Preach Christ Crucified - Session 1 | 2025 LA Preachers' Conference

The Centrality of Christ Crucified

And says this:

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved. For it is written,I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the intelligence of the intelligent. Where is the one who is wise? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish? For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached. For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. — 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (CSB)

Let's pray. Lord, we believe in the words that we sang, that you are worthy of all praise. So I ask tonight, Lord, as we hear from your word, as we think about the importance of the gospel, that you would focus our minds. You can only do this by your help. So we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

The most important thing that we can do as pastors is to preach Christ crucified. And most of us would say yes to that statement. In fact, I would bet that most of us here in this room would assume it. It might seem so obvious, so in-your-face, that it actually fades away from our view, almost like one that wouldn't justify the existence of a talk like this.

But I just want to remind us tonight that when we assume the cross, when we ignore it, or when we move on from it to other things, that's precisely when we lose the beating heart of Christianity.

In the last couple years, I've heard people use phrases like, "We talk so much about the death of Jesus. We don't talk enough about the life of Jesus." Popular preachers who define a Christian as someone who does what Jesus does get so wrapped up in the context of when Jesus lived or how they practiced, that we forget that Jesus came to subvert those kinds of traditions. We begin to define Christianity based on what *we* do rather than what *Christ* did. I want to warn us tonight against the danger of a productivity-driven gospel where we take the drive and the hype and the grindset of the day and begin importing it into our Christian understanding of what Christ came to do. It's easy for our preaching to devolve into performance rather than the cross of Christ. So consider this a short little TED talk where I want to encourage all of us to keep the crucifixion of Christ central in our preaching.

Why We Neglect Preaching Christ Crucified

But why is it so hard for us to preach Christ crucified? I can think of five brief reasons why we neglect Christ crucified in our churches and in our preaching today.

Reason number one: because we hate easy believism. And understandably so. In our zeal to make Christianity accessible, we've sacrificed principles on the altar of pragmatism. Strategies like the altar call or the sinner's prayer have been put in place of Spirit-wrought repentance. During the 20th century, I think it looked like it worked. You would see churches overflowing; you would see crystal cathedrals constructed. And it seemed as though you could manifest your own destiny using worldly means.

Now I think everyone seems to be waking up to the fact that easy believism leads to lazy believers. Smoke machines are reduced to a meme. The megachurch ecosystem is like a piñata for traditionalism to smack around. And of course, if that's what the modern gospel message has to offer, of course, you'd look for alternatives. Compared to hypocritical, Christ-dishonoring, quote-unquote, Christianity, it would be totally reasonable to then look for an alternative, perhaps like emphasizing obedience, talking about living a life that's actually distinct and different from the world. But often times in our effort to reject a false truth like easy believism, which is certainly false, we dip into an equally dangerous pit called legalism.

Which brings me to point number two: because legalism is easy. Sometimes we can look at easy believism and the promise that if you just pray a prayer or walk down the altar, you could be saved, and we can conclude that we don't want it. Then we turn around and define our Christianity, our salvation, around what *we* do. We take faith into our own hands. And I just want to warn us, brothers, of the danger of taking one legitimate error and then pendulum swinging into another.

C.S. Lewis once said that the devil always sends errors into the world in pairs, pairs of opposites. And he always encourages us to spend our time thinking which is worse. You see why? Of course, because he uses your extra dislike of one error to draw you gradually into the opposite one. And so legalism presents itself as a reasonable alternative to encourage Christians to actually live a distinctly Christian life. Legalism can often be hard to pinpoint because the commands that you see in legalism come from the Bible. The Ten Commandments are in your Bible. The command to meditate on God's Word is in your Bible. And those commands are good. It is good to read Scripture and to do what it says. It's good to rest or spend uninterrupted time in prayer. But if those things define what your faith is, then your faith is a deficient one because commands are not enough by themselves. Easy legalism is still legalism. You can force someone's hand, but you can't change people's hearts.

