On the pulpit at Faith PCA is a small brass plaque, seen only by the preacher, that says, "Sir, we would see Jesus. - John 12:21" It is one of my favorite features of our church, a small sign that shows that the church values Christ-centered preaching and a continual reminder to me to preach Christ to our congregation.
In 2 Cor. 4:5, Paul says, "For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ the Lord." This echoes what Paul had written to the Corinthians earlier, when he said, "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. (1 Cor. 2:2)"
In these few verses, we have the definition of faithful preaching and the identification of bad preaching. To put it plainly, bad preaching focuses more on the preacher or the congregation than it does on Christ. It points people either to the preacher or to themselves but not to Jesus. Bad preaching may be "hell fire and brimstone," focused on sin and its disastrous consequences without showing people the wonders of the Gospel and the beauty of Christ. More commonly today, bad preaching focuses on people and their concerns, priorities and problems, offering "Biblical principles" to fulfill man's felt needs.
The Bible doesn't preach naturally this way, so preachers usually have to pick a topic and arrange their series, then go to the Bible for cherry-picked texts to make their points. They can't generally work their way systematically through books of the Bible, because there's no "Happier Marriage" book in the Bible, nor is there a "Financial Management" book of the Bible or even a "Child Raising" book of the Bible. The Bible is not arranged topically to address our concerns: Better Communication 1:2 or Lasting Friendship 3:24.
The priority of the Scripture is to reveal God to His people and to tell us about His salvation, which culminates in Christ. Only one person could rightly teach the Bible in a self-centered manner and that was Jesus, and that's exactly what He did. In Luke 24, Jesus walked with two disciples on the Road to Emmaus and we're told, "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:27, ESV) So, it turns out that the Bible is really all about Jesus after all.
In focusing on God and His redemptive plan for His people and His creation, which finds its fulfillment in Christ, the Bible is not being less helpful or less practical. In fact, God is giving us exactly what we need most: Himself. He is weaning us off of our biggest problem: ourselves. My biggest problem in my marriage is not that my wife and I don't know how to communicate, nor is it what techniques we're lacking in the bedroom. No the biggest problem in our marriage is the fact that I am addicted to myself, a slave to my own self-centeredness.
By leading me to Christ again and again, the Scriptures are giving me what I most need. I don't need more money; I need more of Christ. My soul was made for Christ and only when I am fully satisfied in Him will I have the contentment I need to be satisfied and not have the urge to over-spend. Only when I trust Christ enough to govern my life with perfect wisdom, love and power will I begin to be free of stress, anxiety, worry and the desire to control others.
Bad preaching hurts people because it ultimately robs them of what they most need: Jesus. By pointing us toward some technique or amusing us with some clever story, preachers who fail to be Christ-centered fail to feed their flock. They give popcorn and cotton candy when their people need milk and meat.
Lord, give me the grace to resist man-centered moralistic or therapeutic preaching! Fill me with Your Spirit and give me the confidence to preach Christ and Christ alone! Satisfy my heart with Him that I may offer Him to others fully and freely every time I open Your Word! Amen.
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