In Preaching Articles: "The Real Jesus"

Will The Real Jesus Stand Up? Part 1

By Lance Witt on Dec 27, 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: Jesus is Lord, Deity of Christ, christian testimony, authority of Christ, Identity of Christ, False View of God, God of the Bible  (view more)  (view less)

Will The Real Jesus Stand Up? Part 2

By Lance Witt on Dec 28, 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: bride of Christ, Deity of Christ, Jesus as Bridegroom, Lamb marriage supper, Identity of Christ, The Real Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

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

By SermonCentral .com on Sep 12, 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 2, 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

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

By SermonCentral .com on Jun 7, 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

Why Information Alone Cannot Make Disciples

By Outreach Inc. on Apr 9, 2025

The modern church excels at teaching information but often fails at formation. Real discipleship requires embodied obedience, risk, and lived imitation, not lectures alone.

Scripture: Luke 6:40, James 1:22, John 1:14, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Matthew 28:19-20  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Discipleship, Following Jesus

Do You Preach To Real People Or Straw Men?

By Chris Surber on Nov 7, 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)

Does Your Preaching Draw A Line From The Bible To Real Life?

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Feb 2, 2023

Every sermon should ask the people for some sort of response, a response in real life.

Tags: Bible, Preaching, Homiletics, real life, preaching, bible  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching Real Gospel Change In A World Obsessed With Self-Improvement

By Ed Stetzer on Jan 6, 2025

True transformation is not moral effort but new life in Christ. Preachers must translate “change” into gospel terms, clarifying how God recreates, reshapes, and renews His people.

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:7

Tags: Church, Growth, Discipleship, Preaching, Change, Transformation, counsel, Christian growth, new life in Christ, Spiritual Transformation, preaching, church, Christian Growth, New Life In Christ  (view more)  (view less)

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

By Mike Miller on Nov 24, 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

Was Jesus Numerically Challenged?

By Ray Hollenbach on Jun 28, 2020

Is numerical growth proof of God’s grace? This reflection questions the assumption that size equals faithfulness and contrasts modern metrics with Jesus’ slow, seed-shaped vision of the church.

Scripture: Acts 2:41, Matthew 28:19-20, 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, 1 Peter 2:5, Matthew 13:31-33  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Growth, Faithfulness, number

Is Jesus An Impossible Mentor?

By Ray Hollenbach on Sep 29, 2020

Many admire Jesus but quietly believe His life is unattainable. Scripture teaches not imitation by willpower, but transformation by union with Christ.

Scripture: Matthew 16:24, Romans 8:29, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 1:5, Galatians 2:20  (view more)  (view less)

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

"Jesus Is Lord” Is Not A Slogan

By Ed Stetzer on Oct 28, 2020

To confess Jesus as Lord in the first century was treason. Today it risks becoming cliché. The words still demand total allegiance.

Scripture: Romans 10:9, Philippians 2:11, Matthew 6:24, 2 Corinthians 5:20, Luke 12:32  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Lord, Jesus, Outreach, Missions, Preaching, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Turning To Jesus In Exhaustion

By Adam Weber on Apr 27, 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

10 Ways To Preach About Lust—and Get To The Real Issues

By Jared Moore on Nov 22, 2024

There's only one way to solve this: Get to the root of the problem. Jared Moore shows us how.

Tags: Marriage, Lust, Intimacy, sexual immorality, sexual desire  (view more)  (view less)