I remember vividly the senior sermon I preached before graduating from seminary. It was a privilege only four students from the graduating class received—to preach to the whole school, students and faculty. I worked on this sermon the whole semester, got it graded, and approved. Now, it was time to preach.
Nearly 15 years later, what stands out most is a conversation with another student immediately after the chapel service. The student made it to the front and asked me, “Why didn’t you preach Christ?”
I was taken aback. I preached from 2 Chronicles 20. My exegesis involved grammatical analysis, understanding the historical context, bringing out the literal, plain meaning of the text, and applying it to the listeners. It was a textbook expository sermon.
My reply was blunt: “There was no Christ in 2 Chronicles.” Today, I realise how blind I was.
The Rich Message of the Gospel
Preparing and preaching gospel-centred sermons hinges fundamentally on the person and work of Christ. The gospel is the good news about how God has accomplished our salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And there are so many nuances, shades, and layers to this rich and beautiful gospel.
Isaiah 53:5 introduces this Saviour as a suffering servant who will be crushed for our sins. John 3:16 reveals that he is a gracious gift from God to all who believe. In Acts 13, we learn through Paul’s preaching that this gospel is proclaimed for the forgiveness of our sins and justification before God.
The gospel is first and foremost God’s power displayed in your life.
Then, in Romans 5:8, we realise that we do not deserve Christ’s sacrifice, and yet he offered himself to us in love. In 1 Peter 3:18, God assures us that this sacrifice of Christ for our sins is once and for all. Furthermore, 1 John 4:10 reminds us that this act of God’s salvation originated in his love for us, not the other way around. Finally, in Hebrews 9:28 we see Christ as not only taking away our sins but returning to take us to himself.
How does one preach this gospel, the truth, and power of God for all, in a way that is faithful to the text and relevant to our hearers?
The Gospel-centered Preacher
Preacher, the gospel is not something you preach only to others. You need to first learn to preach it to yourself. The gospel is, first and foremost God’s power displayed in your life.
As a preacher, is the gospel transforming you to be more humble? Do you find yourself growing in genuine repentance and recognising your increasing need for Christ? Is the gospel transforming you to be more confident in your identity in Christ?
As you face the depth of your sin honestly, do you see the loving, forgiving embrace of God in Christ? Do you sense his love wash away guilt and shame on a daily basis, moving you away from legalism and licentiousness? Before you preach the gospel to others, does this gospel of grace you preach make you gracious and gentle like your Saviour?
If we miss Jesus in Scripture, our approach to God’s Word becomes moralistic.
A truly gospel-centred sermon is one that the preacher learns to preach to oneself regularly and habitually. The preacher learns to taste and see the love of God in Christ. We find comfort for our weary souls through the Spirit of Christ. Our hearts cannot help but melt in humble adoration before our Saviour on the cross.
A gospel-centered sermon overflows from a gospel-shaped life.
Preparing Gospel-centered Sermons
What is unique about preparing gospel-centered sermons? The key is in how you read and study the bible. Do you see it as merely a set of instructions and commands from God? Or do you see all of God’s Word pointing to Christ?
One of my favourite encounters with Jesus is on the road to Emmaus. Jesus walks with two clueless people and begins to explain the Scriptures to them (Luke 21:13-35).
Imagine the moment Jesus takes the scroll of Isaiah in Luke 4, reads it and concludes by saying “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Preparing gospel-centred sermons involves seeing Jesus as the ultimate hero of every story, the ultimate representation of every symbol, the ultimate resolution of every theme, and the ultimate obedience to every law.
Preaching Christ draws people by his grace, transforms people by his power, and motivates obedience by his love.
Jesus Christ is not merely an example to follow but our Saviour who saves us through his sacrifice and empowers us with his Spirit.
Unless you meet the person of Christ in Scripture, your preparation and focus will be merely on principles and patterns to follow. In your study, do you see what Jesus says of himself in John 5:39? He says, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.”
If we miss Jesus in Scripture, our approach to God’s Word becomes moralistic. But when you encounter Jesus in the pages of scripture, studying God’s Word results in worship.
The Fruit of Gospel-centered Sermons
Gospel-centred sermons do not relegate Christ to the end or force Christ into the text. Rather, Christ shines brightly throughout the sermon. He is the point and the pinnacle of the sermon. Preaching Christ is what sets gospel-centered sermons apart.
Charles Spurgeon says, “Of all I would wish to say this is the sum; my brethren, preach Christ, always and evermore. He is the whole gospel. His person, offices, and work must be our one great, all-comprehending theme.”
Preaching Christ is to hold Christ and his gospel as true, good, and beautiful to this world that is weary, lost, and perishing. He is the one who saves us from our sins and sustains us with power. He confronts our selfishness and comforts us in our suffering; he feeds and transforms our souls.
Preaching Christ draws people by his grace, transforms people by his power, and motivates obedience by his love. No wonder Paul is emphatic in his confidence, “Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice” (Phil. 1:18).
Let sermon preparation first remind and ground the preacher in Christ. From this posture, may our sermons resist telling superficial moral tales and turn to the proclamation of God’s power (Rom. 1:16).
