Preaching and Sightings of Calvary by C.J. Mahaney (Excerpts)
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.
Renee Ann,
With regards to this post and your previous one, I completely agree that the Gospel of Christ is conspicuously absent from many sermons today, particularly among liberal churches and pastors.
One caveat I might add, though, is that every sermon need not be evangelistic in its theme. One of the purposes of the church and church leadership is to equip the saints for growth and discipleship. While the message of the cross is certainly central to those points as well, I don’t necessarily think it always needs to be the focus of every sermon.
I once left a church because the methodology seemed to be for leadership to encourage the laymen to bring in “unchurched” friends, with hopes that they will hear a sermon and “get saved.” All the while, my own spiritual growth was suffering.
Don’t misunderstand…I love hearing the gospel preached. All I’m saying is, it’s my job too; not just his. I shouldn’t be expecting the pastor to do what I’m called to do.
Jason Sutton
May 16, 2008 at 8:12 am
Jason,
I totally agree with you that it is poor methodology to be evangelistic in the main weekly worship service. That worship service is for Christians to worship Jesus Christ. My main point is that we Christians need to hear the gospel and by hearing the gospel at least every week we are refreshed by the gospel and motivated to worship Jesus for Who He is and what He has done. This quote in the post above…
…makes the point that all of Scripture somehow points to the redemptive story line of Scripture. So that whatever 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.
I think we are in agreement.
Renee Ann Addison Culver
May 16, 2008 at 8:59 am