1. The gospel at best assumed; most of the time, it\u2019s entirely absent. <\/b><\/p>\n
Let me begin with the most important observation: in 36 sermons, the good news of Jesus Christ\u2019s life, death, and resurrection was unclear 36 times. Often, some or all of these facets of the Christian gospel were left out. \u201cNo gospel\u201d became a common note. (Here\u2019s an answer to the question you\u2019re probably asking: What content is necessary in order to communicate the gospel?<\/a>)<\/p>\n I don\u2019t mean to say various elements of the gospel weren\u2019t occasionally mentioned; they were. Todd Mullins (Christ Fellowship Church) mentions in his sermon series, \u201cWhat Do You See Next?<\/i>\u201d,<\/i><\/a> <\/i>that faith is believing in what Jesus did for you\u2014carrying the cross, rising from the dead, etc. But none of those elements are articulated or explained. It\u2019s unclear exactly why<\/i> we need Jesus to do anything for us. Furthermore, it\u2019s unclear exactly what<\/i> he did by doing the things Mullins mentions. Isolated phrases here and there without much reference to how the Bible puts them together was the norm.<\/p>\n In his sermon, \u201cThe Robe of Righteousness<\/a>,\u201d <\/i>Robert Morris (Gateway Church) provides a happy exception. He mentions the doctrine of imputation, stating that we aren\u2019t worthy of God and are in need of a \u201cbalancing (of our) . . . account.\u201d Morris goes on to say that in the gospel we get Jesus\u2019 assets while Jesus receives our debts. That\u2019s as close to the gospel that any of these sermons gets\u2014and even in this instance, the true things Morris mentions are isolated from the rest of the truths that make up the gospel message. (Neither God\u2019s holy judgment, sin, nor repentance is mentioned.)<\/p>\n But here\u2019s what\u2019s even more disheartening: in his next sermon, Morris says the Jesus who accomplished all this for us \u201clays down all his divinity\u201d (\u201cThe Ring of Authority<\/a>\u201d)<\/i>. Conspicuously missing from Morris\u2019 explanation of what he calls \u201csubstitutionary, propitiatory, blood-bought salvation\u201d is the response one must have to this message in order to be saved, which leads us to our next observation.<\/p>\n 2. Repentance rarely comes across as something urgent and necessary; instead, it\u2019s either optional or not worth mentioning at all.<\/b><\/p>\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wow. 9 Biggest Churches in America. 4 sermons each. 36 sermons reviewed. 4 conclusions about preaching today. Grim. https:\/\/t.co\/vvtPQmTTvf<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mark Dever (@MarkDever) March 31, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n