The Church's Singular Focus — John MacArthur

What's in this sermon

The shape of the argument

34 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.

Pastoral correction · unit #31

"MacArthur applies his argument by calling Christians to view political opponents not as enemies but as the mission field. This application reframes the relationship between Christians and culture from combatants to missionaries and mission field."

Doctrinal loci· 12 surfaced

Ecclesiology · 22 Soteriology · 11 Christology · 10 Hamartiology · 5 Anthropology · 1 Bibliology · 1 Doxology / Worship · 1 Eschatology · 1 Ethics / Moral Theology · 1 Pneumatology · 1 Providence / Sovereignty · 1 Sanctification · 1

Bible citations· 27

Illustrations· 3

historical example · unit #3 — MacArthur illustrates the church's historical struggle to stay on message by pointing to mainline denominations a century ago that abandoned the gospel for the social gospel. The illustration demonstrates how wealthy, powerful churches fell into the same pattern of distraction he is warning against in the present.
historical example · unit #4 — MacArthur continues the historical illustration, showing how the fundamentalist movement arose as a corrective response to the social gospel's abandonment of core doctrine. He traces the lineage from fundamentalism to modern evangelicalism, noting the difficulty of defining the latter—a problem that sets up his argument about contemporary evangelical identity confusion.
cultural reference · unit #23 — MacArthur illustrates the problem of evangelical political activism by examining the Christian Coalition's agenda, demonstrating that its stated objectives contain nothing distinctly Christian or gospel-focused. The illustration exposes how evangelical organizations have substituted political activism for gospel proclamation.

Theological claims· 13

The church throughout history has consistently struggled to maintain focus on Christ and Him crucified. unit #2
The term 'Christian' has lost its original meaning as a label of identification with the rejected Christ and has become a meaningless cultural designation. unit #8
Both Peter and Paul demonstrate the same apostolic pattern of singular focus on the gospel of Christ despite countless social and temporal distractions. unit #15
Contemporary evangelicals are being rejected by the culture not for identification with Christ or gospel proclamation, but for political activism and attempts to impose traditional morality through legislative power. unit #17
Christians should expect rejection and persecution, but the critical question is whether they are being rejected for the right reason—identification with Christ and the gospel. unit #18
Contemporary evangelicals are being resented for the wrong reason—political activism and moral crusading—rather than for gospel proclamation and identification with Christ. unit #22
While Christians legitimately support biblical morality and oppose cultural immorality, moral reform is not the reason the church exists in the world. unit #24
Lasting virtue and genuine righteousness cannot be achieved through political activism, media campaigns, lobbying, and cultural pressure. unit #25
God does not bless morality; Jesus accepted wretched sinners while pronouncing His harshest condemnation on the morally religious Pharisees. unit #26
Morality apart from godliness cannot avert divine judgment; even the religiously moral Jews committed to God's law faced judgment in 70 AD, demonstrating that morality without genuine relationship with God is satanic deception. unit #27
The church's mission is to introduce the world to Christ as Lord, Savior, and Judge—not to impose biblical morality, which properly follows after conversion to Christ. unit #28
Evangelicals should be known for proclaiming the gospel with love, clarity, conviction, and boldness, but are instead being resented for political activism. unit #29
Political and moral activism may produce temporal benefits, but like physical exercise, they have no eternal value; only the gospel can rescue sinners, and hell will be populated with moral people who never came to Christ. unit #30

Read it

Full transcript

20,602 characters 34 units ~23 min reading time

0 · MacArthur frames the sermon around his recent interviews and introduces Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 2:2 as the defining text for Christian purpose

As some of you know, I've done a number of recent interviews and people have asked me all kinds of questions. Some of them you no doubt have seen some of those interviews. I've been focusing on the fact that what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:2 I am determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified, is a very clear statement for Christians as to their purpose in the world. It is a statement that narrows everything down.

1 · MacArthur expounds on Paul's use of the word 'determined,' emphasizing that maintaining gospel focus requires intentional effort and resistance against distraction

I am determined, he says. That indicates to us he has to fight to maintain this focus. I am determined to know nothing among you but Christ and Him crucified. It's him saying, I don't want to get off message. It's always about Christ and Him crucified. This is our calling as a church in the world.

2 · MacArthur asserts that the church's failure to maintain gospel focus is not a new problem but a recurring pattern throughout church history

But the church has always struggled to stay on message. Its history is ample evidence of that.

