I think we just need to pray.
You hear those?
I get teared up every time that song comes on.
Man, Clay, that was hard, man.
Got to preach after that?
Let's go to the Lord in prayer.
Gracious Heavenly Father,
thank you for your word through your servant Paul,
as we're about to read.
Help us now by grace through faith in Christ
who is worthy.
Help us through the power of your Holy Spirit
to receive the word that you have for us today.
What we know not, teach us.
What we have not, give us.
What we are not, make us.
We pray in Jesus' name,
in the name of the one who is worthy.
Amen.
Well, it's a privilege to be here before you this morning.
Like many of you, all of you, I hope,
we've been so blessed as a family
to hear from God's word from this pulpit.
So it really is a humbling
and so it's a mortifying honor
to have the privilege to share this.
So thank you, Pastor Matt and the elders
for allowing me this privilege
to share God's word with you.
Because like you, sometimes
life just gets a little crazy.
We moved here in the middle of a pandemic.
We're supposed to be here for three months or so.
And we're on, I think, what, month 18?
Through it all.
And it's a blessing to come
and to be pointed back to Christ.
And in fact,
that's precisely what we find happening today
in 1 Corinthians 15.
If you're familiar with the church at Corinth,
they're messed up.
Life in their city was a crazy thing.
They had all different kinds of ideologies,
occupations,
a thousand reasons to not follow Christ.
And as you see through the pages of 1 Corinthians
and into 2 Corinthians,
there's even letters that Paul wrote to them
that we don't have.
It was that messed up in Corinth.
And here in 1 Corinthians 15,
Paul reorients them
to keep their priorities straight.
It wasn't about spiritual gifts.
It wasn't about who your favorite Bible teacher was.
It wasn't about anything else
but the good news about Jesus Christ.
And so I invite you,
turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15
if you don't have it open already.
And I want us to read
about the priority of the gospel.
And Paul's going to tell us two simple things.
We need to, as Christians,
we need to be,
we need to receive the gospel
and we need to proclaim the gospel.
Two simple things.
That's where we're going with this today.
So join me in 1 Corinthians 15.
I want to read verses 1 through 11
because this Christ who is worthy
is at the center of what it means
to be a Christ follower,
to be a Christian,
at the center of who we are as a church.
1 Corinthians 15.
Now I would remind you, brothers,
of the gospel I preach to you,
which you received and which you stand
and by which you're being saved
if you hold fast to the word I preach to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you
as of first importance
what I also received,
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the scriptures,
that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the scriptures,
and that he appeared to Cephas
and then to the twelve.
Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers
at one time,
most of whom are still alive,
but some have fallen asleep.
And then he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles.
Last of all,
as to one untimely born,
he appeared also to me.
For I am the least of the apostles,
unworthy to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God,
I am what I am,
and his grace toward me
was not in vain.
On the contrary,
I worked harder than any of them,
though it was not I,
but the grace of God
that is with me.
Whether then it was I or they,
so we preach,
and so you believed.
The verb tenses here
are really important
throughout these first couple verses,
through this opening section,
because Paul is trying to
tenderly,
but firmly remind them,
y'all are crazy.
Y'all forgot who you are.
You forgot your first priority,
and it's our first priority Christian,
it's our first priority church,
to receive the gospel.
They had received it, right?
Look with me there in chapter,
back in verse one,
I would remind you brothers,
he's reminding them,
this is not new territory
for Corinth.
It's probably not new territory
for a lot of us.
If you're like me,
a church kid,
you hear the gospel,
you think,
oh, here we go again.
But Paul's like,
no, no, no, no.
The reason all your crazy's been going on
is because that's your attitude.
You think you've graduated from the gospel.
You think you've been promoted beyond.
No.
Spiritual gifts,
speaking in tongues,
all that other stuff
that in the first 14 chapters here
of 1 Corinthians,
the problem with those problems
are because you forgot.
