Jesus Christ is the central theme of all gospel preaching (Acts 5:42; 8:35; 17:3; 1 Corinthians 1:23, etc.). Without Him there is no gospel, no message of salvation. What exactly does it mean to preach Christ?
It means to preach Jesus as Savior. Some say, "we need to preach the man more than the plan." Such is impossible; and such thinking is erroneous. The man is the plan and the plan is the man. You cannot separate the two. And you cannot preach one without the other. The same one tells how Jesus is our Lord is also our Savior (from a word which meant a deliverer, a preserver). The angelic annunciation is the declaration for all the ages, "For unto is born this day in the city of David, A Savior, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).
It means to preach Jesus as Lord. Certainly Christ is Savior; but He cannot be Savior and not be Lord. All that He commands is bound up in His lordship.
The term "Lord" indicates a need for respect and obedience; it is from a Greek term kurios which was first an adjective used to describe one with power or authority. If you accept Him as Savior it means you accept all He says as Lord. That means you accept His authority just as you accept His grace. In Acts 2:36 as the first gospel sermon was being brought to a final climax, Peter said, "Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made this same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."
It means to preach Jesus as our guide. "All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6). In order for us to return to the right way a guide is necessary. He is that guide. There is none other; only He is qualified to be our guide, for only He can sympathize with our needs (Hebrews 4:15-16). John, in his vision on Patmos, said "For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them and shall lead them unto living watersÉ" We certainly are in need of such favor. And He is there to be of such service.
(1 Corinthians 15:19-22) - It means to preach Jesus as our hope. "Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Savior, Jesus Christ" is what keeps us afloat in the turbulent sea of life. It's what keeps us aloof from the squalor and filth in which we must exist while here in this world. It's the means of our sustenance in the middle of a desert which offers almost nothing at all to sustain us. Hope is the confident expectation that we shall be someday at home with Him. How sad that some have such shallow hope on account of such small faith. How sad that some cannot know the peace of God on account of their own sins. "If in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." What a blessed hope!
It means to preach Jesus as our example. Jesus lived among us and was subjected to every human feeling. He is our example of every good thing, our sample of every virtue, every grace, every noble inclination. Without Him we have no way to know for such how life is to be lived. As the song says, "He the great example is, and pattern for me."
It means to preach Jesus as our judge. Those who see only the grace and mercy of Jesus have greatly misjudged His essential nature. In order to be God He must not only abhor all that is evil, but He must pronounce judgment on evil doers. Jesus came as our Savior; He came as our Lord; He is our great hope. But the final work of Jesus, this Son of God, will be to "judgethe world in righteousnessÉ" Let us be impressed with His love and mercy; but let us not forget that "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands ofthe living God."
~In Gospel Power, Anderson, Alabama, 7/13/97.