Christ Crucified: sermon notes

Likely Title: Christ Crucified

Likely Text/Passage: 1 Corinthians 2:2

Main Theme: Christians, especially ministers, must determine to make Jesus Christ and Him crucified the central focus of their preaching, doctrine, experience, and faith.

Introduction

• Paul ministered in Corinth, a city devoted to eloquence, philosophy, wisdom, and public debate.
• Though Paul possessed great learning and rhetorical ability, he resolved not to depend on human wisdom or eloquence, but to proclaim “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Main Points

1. Ministers must know and proclaim only Christ crucified
2. Paul refused to make eloquence, philosophy, politics, social causes, or intellectual achievement the foundation of his ministry.
3. The faith of hearers should rest not in human wisdom, but in the power of God through the simple Gospel.
4. Ministers are to remain Christ’s ambassadors and make the Cross their central message.

1. Believers must make Christ central to their doctrine and experience
2. Christians should value doctrine only as it is connected to Christ, rather than embracing theological systems detached from Him.
3. True spiritual experience focuses not merely on sin, corruption, election, redemption, or perseverance, but on Christ Himself as the source and fulfillment of these truths.
4. The Cross brings the sinner peace and cleansing; believers must not magnify spiritual misery while neglecting the Savior.

1. Believers must trust Christ rather than themselves
2. Christians frequently return to reliance on their own merit, strength, prayers, faith, or performance.
3. Like the preacher “Tom,” believers can become distracted by self-congratulation instead of depending on divine power.
4. Strength is found in acknowledging weakness so that Christ’s power may rest upon His people.

1. Psalm 22 reveals Christ’s suffering and triumph
2. The Psalm portrays Christ’s abandonment, mockery, physical suffering, pierced hands and feet, and the dividing of His garments.
3. Though Christ entered the depths of suffering, He was heard by God and went on to praise Him among His people.
4. His suffering would bring eternal life, worldwide worship, and salvation to generations yet unborn.

Application

• Ministers should refuse to make politics, popular causes, intellectualism, or entertainment the center of their ministry.
• Christians should evaluate doctrine and spiritual experience by whether they lead to deeper knowledge, faith, fellowship, and dependence upon Christ.
• Believers should abandon confidence in personal merit and strength, fixing their faith entirely on the crucified Savior.
• At the Lord’s Table, believers should determine to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Conclusion

• The Cross is the believer’s boast, glory, source of strength, and all-sufficient hope.
• Christ, who suffered and triumphed, now leads His people in praise and secures their eternal life.

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

1. What is something you tend to focus on when you want to make a good impression, your knowledge, abilities, experience, or something else?
2. When have you seen a simple message or ordinary person make a deeper impact than something polished or impressive?

Diving In (20 minutes)

1. The sermon repeatedly returned to “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” What did the preacher mean by making Christ crucified the center of our preaching, beliefs, experience, and faith?
2. In the exposition of Psalm 22, what details showed the suffering of Christ, and how did the Psalm move from abandonment and agony toward confidence, praise, and hope?
3. What would it look like on a Tuesday morning to rely on Christ rather than your own strength, merit, religious performance, or spiritual experience?

Going Deeper (15 minutes)

1. The preacher warned against both human wisdom and “dry doctrine” separated from Christ. How can we pursue truth, study, politics, ministry, or personal growth without allowing those things to replace the crucified Savior?
2. Where are you most tempted to focus on yourself, your failures, your spiritual experiences, your accomplishments, or your weaknesses, instead of looking to Christ and His finished work?

Prayer Prompt

• Pray for grace to make Jesus Christ and Him crucified the center of your faith, daily dependence, service, and hope.

Big idea

Jesus Christ and Him crucified must remain the believer’s supreme knowledge, confidence, message, and boast.

Live it out

• Make Christ crucified the central subject of your conversations about faith this week.
• Reject dependence on your own merit, strength, prayers, or spiritual performance.
• When troubled, call God holy and continue remembering His praises.
• Test every doctrine and experience by whether it leads you nearer to Christ.
• Share the hope of the Cross with someone who feels burdened by sin.

Closing prayer

Lord Jesus, we come confessing that we often rely on our own merit and strength. Teach us to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Keep our faith fixed upon Your Cross, our only boast and glory. When You seem far from us, help us call You holy and remember Your praises. Make Christ our wisdom, our righteousness, our peace, and our song, until we join the great congregation praising You forever. Amen.