You let something else
become the first priority Christian.
You let something else
become your first priority church.
So Paul has to remind them
that you received something Christian.
You received the gospel.
And you forget that
to your detriment.
Paul, in fact,
points out just how awkward
and difficult the danger is
as we move in verse 2.
It's an awkward phrase.
This,
if you hold fast
to the right approach to you
unless you believed in vain.
What is Paul talking about there?
He's warning them
about two alternatives, really,
to what you can do
with the gospel.
You can choose
to believe the right thing
insincerely.
A fancy word.
You could be a hypocrite
at its worst.
Or you could just be
sincerely indifferent.
Yeah, I go to church on Sunday.
Yeah, I heard the preacher.
I took killer sermon notes.
I mean, it's like,
he could preach from that.
Or, you know,
yeah, I aced the Sunday school lesson.
I knew the answers
before the teacher told me.
But,
but,
Monday morning,
Thursday afternoon,
Wednesday night,
how's that working out?
You see,
our practice betrays our doctrine.
Our practice betrays
what we truly believe.
And our priorities
throughout that week
betray
what's really our first priority
in this life.
and Paul's trying to remind them,
hey,
you gotta keep the gospel
your first priority.
Otherwise,
maybe,
maybe you don't believe
what you think.
You use that word, Christian,
but I don't think that word
means what you think it means.
Because I'm looking at your life
and I'm not seeing
how
they don't add up.
There's another alternative
that Paul is suggesting
of this idea of believed,
by believing in vain.
It's also the idea that,
well,
maybe,
just maybe,
you believe the wrong thing
sincerely.
And so,
Paul's wanting to remind them,
make sure it's crystal clear.
We'll see this in verses 3
and following here
in a few moments.
He wants them to be crystal clear
that what they believe,
what they receive,
is in point,
in fact,
what Paul gave them
in the first place.
So he's reminding them
because their salvation,
as Paul even says himself,
is God's grace to them.
It's nothing you do.
It's nothing you performed.
He does it for you.
He does it to you.
That's good news.
It doesn't matter
how much Bible you know.
As long as you know the gospel,
as long as you remember it
and don't forget about it,
Christian.
You see,
Paul even
punches it
even further down at us
that
the gospel is the message
that we stand upon
in verse 1.
It's the message
in which you stand upon.
It's the grounds
for all that you do,
Christian.
And notice again,
verse 2.
And it's the gospel
that which you're being saved by.
Now,
I don't mean to
overwhelm with grammar here
for a second,
but
did you notice
that that's like
a present tense verb?
Right?
I'm being saved.
Present perfect
for those who want to
get into it a little bit.
But
Paul's trying to help us
understand, Christian.
It's not,
you don't graduate
from the gospel,
you're sanctified
by the gospel,
and you're saved
by the gospel.
And that's good news.
Until you forget about it.
And then it's not good news
because you've forgotten
and you've gone off
and done all these
other crazy things.
Like,
picked a Bible teacher
that you really love
and that's all you care about
is what he said
and how they said it.
Christ saved you.
Not that.
I mean,
praise God for a good Bible teacher.
I'm not trying to,
but it's a mis,
your priority's
in the wrong spot.
It's about Christ
and what he's done for you
in this good news
gospel message
for you.
And it produces,
and when we,
excuse me,
when we receive
this good news,
it produces fruit
in our lives.
On the one hand,
that act of salvation
where we receive Christ
and become Christians,
we become Christ followers,
but then that ongoing,
secondly,
this idea of receiving
also has that ongoing idea
of internalizing God's word.
How do I live
gospely?
If I could say it that way.
Paul's trying to get us
to remember
that we need to not just
receive it to believe,
but we need to receive it
to live.
What about your life,
Christian,
is gospely?
What about your life
reflects good news
that Christ died for sinners?
What is it about your life,
Christian?
What is it about
the heart attitudes
that you have
that is formed
and transformed
by the gospel?
