How do pastors faithfully preach the gospel in every sermon without forcing Jesus into passages where he doesn’t belong?
Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan tackle one of the most important questions in pastoral ministry: How do you preach Christ from all of Scripture? They discuss preaching Jesus from the Old Testament, avoiding moralistic preaching, applying the gospel faithfully, and helping sermons move beyond information into transformation.
Duncan shares lessons learned from Mark Dever about making sure every sermon clearly proclaims Christ, while Smethurst explains why sermons that would still work if Jesus were “still in the grave” aren’t truly Christian sermons. They explore how pastors can preach the gospel naturally from Genesis to Revelation without flattening the Bible’s storyline.
Resources Mentioned:
Sermon Application Grid by 9Marks
CSB Connecting Scripture New Testament
“Preaching Christ in Every Sermon” with Bryan Chapell (on The Everyday Pastor)
The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson
If you’re ready to go deeper, Southern Seminary’s PhD program is where that begins. Visit sbts.edu/phd to learn more.
The Gospel Coalition