In the tradition of Preaching The Cross, this book features the collected transcripts of the messages given at the 2008 Together for the Gospel conference. Each speaker focused his sermon on the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ and what his death means in terms of both doctrine and application. Although the variety of writing styles occasionally disrupts the continuity of the book, the overall message is coherent and their unified proclamation of the Gospel remains clear. 

Pastoral work is partly defensive – defending the sheep against wolves in sheep’s clothing. Building the church has always involved the sword along with the trowel. Contention and contradiction is a necessary part of preaching, as all faithful pastors know. While some may love such fights, we intend to love the gospel. It is because of that love—not a mere love of fighting and contending itself—that we are willing to contend for these matters. [12]

To tell the church to focus primarily on repairing passing structures in a fallen world—a world under the curse of God—would not only cause churches discouragement through the frustration of building sand castles at low tide, but it would, even more horrendously, distract us from the work of bringing God eternally glory by preaching the gospel and seeing people converted and eternally reconciled to God. [102]

The fruit of the Spirit, the transformation of our mind, comes from being a Christian, but it does not effect our salvation. I’m concerned that if we confuse this issue, we might begin to call “Christians” those who have simply tacked fruit on fruitless fruit trees. [107] 

Most Christians in America only think of the gospel as saving them individually, and thus completely neglect the functional congregation-centeredness that is supposed to mark our discipleship…The idea is that church is simply one more means that Christians may choose to use in order to grow spiritually if they find it helpful, like their choice of music, a Bible study, a devotional book, or a conference…The idea that they should be fundamentally committed to one congregation and submitted to the leadership there is a foreign to them as eating locusts and wild honey would be to most of us. It’s not even so much that they oppose the idea; it’s just that they simply have never even considered it. [114]

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about connecting with the questions the non-Christian has; it is about communicating the answer God has given. [120] 

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A compilation of messages delivered at a Together for the Gospel conference, this book addresses the notion of preaching from the perspective of several men who have been called to the preaching ministry. Filled with practical advice and timely exhortation concerning the proclamation of the Word, this book is easily recommended to anyone who stands behind a pulpit, or for any who would seek to better understand what preaching should be and what preaching should do.

Why does the Postal Service exist? What do we pay mailmen to do? Do we pay them to write letters to us and put them in our mailboxes? No. We pay them to deliver faithfully the message of someone else. The mailman has been entrusted with other people’s messages to us. The same is true with ministers and their ministries. We are not to invent the message but to faithfully deliver God’s message to his people. That is our calling, which means that we are called as ministers only insofar as we present God’s message to his people. It is God who owns the church, and it is by his Word that he creates his people. [19]

True ministers of Christ are happy to be despised, if, by their being despised, somehow the gospel is displayed. [28] 

Prosperity isn’t always wrong, but prosperity is always dangerous. It can be disorienting to the Christian, perhaps especially to the minister. We must live lives that show there are things that are worth even more than this world’s prosperity. [30]

Pastors should be examples. We serve Christ as ministers of his Word, which should be accompanied by a life that acts as a sounding board to ratify and verify our teaching and strongly push it out even farther. [32]

Suspecting authority is the very heart of the fall. Satan essentially convinced our first parents that God could not tell us “no” and love us at the same time. The first sin was born when Eve accepted the lie that a denial of desire cannot flow from good, loving, and correct care. [33] 

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