We need to be reminded
of this gospel,
not just save from it
and graduate on
to other things.
And what's striking to me
is that,
and I'm saying all this,
it's almost as if
the gospel is this
thing over here
and it has to be
delivered to me.
Not just in the act
of salvation,
but daily
as I grow
in my walk
with the Lord.
And so Paul has
a lot to say
about that too
as we look at
the rest of verse 3
and into verse 11
because Paul isn't
just concerned
that we receive
the gospel,
he's also concerned
about what the gospel is
and our first priority
to proclaim
the gospel together.
We receive it
and we proclaim it.
Two very simple points
Paul has here
and along the way
he wants to make sure
you know what that gospel is
because,
again,
I'm not wanting to split hairs
too much here,
but it's interesting
that Paul's choice
of vocabulary here
in verse 1,
I preach to you
the message you received,
it's a little more,
if we were to take this
a little more woodenly,
it's I gospeled
the gospel to you.
He's not using
the usual word for preach
here in verse 1.
He's using the verb gospel
to talk about
the subject gospel.
I want to remind you,
brothers,
of the gospel,
I gospeled to you.
Someone had to tell you,
Christian,
so that you could be
a Christ follower,
just like someone had to
tell the person
that told you,
that we go all the way
back to Paul
and the apostles
who got it from Jesus,
who got it from
the Father himself
who was sent.
And glory of all glories,
it was written down for us,
inspired by the Holy Spirit,
the Spirit of Truth,
like Pastor Matt taught us
last week,
guiding us
and shaping us
and helping us
to think gospely.
That's the good,
that's part,
that's the good news
applied to your life,
Christian.
Remember,
Paul wants us to remember it,
but he wants us
to also proclaim it.
It's not enough to know it
and to remember it,
it's a message
that we're to proclaim
because how else
is your neighbor
going to hear
the good news about Christ?
You were told,
someone proclaimed it to you,
what about the person
sitting next to you?
What about that girl
across the office way
from you?
What about the student
two desks down from you?
What about,
Paul says in Romans 10,
how will they hear
if no one preaches?
It's on us, church,
it's on us, Christian,
to remember the gospel,
to receive it,
and to proclaim it,
to get it out.
But,
perhaps,
perhaps you're like
the church at Corinth,
or one of the Christians,
probably not everybody
was this way,
but maybe that's just it.
You're not sure
what the gospel is.
Could you,
if I had you come up here
right now,
what's the gospel, Christian?
What would you say?
Paul gives us
four simple statements
about what the,
that comprise
the gospel message.
the bare bones,
the most,
if you could only say this,
what would you say?
Paul tells us here
in verses 3 through 10.
Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures.
He was buried.
He was raised from the dead
on the third day
according to the scriptures.
And he was seen.
Four simple things.
That's it.
That's the message
that saves.
Not my testimony
about how I
received the gospel.
That's important.
But how Timothy Hine
heard the good news
about Jesus
and placed his trust,
that's not the good news.
The good news is
Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures.
He was buried.
He was raised
from the dead
on the third day
according to the scriptures.
And he was seen
by his followers.
That's the good news.
We could say more,
couldn't we?
I mean,
what about
the virgin birth?
He was fully God.
He was fully man.
He was raised
from the dead.
Notice the passive tense
of that verb there.
Someone raised.
He was raised.
He didn't raise himself.
He was raised
from the dead.
Doctrine of the Trinity,
God, Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit.
According to the scriptures,
which scriptures?
Isaiah 52 and 53
like we read earlier.
All the prophets,
all the law.
Paul says elsewhere
that the whole law
and prophets
point to the coming
of Christ.
We could talk
about those things,
but if we think about it,
that's really just
meat on the bones,
isn't it?
The gospel,
the message that saves
is decidedly simple.
Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures.
He was buried.
He was raised
on the third day
according to the scriptures.
