What Does It Mean To Preach Christ?

Transcription

1 What Does It Mean To Preach Christ? Introduction: II Corinthians 4:5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus sake. In the beginning, this was generally the theme of preaching - Acts 8:5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. v. 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And it was quite disruptive to the ears of many - Acts 17:2-3 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ. In verse 6, people thought this preaching Jesus was turning their world upside down. But, it eventually conquered the Roman Empire, when Emperor Constantine decreed the ceasing of persecution and actually the promotion of the religion in 313 A.D. All this was accomplished by preaching Christ - I Cor. 1:22-24 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 2:1-2 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty

2 speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. We must not lose faith in simply preaching Christ. Amen? But, some will be heard to say Just preach Christ; don t talk about doctrinal differences or churches. Well, hang on. Just what does preaching Christ include? To Preach Christ Is To Preach: I) His Deity - Hebrews 1:8 But of the Son he says, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. His enemies claimed it, though they disbelieved - John 19:7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God. It was His own claim - Mark 14:61-62 But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. His Father s claimed it - Matthew 3:17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Now some may think, All men are sons of God - but, not in this sense. John 3:16 says Jesus is God s only begotten Son.

3 It was proved by miracles (walking on water, stopping storms, healing the sick and disabled, raising the dead, casting out demons, etc.) and by things He said no one can forgive sins, but God. But, he said your sins are forgiven. And so, we cannot preach Christ and deny His deity. His complete deity, I might add, not some sort of half-god made up in the vain imaginations of human minds. II) His Pre-existence - John 1:15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.) In 8:56-58 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad. So the Jews said to him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. In 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. This is not believed by many many claiming to be Christian. To preach Christ in truth is to preach His pre-existence. III) His Incarnation - John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Philippians 2:5-11 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a

4 thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Included in this is preaching His virgin birth - Matthew 1:22-23 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel. That He dwelt within a real body - Hebrews 10:5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me. I John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life. Even after the resurrection He was in a body with the wound marks still visible - Luke 24:39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. Many liberal theologians refute this they are then not preaching Christ not in truth and fullness. IV) His Crucifixion - I Cor. 15:1-4.Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you unless you

5 believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. But, it does not stop with Him dying on a cross, as two thieves did as well at the same time but that His was a vicarious suffering - I Peter 2:21-24 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. So, not only that He died, but for our sins! And not for Christians only, but He died for every man - Hebrews 2:9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. V) His Resurrection - I Cor. 15:12-19 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

6 Early church success was based on this. He had Promised it - John 2:19-22.Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said, It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days? But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. And He proclaimed it in fulfillment - Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. And it was Preached - Romans 1:3-4 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord Jews still do not accept this. But, preaching Christ has to include it. VI) His Coronation (Kingship) - Acts 2:32-36 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool. Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.

7 And He Reigns still and reigns NOW! Preaching Christ must include this, but many folks claiming to preach Christ, do not. And that brings me to the next related point VII) His Kingdom - Acts 8:5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. and then v.12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Colossians 1:13 He (the Father) has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, It is in existence NOW - not yet to come. It runs simultaneous with His church - Matthew 16:18-19 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. You Cannot preach Christ and not His church, or not His kingdom in the present tense. VIII) His Commands - Acts 8:35-36 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized? 16:31-33 And they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who

8 were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Luke 6:46 Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things which I say? You cannot preach the Man, but not His plan! Conclusion: To preach Christ is more than simply preaching and somehow connecting it with Christ. It is even more than just preaching about Him in some way. It is preaching Christ is truth and fullness. Amen.