Christ crucified

Christ Crucified Peter Ditzel Many years ago, there used to be a television show called “Queen for a Day.” Four women told their life story and then the audience applauded for each one of them. The one that got the most applause became queen for a day. Suppose you had the chance, not to be queen or king for a day, but to be preacher for a day. Suppose this was the only opportunity you would ever have to preach. What would you preach about? The first thing you might think about if you were made preacher for a day is that you are not a good enough speaker or that you are not very good in the powers of persuasion. But that is not what is important in preaching. It’s not about the preacher, whether he is a fine orator or a persuasive and likeable person. No. What is important in preaching is what is preached. So, the real question is, what would you speak about? Well, in just two short verses, the apostle Paul, speaking of himself, answers both your fears and the question of what you should say. In 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Paul, by his own estimation, was apparently not an excellent speaker. He didn’t use worldly wisdom to persuade people. In 2 Corinthians 10:10, Paul admitted that others were saying that “his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” But he preached anyway. And what did he preach? “Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” And, if you are ever given the chance to preach to the unsaved, that is what you should preach. In fact, if you are given the chance to preach a thousand times, that is what you should preach. You can preach on a thousand different topics, but you should always point people to Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I worked in ministry for many years before I knew this. I did not realize that, whether in sermons or Christian articles or books, the objective is to point people to Jesus. In my ignorance, I pointed sinners to their sins, I pointed them to the law, I pointed them to the Sabbath, I pointed them to Moses, I pointed them to all kinds of dos and don’ts that have never and will never save anyone. Sure, Copyright © 2005-2008 wordofhisgrace.org Permission is granted to reproduce this article only if reproduced in full with no alterations and keeping the copyright statement and this permission statement intact.