AI Summary
5 min readTim Keller opens this sermon with a surprising image: Scrooge McDuck diving into his money bin, swimming in his wealth, and reveling in it. That, Keller says, is exactly what the Apostle Paul is doing in Ephesians chapter 1—taking inventory of everything believers have in Christ and bathing in the richness of it. This is not a metaphor for prosperity. It is the secret to Paul’s fortitude, endurance, and vision. Keller’s argument is that the Christian life only makes sense when you understand that you have been enlisted into a king’s plan for all of history, and that plan is both cosmic in scope and personally demanding.
The King’s Plan to Reunite Everything
Keller moves from the first part of Ephesians 1, which describes what believers have in Christ (adoption as sons and daughters), to verses 9–12, which describe what believers get in Christ as their king. God has a plan, and he has revealed it. The plan is to “bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.” Keller emphasizes the Greek: it means to reunite, to bring back together what has been broken apart.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:39) **The Big Picture: God’s Plan for History** - Keller introduces the core text from Ephesians 1:9-12, framing it as a revelation of God’s ultimate plan to reunite all things under Christ.
- 2 (04:04) **The Mechanism: Reuniting All Things Under Christ** - Keller explains the “mystery” of God’s will: to “bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.”
- 3 (07:56) **Evidence of the Plan: Social Healing Through the Gospel** - Keller tells a story of a retired corporate executive distressed by rising employee theft to illustrate societal decay.
- 4 (14:38) **The Power Behind the Plan: God’s Sovereign Control** - Keller pivots to the “power” that guarantees God’s plan will succeed: His absolute control over every event in history.
- 5 (21:13) **The Hardest Implication: Evil is Part of the Plan** - Keller confronts the most challenging implication: God’s plan includes evil deeds and events, not just good ones.
- 6 (27:00) **The Paradox: Sovereignty and Human Responsibility** - Keller addresses the objection that if everything is fixed, human choices don’t matter.
- 7 (31:23) **Practical Implication: The Doctrine is Necessary for Sanity** - Keller argues that this doctrine is essential for mental health, avoiding the extremes of fatalism (where choices don’t matter) and anxiety (where God is not in control).
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Show Notes
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 16, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:9-12.
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