You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
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You may have heard of the late Stephen Covey.
Covey was a really successful businessman, a big author, best-selling author,
and a very well-respected guy in the self-help industry.
He wrote books like Seven Habits of Highly Successful People.
That may ring a bell.
It's been adapted for organizations, for schools, for individuals of all ages.
Lots of wonderful advice in there.
One of the things that Covey says in that book, one of his bits of wisdom,
is the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.
If you write it out, it looks like the mess at the top of your bulletin that doesn't look like a word.
That's pretty good advice.
Find out what's important, what your priorities are,
and then make sure they're treated as priorities, like things that are really important, right?
It's a great bit of advice.
The challenge with it, I find, is that figuring out what's important can be so difficult.
There's just so much these days.
Priorities are so hard.
There's so much going on in my life.
When I try to figure out, okay, let's just make a list.
What are the important things I need to be doing?
And marriage, and work, and kids, and church, and hobbies, and friendships, and volunteering.
They all seem so important that they seem to crowd the list.
And don't forget to sleep and exercise, because you should take care of yourself.
That's important too, right?
Culture tells us priorities should be things like comfort and ease.
Fame, success, power, control.
And we work really hard for those things.
And then you're in a city like Huntsville with churches all over the place, right?
And so you've heard messages from churches, from religious institutions, what they say
should be really important.
You've heard them say that the main thing is personal morality.
Things you should not do, like don't smoke, or drink, or chew, or go with girls who do.
That's really important.
Don't do those things.
Or on the other hand, do some really important things, like go to church.
Read your Bible, pray.
You've heard that as something that is of utmost importance.
From other churches, you may have heard messages more of social or corporate morality.
Be pro-life.
Be Republican.
Be pro-Israel.
Or on the other hand, perhaps be tolerant.
Be inclusive.
Be benevolent.
Those are the most important things.
So we've heard all sorts of messages about what's really important, about what the main
thing is.
So the main thing may well be to keep the main thing the main thing, but in the muddle of
our lives and all those voices telling us what's so important, that may not actually help us
a lot.
It may not clear much up.
What really matters for me, for my family, for all of life?
And God's Word makes that clear for us in the passage we will read this morning.
In no uncertain terms, the Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, tells us the message
we should be hearing from churches as the main thing.
We'll see, it's actually remarkably good news.
This is 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
It's Paul's classic writing on the resurrection of Jesus.
We're going to start reading at verse 3.
This is God's Word.
In a world of promises that fail you, the thing you can count on.
In a world where things fade, the thing that lasts.
In a world of imperfections, the perfect Word of God.
Paul writes,
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, then to the
twelve.
Then He appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though
some have fallen asleep.
Will you pray with me?
Father, thank You for these words, these words of life.
Thank You that they're unlike any other that we hear today.
We will hear in the next few minutes the words of a dying man, but we need to hear this morning
the words of the living God.
We need to hear from You.
And so, Father, would You speak to us clearly this morning?
That's what would make a difference in our lives.
We didn't come merely to be entertained.
We don't want simply to be happy for a few moments and then go about our way.
We would ask that You would speak to us.
That we would meet the living God and be different forever because of that.
Would You do that in this time that we have together?
Speak through Your Word, we ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Okay, so what's the main thing?
What's the main thing here?
One of the first things you notice when you read this passage, it says that there's something
of first importance, right?
Something that is the main thing Paul's going to remind the Corinthians is the essence of
Christianity, the basis of life.
The thing you notice is that it's about what God has done rather than what we do.
Look at the passage.
What's of first importance in this passage?
That Christ died.
That He was buried.
That He was raised.
That He appeared.
Over and over, this passage says what's most important, what's of first importance is Jesus'
performance, not yours.
The whole list is His.
Maybe you've missed that and what you've heard or perceived from churches before.
Or we're often so loud on the messages of personal or social morality that I mentioned earlier
that we muffle what God intended to be the clarion call of the church.
Christ has conquered.
Christianity is about what He has done for you, not about what you do for Him.
The main thing is not how well you've performed religious duties, how correctly you've voted,
how successfully you've balanced a full plate of responsibilities.
The main thing is that Jesus has performed perfectly, that He has done everything that
was necessary.
So you can exhale for a minute this morning.
