By Roosevelt Wright, Jr.
A sermon can be skillfully delivered.
It can make people laugh.
It can move them to tears.
It can even bring the congregation to its feet.
Yet one question must still be asked: If Christ crucified and risen is missing, was the gospel truly preached?
The apostle Paul the Apostle answered that question long ago. Writing in 1 Corinthians he said, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). The gospel is not simply helpful advice or religious motivation. It is the announcement that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). That message stands at the center of Christian preaching.
Modern pulpits often celebrate excitement, humor, and strong storytelling. Those tools have their place. Yet when a sermon lifts the spirit but leaves out the cross, it becomes like a fine house built without a foundation.
Church members feel the difference. They may leave encouraged, yet something inside says, “That was a wonderful talk, but it was not the gospel.”
Preachers are not called merely to inspire people.
They are called to proclaim the saving work of Christ.
Every faithful sermon, sooner or later, must lead us to Calvary.
The cross is not one subject among many.
It is the heart of the message.