Reason number three: decreased spirituality. I had a lunch with a dear friend of mine who would disagree with the points of this talk. And we had lunch, and in the meal, towards the end, he tells me, "Hey, the bill is on me. I got this." And as he puts his card down, as he signs the receipt, he shows the receipt to me. He says, "You know, we've been learning a lot in church about incarnating the presence of Jesus here on earth. So, we decided to tip 30% because we want to make sure that it's in Long Beach as Christ is in heaven." In order to reduce Christianity to that kind of action, that kind of activity, you have to reduce spirituality to obedience, to what you do. We start to take generic mindfulness or generic tips of productivity and we begin to spritz Jesus on top of it. Taking a day off becomes Sabbath. Helping someone move becomes incarnating the presence of Jesus to them. And just to be clear, I'm super grateful for all the ways that God is at work and continues to work through our lives. I love that church members sacrifice themselves or practice discipline and implementing true spirituality in their own hearts. But there is a difference between what we accomplish through imitating Christ and what God accomplishes through his Word and his Spirit. Tipping at a restaurant can serve, but it can't save.

Think about the difference between the ministry in Long Beach versus what Peter and John do in Acts 3:6 when the lame man asks for money. And Peter responds by saying:

“I don’t have silver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” — Acts 3:6 (CSB)

That's a miracle. The kingdom of heaven is certainly not less than practicing kindness or devotion, but it is absolutely more than that. And you can't demote spirituality to just practice.

But sometimes our drift from the cross isn't just theological, it's also personal. Which brings me to point number four: why we neglect Christ crucified. Because of secret sin. I'd be dishonest if I didn't mention this as a potential reason why we may neglect the crucifixion of Christ. Our doctrine drifts downstream from our devotion. Focusing on what we do can create space to ignore what we've done. And by ignoring sin, we have to ignore its consequence, being death. I'm tempted to do this. When you sin and you go up behind the pulpit and you're feeling the weight of God's wrath or the punishment that you rightly deserve, it's easy to squirrel away and distract yourself through your productivity. To cover our lack of love for Christ, to create redemption arcs for ourselves where we can redeem ourselves by our own efforts while our souls continue to waste away. But friends, we know that we can focus on doing all the right things, but if there's unresolved sin in our hearts, Jesus will look at us the way that he looks at the rich young ruler: "You still lack one thing."

I want to ask you tonight, is there darkness that you've domesticated in your heart? If you do, you will not preach the cross the way you ought. You won't feel the weight of sin the way you should. You won't preach grace like it's actually good. In Psalm 51:16-17, the psalmist writes:

You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; you are not pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God. — Psalm 51:16-17 (CSB)

And reason number five: we're bored. How many of you have heard a gospel message about Christ crucified? How many of you have preached sermons about Jesus crucified on behalf of sinners? You do that every single week. After a while, it starts to feel like Groundhog Day. It starts to feel mundane. Repeated truths go stale, especially when it looks like the Spirit might be at work somewhere else. We see movements spring up, people getting excited by new, novel ideas or opportunities. It's no wonder that we'll see more and more people drift from the hype of the gospel-centered movement, the hype of productivity or politics, or any other movement where it seems like things are actually getting done, where it looks like the Spirit is actually at work. But friends, we don't preach Christ crucified because of what it does or because of what we can see, but because it is true. We get bored of the cross, it isn't because the message has become foolish. It's because we have. That's what Paul is saying here in 1 Corinthians that God's foolishness is greater than our wisdom and his weakness is greater than our strength. We preach Christ crucified because it's at the heart of the gospel that we proclaim. Without the cross, we have no Christ worth preaching.

Why Christ Crucified Must Be Central

Which brings me to five reasons why Christ crucified is at the center of the message that we preach. Why it should be at the center of what you preach. Why it should be the center of what I preach.

Number one: Christ crucified is the climax of the Gospels. I mean that in a narrative sense. I just want to be really clear: all aspects of what Jesus does are essential to the gospel message. The resurrection is essential. You lose that, you lose the gospel; that's 1 Corinthians 15. The incarnation is essential. You lose that, you lose the gospel; you get that in the beginning of the book of Hebrews. But what I'm trying to say is that Christ crucified on the cross narratively is the climax of Christ's redemptive work for you and I. I don't mean that's where everything culminates in terms of the blessings. I mean that is the decisive death blow by which Christ accomplishes what his Father sent him to do. Think about *Lord of the Rings*. The place where your heart starts to race, where you see all the themes of three films culminate, isn't when you see the hobbits get on the boat to go to Elven Paradise. The climax is when the ring is cast into Mordor. And the same is true for the Gospels. The place where death is put to death is in Christ's death on the cross.