Before we even dive into any details, that's the good news.
He's carrying the load.
What is it exactly that Jesus did that was so important?
What does this passage tell us?
Paul summarizes it in these verses with two primary events.
Two primary things Jesus did and they each have a special confirmation of their reality
attached to them.
The first is Jesus' death.
Look at verse 3.
Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.
Jesus went to the cross.
We've considered that this week.
He suffered the pain and the agony there of a cruel death.
The wrath of God being poured out on Him on the cross.
And why did He do it?
Why does it say He died?
It says, for our sins.
You may notice this is actually the one time that our actions come into the of first importance
list.
Our sins.
That's where we make it in.
Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.
There's a lot of Scriptures that talk about that.
One of the most beautiful places in the Old Testament where we read of Christ dying for
our sins is Isaiah chapter 53.
Let me read you just a portion of it.
It says,
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.
Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.
But He was pierced for our transgressions.
He was crushed for our iniquities.
Upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace.
And with His wounds, we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray.
We have turned everyone to His own way.
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Do you hear what's happening there in that passage?
All our punishment laid on Him.
Everything we deserved, He takes.
You see, the amazing thing about those five little words,
Christ died for our sins,
is that died and sins go together.
You should often see them in the same sentence.
That's exactly what has always been true of sin,
that it deserved death.
A holy God must punish sin.
The punishment for sin against a holy God is death.
From the beginning it has been.
Someone must die.
The glory of these words,
and you can see it, this is not complicated,
is what we just read in Isaiah 53.
Everything we deserved, He takes.
Christ died for our sins.
That's the part that is not supposed to be that way.
We should die for our sins,
but Christ does instead.
Picture the judge coming out from behind His gavel,
having cast the guilty verdict.
And yet, before He reads the sentence,
He steps out from behind the gavel
and takes the place of the convict
and says,
I'll take the sentence that's due Him.
That's what happens.
The just judge says,
sin deserves death.
And then He says,
but I'll be the one who takes it,
not you.
Amazing.
Amazing that He would do that for our sins.
And Jesus really died.
Really, truly died.
The confirmation of that in this passage,
of course, is His burial.
Jesus' burial is mentioned.
Having been confirmed dead on the cross
by Roman soldiers,
He's placed in a tomb
with a large stone in front
and a Roman guard placed in front of it.
He didn't die figuratively.
He really died, Paul is saying,
and He was buried.
And now we make it to Easter.
I know, you're as anxious as I am.
Skip that part.
It's Sunday morning.
Come on.
Let's get to verse 4.
What happens next?
Of course, it's Jesus' resurrection.
Verse 4,
after being in that tomb Friday night,
all day Saturday,
Sunday morning comes,
the stone is rolled away,
and Jesus walks out of the tomb.
He is risen.
And it's of first importance
that this happened, Paul says.
Why is it in the list?
Why is it so important?
I think among other reasons,
because many, many people
in the history of the world
have died and been buried.
Many of them.
There's lists and lists
of those who have died
and been buried
in the history of mankind,
but it's not at all common
to talk about what happens
when someone walks out of the tomb.
If Jesus remained in the grave,
then He's just one more guy
among a long, long list.
One more person
who succumbed to death
in the end.
He may have done
some interesting things,
but if that's the end of it,
He's just like the rest of us.
There's no value to us
in His death
if that's the end.
In fact, Paul will go on
to say in this chapter
that if Jesus didn't rise
from the dead,
we're still in our sins.
The claim that Jesus died
for our sins
that's so wonderful
that we were just talking about,
if He didn't rise from the dead,
it's unhelpful.
It's untrue.
He didn't defeat sin,
death, and the grave for us
if that's the case.
But if sin's just punishment,
death can't hold Jesus,
then He has conquered sin for us.
He's paid our full penalty.
He's risen triumphant.
And the Father says,
yes, I accept that offering.
Sin has been defeated.
So the joy of the resurrection
is that Jesus walked out of the grave
in His glorious body,
conquered sin, death, and the grave,
that now death is being reversed
and life brought in its place
to those who deserved death.
There's hope for us again.
Paul spends the rest of this chapter
talking about how important
the resurrection is,
how it makes all the difference
in the world
if Jesus really did walk out of the tomb.
And He begins by giving confirmation
to this historic event.
