Description

In the sermon by Jeffrey Johnson, the central theme is the power and wisdom of the gospel message embodied in the cross of Jesus Christ, contrasting it with the world's wisdom and strength. Johnson emphasizes that the true change in a believer’s life, including aspects like marriage, stems not from worldly wisdom but from the humbling message of the cross. He asserts that this message prompts believers to follow Christ’s example of self-denial and sacrificial love.

Johnson encourages believers to:

1. Stand firm in the Gospel: Not to be ashamed of the gospel's simplicity and its power for salvation.
2. Maintain the purity of the Gospel: To resist the urge to make it more intellectually appealing or to bolster it with artificial signs and wonders.
3. Value weakness as God's opportunity: To embrace personal weaknesses and hardships as the contexts in which God’s power is made perfect.

He concludes with a prayer that reflects thankfulness for the gospel message and a doxology that gives all glory to God for the wisdom and power revealed in Jesus. The sermon is a call to hold fast to the essential Christian doctrine of salvation through Christ alone, a theme that resonates with Reformed Baptist principles which prioritize Scripture's authority and the transformative power of the gospel.