3 · MacArthur illustrates the church's historical struggle to stay on message by pointing to mainline denominations a century ago that abandoned the gospel for the social gospel

You could just go a hundred years ago and you would arrive at a time in the church life in the United States of America when the mainline denominations of this nation, many of them very wealthy and powerful, with thousands and thousands of churches and all kinds of institutions, had basically abandoned Christ and Him crucified. They had been sucked into all kinds of social issues, and Christianity was almost synonymous with what was called the social gospel. They were concerned about social things rather than spiritual things. There was an attack on the inerrancy of Scripture, the inspiration of Scripture, the deity of Christ, the doctrine of the Trinity, salvation by grace through faith alone and Christ alone. These attacks were literally coming from those very denominations that declared themselves once to be Christian denominations, and they were content to fight every temporal social battle in place of the one reason for which they existed in the world, and that was the gospel.

4 · MacArthur continues the historical illustration, showing how the fundamentalist movement arose as a corrective response to the social gospel's abandonment of core doctrine

As a result of that, there was a group of men who got together and they wrote several volumes titled the Fundamentals. This is a group of Christian scholars who said, we've got to go back to the fundamental. They had a great impact, and it led to a movement called fundamentalism. It went on for a while, and then eventually it sort of morphed into what we today call evangelicalism, which is, strangely enough, very hard to define.

5 · MacArthur transitions from historical illustration to biblical exposition, examining the origin of the term 'Christian' in Acts 11:26

But we are looking at a day in the history of the church when Christianity as such is seen for something that it is not. And we need to get back to being seen for what we are. And I think I can make that pretty clear to you by just a couple of words. Let's take Christian. In the Book of Acts, chapter 11 and verse 26, it says, and the disciples were first called Christians. Now, that was not a title of honor. I mean, it was for them, but it wasn't intended that way. When the society identified the disciples of our Lord as Christians, that was full of ridicule, scorn, mockery. It was a term of derision. To be called a Christian, to be so completely identified with Christ was considered by the populace as a mark of severe intellectual inferiority. You were a lowlife. It was not intended to be an honorable term. Christianus, little Christs, what a joke. The fact that it was a term of scorn shows up in the 26th chapter of Acts.

6 · MacArthur continues his exposition by examining Acts 26:28, interpreting Agrippa's statement as mockery rather than genuine interest

You can look at it if you want, but I'll read verse 28. Paul is talking to King Agrippa. And Agrippa says to Paul, in a short time, you will persuade me to become a Christian. Now, you might read that and say, wow, Paul was having success with Agrippa. Maybe he was actually thinking about becoming a Christian. Well, if you thought that, you missed the interpretation. He is mocking Paul. He is saying to Paul, in a short time, you will persuade me to become a Christian. Full of scorn, ridicule, mockery and shame. Are you a. Are you making a joke of me? You think I'm that kind of fool? That you could so easily talk me into being one who has received the scorn and ridicule of this culture?

7 · MacArthur completes his exposition of the term 'Christian' by examining 1 Peter 4:16, where Peter acknowledges that suffering is inherent to the Christian identity and instructs believers not to be ashamed but to glorify God in that name

In First Peter, Chapter 4, Peter makes reference to this use of Christian as well. He says, if anyone suffers as a Christian, may. I mean, it was almost built in that if you were identified as a Christian, you would suffer because the very term was filled with disrespect. If anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed. Don't be ashamed. They say that about you to make you ashamed. Don't be ashamed, but glorify God in this name. Turn it on them. They call you a Christian to shame you. You turn it on them and you Accept that identification and give glory to that name.

8 · MacArthur laments the dilution of the term 'Christian' from a badge of identification with the rejected Christ to a generic cultural label

I wish it was still clear that the term Christian was so totally identified with Jesus Christ, the one whom the world rejects, that it was used as a term of derision so that Christians would understand the hostility against Christ and their responsibility to bring the message of Christ and flip that use and show them the glory of Christ. But Christian has just become another lowercase C word in the dictionary.

9 · MacArthur expounds on the term 'evangelical,' tracing it to the Greek word euangelizo and establishing its definition as one who preaches the gospel

Now, I don't mind being called an evangelical. I've been called that. I've been called worse things. But I don't mind being called an evangelical because that's a really good word, too. It's the word euongalidzo in Greek, and it means to preach the gospel. That's what it means, to preach the gospel. Look at 1 Corinthians, chapter 9 and verse 16. Just as an illustration of the significance of this term. Paul says, for if I preach the gospel, there it is. You, Angelizo. I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion. For woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. So what is an evangelical? Somebody who, what, preaches the gospel. That's an evangelical. And Paul says, that's what I do. That's my calling. And woe is me if I don't do that.