He gives Jesus' appearances,
some of them,
listed in verses 5 and 6.
Paul gives names,
eyewitnesses,
numbers of people
who witnessed the same encounter
with a risen Jesus.
And he makes the point of saying
that most of them are still alive.
Go talk to them, he's saying.
Refute this incredible claim
and shut this upstart movement down.
Go talk to these people
and see if they are just making this up,
if they all have different stories.
Or join in with Jews, Romans.
Pick anybody there
who'd love to produce his body
and end this crazy movement
that's driving them mad.
All those in power,
when it stopped,
go do that.
You can talk to them.
Unless, of course,
as you talk to one witness
after another,
you find it to be credible
and true.
Jesus' appearances
are meant to confirm
that He really rose from the dead.
Just like He really died,
that He really rose from the dead,
that that's the most important event
in human history.
But they're meant to do
something else too, I think.
His appearances begin to confirm
some of the personal impact
of the resurrection.
Look at the first name in the list.
You may not recognize it.
It says Cephas.
It's a strange name.
That's Peter.
That's Peter,
the one who denied Jesus
three times.
His disciple who,
in his leader's
greatest moment of need,
in the big game,
Peter lets him down.
Peter fails.
Peter denies Jesus.
And after His resurrection,
Jesus' appearance to Peter
is like many of His appearances
to people.
He meets people
right where they are.
And the fact that He's risen
changes everything.
It changes everything
for Peter.
He's no longer defined
as a failure,
as one who's let Jesus down
because when a risen Jesus
walks out of the tomb,
Jesus is one without Peter's help.
Peter may have failed
in the big game,
but Jesus conquered.
He won.
And so now,
rather than being defined
as a failure,
He's reinstated as a friend
and a leader,
as one Jesus loves.
Jesus meets Thomas
in his doubts
and says,
touch my hands
and my side.
See and believe.
The resurrected Jesus
changes everything
for Thomas,
doesn't He?
Jesus meets a woman
named Mary
in the garden
just outside the tomb.
She's fearful.
She's grieving.
She's uncertain
about the future.
Her Lord,
the one she followed
is gone.
She doesn't know
what's coming next.
And Jesus calls her by name.
He says,
Mary.
Don't be afraid.
I'm alive.
I'm here.
The resurrected Jesus
changes everything
for Mary.
I don't know what each of you
is facing this morning.
I'm sure that there are
those here who are
struggling with failures,
ashamed of things you've done.
Those who are struggling
with doubts.
Certainly,
those struggling with
fear and grief
and uncertainty
about the future.
Probably many more emotions
and situations
in your life
than that.
I couldn't possibly
know them all.
But I can tell you,
the resurrected Jesus
lives
to meet you there.
To call you by name.
To remind you
that because
He lives,
everything changes.
You don't have to be afraid.
He reigns over all
and protects you.
You can trust Him.
You aren't defined
by your mistakes.
Even your bad ones.
Even the ones
you wouldn't admit
to anybody
this morning.
He died for sins.
Conquered sin.
You're welcomed
into His family
whether you have
a religious resume
you're proud of
or not.
What He has done
far outweighs
what you do.
See,
the implications
of the resurrection
are intensely personal
like that.
Easter really does
change everything.
Easter cannot be
merely a footnote.
It either changes
everything
or nothing at all.
Claiming that someone
died and then
walked bodily
out of the tomb
is not just
oh well that would be
nice I wonder
we ought to go
think about that
occasionally.
It's not an event
with a one day a year
kind of impact.
It can't fit
that category.
Either it is
an absolute fairy tale
that shouldn't matter
at all
or it changes
every moment
of every day.
It's of first
importance.
That's what Paul
means when he says
these are matters
of first importance.
that it's a matter
of life and death.
Issues of
eternal significance.
Because Christ
has indeed
been raised
from the dead.
Amen?
He has.
Because that's true
Easter changes
everything
for all of us.
For all of us.
Not just
those who are
considering Jesus
for the first time.
Not just the
first moment
we trust Jesus
but
every moment
of every day
for all of us.
the resurrection
remains
of prime importance.
Paul says this
in verse 1
before what we read.
He says now
I would remind you
brothers of the gospel
I preached to you.
