The Gospel

1 Cor 15:1-11

“..of first importance...”

Decades ago when I was learning to play the saxophone I had to learn several things that are now just natural to me.

How do you hold such an instrument?

How do you use the mouthpiece?

Where do you put your fingers?

When do you move your fingers?

I was fortunate that in my elementary school we had regular music classes for several years before I ever picked up a musical instrument.

Playing any musical instrument (besides the radio) means learning an entirely new language.

And like any other language their are certain principles you never outgrow.

The believers in Corinth were from either Jewish or pagan backgrounds. There was no common cultural language with ‘Christianity’ in which we grew up.

Everything was new - different - radically different and repetition was THE tool that helped these new believers ground their faith.

Paul had no knowledge of the four books of the NT we call ‘Gospels.’

Those four books are accounts of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and post-resurrection appearances.

When Paul uses the word ‘gospel’ it translates a common Greek word often used to ‘announce good news ahead of time.’

the Gospel which Paul proclaimed...

Paul’s message is good news. But it is not just any good news. It is good news of a specific content, specific information.

In his letter to believers in Rome, he defines the gospel as

Romans 1:16 (HCSB)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

In this letter Paul reminds the Corinthians that it is this gospel

...which they received...

Acts 18 is the account of Paul’s proclamation of this gospel in Corinth.

The gospel was received by many, and opposed by some very powerful individuals in the community.

When Paul left Corinth there was a sizeable group of believers.

...on which you have taken your stand...

Choosing to follow Jesus was costly. Paul and fellow believers were brought before the Roman governor on charges that they were seeking to

Acts 18:13 (HCSB)

“...persuade[s][ people to worship God contrary to the law!”

The Roman governor refused to hear the case, and the crowd beat up the synagogue leader - to which the Roman governor turned a blind eye.

…by which you are being saved...

Paul carefully points to the life altering purpose of the good news.

It is not just something that happened to us in the past.

To respond to the gospel is a daily, on-going response to God’s gift of grace available in Jesus Christ - but I’m getting ahead of myself!

THE GOSPEL

Now Paul carefully and concisely reminds them (and us) of the basics of the gospel:

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures

The fact of Jesus’ death has never been challenged as a matter of history.

However, the meaning of Jesus’ death - well, that’s a different story - just as it was when it occurred 2000 years ago.

Paul clearly reminds his audience of the purpose of Jesus’ death:

...for our sins according to the Scriptures...

At some level everyone experiences sin. While we don’t know the proper words and such every human being experiences guilt.

And the Bible clearly teaches that sin alienates us from God - and that all sin. Sin is an equal opportunity reality!

God provided a remedy for sin: death.

The gospel - the good news - tells us that Jesus died that death ‘for us.’

Sin and death are not just made up categories by Paul, but rather real truths illustrated and explained in the Old Testament.

He was buried...

The fact Jesus needed burial place tells us He was really dead.

The accounts of Jesus’ life we call ‘gospels’ point out that the Jewish religious leaders were afraid that Jesus’ followers wouild ‘steal’ His body and tell His followers He was alive.

So Pilate, the Roman governor assigned soldiers to seal the tomb and guard the tomb.

…He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...

Here is where Christianity differs from every other religion or system of finding god.

Only Jesus - who is the unique, One and Only Son of God - actually has been raised from the dead.

The resurrection from the dead transforms everything we thought we knew about life and death.

There were hints in the OT as several of the prophets resuscitated people who had died.

Even Jesus pointed to a different kind of world as He raised the widow of Nain’s son, Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter and the others.

As a student of history I have always been fascinated with what happened after July 16, 1945.

On that day an atomic bomb was detonated in New Mexico that changed the course of WW II AND the course of human history.

What happened at Los Alamos, though pales in comparison to what happened ton the 3rd day after Jesus died.

He was not simply resuscitated, having to experience death yet again, He was resurrected - given a new quality of life that is promised to all who believe.

It is this resurrection that we proclaimed and noted as we took the elements of the Lord’s Supper - remember the words:

1 Corinthians 11:26 HCSB

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

… and that He appeared to Cephas…the twelve…over 500…James…the Apostles…and Paul himself.

We would be correct to suspect the resurrection if only a handful had seen Jesus.

lWarren Wiesrbe, a popular Bibe teacher of the late 20th century wrote,

On the cross, Jesus was exposed to the eyes of unbelievers; but after the Resurrection, He was seen by believers who could be witnesses of His resurrection

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 617.

By the grace of God I am what I am...

Paul was not a believer when the resurrected Christ appeared to him.

Rather Paul was actively seeking to silence people who believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

On the road to Damascus, with the authority of the Jewish High Priest, Paul was literally knocked to the ground as the Risen Jesus appeared to him (see Acts 9).

That event radically altered Paul’s life.

For several days Paul was blinded - fully dependent on others to provide for him.

Shortly after Paul began to reason in the synagogues in Damascus, he was forced to flee - probably by some of the group that had come with him from Jerusalem.

REFLECT AND RESPOND

As I’ve noted many times, there are many motives for people being here this morning.

The very fact we meet on Sunday is a weekly reminder that Jesus -

JESUS: the One who died for our sins according to the Scriptures, who was buried, and who was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures

is alive even now.

All that remains to be said is this:

Will you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead?

Then you can expect resurrection life - now, and for eternity.