Essentially Christless

So here's a typical sermon I heard recently:

Title of the sermon was, "Trust God, He's Got Your Back." The gist of it was, Hezekiah trusted God when Jerusalem was under attack. The enemy taunted the Jerusalemites and told them that their God would not protect them. But King Hezekiah trusted God, took certain practical steps to help the situation (diverting the water supply), and God pulled them through.

Moral of the story: we should trust God. All of us are facing stuff, tough stuff, and perhaps the enemy is taunting and threatening. There may be certain practical steps we should take, but above all, trust God, because he's got your back.

I can assure you that people loved this sermon. There was the requisite empathy for the "stuff" we're going through, and the heartfelt urging to do something. The reference to "the enemy," who is apparently responsible for all our bad breaks. But did you notice anything, ummm, missing?

Who was the hero of this sermon? Clearly, it was Hezekiah.

Where was Jesus in this sermon? Nowhere.

The cross? Forget about it.

Sin? You must be joking.

I give this example because it is typical. It is a sermon that I imagine would not be out of place in a modern synagogue or Mormon gathering, not to mention the most liberal mainline denominations generally (to which we evangelicals consider ourselves so superior because we're so true to the Bible and all). There is nothing in it that is essentially false, but there is nothing in it that is essentially Christian.

I would that every preacher got up in the morning with the words of Paul stirring his heart: "Him [Jesus] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ." [Col 1:28]