10 · MacArthur pivots from defining 'Christian' and 'evangelical' to demonstrating what gospel preaching looks like in practice

Now, what does that mean? That means that the narrow focus of Christians in the world is to be identified with Christ, and that is the fullness of Christ in the Scriptures as he is revealed, and we are to be identified as those who preach the gospel of Christ. What does that look like? Well, let's go to the 10th chapter of Acts, and we have an illustration of it.

11 · MacArthur expounds Acts 10:33-35, establishing the context of Peter's sermon to Cornelius and focusing on Peter's opening declaration of God's universal salvation

Here is Peter, and he is speaking to a Gentile named Cornelius. Cornelius has been desiring to know what the message is that the apostle has. And in chapter 10 of Acts and verse 33, Cornelius says, I sent for you immediately, and you've been kind enough to come. Now then, we're all here, Cornelius and his friends, and we're present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord. Tell us what God wants us to know. We're gathered together. Give us the message from heaven. What is it? Verse 34. You have a response. Opening his mouth, Peter said, I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation, the man who fears him and does what is right is welcome to him. Now remember, this is a Gentile. And Peter is saying, okay, I get it. Here's the message from heaven. God is not limited to the Jews. His salvation is not limited to them. God is not one to show partiality. But in every nation, the man who fears him and does what is right is welcome to him. There's no such thing as national conversion. It's all personal. It's in every nation the man who fears him.

12 · MacArthur continues his exposition of Acts 10, focusing on verse 36, where Peter declares that peace with God comes exclusively through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all

God is offering a universal salvation to everyone in every nation. And what is the method of that? What is the message that leads to that salvation? Verse 36. The word which he sent to the sons of Israel, that is the original coming of Christ and the opening of the Gospel. The original message which came first to Israel and now is extended to the Gentiles, is that peace comes through Jesus Christ. That's the message. And who is He? He's Lord of all. This is the message. This is so direct. Cornelius, a Gentile, says, what does heaven want me to know? He wants you to know that salvation is not limited to Israel, but that any person from any nation who fears God does what is right is welcome to him. But the way to come to him is through Christ, because peace with God is through Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

13 · MacArthur expounds Acts 10:37-41, where Peter recounts the gospel narrative: Jesus' ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit, His crucifixion, resurrection, and post-resurrection appearances to chosen witnesses

And then Peter goes on, you yourselves know the thing that which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee after the baptism which John proclaimed. You know what happened in Judea and Galilee after the ministry of John the Baptist when Jesus showed up. You know about him, verse 38. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. You know that the record of that is clearly what's laid out in the four Gospels. And Peter says, we're witnesses of all the things that he did. Apostolic witness, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put him to death by hanging him on a cross. God raised him up on the third day and granted that he become visible, and not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is to us who ate and drank with him after he arose from the dead. You know the story of Jesus. Peter reminds them who came with Holy Spirit power, did good, healed, overpowered demons, was crucified, rose again, appeared to many after his death.

14 · MacArthur expounds Acts 10:42-43, where Peter declares Christ as appointed judge and proclaims that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins

And then in verse 42, and he ordered us to preach to the people and solemnly to testify that this is the one who has been appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. He is not only Lord of all, he is not only the one who alone can make peace With God. He is the judge of the living and the dead. It is of him all the prophets bear witness that through his name, everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins. That is the marvelous conclusion that you have with Peter's restatement of the gospel concerning Christ. Believe in him and have your sins forgiven. That's the message of the gospel. The gospel means good news. The good news is he is Lord of all, he is judge. And if you're going to be right with God, you have to make peace with God through him. And if you don't make peace with God through Him, you will be judged. But if you believe in him, you will receive the forgiveness of sins.

15 · MacArthur brings Peter's gospel proclamation full circle back to Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 2:2, arguing that both apostles demonstrate the same singular focus on the gospel despite countless potential distractions

That's the message from heaven. Colonel Nilius says, what did God tell you to tell us? What's the message? It's the gospel. I love the simplicity of that. That's like Paul. I'm determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. There were all kinds of things that could easily have distracted Paul. All kinds of social issues, all kinds of temporal issues, all kinds of tragic things that needed to be resolved in human life. Lots of distractions. But he was determined to know one thing that is Christ and Him crucified.

