Sermon #1247
Title: The Pre-eminence of Christ in
Preaching
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:23
Subject: Christ the Message of Holy Scripture
Date: Sunday Morning -
Tape # S-87
Introduction:
I have been preaching
to you off and on for the past several weeks about the pre-eminence of our Lord
Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul tells us in Colossians
This morning I want
to show you The Pre-eminence of Christ
in Preaching. In 1 Corinthians
Proposition: The thing I want you to see this morning is this
-Christ is and must be pre-eminent in
all true preaching.
·
We
do not preach moralism.
·
We
do not preach politics (Gun Control - Capital Punishment).
·
We
do not preach against things (Abortion - Pornography - Homosexuality, etc.).
·
We
preach Christ crucified.
That man must not
be considered a faithful gospel preacher who does not preach Christ. Preachers
are like the pole to which Moses fastened the brazen serpent. Our only function
is to hold up Christ crucified before sinners. The gospel we preach is Jesus Christ. We do not merely preach a Christ
centered gospel. Christ is the gospel we preach. There is a huge
difference.
Romans 1:1-6
"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (2) (Which he had promised afore by his
prophets in the holy scriptures,) (3) Concerning
his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to
the flesh; (4) And declared to be the Son of God with power, according
to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (5) By whom we have received grace and
apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: (6) Among whom are ye also the called
of Jesus Christ:"
When our Lord Jesus began his public
ministry in the synagogue at
Luke 4:18-19
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon
me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent
me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (19) To preach the acceptable year of
the Lord."
As we read the
writings of the Apostle Paul, we
cannot help observing that to him the preaching of Christ, the preaching of the
gospel, and the preaching of the Scriptures were all the same thing.
Acts
1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 1:23-24
"But
we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks
foolishness; (24) But unto them which
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of
God."
1 Corinthians 2:2 "For I determined not to know any thing among
you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
2 Corinthians 4:5 "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus
the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake."
This is the one
thing that all God’s servants have in common. We have varied gifts and
abilities, different personalities and characteristics, and differing spheres
of ministry. But all true gospel preachers have one message. Our message is
Christ.
·
There
are no Apostles today.
·
No
one today has the supernatural gifts of the Apostles (Tongues, Miracles, Special Revelations).
·
But
every man called of God has the message of the gospel. “We preach Christ
crucified!”
Illustration: My Visit with Henry Twenty Years Ago
One reason I am
bringing this message today is that I might help to prepare you for our
upcoming conference. That is what I had in mind as I prepared the hymn and
articles for today’s bulletin as well. I hope you will read each article
carefully, and that as you do the Lord will enable you to pray more
intelligently and earnestly for the preaching of the gospel from his faithful
servants next weekend. I want to make five statements about preaching and
show you from the Word of God that these four things are so.
I.
True preaching is God speaking to men through the heart, lips, life, and
personality of a man by his Word about his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Preaching is not a
mechanical thing. God speaks through the whole man. That is one reason why he
requires his servants to be men of specific character (1 Tim. 3:1-7). But,
primarily, preaching, true preaching is the work of God, not the work of a man.
It is God speaking to men through a man about his Son.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21
"All things are of God,
who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the
ministry of reconciliation; (19) To
wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation. (20) Now then we are
ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in
Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
(21) For he hath made him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in
him."
II. The preaching of Jesus Christ and him crucified, when
attended with the power of God the Holy Spirit, is the effectual power of God
unto salvation.
A.
Be sure you understand that the power and efficay of the gospel does not come
from the preacher.
The preacher is nothing but a vessel, a mouthpiece, a pipe,
through whom God speaks. The power and efficacy of the gospel does not depend
upon his learning, eloquence, pathos, or diligence in study, though God
certainly uses all those things. But the power of the gospel, the efficacy of
it is God the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
"And
I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom,
declaring unto you the testimony of God.
(2) For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ,
and him crucified. (3) And I was with
you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. (4) And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of
the Spirit and of power: (5) That
your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of
God."
1 Corinthians 3:6 "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave
the increase."
