The Gospel MUST be everything!


What does it mean to be Gospel-Driven?

While there may be many ways to state an answer, this is what I mean: That the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the most significant event in time and eternity. It means that when God writes the final edition of the newspaper, “Great events of history”, it will have one story, Jesus the Son of God was given by the Father and took on flesh, lived a sinless life in submission to the Father, offered up his life as a once for all sacrifice for sinners, then was buried, and broke the power of death in his resurrection. It has many implications.

Here are a variety of thoughts about this:

It means there will be no boasting in the eternal joy we shall experience because of the Gospel. There will be no competition for glory – only he will be glorified and we will be glorified in him.

The Gospel is glorious because it is not about what we do. It is not even a message that tells us to “ask Jesus to be your savior and you will be forgiven.” That is not the Gospel, it is a response to the Gospel. The Gospel is news about what Jesus has done. We subtly distort the Gospel when we make it about us. The Gospel is more than “God loves you as you are.” It is God saves you as you are.

The Gospel is news about Him not about us. It is the description of what he has done. We are the beneficiaries, but God is the One who has acted to save us. We should dwell often on his person and work and less on ourselves.

The Gospel is about God and what he has done in order that we will be saved from wrath. It is not about our sense of purpose in life or our sense of meaning. It is not about our psychological problems – our “issues” as we say. It is about something far deeper – it is called sin. It is not about our needs – it is about our standing before the God who is the Creator and Judge of all. It is not a therapy, it is a blood sacrifice. It is not moral advice for the well meaning, it is resurrection of the dead.

The Gospel is stunning because our sin was great. Our sin is great because it is against a glorious God. It did not take the death of the Son of God to give us good feelings or purpose in life. The issue was sin, and the everlasting ruin that lay before us in judgment of sin. If God wanted to make us feel better about ourselves he would not have wasted his Son’s life for that. But sin is such a great evil that it required such a One to be our Savior.

The Gospel is great because it speaks to our truest and deepest needs – reconciliation with God and the end of sin. All of our perceived and felt needs are simply surface level symptoms of a far greater issue. We are alienated from God, cut off from his life, without hope in this world. We would rather rule in hell than serve in heaven and we reap the fruit of that revolt in our entire being. The Gospel rescues us.

The Gospel is about the gracious work of God to rescue rebels from his righteous judgment and make them reflections of his glory once again. It reveals God most clearly. It was the work of God in Trinity. It is a plan of infinite wisdom that reveals God’s glory, humbles humanity, rescues us from sin and wrath to come, and recreates us into the image of God once more.

When this truth – the life and death of Jesus the Messiah – is no longer at the center of our lives and preaching and counseling, I am likely to create a caricature of God. I like to think of Gospel centrality as the Sun in the middle of the solar system – it is over 98% of the mass of the entire solar system, and its mass keeps all the planets in orbit. Shrink the centrality of the Gospel and the planets fall out of line. That means that all the good things of the Christian life are kept in line by the Gospel. If the Gospel is diminished in our hearts, there is bad fruit.

Shrink the cross and the empty tomb and we are drawn from godliness into moralism. We teach and bring constant exhortation to a better life but without hope. People do not live in faith, but in self-reliance.

Shrink the cross and the empty tomb and church programs, as useful as they can be, become too important. They push their way into the center and people compete for their favorites to get the most attention and being the most effective.

Shrink the cross and pride grows in its place. I begin to think that I can make a contribution!

Shrink the cross and my felt needs creep into the center of the stage. I cease to think clearly about what God sees as important -- sin and holiness and eternity. I think my felt needs are what matters.

Shrink the cross and we become religious intellectuals, doctrinally precise and defined, but without the warm and glorious humility of living in the grace of God.

Shrink the cross and all attempts at relevance become nothing but powerless platitudes, and religious or moral vanity.

Shrink the cross and we are drawn into sentimentality and the pursuit of good religious feelings.

Shrink the cross and we become advocates of our pet peeves or preferences – we think that what we have concluded about any number of specific applications of truth to life is the most pure expression of godliness.

Shrink the cross and we are tempted to spirituality and mysticism as solutions for putting sin to death.

Shrink the cross and our hearts will take us anywhere else for the remedy to the disease of our hearts.

Magnify the cross! With the cross dominating, we see the central issue to be our standing before God in his glorious holiness. We see that the central enemy is deep-seated sin and arrogance. We see the only power able to forgive and justify and put sin to death is the blood of Jesus applied to our lives in the power of the Spirit. We see the centrality of the local church, for which Jesus died. We see the necessity of Gospel power over religious sentiment or mysticism or how to’s.

