In Preaching Articles: "The Real Jesus"

Will The Real Jesus Stand Up? Part 1

By Lance Witt on Dec 28, 2023

"It may be that the great sin of the church in our generation is the trivializing of God. The Jesus Christ, in whom the fullness of deity dwells, is not to be boxed in, airbrushed, made over, tamed, explained or explained away. I am deeply convinced that the way you live will be a direct consequence of how you see God."

Scripture: Hebrews 12:28-29, Colossians 1:15-17, Jeremiah 23:23

Tags: Identity of Christ, False View of God, God of the Bible, Jesus is Lord, Deity of Christ, christian testimony, authority of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Will The Real Jesus Stand Up? Part 2

By Lance Witt on Dec 29, 2023

"In the last thirty years within the church world, there has been a subtle shifting of the spotlight. Inadvertently, in many places, it has become all about the bride (the church) rather than the groom (Jesus)."

Scripture: Genesis 19:9, Revelation 19:9

Tags: Lamb marriage supper, Identity of Christ, The Real Jesus, bride of Christ, Deity of Christ, Jesus as Bridegroom  (view more)  (view less)

Randy Alcorn: Are You Willing To Be Hated For Speaking The Gospel Of Truth?

By SermonCentral .com on Sep 13, 2022

"It's not our job to be popular. Let's represent the real Jesus, the whole Jesus, not just the culturally acceptable one."

Scripture: Mark 8:33-38

Tags: Preaching, Hated, gospel of truth, preaching

Cut Off Your Hand, Tear Out Your Eye

By Ray Ortlund on Aug 3, 2022

Hard words are not harmful words—when they come from Jesus. The real Jesus loves us enough to accept us freely and confront us honestly.

Scripture: Colossians 2:23, Philippians 3:14, Hebrews 13:21, Matthew 5:6, Titus 2:11-12, Hebrews 12:4, 1 Corinthians 9:27, Matthew 5:29-30  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Righteousness, Theology, soul care, Hard Teaching

Os Guinness: Evil Is Real

By SermonCentral .com on Nov 11, 2023

Os Guinness is willing to face what most people would prefer to ignore, and he encourages us to do the same.

Tags: Evil, Preaching, os guinness, preaching

Finding God In The Ambiguity

By Jonathan Martin on May 17, 2021

God is bigger than our tiny little systems of certainty. He is revealed to us in Jesus of Nazareth, who is real enough to touch us in our own ambiguity.

Tags: Jesus, God, Jesus Christ, Certain, ambiguity  (view more)  (view less)

Real Love Encourages Others To Do The Right, Most God-Glorifying Thing

By SermonCentral .com on Jun 8, 2022

Ephesians 4:15 tells us to speak the truth in love, not to withhold the truth in love. Real love doesn’t quit or give up; it will offer help and point to Jesus Christ as the only true source of healing and forgiveness.

Scripture: John 1:14, Ephesians 4:15

Tags: Abortion, friendship, Real Love, speak truth in love

Letter To A (Real Life) Hurting Pastor

By Chris Surber on Apr 26, 2025

Author Chris Surber suggests six avenues to handle the hurt and disappointment so common in pastoral ministry.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Make Your Sermon Unforgettable—three Keys

By Tim Coressel on Oct 8, 2019

From the moment you "close in prayer," that message you labored over for hours will begin to fade in the minds of your audience.

Scripture: Isaiah 11:6-9

Tags: Preaching, passion, Real, unforgettable sermon

Do You Preach To Real People Or Straw Men?

By Chris Surber on Nov 8, 2024

Preaching in the abstract means missing real lives and real people. Here are four ways to connect to real people.

Tags: Holy Spirit, Preaching, Sensitive, real people, straw men, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Theology? Philosophy? What Do They Have To Do With Real Preaching?

By Mike Miller on Nov 25, 2024

Our theology of preaching is what we believe the Bible says about preaching. Our philosophy is how we put our beliefs into practice.

Scripture: Jeremiah 17:1-20, Jonah 3:1-10

Tags: Preaching, Theology, philosophy, preaching

How To Make Easter Stand Out

By Peter Mead on Apr 11, 2020

Easter is the real ground zero of the Christian faith. We tend to, or should, return to it week after week. So what do we do when Easter comes around?

Scripture: John 15:1-10

Tags: Jesus, Easter, Crucifixion, Preaching, ground zero, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Was Jesus Numerically Challenged?

By Ray Hollenbach on Jun 29, 2020

Do numbers alone tell the story of success? What kind of numbers caught Jesus' attention?

Tags: Growth, Preaching, number, Growth in Christ

Is Jesus An Impossible Mentor?

By Ray Hollenbach on Sep 30, 2020

Do you preach Jesus as a role model? It's impossible to be like Jesus, isn't it? He was God-come-to-earth and his life sets the bar impossibly high for any of us.

Scripture: Matthew 16:24

Tags: Preaching, Submission, Accountability, honour, Mentor, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Turning To Jesus In Exhaustion

By Adam Weber on Apr 28, 2022

I had only recently completed my master’s degree, I didn’t want to start this church in the first place, it was struggling to grow, and here I was moving this stupid sign through three feet of snow. Without thinking, the words came out: God, what am I doing here? I’m tired!

Tags: Exhaustion, rest in god