2 Corinthians 2:14-17
"Now
thanks be unto God, which always
causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his
knowledge by us in every place. (15) For
we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them
that perish: (16) To
the one we are the savour of death
unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? (17) For we are not as many, which
corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God
speak we in Christ."
2 Corinthians 3:5-6
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of
ourselves; but our sufficiency is of
God; (6) Who also hath made us able
ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the
letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."
1 Thessalonians 1:4-5
"Knowing,
brethren beloved, your election of God.
(5) For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and
in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were
among you for your sake."
B.
The preaching of the gospel, the preaching of Christ crucified is the catalyst
of God’s saving grace.
Romans 1:15-17
"So,
as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at
Romans 10:13-17
"For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (14) How then shall they call on him in
whom they have not believed? and how shall they
believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how
shall they hear without a preacher? (15) And
how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that
preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (16) But they have not all obeyed the
gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? (17) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Hebrews
James
1 Peter 1:23-25
"Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God,
which liveth and abideth for ever. (24) For
all flesh is as grass, and all the
glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof
falleth away: (25) But the word of
the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is
preached unto you."
III.
This same message is God’s message of grace for the reproof, correction,
comfort, inspiration, correction, and instruction of his saints in
righteousness.
Nothing so inspires devotion as the gospel of Christ. Nothing more
severely reproves our sin and unbelief. Nothing ministers comfort to our souls
like the doctrine of Christ crucified. Nothing promotes holiness like the
message of God’s rich, abundant, free grace flowing to us through the blood of
our crucified Savior!
A.
Christ
is our only hope of salvation.
B.
Christ
is our only rule of life.
C.
Christ
is our only motive to godliness.
D.
Christ
is our only inspiration to devotion and consecration.
Romans 12:1-2
"I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
"Know
ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"What?
know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost which is in you, which ye have
of God, and ye are not your own? (20) For
ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your
spirit, which are God's."
IV We preach Christ
when we preach him in the fullness of his redemptive grace and glory as God our
Savior.
Let me be explicit
and clear. I want no one to misunderstand what I am saying. The preaching of
the gospel, the preaching of all the counsel of God, the preaching of Christ of
necessity involves the preaching of his...
A.
Eternal
Deity and Godhead (John 1:1-2).
B.
Suretyship
Engagements (Heb. 10:5-10).
C.
Supernatural
Incarnation (1 Tim.
D.
Obedience
as our Representative (Rom.
E.
Efficacious
Atonement (Heb.
F.
Sovereign
Dominion (John 17:2;
G.
Saving
Power and Goodness (Heb.
H.
Unfailing
Intercession ( John 17 {Keep Them - Sanctify Them -
Unite Them - Teach Them - Bring Them To Me} Rom.
I.
Glorious
Second Advent (Rev. 1:7).
Let me make one
last statement by which I hope to convey to you the great burden of my soul and
the intensity with which I do this work to which God has called me. I take this
fifth statemen directly from the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:16. I take Paul’s words here to be my own.
V. "For though I
preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me;
yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!"
I sometimes here
men say, “We ought not take ourselves too seriously.”
I am sometimes told, “You take the work of the ministry too seriously.”
Impossible!
If when I preach I
preach not the gospel, I would be unfaithful to God, unfaithful to your souls,
and guilty of your blood when I stand before God in judgment.
·
Ezekiel
3:17-19
However, if by the power and grace of God I am enabled to give
myself faithfully to the work of the ministry and faithfully preach the gospel
to you, I will both save myself and you who are enabled of God to here me.
·
1
Timothy 4:16
Application:
I ask you to pray
for me and pray for those men who will come here Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
to preach the gospel to us. Pray for an
out-pouring of God’s Spirit upon the preaching of the gospel!
·
For
the Salvation of Sinners.
·
To
Speak to Your Own Heart.
·
For
the Comfort and Edification of His Saints.
·
For
the Reviving of His Church.
True preaching is
as much a spiritual exercise as prayer, praise, or the most elevated heights of
worship. But true preaching can exist only where preparation has been made,
both by the preacher and by the people of God. We are laborers together in the
gospel. Let us be as one in the hand of God. As I prepare to preach to you and
these brethren prepare to preach to you next weekend, pray for us.
Illustration: Gill’s Comments on the Allabaster Box