Luther was correct, this Gospel is a message we live by and we must remind ourselves of it continually -- for in the fullness of Jesus as Savior and Lord is all peace with God, all joy before Him, all certainly in the face of trials.

Never Tire of the Gospel by Martin Luther:


Thanks, reformationtheology.com…

People don’t earn God’s approval or receive life and salvation because of anything they’ve done. Rather, the only reason they receive life and salvation is because of God’s kindness through Christ. There is no other way.

“Many Christians are tired of hearing this teaching over and over. They think that they learned it all long ago. However, they barely understand how important it really is. If it continues to be taught as truth, the Christian church will remain united and pure – free from decay. This truth alone makes and sustains Christianity. You might hear an immature Christian brag about how well he knows that we receive God’s approval through God’s kindness and not because of anything we do to earn it. But if he goes on to say that this is easy to put into practice, then have no doubt he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and he probably never will. We can never learn this truth completely or brag that we understand it fully. Learning this truth is an art. We will always remain students of it, and it will always be our teacher.

“The people who truly understand that they receive God’s approval by faith and put this into practice don’t brag that they have fully mastered it. Rather, they think of it as a pleasant taste or aroma that they are always pursuing. These people are astonished that they can’t comprehend it as fully as they would like. They hunger and thirst for it. They yearn for it more and more. They never get tired of hearing about this truth.”

— Martin Luther, from Faith Alone, ed. James C. Galvin

Expository Preaching Clarified-

For years I have been a leading advocate that the only "real" preaching is "expository" preaching--meaning a preacher should work systematically through books of the Bible verse-by-verse. The reason? Every word of the Bible is God's Word, and the preacher is commissioned to "preach the Word" (2 Tim 4:2), so preaching verse by verse is, by definition, the way to do it. To do so ensures that he would be fulfilling Paul's charge to Timothy, however, I've recently been challenged. Here, I do not wish to address the question of whether "verse by verse" exposition is the best way of preaching the Word, however, I wish to challenge the idea that preaching that way ensures that the "Word has been preached" as Paul meant it.

You see, the mission of preachers-teachers was most clearly stated by Jesus when he commissioned His disciples to "preach the Gospel." The Gospel is the point of the Bible, and thus, the point of preaching. In fact, when Paul exhorts Timothy to "preach the Word," he did not have in mind all the verses of the 66 books of the Bible when he said "the Word." All 66 books had not even been written yet! Precisely, "the Word" for Paul meant "the kerygma" or the message of the Gospel (Cf. 1 Cor 15:2-4).

Again, this is not to dispute that verse by verse teaching is certainly not a way, perhaps the best way, to accomplish that. It simply means that having "preached verse by verse" through a passage does not mean that, by definition, a preacher has necessarily preached "the Word," i.e. "the Gospel."

Could expository preaching not necessarily be Gospel-centered preaching? How could a person preach verse-by verse and not preach the point of the Bible? Very easily. It's happened numerous times! There are two qualities often found in expository preaching that disqualify it from being Gospel-centered preaching.

1) Moralism: Many "expository" sermons simply do not deal with the idols of the heart or the functional Saviors which control behavior. They do not point people back to the Gospel and the power of God as the only solution. I have heard a number of meticulous expository sermons which left me with examples to emulate ("Be like Moses and trust God and don't lash out in anger") but never pointed me to the Rock from which the healing water flowed and to which all the stories of the Old Testament were to point us (1 Cor 10; 2 Tim 3:14). The Gospel is not only the "ABC's" of Christianity, but the "A-Z" of Christianity. The Gospel is not the diving board that launches us into the pool of Christian living, but the water itself. As Charles Spurgeon said, in any topic you preach you must plow a trough back to the cross from which the power to heal and change really flows. I have heard far too many expository sermons that failed on just this point.

2) Me-centered: Much expository preaching treats the Biblical stories as if they are all about us. Their main point is to tell me how I should be able to see myself in so-and-so biblical character's life and thus see what God wants to do in my life... or look at so-and-so's behavior and see what I am supposed to do. But Jesus said in John 5:38-39 that the whole Bible was really about Him, not us. That means if I'm told the main point of a passage is about my life, I have been misled and missed the main point. Bible passages are not intended, primarily, to fill in some missing piece in the story of my life, but to show me that I must rewrite my story in terms of God's story. The Bible was not primarily intended to explain to me what I should do for God, but to point me to what God has done and is doing for me in Christ.

For example, in most of the bazillion sermons we've heard on David and Goliath, the application went something like, "And see, you too have giants in your life. And, through the power of God, you can knock them down like David did!" Sounds familiar?