He was seen.
That's the message
that saves.
And when we,
when we get too far
on a rabbit trail
from that,
Paul's trying to warn us
it can lead to some scary place.
It can lead to some weird
messed up places.
You see,
you can't take away
from the gospel.
You also can't add to it.
Let me do a little gospel math
if you will.
If you can,
I'm not a mathematician
so forgive me here
if I get dangerous.
But the gospel is actually,
it's so simple,
it's scary in a sense.
The gospel
plus something else,
it's not the gospel.
It's not good news.
Jesus died and rose again
for our sins
according to the scriptures
plus you praying super hard.
That's not the gospel.
Christ died and rose again
for our sins
according to the scriptures
and you show up
every Sunday early.
Not the gospel.
Conversely,
the gospel
minus something
is also not the gospel.
What if Jesus
wasn't really God?
He was just an angel
who took on flesh.
Even in the first century
people were saying that.
Even today people say that.
It takes away from the gospel.
Well, maybe,
maybe he was fully God
but was he really human?
I mean,
maybe he was just like
God in a man's suit.
You know,
he just came down
and zipped up the tuxedo
of human flesh
and he looked like God.
Again,
a problem the church dealt with
back in the first
and second centuries
and yet,
you hear that today,
don't you?
It's not the gospel.
You can't take anything
away from this
without changing
the gospel message.
Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures.
He was buried.
He was raised from the dead
on the third day
according to the scriptures
and he was seen
by his followers.
That's the message.
That's the good news
that saves
and everything flows
out of that.
Christ was crucified
because he claimed
to die on the cross.
He claimed that his death
was atoning for sin.
He was crucified
because he said
he was God's son.
He was crucified
because he claimed
to be king of kings
and lord of lords.
Martyrs,
blood flowed
for this message.
Christians,
so let's be careful
to remember
what this gospel is
because it's not
a lot of things
that we oftentimes
want to add
to the gospel
but if we really
want to pray,
if we really want
to split that hair,
we're really talking
about the gospel
and the effects
of the gospel,
how it flows
into other facets
of our life,
how it permeates
and how we internalize
it as a people,
as individuals,
how we wish society
would absorb
that gospel message,
that good news.
I mean,
strictly speaking,
even some of our,
I'm all for
penal substitutionary
atonement
and justification
and these things
but those are all,
those are the,
that's the outflowing
of the gospel.
That's the gospel
applied,
isn't it?
That I receive the good,
that God changes me
so that I receive
the good news
and I'm made
right before him.
That's the result
of this gospel,
bare bones,
gospel message
and that's good news.
But maybe you're like,
maybe you've met
that person before
who maybe forgets
that sometimes
and they know more
about what this theologian
or that theologian said
than what the good news
itself is.
Or maybe you've met
that person
person who's so hung up
on certain theological themes.
These are all good things.
But they're not the gospel.
They're not the good,
they're not the first priority.
And just like the church
at Corinth,
we can look at them
2,000 years removed
and think,
oh, silly kids.
They didn't know
what they're doing.
We've got,
we've grown up,
we've matured.
No,
we still have
the same sinful heart.
We still live in a city
much like theirs
that was prone
to find all different
kinds of ways
to do things
that offend God.
And but for His grace
we would do the same
just as well.
But when our priority
is first and foremost
fixed on Christ
and His good news,
the effects,
it changes everything.
It should change everything.
If it doesn't change
everything for you,
what did you receive?
Because the gospel
changes everything.
Maybe not everything
all at once.
It takes time.
I'm still lazy.
The gospel's still
working on me on that.
What's the gospel
working on for you
still, Christian?
Is it working on you?
No?
The gospel
can and does
transform people
and society.
But even social change
and social justice
aren't the gospel
message itself.
It's a result
of the gospel.
It's fruit
of the gospel.
And that's good news too.
We have to keep
the gospel
our first priority.
