Paul said, “we preach Christ crucified,” (1 Cor.1:23a). The Sacred Text is filled with spiritual truth, but the unifying thread is the scarlet cord of redemption. Jesus is woven into the fabric of Scripture from start to finish. He is there in creation in Genesis and still there at the consummation in Revelation—and everywhere in between. Whether it be in types, symbols, prophecy, history, or exposition—in shadow and substance—the central figure is Jesus.
CHRIST IS THE SUBJECT OF OUR SERMON. In the text in Mark, the people were not drawn to the disciples, but to Jesus. They did not come seeking an explanation for how to be better fishermen, though Peter might have aided them in this, or how to get a job as a tax-collector, eve if Matthew might have shared that experience. Jesus was the subject of the people’s attraction and attention.
The preacher must be cautious that his sermons do not become mere moralism. The carnal mind often seeks ear-tickling preachers that have an itch for “Five Ways to Enjoy Your Job,” or “How to be Successful in Life,” ad infinitum. It is not that the Bible does not speak to every dimension of life, but rather these are beams of truth that radiate from the Light of the World—Jesus Christ. He is to be the focus of our preaching.
CHRIST IS THE STRENGTH OF OUR SERMON. Note how Jesus could not escape the multitudes. There was a magnetism about Him—an irresistible power that pulled the people to Him. While it is true that many sought Him for the wrong purpose—having self-centered motives and temporal passions to have their needs met—there were those who sincerely saw Him as Lord and Savior. They knew they were doomed as sinners without Him to save them. The true followers would hear Him beckon them to self-denial, taking up the cross, and following Him up the Calvary Road. The Apostle Paul’s missionary message concentrated on Christ crucified. The power in His preaching was not in human eloquence, personal charisma, or rational argumentation, but in preaching Christ crucified. He put it this way:
“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (I Cor. 2:1-5).
I wonder how many will be in hell because their faith rested in the wisdom of men rather than in the power of God? Let us not despair if we have not the personality that wows the carnal with our charm, nor seek to employ such if we have it. Jesus is the power of God that summons the dead to life, and all who have met Jesus have the capacity of introducing Him to others. Our aim is not to be a talented embalmer who makes corpses appear happy for a brief time, but rather to call them to come out of their grave as Christ did for Lazarus!
CHRIST IS THE SUCCESS OF OUR SERMON. Mark 7:24 tells us that Jesus, “could not be hidden.” Hopefully, we do not want a crowd at church so as to boast of our numbers or gain the applause of our brethren. If we strive for such, we will be disappointed. Most preachers do not have the charisma and charm to build such a mega-ministry. You can buy the books and try their methods, but few will attain that level of “success.”
Yet, what if we are one of the exceptional ones who has such a skill-set? A few may get into heaven through incidental contact with the Gospel, but most of the celebrity preachers rarely share the Gospel. Many a sermon when put in the fire of Christ’s judgment will see the manuscript go up in smoke, reduced to ashes and blown away with no eternal value. May we as preachers renew our commitment to labor to present that which is gold, silver, and jewels—the crowning glory of preaching Christ faithfully! That is a successful sermon, and all we are capable of doing. We cannot save anyone; that is a supernatural work. But, we must be convinced that if Christ is preached, the Spirit of God will succeed in drawing the elect unto Himself.
Our conviction must correlate with the Apostle, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (Rom. 1:16). Too much preaching is healing people rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic. We have hit the iceberg already! The ship is sinking! Morality, philosophy, politics, and such cannot fix what is wrong. Urgently, direct people into the Lifeboat of the Lord!
Preach Christ and the called crowd will come!
