Is it a Christ-Centered Sermon? Part One
March 31st, 2006Excerpts from an article by Todd Wilken entitled A Listener’s Guide to the Pulpit:
“The central message of the Bible is Jesus Christ crucified and risen for sinners. If a sermon is really Bible-based, it will preach that Gospel.”
“Often, the difference between good preaching and bad preaching is not in what is said, but in what is left unsaid. More often, what is left unsaid is the Gospel itself.”
“Sometimes, a ‘Life-Application’ sermon does talk about Jesus. But since the goal of this kind of sermon is to teach people how to live, Jesus is presented as your teacher, your example, and your helper. The death and resurrection of Jesus might also be mentioned—as an example for you to follow of selfless love and self-sacrifice. Dr. David Wells says, ‘The Cross becomes exactly what it was in liberalism, that Jesus is reduced simply to a good example and we try to follow in His footsteps in the sense that we try to look out on life the way He did.’ In the ‘Life-Application’ sermon, Jesus becomes just another paradigm for you to live by.”
“If Jesus is mentioned, is He the subject of the verbs? This is simple grammar. Every sentence has a subject and a verb. So, listen to the sermon and do the grammar. Dr. Norman Nagel is famous for asking, ‘Who is driving the verbs?’ Is Jesus active or passive? Is Jesus doing the action or is He being acted upon? There is a difference between a sermon that says ‘I love Jesus,’ and a sermon that says ‘Jesus love me.’ One is talking about you, the other is talking about Jesus. There is a difference between, ‘Give your life to Jesus,’ and ‘Jesus gave His life for you.’”
(Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Four)
*Also, check out this blogger’s posts on Gospel-Centered Preaching, here and here.
March 31st, 2006 at 11:53 am
I’m particularly curious about the last paragraph. Is the writer saying that you shouldn’t say, “I love Jesus,” or “Give your life to Jesus”? Or is he merely saying that those kinds of statements, by themselves, do not make for a Gospel message? Because I think we have the given-by-inspiration example of Paul, for instance, in which those kinds of exhortations are given repeatedly, but within the context of the Gospel itself.
For example: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). I want to be true to the text and urge believers, “[You] glorify God in your bodies.” But at the same time, I don’t want the motive to be self-righteous or legalistic, so I’d keep it in the context of what Christ has done on a cross to purchase my life, thereby enabling and motivating a formerly dead self to glorify God.
It sounds like, in this last paragraph, Nagel is creating an “either-or” situation. It seems to me much of the Scripture itself is written to us as a “both-and.” I’m not being true to the grace of Christ if I teach a life-application lesson and leave people with the impression that the standard of God is attainable through tremendous self-discipline. But neither am I being true to the grace of Christ if I leave them with the impression that grace did not teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly passions. Right?
March 31st, 2006 at 12:13 pm
I don’t think he’s creating an “either-or” situation though I can’t say for sure. The point he seems to be making is that the gospel is not “I love Jesus” or “give your life to Jesus.” The gospel is the news of what God has done in Christ to set this world to rights. That’s what I think he’s saying. I don’t think he would deny that the gospel has ethical implications. What I think he would argue though, is that the gospel is the power of God unto enabling us, motivating us to carry out the ethical implications and imperatives of Scripture. You can’t say everything about a subject in one article (if you did, it would quickly turn into a series of books).
March 31st, 2006 at 5:06 pm
Dan…do you know how much youth curriculum is built around learning life lessons from the Bible? Staggering…
March 31st, 2006 at 6:58 pm
Yes, I’ve looked at plenty of youth curriculum over the years. It so heavy on “do!” that there is little room left for “done!” It’s staggering and sad…
April 1st, 2006 at 6:39 am
I came for a blessing including a grammar lesson as a I wordsmith an important
document. Do any of you have a concise writing guide for a persuasive one page
article? Does Norman Nagel?
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