But what if the main point about David was not about how we are to defeat giants like David did? What if we emphasized, instead, that David was a young Jew, hated by his brothers, who went out and defeated a giant who had completely immobilized Israel, and through his victory all of Israel was saved, even though they didn’t lift a finger to help David! All Israel all shared in his victory. In this way, David was pointing us to Jesus. And because Jesus, the "greater David," has conquered the "giant" of my separation from God, I don’t worry about other giants.
It is then that we could move properly to the application to defeating the giants in my life, for no longer does my own funcational salvation depend on defeating a certain giant like a difficulty at work or a sickness I have.

Or how about Joseph? Think about the sermons you've heard on Joseph, what did they usually sound like? Often, I heard it like this: "Hold on, you may be in prison now, but if you trust God and avoid Potiphar's wife, God will make you something analogous to the prime minister of Egypt." Again, sound familiar?

But what if instead of seeing ourselves as Joseph, we saw that the main point of the Joseph story was to point us to Jesus? Just as Joseph was a man hated and unjustly betrayed by his own brothers, but who rose from the prison to rule the world and saved them and the whole world in the process, so was Jesus. And now, because Jesus, the "greater Joseph," has been victorious to save me from the real destruction of being separated from God, I am victorious in Him even if I die in prison!

Even with postmodernism, which primarily suffers from the loss of a "metanarrative" or an overarching Story that explains all of life and ties it together. When each story of the Bible is preached as if it was simply an example for us to emulate, we reduce the Bible to a collection of stories to be used as tools in perfecting the great story about us, therefore, further leading us to simply fit these individual Bible stories into our idolatrous, false, me-centered story.

As rebels against God, people have lost the centrality of God in the universe and replaced it with the centrality of themselves. It is the preaching of the Gospel which reverses that. It is only when people are taught to trade-in their self-centered story for the story of God that we can be confident that the "Word has been preached." Preaching the Gospel means to teach people to put Jesus back in the center of the universe where He belongs and to trust what He has done and can do on our behalf.

So preachers, by all means, preach expositionally, but may I humbly suggest that what you should be exposing from the Bible is the Gospel! Three great sources that may assist in putting Jesus in the center of every verse is Graeme Goldsworthy's According to Plan; David Powlison's Seeing with New Eyes and a talk by Tim Keller entitled "Preaching the Gospel."

Christian Worship: Christ centered preaching
By Steven Newell

The sermon is a key part of any Christian worship service. This is the point where the pastor, as a servant of the word, proclaims the Gospel. When you replace the word "sermon" with the word “message” it more clearly implies that the pastor is bringing a message from another. This is much like the role of an ambassador when they bring a message of their sovereign to another group of people. Therefore, what the pastor is to proclaim, is not his message, but the message of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 5:20). St. Paul stated that he preached Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1 :23) and not what people wanted to hear. The entire purpose of preaching is to proclaim the Gospel. However, in order for the Gospel to be effective, the pastor must also bring the Law and all it’s condemnation to the hearers. Just because a pastor preaches a sermon based on the bible doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a Christian sermon. A Jewish Rabi can preach a entire sermon from the Old Testament and it will not be a Christian sermon. A Christian sermon must have Christ to be Christian.

Many argue the proclamation of the Gospel is what UNBELIEVERS need to hear and that believers no longer need to hear the Gospel. St. Paul told the church in Rome that he was eager to preach the Gospel to those in Rome, who were Christians (Romans 1:15). When a believer comes to think that they don’t need to hear the Gospel anymore, but need to move on to “more important teachings”, is when the believer needs to hear the Gospel again. We can never hear enough of the Gospel of Christ since we continue to be sinners in need of a savior.

Many sermons that preached today are not Christ centered messages. Many pastors have replaced the message of the cross with a focus on the Christian life, society or other issues that are not the Gospel. Todd Wilkins, host of Issues, Etc. radio program has developed a good test to determine if the sermon that the pastor preaches is a Christ centered sermon. Here we are focusing on what the pastor says, not the delivery style or their ability to effectively communicate or entertain an audience, but the content of what is being said. This set of questions is a tool that you can use when listen to a sermon. Content is everything in a sermon!

How often is Jesus mention?
If Jesus is mentioned, is He the subject of the verbs?
What are those verbs?

First, if Jesus is not mentioned, then you know that this is not a Christ centered sermon and not a Christian sermon. Jesus can be mentioned in his various names and titles. Just because Christ is mentioned, doesn’t make the sermon a Christian sermon, especially if the Gospel is not present nor proclaimed.

