Speak of Jesus

“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

– 1 Corinthians 2:2

“Now Christ is…”

– Colossians 1:15

If you were to only speak of Jesus, how long could you talk?

Colossians chapter 1 is the equivalent of about a 5-minute talk. In it, Paul mentions Jesus some 30 + times.

When he was among the church at Corinth, Paul committed to knowing nothing but Jesus.

What would happen to the length of your sermon, let alone the length of your sermon series, if you made such a commitment? 

In a world that lauds degrees and education, we are tempted to find something “more sophisticated” than Jesus to talk about. When standing before a congregation that responds to self-help messages and how-to messages, one can feel the need to find something “more practical” than Jesus to talk about. 

Can there be anything more sophisticated than the One by whom and through whom all things were created? Can there be anything more practical than the One that holds all things together? What do people need more than the knowledge of the Holy One? 

It seems that it requires a great dose of humility for us to set aside all our knowledge of philosophy and history, science and sociology, politics and economics, and… only talk about Jesus. How great is our pride that we would consider our knowledge of Christ to be less engaging, less compelling, or less relevant than the knowledge of anything else?!

Friend, have we trivialized the Word that spoke all things into existence simply because He became flesh and dwelt among us! Have we despised the One that gives life to all things because He humbled Himself and was obedient unto death, even death on the cross? Have we become bored with Him because we have become consumed with ourselves? 

Father God, restore in us the awe-filled wonder and excitement that should rightly fill our souls when we think about the Son of Your love. Forgive us for trivializing and despising Him, even as they did when He walked the shores of Galilee. Forgive us for making so much of ourselves that we have made little of Him. Holy Spirit, bring to our remembrance often the One that has lavished love upon us that we may properly love Him in return. By Your grace may our mouths be ever occupied with making much of Him. Amen.

“Let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.” (Jeremiah 9:24)

– Delton