16 · MacArthur pivots from the biblical pattern of gospel focus to the contemporary crisis of evangelical identity, introducing the problem that evangelicals are now perceived as political activists rather than gospel proclaimers

So I've been thinking about that. I've been thinking about it in the endless cacophony of political harangue going on in our country, which seems to have sucked up so many, quote, unquote, evangelicals to the degree that when I do these interviews, people ask me things like, what do you think of Christian nationalism? Why are you Christians trying to take over the country?

17 · MacArthur diagnoses the contemporary problem: evangelicals are perceived and resented not for their identification with Christ or gospel proclamation, but for political activism and moral crusading

Sadly, evangelicals are seen as a conservative political movement, sort of set against the established power of liberalism and progressivism. We are being accused of being a kind of revolutionary group that has political objectives, objectives for power, so that we can take control of. Of the levers of power in this nation and establish our own traditional view of morality as the required standard of living. We're accused of trying to take over the American government by political means to install morality as the traditional Judeo Christian morality, as the dominant position in society. So we are being basically rejected, not for our identification with Christ, not for preaching the gospel, but for traditional morality and political ambition.

18 · MacArthur acknowledges that Christians should expect rejection and persecution, but pivots to the critical question: for what reason should Christians be rejected? This claim sets up his argument that Christians are currently being rejected for the wrong reasons

Now, look, we're not surprised to be rejected. Yes, our Lord said we would be hated. He said we would be persecuted. He said we would be rejected. He said we would be jailed looking at Christian history, he said, and we would even be killed. The question is, for what? For what?

19 · MacArthur expounds John 15:18-21, where Jesus explains that the world's hatred of His disciples is rooted in the world's prior hatred of Him

Well, let's go back to John 15, where Jesus lays out very clearly the answer to the question for what John 15:18, he says to his disciples, if the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you're not of the world, but I chose you out of the world because of this, the world hates you. Don't be surprised. Really. Remember the word that I said to you. A slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they'll keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for my name's sake.

20 · MacArthur continues his exposition of John 15, emphasizing that persecution should result from identification with Christ's name and gospel message

When you're persecuted, it's going to be because the name of Christ means something. You're being persecuted for my name, for you're identifying with me and my message of the gospel. And verse 21, he says, and they do not know the One who sent me. They hate me, and they don't know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sinned. But now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father also.

21 · MacArthur completes his exposition of John 15, identifying the root cause of the world's hatred: Christ exposed their sin through His message and works

Why do they hate Jesus and the Father? Because he exposed their. What? Their sin. Their sin. If I hadn't done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sinned. But now they have both seen and hated me and my Father as well. Even with all the works, they still hated me. Because, as he says earlier in the Gospel of John, because I told them their deeds were evil. Really summing it up, verse 25. They hated me without a cause. They hated me without a cause. They hated him because of his message. And his message was the message of the Gospel. For the gospel begins with a confrontation of sin and death and judgment.

22 · MacArthur applies his exposition of John 15 to the contemporary situation, asserting that evangelicals are being resented for political activism rather than gospel proclamation

Evangelicals today are being resented for the wrong reason. We're being resented for our efforts in the political arena, efforts at societal morality, political power. This is why they accuse us of Christian nationalism, like trying to take over the government.

23 · MacArthur illustrates the problem of evangelical political activism by examining the Christian Coalition's agenda, demonstrating that its stated objectives contain nothing distinctly Christian or gospel-focused

An illustration of that. In Washington, D.C. there are currently in excess of 200 religious advocacy groups that have several thousand employees and spend about $400 million a year to lobby and advocate with politicians to gain a foothold for religion and morality. Now, you could get lost in the sea of all of those groups, but let me just pick one out. A very significant group is called the Christian Coalition. The Christian Coalition. And I looked them up just to see what their purpose was. And here's their agenda. I'll give you the list. One, stop funding abortion. Okay, I certainly agree with that. Number two, secure energy independence. I even like fossil fuels. God provided them. Three, reform criminal justice. Now that would be good. People ought to be treated fairly. I don't know. I wouldn't want to be in a jury trial. Protect the environment. Lots of luck with that. And finally, repeal Obamacare. So did you notice anything Christian about any of that? What is a Christian Coalition? There's nothing Christian about any of those things. Oh, and by the way, they also said there were 300 other issues, so that would make 315. None of which is the only issue that Christians should be concerned about. Which is what? The gospel.

