be part of a greater whole.
- 4 (15:47) **The Need for a Bigger Cause Than Your Own Happiness** - Keller argues that living only for personal fulfillment is self-defeating and leads to a loss of significance.
- 5 (19:26) **The Need for a Bigger Authority Than Your Own Feelings** - Keller argues that deciding right and wrong based solely on personal feelings is untenable, as feelings are contradictory and unreliable.
- 6 (26:42) **The Need for Validation From Outside Yourself** - Keller explains that a person cannot authentically validate themselves; they need someone else to see them fully and love them.
- 7 (31:04) **Application: Are You Built In?** - Keller challenges listeners to examine whether they are truly cemented into a community of believers or just attending as individuals.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on April 4, 1993. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 2:19-22.
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.
More from this podcast
Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life →