The gospel you received
at first
and also
the gospel
in which you now stand.
The same one.
That's how he sets up
this list
of first importance.
The thing you first heard
when I came to you
that was so important
I had to tell you
and it hasn't changed.
It's still
what's so important.
That's
the gospel.
The good news
is what you receive
and
now
stand in.
It continues
to shape
every day.
Easter speaks
into every
situation.
So what does that
look like
Will?
What do you mean
Easter can't be
a mere
footnote
but
instead
it changes
everything?
How is the
gospel
the good news
of Jesus'
life
death
and resurrection
the most important
reality
in every moment?
What does that
look like?
I want to admit
to you
before I explain it
that this passage
was written
pre-Iron Bowl.
Okay
and that is
true
and I know
that's a really
important
event
at least
once a year
but I also
want to tell you
I don't think
God's unclear
on what's
most important.
I don't think
it would change
how Paul
put the list
together
because it's
not all the
temporary
passing priorities
that we give
our time
and energy
to that are
of first
importance
is it?
They're just
not there
there's no
room for them
on the list
and man
I struggle
with that
because I
honestly feel
like my
agenda
is so
important
I love
schedules
and plans
and the
things I
want to
see happen
and plus
there are
many days
where you
could look
at my
life
and say
I'm pretty
sure if
Clemson
were to win
the national
championship
and may
it indeed
happen one
day
that you'd
look at my
life and think
that would be
the best thing
that could
happen to him
that would be
the most
important thing
that would be
the highlight
of his year
y'all even
saying those
words I feel
the emptiness
of it
that that
would be the
best thing
that could
happen to me
but there's
a long list
of things
that I'd
love to see
happen that
probably more
quickly get on
my list of
what's most
important
but Jesus
resurrection
changes everything
because it
redefines what's
really important
doesn't it
we don't have
to wring
everything out
of this life
anymore
when his
resurrection
promises there's
life beyond
the grave
when you go to
work tomorrow
morning the
ultimate goal
can't be
it can't
possibly be
to make
the most
money or
to accumulate
the most
toys when
there are
eternal riches
offered to
us by a
risen savior
it can't
in your
relationships
this week
the most
important thing
can't be
your fame
your recognition
how well you
fit in how
many people
like you or
your Facebook
picture
if there is
actually eternal
life lasting
success permanent
acceptance
offered to you
by a risen
savior
it changes
that
the most
important things
remember are
are the things
that he has
done
not things we
do
and that
shakes me up
because it
challenges my
natural feelings
that on the list
of most important
things is is being
a perfect parent
because man that
seems important
when you've got
three little kids
making the right
decisions for where
they'll go to
school for figuring
out how to
discipline them
that those many
moments of many
days feel like the
most important
things and listen
Easter the gospel
being of first
importance tells me
my kids need not
merely a good
parent or a right
set of rules but
a righteous risen
savior that's what
they need
this challenges my
natural feelings
that on the list
of most important
things is planning
well for retirement
managing my money
well
listen Easter
the gospel being
of first importance
tells me that if my
heavenly father was
willing to give up
his only son for me
how will he not also
along with him
graciously give me
everything I need
he's got it
what he has done
is most important
not how well I
manage it
it frees me up
it does
there's great freedom
there
Easter frees me up
from the pressure of
performance and
record keeping with
God to invest
deeply in every
aspect of creation
and every person
he puts in my path
for me to love
see it's not that my
job or my family
my finances don't
matter anymore
that's not the
point
it's that I can
approach all of them
differently now is
now that Christ has
taken care of what
matters most
it changes the way I
approach those things
because he has risen
he's remaking all of
his creation isn't he
Jesus is the first
fruits and now he's
remaking our bodies
our relationships
our neighborhoods
hey outer space
he cares about all of
it and we get to
participate in that
every day what I do
matters because it's
not the most important
thing it now has a
place where it does
matter
my daughters have been
trying to convince me
this weekend that we
should keep celebrating
Easter this coming week
I think it's not because
they're so spiritual but
because they really want
to keep eating candy and
playing all of the fun
games together and I'm
actually really okay with
this idea honestly because
the jelly beans that I
put in the Easter eggs
over the next few days
will be ones I got on
clearance and so it
really it's a great idea
I think to to keep
celebrating that that's
something that they would
be excited about and it's
funny to consider and we
probably will do some more
Easter egg hunts through
the week but ask yourself
seriously does Easter change
tomorrow for me is Easter
going to make any difference
the rest of this week is
it going to matter in your
life tomorrow morning when
