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In a post last week, I listed a link to Steven Newell’s post, Christian Worship: Christ centered preaching. I don’t want you to miss out on reading his post. I took similar notes from Todd Wilken and listed my notes in my post, Christless Christianity. Steven Newell’s notes are more detailed than mine, so below, I have excerpted the last half of his post for you. His whole post is exceptionally good and I strongly encourage you to click the link above to read his whole article.
Many sermons that preached today are not Christ centered messages. Many pastors have replaced the message of the cross with a focus on the Christian life, society or other issues that are not the Gospel. Rev. Todd Wilkins, host of Issues, Etc. radio program has developed a good test to determine if the sermon that the pastor preaches is a Christ centered sermon. Here we are focusing on what the pastor says, not the delivery style or their ability to effectively communicate or entertain an audience, but the content of what is being said. This set of questions is a tool that you can use when listen to a sermon. Content is everything in a sermon!
- How often is Jesus mention?
- If Jesus is mentioned, is He the subject of the verbs?
- What are those verbs?
First, if Jesus is not mentioned, then you know that this is not a Christ centered sermon and not a Christian sermon. Jesus can be mentioned in his various names and titles. Just because Christ is mentioned, doesn’t make the sermon a Christian sermon, especially if the Gospel is not present nor proclaimed.
Second, when Jesus is mentioned, is he the subject of the verbs? In every sentence, there is a subject and a verb. If Jesus isn’t the subject, then who is? If Jesus isn’t the subject of the verbs, then this cannot be a Christ centered sermon. When someone other than Christ is the subject of the sentence, then Christ cannot be the focus of the sermon.
Next, look at the verbs associated with Jesus in the sermon. Are the verbs associated with Jesus passive or active? Is Jesus doing the action or is he being acted upon? If Jesus isn’t the active player in the verbs, then who is? If the pastor is placing the individual as the active player, then this sermon is not a Gospel sermon. For example, “Jesus is waiting for you to give your life to him” places Jesus as the passive player and the individual as the active player. If the pastor says “Jesus has saved you and gives you life” he is placing Jesus as the active player and you as the passive player. This is very important since the Gospel is not about what we do for Christ, but what Christ has already done for us.
At the end of the sermon, ask yourself these to questions: “What is our problem that the pastor has identified in their sermon?” and “What is the solution for our problem?” Is the problem that we are sinful by nature or that we make mistakes? How the pastor defines our problem is critical to how Christ is part of the solution. His definition of the problem also impacts the roll of Christ in the solution. If the problem is anything less than man’s sinful nature and being dead to God, then the problem the pastor defines isn’t the same problem that the bible defines are our problem.
What is the solution that the pastor provides? If the solution is to “Give your heart to Jesus” or “Change your attitude” places the focus on the individual as the source of the solution. This is not a Christ centered sermon but a human centered sermon. The Biblical solution is always what Christ has done for you on the cross.
Posted in Articles (not a link list), Christ-Centered, Cross-Focused, Church, Gospel, Worship | Tagged Christ, christ-centered, Christless Christianity, Church, cross-focused, Gospel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, sermon, sermons, Worship | 1 Comment »
In a post last week, I listed a link to Chris Anderson’s post, What is Christ-Centered Preaching? This.
I don’t want you to miss out on reading his post. Below, I excerpt parts of his post for you. So, enjoy and click the link above to read his whole article.
By the way, my Twitter friend, Jason Sutton (Jason, I can’t say that I’m a fan of the UT wallpaper on your Twitter page… GO BAMA!… ahem… where was I?) Jason reminded me to tell you that I am not advocating gospel sermons as a means of evangelism. I and the authors of the posts that I’m recommending, are advocating that Christ-centered, cross-focused weekly sermons are for Christians gathering to worship Jesus Christ for Who He is and for the great work He accomplished on the cross. All of Scripture somehow points to the redemptive story-line of Scripture. Whichever portion of the Bible that is preached, the preacher should clearly tie it to the grand theme of the Bible, which is Christ and Him crucified. And, another twitter friend, Matt Delves (who could double as young Francis Schaeffer, though Matt often uses the older Francis Schaeffer image as a Twitter avatar), reminded me to not forget the resurrection. He’s so right… the resurrection is God’s sign that He has accepted the Ultimate Sacrifice and so the resurrection is an integral part of the gospel.
Okay, again I will say… below, I excerpt parts of Chris Anderson’s post for you. So, enjoy and click the link above to read his whole article.
By the way, this focus on Christ-centered things is no fad, nor is it merely a matter of semantics. The cross work of Christ is the heart of Christianity, and it must be the heart of our preaching. Think about it: How many sermons have you preached (on virtues, parenting, responsibilities, sins, etc.) that would have been well-received in a Jewish synagogue, Muslim mosque, JW Kingdom Hall, or Mormon…whatever? “Many” is my honest answer. It’s easy to preach “biblical” messages that aren’t distinctly Christian. However, to do so is to offer morality rather than Christianity and to set people up for legalism and failure. We must preach a distinctly Christian message about virtues, home, responsibilities, sins, and other issues. To do so means that we’re preaching “Christ crucified” and showing how that applies to everyday life.
and then,
…we forget that “context” is more than the words, sentences and paragraphs that surround a particular text. The larger context for every passage and message is Christianity. And frankly, it’s much easier to preach outo’sto’s than to’sto’s. I’m not suggesting that we neglect the former, but we must tie it inseparably to the latter. Only Gospel-centered preaching is distinctly Christian preaching. We must preach Christ more intentionally, week in and week out.
