PREACHING JESUS

          “Preaching Jesus” is much more than just telling that old, old story of the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is more than biography.  It is different from telling the story of other Alexander the Great or Abraham Lincoln.  Of course, Jesus was  more than just a man, He was and is God’s only begotten Son.  Yet, “preaching Jesus” is not merely an exercise in weighty historicity.   To engage in preaching Jesus is to make a call to discipleship.   The proclamation of the word of the cross (1Cor.1:18) includes even more than just the rehearsal of Christ crucified.  It is that (cf. 1Cor.1:23 & 2:2), but it is more than that.  One cannot tell the story of Jesus and not speak of how He compels others to follow Him (1Jn.2:6).  Oh, you can, but its not really preaching Jesus.

          One New Testament text that makes this abundantly clear is the story of the conversion of the Ethiopian Treasurer (Acts 8:26f).

The context tells of a man from Ethiopia who had traveled to Jerusalem (some 500 miles) to worship Jehovah God.  While there, he obtained (likely by a purchase) the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.  On his return trip back to his home he was reading aloud from what we now know to be chapter 53 of Isaiah:  He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He does not open his mouth (cf. Acts 8:32 with Isa.53:7).  An angel of God directed Philip to leave Samaria and travel south of Jerusalem to the road that descends to Gaza.  Philip heard him reading and asked if he understood what he was reading.  The treasurer then  invited Philip to instruct him (Acts 8:31).  The Ethiopian inquired as to whether the prophet was speaking of himself or another.

          Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from that very passage of Scripture he preached Jesus to him (Acts 8:35).  While we do not have a copy of Philip’s sermon, we can logically deduce some of what he preached.  The very next verse states, Look!  Water!  What prevents me from being baptized (Acts 8:36b)?  Who brought up the subject of BAPTISM?  It is safe to conclude that whatever else was involved in preaching Jesus it surely involved the subject of baptism and a call to discipleship.  The heartbeat of the cross of Christ was self-denial.  Paul reminds us that Jesus emptied Himself (Philp.2:7).  Our baptism into Christ is both a starting point for discipleship and the north-star of discipleship (a daily death to self / Lk.9:23).  In telling others of Jesus, in preaching Jesus, we must underscore the need for His cross to become our cross.  We are buried with Him through baptism into death (Rom.6:4).  Biblically speaking, one cannot preach Jesus without, at some point, discussing baptism.  One of my primary assignments as a gospel preacher is to help people prepare for the hereafter.  THE SCRIPTURES CALL FOR US TO DIE BEFORE WE DIE.   You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ has clothed yourselves with Christ (Gal.3:26-27). 

                                                                                Terry Siverd / Cortland Church Of Christ