you wake up doesn't it have
to if it matters at all if
it matters at all in this
moment enough to to come
into a church building then
it has to matter tomorrow
morning we don't have time to
tease out every situation of
life and every occupation
maybe you can do that in
your small groups these
Sunday school classes that
are starting next week I'm
so excited about because
that's what they're going to
do they're actually
specifically designed to
talk about that and what it
looks like in your life but
you get the joy the
privilege of thinking about
what Easter means where God
has you in your life and
I'll be honest it seems so
much easier to me to think
about waking up tomorrow and
just carrying on with life the
way I always have as though
nothing has changed that that's
where the momentum will carry
me it doesn't seem like that'll
take much effort but God says
everything has changed someone
has walked out of a tomb Jesus
walks out of the tomb and says
I'm only the first fruits you too
will live forever this creation is
being remade so face your job your
family your sin struggles your
fear of death your hatred of
brokenness and pain and the world
around you all of that in light of
my resurrection don't forget the
main thing Easter changes everything
and some of us really hate that
about Easter and about Jesus it's one
of the most common complaints about
Christianity from people who don't
believe in Jesus it's it's that
frustration that Jesus messes with
my life and tells me how everything in
my life should be that's a huge
complaint against Christianity and
I'll be honest it's not entirely
untrue but listen there's something
that actually is really significant in
that if you feel that way today or if
you've ever felt that way before and
that's this Jesus doesn't come to you
telling you how to live your life he
comes to you laying down his life for
you and that's a huge difference he
doesn't come and say the first thing I
want to tell you is how to live your
life this is the first thing I want to
do for you is lay my life down for you
that's where it starts that's the
difference between good news and good
advice the main thing is to keep the
main thing the main thing is is good
advice but when the main thing is that
someone else has done everything for
you then it becomes good news that's a
really significant difference because
there's lots of good advice out there
tips on how to handle stress how to find
fulfillment in life how to find success
but good news is something entirely
different good advice by definition
tells you something to do or to do
better good news by definition tells you
something that has already been done
something that has already happened
good advice is don't forget to take your
medication good news is the surgery went
well and you have a clear report good
advice is hang on tight to that life
preserver good news is I've jumped in I'm
here to rescue you Buddha's dying words
were keep on striving now I know most of
you aren't Buddhist but I think that
would work well as a slogan for our
American society wouldn't it just just
try a little bit harder just put your
mind to it learn more you can make it
happen Jesus is dying words where it is
finished it's the difference between your
slogan being just do it and come to me
like Jesus says I've done it it's
finished come to me good news Jesus says
you've messed up miserably you've failed
but I've died for your sins and risen from
the grave to offer you not a second chance
to do it but to give you a new life the
Bible doesn't say because Jesus rose we
better start acting like it and do better
it says because he rose we will rise to to
new life the good news of the gospel there
are a lot of places you can get good advice the
main thing is to keep the main thing the
main thing is is really good advice I hope
you haven't heard good advice this morning I'll
be honest with you I'm just not that smart or
helpful to dispense good advice Jesus offers
you good news he says the main thing is I
died for your sins was buried rose from the
dead to conquer sin and death for you and
appeared to many and my resurrection changes
everything that's good news let's pray
Jesus could that could that really be true
would the headline that we're reading this
morning really say sins forgiven death
defeated eternal hope daily purpose true
freedom oh thank you thank you that Easter is
good news that it's what you have done for us
that we're not struggling to find our way out
of the grave that you've walked out for us and
now we will to forgive us father we we forget what
is most important we regularly get confused would
you change our hearts would you change our lives as
we begin to consider this message would you change our
neighborhoods and our our workplaces and and this
city because you are alive and at work and that's what's
most important oh Jesus that gives us great hope we don't
feel like we could change even ourselves much less the world but
if you're risen living Savior and King you can and you
would with that great news give us great joy today and tomorrow would it
inspire us to live as you've called us to oh Jesus change us change us may we
never forget the good news of what you've done for us we ask in your name
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