Second, when Jesus is mentioned, is he the subject of the verbs? In every sentence, there is a subject and a verb. If Jesus isn’t the subject, then who is? If Jesus isn’t the subject of the verbs, then this cannot be a Christ centered sermon. When someone other than Christ is the subject of the sentence, then Christ cannot be the focus of the sermon.

Next, look at the verbs associated with Jesus in the sermon. Are the verbs associated with Jesus passive or active? Is Jesus doing the action or is he being acted upon? If Jesus isn’t the active player in the verbs, then who is? If the pastor is placing the individual as the active player, then this sermon is not a Gospel sermon. For example, “Jesus is waiting for you to give your life to him” places Jesus as the passive player and the individual as the active player. If the pastor says “Jesus has saved you and gives you life” he is placing Jesus as the active player and you as the passive player. This is very important since the Gospel is not about what we do for Christ, but what Christ has already done for us.

At the end of the sermon, ask yourself these to questions: “What is our problem that the pastor has identified in their sermon?” and “What is the solution for our problem?” Is the problem that we are sinful by nature or that we make mistakes? How the pastor defines our problem is critical to how Christ is part of the solution. His definition of the problem also impacts the roll of Christ in the solution. If the problem is anything less than man’s sinful nature and being dead to God, then the problem the pastor defines isn’t the same problem that the bible defines as our problem.

What is the solution that the pastor provides? If the solution is to “Give your heart to Jesus” or “Change your attitude” places the focus on the individual as the source of the solution. This is not a Christ centered sermon but a human centered sermon. The Biblical solution is always what Christ has done for you on the cross.

More Spurgeon from "Christ Lifted Up"

Ministers read your Bible and preach it as you find it in the simplicity of its language. And give up all your Latinized English. Begin to tell the people what you have felt in your own heart, and beseech the Holy Spirit to make your heart as hot as a furnace for zeal. Then go out and talk to the people. Speak to them like their brother. Be a man amongst men.

But if you say, "Now, to get a congregation, I must buy an organ.
"That will not serve you a bit."

But we must have a good choir.
"I would not care to have a congregation that comes through a good choir."

But I must a little alter my style of preaching.
"My dear friend, it is not the style of preaching, it is the style of feeling."

People sometimes begin to mimic other preachers, because they are successful. Why, the worst preachers are those who mimic others, whom they look upon as standards preach naturally. Christ acts as a net to draw men unto him. The gospel ministry is, in God’s Word, compared to a fishery; God’s ministers are the fishermen, they go to catch souls, as fishermen go to catch fish. How shall souls be caught? They shall be caught by preaching Christ. Just preach a sermon that is full of Christ, and throw it unto your congregation, as you throw a net into the sea; you need not look where they are, nor try to fit your sermon to different cases; but, throw it in, and as sure as God’s Word is what it is, it shall not return to him void; it shall accomplish that which he pleases, and prosper in the thing whereto he hath sent it.

The gospel never was unsuccessful yet, when it was preached with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. It is not fine orations upon the death of princes, or the movements of politics which will save souls. If we wish to have sinners saved and to have our churches increased; if we desire the spread of God’s kingdom, the only thing whereby we can hope to accomplish the end, is the lifting up of Christ; for, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me."

Spurgeon on Preaching Christ

Again, the theme of a minister should be Christ Jesus in opposition to mere doctrine. Some of my good brethren are always preaching doctrine. Well, they are right in so doing, but I would not care myself to have as the characteristic of my preaching, doctrine only. I would rather have it said, "He dwelt much upon the person of Christ, and seemed best pleased when he began to tell about the atonement and the sacrifice. He was not ashamed of the doctrines, he was not afraid of threatening, but he seemed as if he preached the threatening with tears in his eyes, and the doctrine solemnly as God's own word; but when he preached of Jesus his tongue was loosed, and his heart was at liberty." Brethren, there are some men who preach the doctrine only, who are an injury, I believe, to God's church rather than a benefit. I know of men who have set themselves up as umpires over all spirits. They are the men. Wisdom will die with them. If they were once taken away the great standard of truth would be removed. We do not wonder that they hate the Pope, two of a trade never agree, for they are far more popish than he, they being themselves infallible. I am afraid that very much of the soundness of this age, is but a mere sound, and is not real; does not enter into the core of the heart, nor affect the being. Brethren, we should rather preach Christ than election. We love election, we love predestination, we love the great doctrines of God's word, but we had rather preach Christ than preach these. We desire to put Christ over the head of the doctrine, we make the doctrine the throne for Christ to sit on, but we dare not put Christ at the bottom, and then press him down, and overload him with the doctrines of his own word.

From sermon, “Christ Lifted Up” volume 3 (p. 260) of the New Park Street Pulpit.