We keep it the first priority
by receiving it.
We keep it the first priority
by proclaiming it.
When our message changes
to something other than
Christ crucified
and resurrected,
we've moved the chains.
We've changed the target.
We've confused our priorities.
And history tells the story
of many a church,
many a Christian
who has lost sight of this
and fallen away.
We can think of institutions
that were built
to train ministers
that now don't even acknowledge
the good news about Christ.
We can think of
numerous friends,
maybe you have friends
or family
who said they were Christians,
followed Christ for a season,
and then...
And now,
look at them.
Their priorities
are all over the place.
But not...
Not here.
Not centered on Christ.
It's God's grace
that...
It's because of God's grace,
Paul says in verse 10,
that He is what He is,
and you are what you are,
Christian.
Let's not add
or take away from that.
Now,
receiving the salvation,
receiving the gospel...
I come at this as a church kid.
You have to forgive me.
I've heard this a million times.
You've heard this a million times too,
church kids, right?
Growing up in the church,
and you say to yourself,
so what am I supposed to do?
What...
Jesus did it all.
He paid it all.
He's the foundation I stand on.
He's what I received.
I can't affect...
I can't change my status before God.
He does that.
But how do I...
How do I live this out?
What do I do?
How do I live different?
Do I need to go be that guy
on the corner
with the sign
and the, you know,
the Lord is coming?
No, that's not what Paul's saying here.
What Paul's saying here
is we need to order our lives
around the gospel.
And it begins
even with our proclamation of the gospel.
Before you preach the gospel
to someone else, Christian,
do you preach the gospel to yourself?
daily.
Reminding yourself,
I...
He died for our sins,
Paul says in verse 3.
My sins.
And it was according to God's plan.
He was...
The Son of God
was buried in a tomb
for three days
because of my sin.
He was raised to life
just like God promised
according to scriptures
three days later.
What great news, Christian.
You have a hope.
You're not dead
in your trespasses
and sins anymore.
So why was that
a temptation again?
Why...
What was that thing
that was teasing you,
flirting with you?
Take five minutes each morning.
Preach the gospel to yourself.
I can't tell you
how much gospel good it'll do you.
It's...
It's the best news
your soul could ever receive
that day, today.
And this is why,
like, I think it was Pastor Nick
a couple weeks back,
abiding in Christ.
Spending time in God's word
and prayer.
Reminding yourself of the gospel.
Reading it.
Reading his promises
in the Old Testament.
Reading the promise,
how he fulfills those promises
in the New.
Oh, it's words of life.
It's not just...
Oh, here we go.
If that's your heart attitude, Christian,
what did you receive again?
What did you receive again?
What...
What are you standing on again?
Maybe for some of us,
Paul's exhortation here
about proclaiming the gospel
is our problem.
Maybe you're a little stale
in your faith
because you've not talked
to anyone about it in a while.
You haven't talked to yourself
about it.
You haven't preached it to yourself.
You haven't preached it to anybody.
You haven't proclaimed it.
You haven't delivered a message
to anybody,
including yourself.
Maybe you're at that place
in your spiritual journey,
in your walk with Christ, Christian,
where part of the...
of your walk with the Lord
is you've not...
you've not...
you don't know how to articulate
the gospel
and what a great way
to work that out
than to tell...
share with somebody.
Proclaim the message.
Deliver the message,
the good news that saved you.
It's what you stand on.
Hopefully it's what you bleed
when life presses in on you.
Can you articulate it?
Tell somebody.
Try it out.
It might be an epic fail.
That's fine.
God's word never returns void.
But are you doing
what God's called you to do?
Receive it.
Proclaim it.
Maybe along the way,
if I need...
I need help with this.
That's the beauty of the church.
We do this together.
It's not about how awesome
she is at this
and he is at that
and she's...
We're here together
to help each other,
to grow in Christ.
That's all the more reason
to talk to someone
about the gospel.
