First Importance

Introduction:

In 28 days from today, I will celebrate the 2nd anniversary of my dad’s death.

I say celebrate because I know he is in heaven, and that’s exactly where he longed to be…with His Lord, and with my mom, his bride.

My dad is my hero, I love him, and I miss him terribly.

But it wasn’t always that way.

There was a time when I was resented my dad, but I am not going to go into any of those details today.

With God’s help and by His grace I chose to throw those difficult times in the trash, and now I focus on our story of reconciliation.

Suffice it to say, when I left home at 18 years old to join the United States Air Force, my relationship with my dad was not a good one.

I was raised in a Lutheran home.

My mom made sure we went to Sunday School almost every Sunday.

I was confirmed in that church.

However, that church did not teach us about the need to be saved from my sins.

In my mid-teenage years, my parents heard that all important truth, and they received God’s gift of salvation.

They were both saved and my dad’s transformation was nothing short of extraordinary.

I however, did not trust his change and did not believe it would last.

In my parents’ eyes the church we had always gone to was now bad, and in my eyes that meant all churches were bad.

They commited to their new life in Christ, I commited to a life of sin and worldliness.

As time passed by, the changes in my dad proved to be real, and they did last.

My parents were commited to praying for me.

When I was home on leave, they invited me to go to church with them, but I refused.

And when my military enlistment was fulfilled, I moved back home.

My mom and dad patiently and repeatedly shared the gospel with me.

And eventually, God opened my ears and I finally heard what they were telling me.

By God’s grace I was finally saved from my sins, as they were.

My parents are both dead now.

My mom died in 2010 and as I said earlier, my dad died 2 years ago.

I lived far from my dad in his last years of life, but when I was able to go home to visit him, we would spend hours, nearly every evening, talking about our faith and praying together.

We also often visited my sister when I was home. My sister and I love to sings hymns together, and he loved to hear us.

I remember one particular Saturday evening that we talked and prayed all the way through the night until it was time to get ready for church on Sunday morning.

Additionally, when I struggled, or when things weren’t going well for me, my dad continually reached out to me by phone and he always ended our calls by telling me that he was proud of me, and he loved me.

I cherish those times, and I miss them.

I have always told people that I was saved at a men’s conference in Minneapolis MN, in August of 1995.

Technically that statement is true, but actually it was the prayers of my parents that brought to my knees and saved my life.

I grew to love my dad very much, and for more reasons than I have time to share, he is my hero. The biggest reason, however, is that he shared the message of first importance with me.

He shared it over and over and over again. He did not give up on me, and because of that truth, I am a saved child of the Most High God.

In our text today, Paul is going to share with us, the importance of this message.

The message that my dad so patiently, repeatedly and lovingly shared with me.

Pray:

Text:

Please Stand As I Read From God’s Holy Word.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8

1. Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,

2. by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

3. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

4. and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

5. and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;

7. then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;

8. and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

Message:

I Make Known to You

I Preached

Paul preached the Gospel everywhere he went, to whom ever was willing to listen.

Romans 1:15 - I am eager to preach the gospel.

Romans 15:20 - I aspired to preach the gospel

1 Corinthians 9:16 - For woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.

2 Corinthians 11:7 - I preached the gospel to you.

Galatians 1:11 - The gospel which was preached by me is not not according to man.

Why was Paul so compelled to preach the gospel so much?

First, because God told him to.

But also because he knew how important it is.

Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

He was not ashamed of the gospel, but rather he was eager to preach it.

It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

The Power of God for salvation for all who believe.

Now what does it mean to believe?

In today’s text, Paul writes, “you are saved, if you hold fast to the word, unless you believed in vain.

Or unless you didn’t truly believe in the first place.

James tells us that even the demons believe and they shudder (James 2:19)

So what kind of belief are we talking about here?

There is an intellectual belief, like the demons have.

In grade school your teacher told you that 5x5=25.

If you chose to believe that teacher at face value, you had intellectual belief.

There is also an experiential belief.

When the teacher told you that 5x5=25, perhaps you lifted up the five fingers of one hand and counted them, and then you did that again, and again, until you did it five times; then you saw with your own eyes the reality of what your teacher told you.

When the Bible tells us to believe in Jesus, it is more than just an intellectual accent to His existence.

Christians believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world.

In that belief, we experience His presence in our lives, which leads us to live lives that are pleasing to Him.

John writes in 1 John 2:3 - By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

If you know or believe Jesus, you will show signs of obedience.

Paul tells us in Philippians 2:12 to work out our salvation.

Not work for, but work out your salvation. If you are truly saved, you be living in obedience.

James tells us to show our belief by the way we live James 2:17 - faith, if it has no works is dead.

If there is no evidence of belief in Jesus by the way you live you life, you better take a look at the authenticity of you belief.

Jesus tells us that those who keep His commands are the ones that love Him - John 14:21.

Belief in Jesus is, therefore, an experiential belief that is shown by the way one lives their lives.

And the power of God for salvation is given to all who have this kind of belief.

You Received

Paul preached the gospel and the Corinthians received it.

They accepted Paul’s teaching.

And then they stood on it.

One translation says that they stood firm on the gospel teaching.

You Are Saved

He preached.

The Corinthians received.

God’s power for salvation saved them.

What is the most weight that any man has ever lifted?

In 1957, a man named Paul Anderson lifted 6,270 pounds (2844 Kilos).

That is an incredible amount of weight.

Mr. Anderson was clearly a very strong man.

How much does your sin weigh?

Does Mr. Anderson have the power to lift away your sins or anyone else’s?

Of course not, only the Power God is strong enough for salvation.

This is absolutely amazing stuff here. Do you think it’s important information?

Let’s move on and find out.

The Most Important Information

Verse 3: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received.