24 · MacArthur acknowledges his own disgust with cultural immorality and affirms the legitimacy of pursuing biblical morality, but distinguishes between these as personal responses versus the church's primary mission

If we're going to be resented, let's be resented for what we're supposed to be resented for. Now, look, I feel just the way any Christian person would feel about a morally debauched culture. I hate it. I resent everything about it. I would love to be in a society of virtue and integrity and truth and honesty. I support and pursue biblical morality. I couldn't do less. A Christian can't do less. A preacher can't do less. I expose and attack the sins that destroy society, as the prophets did. But that's not why we're in the world.

25 · MacArthur poses the critical question of how lasting virtue is achieved, implicitly arguing that political activism and cultural pressure cannot produce genuine righteousness

The issue is, if you want lasting virtue and you want genuine righteousness, how do you get it? Through politics and media and lobbying and a measure of public intimidation. Paying millions of dollars and pouring money into elections and media events and pressure groups trying to sanitize America. And for all that you're hated for your societal and political ambition, Is that the Christian mandate?

26 · MacArthur makes the provocative claim that God does not bless morality, supporting it by contrasting Jesus' acceptance of sinners with His condemnation of the moral Pharisees in Matthew 23

Let me give you something to think about. People assume that God will bless America if America becomes moral. Listen to this. God has never blessed morality. He doesn't bless morality. In fact, he doesn't bless morality any more than he would bless immorality. He doesn't bless people because they're moral. Just look at Jesus. He accepted the wretched sinners, ate with them and spent time with them. And he pronounced curses on the Pharisees. You want morality? You've got it with the Pharisees. They were the most moral people in the world. And their morality was even tied to divine revelation in the Old Testament. And yet in Matthew 23, Jesus blistered them with the most severe diatribe that ever came out of his lips. He pronounced more condemnation on moral religious people than he ever did on immoral, irreligious people.

27 · MacArthur extends his argument that morality cannot avert divine judgment, using the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD as evidence that even a religiously moral society committed to God's law faced catastrophic judgment

A more Moral America would not escape divine judgment. Trying to grab yourself by your own bootstraps and clean up your act and live a more moral life will gain you nothing with God. Jesus looked at the Temple and the whole system of Pharisaic Judaism pronounced judgment on it, said the Temple is going to be torn down. 70 A.D. he used the Romans as his instrument of judgment. They came in and massacred tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of Jews who were all by at least their own personal confession, committed to the law of God. The only way you escape judgment is not by morality. Morality, apart from godliness, is the devil's morality. All false religion and every moral code that goes with it is designed by the devil to deceive. The Pharisees thought they were sons of God. Jesus said, you're sons of hell. The Pharisees thought they produced other sons of God by their religion. Jesus said, you produce many more times sons of hell.

28 · MacArthur brings his argument to its conclusion by citing 1 Corinthians 16:22 and asserting that the church's mission is to introduce people to Christ, not to biblical morality

Look, it all comes down to one thing. 1 Corinthians 16:22. If anyone does not love the Lord, he is cursed. Our mission in the world is to introduce the world to Christ, not to biblical morality that comes after Christ. We must proclaim Jesus as Lord, Savior and judge, like Peter did, and proclaimed Jesus as the only one who can make peace with God, as Jesus, the one who alone can forgive sins for all who believe in him.

29 · MacArthur states his pastoral longing that evangelicals would be known for gospel proclamation rather than political activism

I wish with all my heart that evangelicals were known for one thing, and that is with love, with clarity, with conviction, with with boldness proclaiming the glorious truth of Christ and the Gospel. But we're being resented for the wrong thing.

