When the Walls are Closing In

As I prepared this sermon, there was one question that I struggled greatly answering, “How does the gospel give us the power to overcome earthly darkness?” Spiritual darkness, that is clear. We were once spiritually dead but through Christ and His death on the cross, we now have enteral life. But how does the gospel help us deal with what I call in the sermon, “earthly darkness” such as bankruptcy, divorce, and sickness?

So, after hours of prayer and laboring, the Holy Spirit revealed the connection to me, namely that, no earthly darkness compares to the spiritual darkness that Jesus saved us from. In other words, no matter how big a financial, health, and relational trouble that we may experience on earth, it is nothing compared to being saved from God’s wrath.

So, here’s what I learned from preaching this sermon.

Preaching Tip: Use the cosmic perspective argument to preach the gospel.

The cosmic perspective argument shows how a larger reality or ultimate truth (e.g., the spiritual death that Jesus saved us from) puts our current struggles into proper perspective, making them appear small or manageable by comparison while, at the same time, acknowledging their reality.

So, whenever you are preaching and are stuck in making the connection to the gospel in your sermon, think about the cosmic perspective argument and it’ll put you on the right path to make that connection :)