Anatomy of Sin (Part 2)

Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life

Tim Keller

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

4.8 • 15K Ratings

🗓️ 1 October 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jeremiah is speaking at a time when his society was literally falling apart—politically, psychologically, socially and culturally. Everybody was asking, “What’s wrong?” And the answer of God through Jeremiah, was, “It’s not the economy. It’s sin.” The Bible shows us that sin is a dislocation of the soul. The soul should be centered on God, and all of our problems come from our unwillingness to center on him because we don’t want to lose control. So what happens? What are the effects of centering on something else? Jeremiah gives a metaphor of us falling in love with other gods, meaning these other things we center our lives on. And he shows that there are two major consequences: 1) our lover gods will always enslave us, and 2) our lover gods will always leave us empty. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 29, 1995. Series: The Seven Deadly Sins. Scripture: Jeremiah 2:19-32. 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. Some people say the fundamental problem of the world is poverty.
0:09.4	Others say it's bad systems, poor education, or biology. But what if none of these can
0:14.7	fully explain the brokenness we see, both in the headlines and in our own hearts?
0:20.0	In today's teaching, Tim Keller looks at how the Bible's teaching on sin gives us a deeply
0:25.1	honest and yet incredibly hopeful view of the world.
0:34.9	I'd like to read to you our text on which the teaching is based this morning.
0:42.1	It's Jeremiah chapter 2.
0:44.2	We began looking at this chapter last week.
0:46.8	This is the first of Jeremiah's sermons to the people of Judah.
0:51.6	It's on the subject of sin, and we looked at the first part of the chapter
0:56.5	and the sermon last week, and we looked at the rest this week. Jeremiah 2, verses 19 to 32.
1:10.3	Your wickedness will punish you.
1:13.0	Your backsliding will rebuke you.
1:15.7	Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me, declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
1:25.1	Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds, you said, I will not serve you.
1:30.4	Indeed, on every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute, I had planted
1:35.0	you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock. How then did you turn against me into a corrupt wild vine?
1:43.2	Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt
1:48.2	is still before me, declares the Lord, the sovereign Lord.
1:52.9	How can you say, I am not defiled?
1:55.7	I have not run after the bales.
1:57.7	See how you behaved in the valley.
	...

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