July 12, 2014.

I listened to a great sermon last night entitled “Behold the Christ” by V. P. Black that I would recommend listening too. You can find it by clicking on the link above, if you are interested. It is an older sermon in a style that you may not be accustomed to, but give it five or ten minutes and I think you will be hooked. The entire sermon is about Jesus, the perfect man, God and sacrifice. Who he was, who he is and who he ever shall be.

Today, it would seem that sometimes we as Christians pull our attention away from Jesus to set it on other things. I’m not talking about worldly things even. How many sermons have you heard solely on Jesus lately? Maybe I’m just completely misguided, but I hear more sermons on other aspects of Christianity than solely on Jesus. Now, I’m not saying those other sermons shouldn’t be preached, because they are very much needed, but I am asking the question: Have we forgotten to preach Christ amidst our theology?

We teach about practical things we need to do, we preach about sin, we preach about eternal life with God Almighty. But do we ever simply preach Jesus? Perhaps this is too harsh of a judgement since we live in a country where Jesus is not an unknown figure. Usually, people have at least heard about him, even if it is just his name. But is that enough to not teach who he was and is? I believe that many of this nation know about Jesus, but don’t know who he is. They don’t know his significance. They don’t know what he came here to do. Who’s fault is that? It’s not their’s.

Christ is the point of it all. Everything is founded off of the Messiah. The events before Christ led to his birth and the events afterwards point back to his death and resurrection. This is a broad statement, but think about it. Jesus Christ, our Lord, is everything. If not, in what is our theology based? It’s time for us to bring back the good news to the world! We are his witnesses. What good does our witness do if we do not proclaim his name?

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
(Colossians 1:13-20)

Hallelujah to the King! Praise be to his name! I’ll keep this short today because I want to allow the word to speak and I encourage you to listen to the sermon above. May he be forever glorified!

Suggested Daily Reading: Psalm 22, John 1, Colossians 1, Revelation 12.

Behold, the Christ.

-Walter