1 Corinthians 11:23 has a similar expression, in this passage Paul says, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you...”

He received it and he delivered it.

He didn’t go around like a young child saying, “I know something you don’t know.

He received it and he delivered it, he passed it on.

In the case of our text, he says he past it on as of first importance.

So, how important does Paul think the Gospel message is?

He thinks it is the most important message ever given.

If you just won 1 million pesos, would you want to know?

If there is a damaged bridge on a road that you plan to drive on, do you want to know?

If your wife or husband loves you, would you like to know?

All of these things are important to know, but Paul is saying they are not the most important.

Let me tell you about this most important message.

Christ Died For Our Sins

Matthew 26:39, 42 - If this cup can pass from me, please let it be so, yet not my will but yours be done.

Romans 5:6 - While we were helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.

My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?

Darkness fell upon the whole land

The veil was torn.

The earth shook.

Rocks were split

Graves were opened

The dead were raised.

The Son of God was dead, and man’s sins were forgiven.

Christ Was Buried

Matthew 27:57–60 NASB95

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away.

A rich man named Joseph who was a disciple of Jesus went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.

He took the body, rapped it, and placed it in his new tomb.

Christ Was Resurrected

Luke 24:16 - Why do you look for the living among the dead?

Acts 2:24 - But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

All According To Scripture

Death for our sins

Isaiah 53:5 - He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities.

Isaiah 53:6 - The Lord caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

Buried

Isaiah 53:9 - His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death.

Resurrection

Psalm 16:10/Acts 2:27 - For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

Mark 9:31 - The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.

Isaiah was written more than 700 years before Jesus’ death.

Psalm 16 was written more than 900 years before Jesus’ death.

Jesus perfectly predicted His own death and resurrection.

More than 300 fulfilled prophecies concerning Jesus’ first coming. All of them fulfilled exactly how God said they would be.

How many of us know exactly how our day is going to be from here until midnight tonight?

Is your favorite basketball team going to win a championship this coming season?

Do you know who is going to win?

We do not know exactly what will happen even one minute from now.

But God knows exactly what will happen before it happens, every single time.

So when Paul says that Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection all happened according to Scripture, we should all be overcome with awe and wonder.

Eyewitness Accounts

A List of Post Resurrection Appearances

Peter (Cephas) (Luke 24:34)

The Apostles

500 Brethren

James (Most likely Jesus’ brother, the author of James the Book, and the leader of the Jerusalem church).

Paul (Acts 9 the Road to Damascus)

Others

Mary Magdalene and another Mary

2 Disciples on the Road to Emmaus

We are Witnesses

Acts 2:32 - This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.

John 21:24 - This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

John 1:14 - We saw His glory, the glory of the one and only, filled with grace and truth.

In a Nutshell

Jesus came to the earth as a baby.

He humbled Himself and lived among men for over 30 years.

He interacted with many people and taught them them for about 3 years.

He willing died on cross as the perfect and once and for all sacrifice for the sins of mankind.

He was buried among the wicked.

He rose again from the dead.

He appeared to more than 500 people after His resurrection.

The disciples watched as He ascended into heaven.

He will come back again, and His children will be in His glorious presence for all of eternity.

What an amazing message

If someone is in worldly danger, or the winner of the lottery, we will make sure they know.

Of course we will.

But if someone by all indications seems to be on their way to eternal hell, are we going to make sure that they know this message of first importance.

We had better.

If you save someone from being hit by a truck, you succeed in prolonging their life for an unknown amount of time.

But by telling someone about the message of first importance, you can help them to have life without end with the GREAT I AM.

Do not take the importance of this message lightly.

So What?

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

God’s Love

God’s love is abundant.

God’s love is unending.

God’s love is unconditional

God’s love is offered to the entire world.

Because of that amazing love, we have this message of first importance.

The Message of First Importance Given

Jesus died on the cross

He was buried in a tomb

He was resurrected from the grave

He ascended into heaven

He is coming back.

Don’t forget the the whole thing was prophesied hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth and it all happened EXACTLY HOW GOD SAID IT WOULD.

The Message of Most Importance Believed

Every person who believes this message of Most Importance will not perish but have eternal life.

But this belief is more than an just an intellectual understanding.

This belief is experiential and the proof of this belief is shown by the way we live.

Eternity

Matthew 25:46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

A few weeks ago, pastor Roy told us that God’s Word is specific. David picked up specifically 5 stones, in the example that he used.

I am grateful for that message for a several reasons, but one of those reasons it that it got me to to thinking about Bible specificity.

Paul was very specific about what the Gospel message is, what it can do, and why it is so important.

Jesus was also very specific about the two eternal destinations, and who will be going to each of them.

Where will you go?

Where will your wife go?

Where will your husband go?

Your children, brothers, sisters, parents, friends, neighbors, the person sitting next to you right now, where will they go?

Do you know?

What will you do with this all important message?

If you haven’t received it, it is imperative that you do.

If you have received it, then it is also imperative that you deliver it, and deliver it, and keep on delivering it.

It is as of first importance.

Pray:

My Tribute:

How can I say thanks For the things You have done for me? Things so undeserved Yet You gave to prove Your love for me The voices of a million angels Could not express my gratitude All that I am and ever hope to be I owe it all to Thee

To God be the glory To God be the glory To God be the glory For the things He has done

With His blood He has saved me With His power He has raised me To God be the glory For the things He has done

Just let me live my life Let it pleasing, Lord to Thee And if I gain any praise Let it go to Calvary

Thank you

I am so blessed to have had these months to worship with all of you.

God has used you mightily in my life.

I will miss you.

May God be with you until we meet again.

Benediction:

Numbers 6:24-26

May the LORD bless you, and keep you;

May the LORD make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you;

May the LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.’