30 · MacArthur uses 1 Timothy 4:8 as an analogy to distinguish temporal benefits from eternal ones, arguing that political and moral activism may produce temporary cultural improvements but cannot rescue sinners

It's like 1 Timothy 4:8, first Timothy 4:8 says, for bodily discipline is only of little profit. There are people who get caught up in exercise, right? I mean, we have fanaticism at a level in this culture that's probably never been seen before. That's okay, you know, it's good. Take care of your body. But bodily discipline is only of a little profit. Godliness is profitable for all things since it holds the promise of eternal life. So the analogy is very simple. Some things are nice for now, but have nothing to do with forever. And nice for now isn't enough to rescue sinners. We have in the world this calling to the gospel. I just pray that we'll be faithful and bold and courageous and relentless and that we'll start making the main thing the main thing. And that leads me to say that we're here this morning because this is the main thing, right? To come to the cross. We all know that I think it's safe to say there won't be any lack of moral people in hell. In fact, there really won't be any truly moral people there because Isaiah said, all your righteousness is what, filthy rags? And Jesus said, look, I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. If Christianity is meaning anything in the world, it ought to be calling sinners to repentance.

31 · MacArthur applies his argument by calling Christians to view political opponents not as enemies but as the mission field

But instead of that, when Christians get caught up in politics, they look at the people of opposing political viewpoints and opposing social viewpoints as the enemy rather than the mission field. You don't want to turn the sinners into the enemy. They are the mission field and we're the missionaries and the Gospel is our message.

32 · MacArthur transitions from the sermon's polemic to the communion celebration, connecting the act of communion to the sermon's theme of proclaiming Christ's death

And so as we come to the Lord's table this morning, you recommit yourself to just exactly what you're doing here. Showing forth his death till he comes.

33 · MacArthur closes with a brief prayer, asking God to lead and guide the congregation as they participate in communion

Let's pray. Father, we thank youk for the opportunity to gather together and participate in this time around. You'd table Lead us and guide us, we pray.

Where this fits

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The only lesson Jesus draws from calamity and massacre is that everyone must repent before sudden death catches them unprepared, because the real catastrophe is not dying in a disaster but perishing eternally without having turned to Christ.

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This sermon

The Church's Singular Focus

The church's sole calling in the world is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, not to pursue political power or impose morality through social activism.

1 Corinthians 2:2

Take it further

Discuss · apply

Small groups

6 discussion questions

What does Paul mean when he declares in 1 Corinthians 2:2 that he resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified? What would…

Daily readings

5-day reading plan

This week we trace the church's apostolic pattern of singular focus on Christ crucified—from the foundation of the gospel's power to transform sinners, through the cost of faithful proclamation, to the mission field before us.

Family table

What Are We Known For?

This prompt invites your family to think about reputation and identity—what MacArthur emphasized as the difference between being known *for…

Couples

Christ Crucified: Our Singular Witness Together

What conviction did the sermon surface in your heart about where we may have drifted from simply proclaiming Christ—and how might that convi…

Memorize

1 Corinthians 2:2

This verse is Paul's crystalline statement of the church's singular focus and becomes the sermon's foundational text for all that follows. MacArthur uses it to establish that the church's sole calling is gospel proclamation, not political activism or moral reform—making it the essential anchor for remembering that Christ crucified, not cultural power, is our message.

Daily readings · Monday–Friday

5-day reading plan

This week we trace the church's apostolic pattern of singular focus on Christ crucified—from the foundation of the gospel's power to transform sinners, through the cost of faithful proclamation, to the mission field before us.

Monday 1 Corinthians 9:16

Paul's declaration—'Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel'—reveals that apostolic urgency was not optional zeal but compulsion born of divine calling. When the church loses this singular focus, it does not drift into neutrality but into competing missions; Paul's fierce words remind us that any substitute for gospel proclamation, however noble, represents a departure from what makes us faithful witnesses.

Tuesday Matthew 23

In Matthew 23, Jesus reserves His most devastating rebuke not for the openly sinful but for the scrupulous moral guardians of His day—those who tithed mint and cummin yet neglected justice and mercy. This passage shatters the assumption that moral correctness and religious observance constitute righteousness; only identification with Christ through repentance and faith restores us to God, while even exemplary morality apart from Him incurs judgment.

Wednesday Acts 10:36-43

Peter's proclamation to Cornelius—declaring Jesus as 'Lord of all,' announcing peace through the gospel, and testifying that all the prophets bear witness to Christ's power to forgive sins—shows no divided attention toward political influence or moral legislation. His message centers entirely on Christ as Savior and Judge; we are called to embody that same undivided allegiance in our witness, recognizing that the culture's transformation follows conversion, never precedes it.

Thursday John 15:18-21

Jesus prepares His followers for hatred from the world, yet His comfort rests not on avoiding persecution but on clarity about its source: we are hated because we belong to Him and do not belong to the world. The shame we bear must be for Christ's sake and the gospel's sake, not for political ambition; this passage calls us to examine whether our rejection flows from faithful proclamation or from worldly entanglement.

