This truth generally reminds us of why our sermons are to be full of the Word of God; why we want you to preach the Word of God; why we want your message to come out of the Word of God. It is the Word of God that transforms. It is the Word of God that God uses to convert. It is the Word of God that sanctifies. And thus, our sermons should be full of Scripture. But more to the point, our sermons must be full of Jesus Christ. Because it is the lifting up of Jesus Christ, God incarnate, the One who has obeyed perfectly; the One who has satisfied the wrath of God on Calvary's cross; the One who died in our place; the One who has been buried and been in death for a period of time; the One who has been raised from the dead and is exulted on high. It is in the preaching of Jesus Christ, the simple repetition of the glorious facts of the gospel. That is the message that God uses to convert.
That is why we want your sermons full of Christ. For a Christ-less message normally is not going to be used of the Spirit to bring someone to saving faith. You see, it is not just some slogan,
Joseph A. Pipapreach Christ.It is the very heart of gospel preaching. Christ is not just the perfume; he is the aroma, he is the fullness of our preaching. In lifting him up, he says, he will draw all men unto himself. Preach Christ and him crucified.1
18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.