Compare the length of time in the Gospels that's spent on the crucifixion versus the resurrection. I just preached through the Gospel of Mark. The resurrection doesn't even happen there; we don't even see it occur. But in the Passion Narrative, it slows down intentionally. So again and again Jesus throughout his ministry talks about his suffering and his impending death. Think about all the times in the Gospel of John that Jesus refers to his "hour." This hour that is coming over and over again. This is true in other portions of your Bible as well. There's a reason why the Passover focuses on the 10th plague and not on the Red Sea because it focuses on the angel of death. When you think about Israel's biggest threat, the thing that they ought to most fear, the thing that they are reminded of every year when they practice the Passover, isn't them being delivered from Egypt's chariots. It's them being saved from Yahweh's judgment. It's no wonder why Christ lifts up the cup in Matthew 26 and says:

For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. — Matthew 26:28 (CSB)

That's where you get forgiven of your sins. His blood spilled for you. There's a reason why Paul in 1 Corinthians 11 says that we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Even in Revelation 5, when we're wearing white robes, washed clean, they are washed clean by the blood of the slain Lamb.

Point number two: why we should preach Christ crucified. Christ crucified validates all the other aspects of salvation. And this is where I want to say that we shouldn't make enemies of other parts of salvation. But at the same time, I don't want us to confuse the basis of salvation with the benefits of salvation. This is what Paul says in Colossians 2:14-15. He says:

He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him. — Colossians 2:14-15 (CSB)

Notice what Paul's doing. He's taking the certificate of debt as being erased and the disarming of the rulers and authorities and puts them together. It happens at the same time, and it happens at the cross. It happens at the cross. I love the benefits of salvation. I think there's more goodness that's to come for you and I, thinking about redemption, reconciliation. I think all aspects of the atonement fit together in what Jesus comes to do. At the same time, I want us to remember that what makes Christ's saving work good news for sinners like you and I is because you and I have been forgiven of our sins by Christ's blood on the cross. That's how all other benefits of salvation apply to us, is through Christ's death for us. The author of Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter 10 that we enter through the curtain that is his flesh. Think about it. Otherwise, the other aspects of salvation are not good news. Let's just take one other example of the true benefits that you see in Scripture, like *Christus Victor*, Jesus victorious over the powers of evil and the domain of Satan. That is absolutely true. But if *Christus Victor* is by itself, that is not good for you and I because guess who's in the dominion of Satan? You are. And so am I. *Christus Victor* can still be true with Jesus wiping out all of us and sending us to hell forever. What makes *Christus Victor* good news for you and I is the fact that Jesus covers us with his blood. He spares us from that judgment. He takes the death in our place. What silences the accuser? It's Jesus's saving work. Think about the book of Hebrews and its argument. All the aspects of Christ's redemptive work either flow toward or flow from his atoning death. What did Christ die for? He dies for sinners. And the clearest evidence of that is in his resurrection. The resurrection proves the efficacy of his death. That's what the author of Hebrews means when he writes in Hebrews 2:14-15:

Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. — Hebrews 2:14-15 (CSB)

What drives the death blow into the holder of death itself is Christ's death. That's how it happens, is through Christ's crucifixion. Jesus says, "It is finished," not when he walks out of the tomb, but when he draws his final breath. And the proof of that is in his resurrection. There is no ownership over you and I because Christ paid that penalty in full on the cross.

Reason number three: Christ crucified keeps our primary problem at the center. So if Christ crucified is the basis on which all the benefits of salvation come, I want us to remember that the primary reason why you and I are broken isn't because of brokenness. The primary reason why we suffer isn't because of suffering. Those things are symptoms. The root cause of all of our problems are sin. That's what it is. It's sin. Our sin, which means that our sin isn't just an obstacle for us to overcome. It isn't bad habits for you and I to just adjust. It is something that stains the very depths of our soul. It's something that we need to repent of. But more importantly, it's something that we need to be saved *from*. We need atonement. We need payment. Which means that we need to be saved.

