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Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life

An Old Woman’s Laughter

Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life

Tim Keller

Religion & Spirituality, Religion, Religion & Spirituality:christianity, Christianity, Spirituality

4.815K Ratings

🗓️ 4 October 2023

⏱️ 37 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We’re looking at laughter and bitterness by looking at a particular experience, and that is a woman laughing because her only child has been born. It’s an incredibly old woman we have here: a woman who’s 90 years old. We’re told in the Bible that this laughter is a clue to who God is and what he has done and how you find him. This passage is actually the key, because all of Abraham and Sarah’s lives and all of their fascinating incidents can be understood in terms of the name of their son. The name “Isaac” means laughter. You can understand all of their lives, and actually I think eventually you’ll be able to understand all of your life, through the word “laughter.” There’ve been three kinds of laughter in the story of Abraham and Sarah. They had to go through the first two to get to the third. Let’s look at these three kinds of laughter: 1) the laughter of scoffing, 2) the wild laughter of addiction and fixation, and 3) the laughter of grace. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 14, 1997. Series: Pointers to Christ – Directional Signs in History. Scripture: Genesis 21:1-7. 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.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to Gospel In Life.

0:03.4

Throughout the Bible, there are signs that point us to the Gospel.

0:06.8

Today, Tim Keller is looking at how we can discover them and what they teach us.

0:12.5

The passage on which the teaching is based is found in your bulletin.

0:16.0

Let me read it to you.

0:18.6

Genesis 21, verses 1 to 7.

0:22.6

Now, the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.

0:32.4

Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age.

0:36.6

At the very time, God had promised him.

0:39.3

Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son, Sarah bore him.

0:43.2

And when his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded him.

0:50.8

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

0:54.1

And Sarah said, God has brought me laughter.

0:59.4

And everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.

1:03.7

And she added, who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children?

1:10.0

Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.

1:16.6

This is God's word.

1:19.2

Why, in these morning services here in the fall, are we rummaging around in documents that are so ancient that they're called the Old Testament?

1:27.1

I mean, how relevant is that?

1:29.1

Very relevant.

1:30.6

My wife, Kathy, tore out an article for me out of Matamazole Magazine September 97.

1:36.4

Very up to date.

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