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In a post a couple of days ago, I listed a link to C. J. Mahaney’s post, Preaching and Sightings of Calvary. I don’t want you to miss out on reading his post. Below, I excerpt parts of his post for you. So, enjoy and click the link above to read his whole article.
I’m reminded of the correction given to a young preacher named Martyn Lloyd-Jones (then in his 20s). After Lloyd-Jones preached as a visitor in a certain church, one of the town’s local pastors approached him to correct him on his neglect of the cross. Later in life, Lloyd-Jones reflected on this correction and wrote,
I was like Whitefield in my early preaching. First I preached regeneration, that all man’s own efforts in morality and education are useless, and that we need power from outside ourselves. I assumed the atonement but did not distinctly preach it or justification by faith. This man set me thinking and I began to read more fully in theology.
If a preacher like Lloyd-Jones needed this correction, if Mark Dever needed this correction, how much more do all pastors need this correction!
Later in the post C. J. says regarding himself,
Everything I taught in those sermons was clearly rooted in Scripture. Yet I failed to draw attention to the story line of Scripture. I had not drawn attention to the One greater than David. I failed to preach the gospel.
And then, C. J. states,
The message of the cross is central to the commission of the preacher, is to be on display in every sermon, is cultivated from every text of Scripture, and is embedded within every topic and doctrine intended to nourish the church.
Read the whole article at the link above… it is a very good read.
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In yesterday’s post, I listed a link to Mike Gilbart-Smith’s post, Are my sermons really Christian? Since, most of you probably didn’t click the link to read the article (just say’n… I do that all the time), I thought I would excerpt the end of his post for you. So, enjoy and click the link above to read his whole article.
I fear that I have preached several sermons which were Christian in what they said, but failed to get to the heart of Christianity in failing to articulate the gospel.
Preachers, remember that you have not adequately taught any Christian truth until you have shown how that truth relates to the center of Christian truth the gospel. Thus we cannot claim to have preached a Christian sermon if it does not call sinners to depend entirely upon the penal substitutionary atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Will the gospel be clear in your next sermon?
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Many talks about life issues that are put forward as Christian sermons could also be given in a Mosque or a Synagogue. In other words, they are not distinctly Christian sermons. To hear a sermon that speaks about life issues, but is grounded in Christ and the cross… that is true hope for living… soaring to the heights! By grounded in Christ and the cross, I do not mean assumed. I mean that the gospel should be explicitly stated and be central to the message. I have not extensively studied why we should have Christ-centered, cross focused sermons. I feel strongly about this simply because I highly value Christ and His work and crave to worship Him. I wrote a paragraph just yesterday concerning sin, forgiveness and why I crave Christ-centered, cross-focused weekly worship, What Do You Do With Your Guilt?
Frequency of Christ-centered cross focused sermons:
I say at least weekly, because of the long established Sabbath. A day in seven was set aside as being holy.
Priority of worship:
I think of the first commandment,
(Matthew 22:37) And he [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
To be Christ-centered is a higher priority than the “second” commandment.
(Matthew 22:39) “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
So, it seems to me to that we should be purposeful in minimally setting aside one worship service per week to honor Christ.
The links below give a little more detail on what constitutes Christ-centered, cross-focused preaching and why it is necessary.
I pray that many preachers will resolve to preach Christ-centered, cross-focused weekly sermons. And, I pray more worshipers will crave to worship Christ above all. To Christ be the glory! Amen.
LINKS that may be of interest:
What is Christ-Centered Preaching? This. by Chris Anderson
Christian Worship: Christ Centered Preaching by Steven Newell
Overview of Edmund P. Clowney’s book Preaching Christ in All of Scripture
Preaching and Sightings of Calvary by C.J. Mahaney
Are my sermons really Christian? a 9Marks, Church Matters blog post by Mike Gilbart-Smith
Related Posts on my blog:
What Do You Do With Your Guilt?
Christless Christianity
More Christless Christianity
An Elegant Explanation of the Gospel
What Is the Gospel?
So, how can God be loving if He is always seeking His own exultation?
God is the Gospel at Resolved Conference 2007
WHAT IS REFORMED THEOLOGY?
Around the Corner… Rebecca Writes… Her Notes on D. A. Carson’s Sermon “What is the Gospel?”
links for 2007-09-01
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Sin and true guilt are ever-present in my life.
This is exactly why I need to preach the gospel to myself everyday and to hear the gospel in church at least every week. I guess I’m very attuned to auditory messages. I crave to be in a worship service that provides gifts from our Savior… to confess my sins with fellow believers (general congregational confessions), to hear the preacher proclaim forgiveness for my sins because of Jesus, to receive sweet communion, and to hear a Christ-centered, cross focused sermon. I need these gifts, at least every week.