Which brings me to point number four: Christ crucified keeps justification at the center. It guards against false solutions. There are going to be so many people that see legitimate errors in Christianity and try to solve it with their own methods or things that *you* can do. But at the heart of the gospel, if Christ crucified is the center of the message that we preach, and at the heart of the gospel is something that you and I can't do. You can't do that. I can't do that. It is something that Christ alone can do. Because actions, friends, can't fix affections. Think about Christ's criticism of the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2. If you read carefully, he doesn't lambast them for their knowledge. He says, "I know your works." They were so caught up in their effective actions that they forgot their heart. I want to warn us against making unintentionally West Coast legalists or Pharisees. Would Paul pre-conversion, apart from the murder part, be considered a good member of your church? Would the rich young ruler be a deacon at your church? You can do all the things that Jesus does. You could practice the way. You could follow the Ten Commandments. You could imitate him perfectly every single day and still go to hell. Because salvation isn't something that you practice. It's something that's purchased. Practice can't solve problems; only propitiation can. And the good news of the gospel is that you and I have that solution in Christ. He died for you. He died for me. He paid that penalty in full. You don't need to earn your way into earning God's approval. And that good news should then flow out of our hearts in our preaching into the way that we tell others to follow Christ. And that blood should transform the way that you and I live.

Which brings me to point number five: Christ crucified promotes true spiritual formation. Preaching Christ crucified doesn't create easy believism. This is a caricature today that if you just preach the cross, that Jesus died for your sins and that if you turn from your sins and trust in him, you could live an everlasting life. And then people just listen to that. They believe in that and they dillydally. They go on to live a sinful, debaucherous life and they blame this message for causing it. And I want us to be reminded tonight that preaching Christ crucified doesn't create easy believism; it actually prevents it. It is a solution to prevent it.

Think about what Paul says in Galatians 2:20:

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. — Galatians 2:20 (CSB)

The matrix by which Paul views living a Christian life, living in Christ, is enjoining in his crucified death. It's enjoining him in his sacrifice. The Christ who is strong enough to save you is also strong enough to change you. In other words, total surrender begins by you turning away from your own sin and your righteousness. All of you gets crucified with Christ. And because of that, Christ crucified becomes the most accurate picture of Christian living in this life. You see what Jesus did for you and you imitate him in what he did in going to the cross.

Matthew 16:24, Jesus says:

“If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. — Matthew 16:24 (CSB)

What encourages the believer to be able to stand up and live a Christian life? What motivates the people in your pews to get up Sunday after Sunday and go to their work, their families, their neighborhoods, and live a Christ-centered life? Only if they have a cross-centered message in their hearts. If they believe that Jesus died for them, redeemed them of their sins, and made them new. That is the only motivation that's going to last, friends. It is the only motivation that's going to convince them to get up and pursue godliness. If they see what Jesus has done for them and their hearts are transformed, don't just tell your people what to do. Tell them what Jesus did. Preach Christ crucified in every sermon. Use every aspect of Christ to point to the cross. Teach your people the goodness of Christ paying the penalty of sin and dying in your place on the cross. Teach them what the true gospel is. Tell them to turn from their sin and trust in Jesus. And let that love of Christ, let that blood wash them clean and make them new. So then they get up and follow him. At the end of your life, you won't have to trust in your own accomplishment, but in the work of the slain Lamb, and you'll join the chorus of heaven, being able to say, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing." (Revelation 5:12). That's the gospel we preach, friends. Let's pray. Lord, I pray that you would help us to keep the work of your Son Jesus on the cross, crucified for us, at the center of our message. Pray Lord that you would help us to not be swayed by alternative gospels, but that we would trust in Christ alone for salvation. Pray Lord that you would help us to be able to preach it boldly, trusting that where your blood is poured out, there is newness of life. Pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.