The Compassion of God - Dr. Timothy Keller

27th Sermon in the Series: To Know the Living God
29 May 2011

Jonah 4:1-11
1 But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD and said, “Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.

3 Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.” 4 The LORD said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?” 5 Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city.

6 So the LORD God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. 7 But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered. 8 When the sun came up God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life.”

9 Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.”

10 Then the LORD said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.

11 Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

Love of Attachment - we bind ourselves up with something or someone and we become dependent on them---we live and die through them.
God doesn't need us, but He voluntarily binds himself to us.
God is also moved by our problems.
God shows compassion for us.
God forgives readily
Jesus forgives readily for us by going to the Cross

Ways that we can show compassion
Don't take pleasure criticizing others and don't avoid self criticism.
Love cities and the diversity that it provides.
Forgive readily
Jesus forgives people without repentence---Can I be like that?
Expect trouble
Take time to weep - Seek others that are suffering.

Mark 11:25
25 Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.

The Beauty of God - Dr. Timothy Keller

24th Sermon in the Series: To Know the Living God
08 May 2011

Psalm 27: 1-14
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation--
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life--
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies an my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
3 Through an army beseige me,
my heart will not fear;
4 One thing I ask of the Lord,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
7 Hear my voice when I call, O Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.
10 Through my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my opressors.
12 Do not turn me over to then desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out of violence.
13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

• When you experience the Evil and Terror of Life or the Rumble and Panic of Life, it is time to seek the Beauty of God.


• Gazing at God's beauty while we are surrounded by Evil.


• Awareness of God's beauty gives us pleasure and saties us; a satiation of joy.


• Beauty is about excellence, attractiveness and restfulness (in that we are satisfied)


• St. Augustin - Our hearts are restless until we find our rest in thee!


• Jesus came to us unattractive, poor, and on the cross, he was beaten to a pulp.


• His resurrection makes us all beautifulWe should build an altar to God through prayer and good works.
  
  

The God Who Makes Alive - Rev John Lin

22nd Sermon in the Series : To Know the Living God

Easter Sunday 24 April 2011

Ezekiel 37: 1-14

1 The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”

• Ezekiel tells the story of the Babylonian assault of Israel.
• Resurrection is reinterpreting the pain of the past; its a transformation.
• Resurrection is coming back as if there is no death---not just a guy coming back to life.
• Death is not the end--Resurrection is just the beginning.
• You are forever free