Friday Acts 10:42-43

Peter declares that Christ commanded the apostles to proclaim that He 'is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead' and that through His name everyone who believes receives forgiveness—a message of judgment and mercy offered universally. We must approach those who disagree with us not as foes to be defeated politically but as sinners whom Christ came to save; our enemy is not the unbeliever but the spiritual darkness that blinds them, and the gospel alone possesses power to open their eyes.

Memory verse this week

1 Corinthians 2:2

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Why this verse: This verse is Paul's crystalline statement of the church's singular focus and becomes the sermon's foundational text for all that follows. MacArthur uses it to establish that the church's sole calling is gospel proclamation, not political activism or moral reform—making it the essential anchor for remembering that Christ crucified, not cultural power, is our message.

Sunday-evening family table

What Are We Known For?

For the parent

This prompt invites your family to think about reputation and identity—what MacArthur emphasized as the difference between being known for Christ versus being known for other causes. Listen for whether your kids distinguish between doing good things and being identified with Jesus Himself.

If someone who doesn't know Jesus watched our church or our family for a week, what would they think we care about most? What do you think Jesus would want them to notice about us?

works for ages 7+ — younger children may need help articulating their thoughts, but the question invites honest observation and reflection

Small-group discussion

6 questions for your group this week

What does Paul mean when he declares in 1 Corinthians 2:2 that he resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified? What would it look like for him to know 'something else' instead?

1 Corinthians 2:2

→ How might the Corinthian church have been tempted to dilute or supplement this singular focus with other pursuits or priorities?
The sermon argues that the church throughout history has repeatedly abandoned its focus on proclaiming Christ in favor of social reform and political activism. Where do you see this pattern playing out in the evangelical church today, and what makes this shift so tempting?
Jesus pronounced His harshest condemnation on the morally religious Pharisees while welcoming wretched sinners (Matthew 9:13). What does this pattern reveal about God's posture toward morality apart from faith in Christ?

Matthew 9:13

→ Why might the church be so prone to assume that moral reform is the same thing as gospel advancement?
The sermon contends that morality without genuine relationship with God cannot avert divine judgment. What's the difference between a person who lives righteously because they have been transformed by the gospel and a person who lives righteously through cultural pressure or political enforcement?
According to Acts 10:42-43, Peter's proclamation moves from Christ as Judge to Christ as the one through whom forgiveness of sins is given. How does understanding Christ's role as both Judge and Savior reshape the way we engage people who oppose our political or moral positions?

Acts 10:42-43

→ What would change in our conversations with unbelievers if we genuinely saw them as the mission field rather than the enemy?
The sermon suggests that evangelicals today are being rejected not for identifying with Christ and the gospel, but for political activism. If that's true, what would it mean for our church to reorient ourselves so that people primarily know us for proclaiming Christ with love, clarity, conviction, and boldness?

Couples · three questions over coffee

Christ Crucified: Our Singular Witness Together

What conviction did the sermon surface in your heart about where we may have drifted from simply proclaiming Christ—and how might that conviction shape what you need from me this week?
As a couple, are we known more for our political convictions or our gospel proclamation? Where might we need to repent together of substituting activism for the boldness of simply naming Jesus as Lord and Savior?
How can we pray for one another to have courage this week to speak Christ crucified to someone in our circle—and to see people around us not as enemies but as the mission field God has placed before us?

Where this was preached

About the preacher

John MacArthur

Grace Community Church
Read the Guild Hall profile · All three stewarded sermons

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# Grace Community Church

Significant sermons by John MacArthur, stewarded by Sermon Steward as a sample.

## Sermons
- [A Testimony to Scripture's Sufficiency (TMU Chapel) (Psalm 19:7-9) (Psalm 19:7-14)](/SignificantSermons/macarthur/sermons/a-testimony-to-scripture-s-sufficiency-tmu-chapel-psalm-19)
- [Seek the Lord While He May Be Found (Luke 13:1-9)](/SignificantSermons/macarthur/sermons/seek-the-lord-while-he-may-be-found)
- [The Church's Singular Focus (1 Corinthians 2:2)](/SignificantSermons/macarthur/sermons/the-church-s-singular-focus)

## About
- About the church
- Plan a visit

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