If you're nervous
to tell someone
who doesn't know,
talk with someone who does.
Hey, am I getting...
Am I missing something here?
We're...
We're not all called
to be PhDs in New Testament
and that's okay.
That's a good thing.
Most of you shouldn't do that.
Please don't.
But maybe you are called to that.
Praise God.
Do it and help us all
figure this stuff out.
You don't need a PhD
to share the gospel.
You don't even need
a primary school degree.
You don't even need
a high school diploma.
You just need
the gospel message itself.
It preaches.
Do you know it?
Tell somebody.
Talk to another Christian
about it and help them...
Help each other
get better at talking
about the gospel
and then go tell others
who don't know the good news.
Maybe you've been doing it
for a while
and you just need
a fresh perspective.
That's where great Christian books
can be so helpful.
There's a thousand...
There's thousands of them today.
There's no reason not to
get into that broader conversation
that's so accessible.
So ask me afterwards.
We can talk about more of those.
But the good news
is that not only can we
receive the gospel,
we can grow in our understanding
of it
and we have each other
to do it with.
What great news
for a life caught up
in a pandemic
where we're isolated
from each other.
These are the good news.
These are the results
of our good news, Christian.
But I want to close...
I want to close
by asking
and talking for a moment
to those who don't follow Christ.
Maybe you're here seeking God.
You're seeking for something.
You're still trying
to figure it out.
I got great...
It's all right here.
It is super simple.
Now I know
even Paul faces
if you go back
and read 1 Corinthians 1,
it sounds foolish.
It's a stumbling...
It's foolish
for the sophisticated.
At least that's how
it can sound sometimes.
And maybe you come
from another religious tradition
and you think
it just doesn't...
It doesn't add up.
It doesn't match
my tradition
that I grew up with.
Precisely.
Look, friend.
God exists
and He spoke.
And He spoke
good news of life
because He promised
to deal with
the one thing
you and I can't solve
on our own.
The fact that
we're lost in seeking.
What you're looking for
is how to be made
right with God.
You may not be able to...
It doesn't...
Maybe it's not that way
in your head
but what Scripture
is trying to help us see
is that is what you're missing.
You are not right
with God
because there's stuff
separating you from God.
Stuff inside you,
stuff in your life.
The Bible uses
a big word called sin
to describe that.
And the...
And that's the...
That's the bad news,
admittedly.
We're separated from God
from our sin.
But the good news
is He did something about
while we were still
seeking.
While we were still
hostile.
While we were still
alien and foreign to Him,
He,
because of His great love
with which He loved us,
sent His Son,
Jesus Christ,
to die on the cross
for our sins
according to the Scriptures.
It really happened.
He really died.
He really rose again.
And people saw it
and wrote it down.
And it's the best news,
my friend.
It's what you're looking for.
It's what you need.
It's what saves.
It's what gives us hope
for this life
no matter what comes.
In fact,
that's what the rest
of 1 Corinthians tells us.
1 Corinthians 15
talks about
is the hope
that we have in Christ
because of this gospel.
It's not about
what you do.
It's about what Jesus
has done
and what He's going to do.
And that's...
That's good news.
It's the best news
if we would but receive it
by repentance
and faith.
I don't know about you, friend,
but I want to invite you
to receive that gift.
And Christian,
brothers and sisters,
this is our good news.
Don't forget it.
Don't let something else
take first priority.
because it's only just good news.
It's the best news.
Let's pray.
Gracious Heavenly Father,
thank You for the good news
that Christ died on the cross for us.
Thank You for the good news
that our one foundation
is not how much I know
about Your Word.
It's not how spiritual I perform.
It's about Christ
dying on the cross for our sins
according to the Scriptures.
And it's a hope that we have
for this life
and for the life to come.
It's also
our first priority
to order our life,
to identify ourselves by
so that we might please You
in all that we say and do.
Help us, Lord, we pray.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.