No one likes life application sermons more than me. Anytime I preach, I’m always trying to figure out how the hearer can apply what they’re hearing to their everyday life, but we must also be careful that we don’t unintentionally make each sermon sound like a changed life is based on our human effort.
That’s why I encourage every pastor to try and end every sermon at the cross. This is certainly not an original idea with me. Great preachers over the years have made this a staple of their ministry.
The famous nineteenth-century British preacher Charles Spurgeon was insistent that every sermon lift up Christ. He complained that he often heard sermons that were “very learned… fine and magnificent… but not a word about Christ.”
Timothy Keller was probably my greatest inspiration in this way. He said,
“Every time you expound a Bible text, you are not finished unless you demonstrate how it shows us that we cannot save ourselves and that only Jesus can.”
As with every other deficiency in weekly pastoral preaching, our trend towards human effort and away from grace was not intentional. We simply want to help people make better choices and avoid the pain of life within their control. Action steps are important. Application matters. James tells us to be doers of the Word, not merely hearers, but over time, without realizing it, our sermons become more motivational than Gospel. People don’t need to leave church primarily thinking, “I need to do better.” They need to leave believing, “Jesus loves me at my worst.”
One of my favorite C. S. Lewis quotes is on this topic. He said,
“After the first few steps in the Christian life we realize that everything which really needs to be done in our souls can be done only by God.”
Ending every sermon at the cross, regardless of the text, leaves people more amazed by what Jesus has done than by what they need to do.
Suggestion: Over the years, one way we emphasized the work of Christ in each sermon, was that we ended every sermon with communion. There's something about taking the bread and cup regardless of the sermon topic that reminds you that God has already done the hardest part.
Let me give you a few examples…
When preaching the story of Abraham and Lot splitting ways and Lot choosing the better land. It would be easy to preach a message on being more like Abraham and taking the high road. Maybe even pointing out that God will bless your willingness to let someone else have the better end of a deal. The takeaway is “be more like Abraham.”
That’s certainly a valid point and a needed message in our society today, but what if you also made the point that we’re usually a lot more like Lot than Abraham. We’re selfish. We protect our own interests. We often choose what’s best for me instead of what’s best for others, and that’s exactly why we need Jesus. And when Jesus chose the cross, he chose the high road. He chose death so we could have life. Jesus was like Abraham, and we are like Lot. And because He chose what was best for me instead of what was best for Himself, I can now approach the throne of grace with confidence.
David and Goliath isn’t merely about defeating the giants in your life—it’s about a greater Champion who fought the battle His people could never win.
Jonah isn’t only a warning about running from God—it’s also a sign pointing to another man who willingly entered death and emerged three days later so we could be rescued.
Joseph was rejected by his brothers before becoming their savior, just like Jesus.
Boaz became the kinsman-redeemer Ruth could never provide for herself. Just like Jesus was for you and me.
It doesn’t have to be long; sometimes just making a simple, short connection brings the entire message to life.
But what about…
Some pastors worry that emphasizing grace will make people passive, but I’ve found the opposite to be true. Grace is much more than guilt.
But there’s also one more benefit of connecting every sermon to the cross—it helps connect the story of the Bible. Remember, I often say that the way you consistently preach the Bible is the way your people assume they are supposed to read it? Once you get in the habit of connecting the cross, your congregation will begin to see it for themselves when they read Scripture.
