What It Means To Preach Christ
Introduction:
Read
Acts 8:5.
“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to
them.”
NKJV
Philip began preaching Christ to them. But what is involved in
“preaching Christ”?
Body:
I.
It Means Preaching about Christ.
(Acts 8:5)
·
Old Testament prophecies about Christ (John 5:39) “You search
the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and
these are they which testify of Me.” (Luke 24:44) “Then He
said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was
still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written
in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’
” (Acts 2:16) “But this is what was spoken by the prophet
Joel:”
NKJV
·
His teachings and miracles (Acts 2:22) “Men of Israel, hear
these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by
miracles, wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst,
as you yourselves also know -”
NKJV
·
His death on the cross (Acts 2:23) “Him, being delivered by
the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by
lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;” (Acts 10:39)
“And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of
the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.”
NKJV
·
His resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:32) “This Jesus God has
raised up, of which we are all witnesses.” (Acts 10:40) “Him
God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,”
NKJV
·
His ascension into heaven and His reigning (Acts 2:30-33)
“Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an
oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh,
He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing
this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul
was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus
God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being
exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the
Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you
now see and hear.”
NKJV
·
His coming return (Acts 10:42) “And He commanded us to preach
to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God
to be Judge of the living and the dead.”
NKJV
II.
It Means Preaching His Kingdom
(Acts 8:12) “But when they believed Philip as he preached the things
concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men
and women were baptized.”
NKJV
·
Kingdom – the rule of God (Acts 1:3) “to whom He also
presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible
proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the
things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” Since those in the
Kingdom are the same as those in the church, Philip preached the
church. (Matthew 16:18-19) “And I also say to you that you are
Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of
Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of
the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound
in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in
heaven.”
NKJV
·
This meant preaching Christ as both builder and head of the church.
(Ephesians 1:22-23) “And He put all things under His feet, and gave
Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the
fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
NKJV
·
He is Savior of the church, the Kingdom. (Ephesians 5:23-25)
“For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the
church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the
church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own
husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ
also loved the church and gave Himself for her,”
NKJV
·
“Good News” – the Kingdom had come and they could become citizens of
it.
III.
It Means Preaching His Name
(Acts 8:12)
·
His Name is all that He stands for.
·
A penitent believer is immersed in His name. (Acts 2:38) “Then
Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
NKJV
·
His name is the only one under heaven by which one may be saved.
(Acts 4:12) “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no
other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’
”
NKJV
IV.
It Means Preaching His Plan of Salvation
(Acts 8:12)
·
If preaching Christ did not include baptism, the Samaritans would
not have known to be baptized.
·
Jesus taught the need for repentance and baptism. (Luke 13:3)
“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise
perish.” (Matthew 28:19) “Go therefore and make disciples of
all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
NKJV
·
One is baptized into Christ. (Galatians 3:26-27) “For you are
all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you
as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
NKJV
V.
It Means Preaching the Obligations of His Followers
·
Attend the assemblies (Hebrews 10:25) “not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but
exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day
approaching.”
NKJV
·
Grow in Christian graces (II Peter 1:5-7) “But also for this
very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to
virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control
perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly
kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”
NKJV
·
Deny oneself (Matthew 16:24) “Then Jesus said to His
disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
NKJV
Conclusion:
Preaching Christ involves the great truths of the gospel. These
truths need to be proclaimed to the whole world. When believed and
obeyed, they bring life everlasting.
Bobby Stafford
September 13, 2015
The
church of Christ
