Those Who Cling… Forfeit the Grace

Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life

Tim Keller

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

4.9 • 16.2K Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2026

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jonah’s spirituality was fine for his old world and his old situations. But when he’s faced with a new situation, it just collapses. Then, when he’s in the belly of the fish, Jonah begins to reflect and pray, and as the prayer moves along, we see he has a spiritual breakthrough. Now the new situation is something he can handle. How do we, too, move to the next level? By looking at Jonah’s prayer we learn about 1) the key to spiritual transformation, 2) the method of spiritual transformation, 3) the marks of spiritual transformation, and 4) the continual need for it. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 30, 2001. Series: The Church in the City. Scripture: Jonah 2:1-3:3. 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. Where do you turn for reassurance in a crisis? When life feels out of control,
0:10.4	we can quickly discover that the things we turn to for our deepest security don't actually have the power to help us.
0:17.1	Today, Tim Keller looks at the story of Jonah to explore how life storms reveal what we're really trusting in
0:23.1	and how our fears are calmed when we look to Jesus who face the ultimate storm on our behalf.
0:36.4	The scripture reading can be found on page 8 in the bulletin, reading from Jonah chapter 1, I mean chapters 2 and 3.
0:46.5	From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord, His God. He said, in my distress, I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave,
0:56.3	I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the
1:02.5	seas, and the current swirled about me. All your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, I have been
1:09.3	banished from your sight. Yet I will look again toward
1:12.9	your holy temple. The engulfing waters threatened me. The deep surrounded me. Seaweed was wrapped
1:19.0	around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down. The earth beneath barred me in forever.
1:26.7	But you brought my life up from the pit,
1:29.5	O Lord my God. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you,
1:36.4	to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs,
1:43.0	but I, with a song of Thanksgiving, will sacrifice
1:45.9	to you. What I have vowed, I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord. And the Lord
1:53.8	commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah
1:59.5	a second time.
2:05.9	Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.
2:10.3	Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh.
2:12.0	The word of the Lord.
2:23.0	We continue to see that's sort of the relevance of Jonah's situation in the story of Jonah to our own.
	...

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