Related posts:
Christless Christianity
More Christless Christianity
An Elegant Explanation of the Gospel
What Is the Gospel?
So, how can God be loving if He is always seeking His own exultation?
God is the Gospel at Resolved Conference 2007
WHAT IS REFORMED THEOLOGY?
Around the Corner… Rebecca Writes… Her Notes on D. A. Carson’s Sermon “What is the Gospel?”
links for 2007-09-01
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Psalms 15:1-5 A Psalm of David. O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? (2) He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; (3) who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; (4) in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; (5) who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.
Who is this Psalm talking about? It’s not you or me. We can try to be righteous, but we cannot be righteous. This Psalm is talking about Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit…
That’s us, the unrighteous. But, we can find refuge in Christ.
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I started out by making a short comment on Jeremy’s blog post, review: MH Wedgewood, but my second comment has morphed into the following. I’ve been meaning to address this subject on my blog again, so here it is in the context of over-answering Jeremy.
Jeremy,
Here are some more opinions from me. We live in a rural area in order to be near hubby’s work. I’m a fish out of water here, culturally, but if we could find a church that meets our first two primary criteria, we would try our best to adapt no matter the style. If we were looking for our preferred style in addition, we would never find a church here.
We drive 45 minutes to an hour to Birmingham because there are more choices. We moved to this area 3 1/2 years ago. We did spend the first half of the time since we moved here searching nearby for a church home. We find in both rural and city settings “Southern Gospel” type services (minus preaching Christ and the gospel) and small and large “mega” church styles. Our style preference is hymns set to truly contemporary music. We found one church like this that serves communion every week, but does not preach Christ crucified during Sunday worship. They would not use the term, but they are trying to be “seeker” sensitive.
And, this brings me to the heart of our problem. We believe the weekly Christian worship service is primarily for these purposes:
To receive Christ and His gifts through communion and hearing the Word preached… specifically to hear about Christ’s most wonderful work (the atonement) so we can…
Worship Jesus Christ through song, prayer, and in our hearts
To participate in corporate confession of sin
We also like corporate confessions of faith, but we hesitate to lengthen our list because we rarely find a church that meets our very first criteria.
Please, someone tell me why I should go to a Christian church service if it is not Christ centered?
Perhaps we would have this problem no matter where we live. I have noticed that many national preachers who I respect and listen to via podcasts are speaking very eloquently and doctrinally correct in their “sermons.” But, the setting is all wrong. Bible and God centered speeches are wonderful. But, if that is what is preached, without Christ and the gospel, during the main weekly worship service, then it might be called Bibli-alatry (idolatry with the object of worship being the Bible). Jesus Christ should be the sole object of our worship. Jesus affirms that the Old Testament testifies about Him.
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they [the Scriptures] that bear witness about me. John 5:39 (ESV)
Every topic in the Bible should be viewed in light of the finished work of Jesus. It is really all about Jesus. It is about His most wonderful accomplishment: reconciliation of man to God through His atoning death on the cross. I believe that the main weekly Christian worship service should be Christ-centered. Period.
Here is what we have found in 3 ½ years of visiting every Sunday (though we have landed in a few churches for extended times). We are PCA members and that is our preferred denomination, but we have not limited ourselves by denomination in our search. We found one church that preaches Christ and the gospel every Sunday in a medium sized town and serves communion once per month. The service is sort of “mega” churchy in style. It is in a logistically difficult location for us, but we just remember it and may wind up there in the end. If they had weekly communion, that might tip us back to them right away in spite of the logistics.
The only other contender is a Lutheran church (LCMS) which we are currently attending and very satisfied with for the moment. The style is traditional, but thankfully not “Southern Gospel” and they currently meet all of our above qualifications. The problem here is that the preacher of, I think, thirty years is retiring in August. So, then we are left with an huge unknown, plus a denomination that is not our first pick. So, for now we are soaking up Christ and waiting to see what will happen. Our plan for now is to go back to the church mentioned in the above paragraph if the church we are currently attending falls through.
Getting back to my original reason for commenting on Jeremy’s post, about being greeted at church… You are right to point out that your church is in a rural setting. Culturally, rural and city settings can be very different. In my rural area, it would be a great offense to not be greeted by several people upon visiting. I accept this. In the city, if the congregation is say 200 or more in attendance, I think you can at least not bombard the visitor. I suppose we have always been greeted as a visitor and perhaps other people would feel slighted. We may be the exception in our preference to slip in and out of a church we are visiting.
As to your mention about your church struggling for relevance and dealing with declining attendance… more opinions from me. Don’t worry too much about it. The rural setting is very difficult. Fewer people mean fewer resources for your church (time, talent, money). If population decreases in rural areas, attendance will decrease. Preach the gospel faithfully and be relevant to your little niche of the world as you go outside your church walls. That may just mean being good neighbors and serving the community in various ways. IMHO for what it’s worth.
Related Posts:
Christless Christianity
What Is the Gospel?
An Elegant Explanation of the Gospel
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