Easter 2024

Receive, Stand, and Hold on to the Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:1–2 (NASB95)

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

Paul’s mission was to make Christ known and the power of his salvation applicable to the church. 1 Cor. 2:1-5

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 NASB95

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

Paul went to Corinth for the sole purpose of sharing the gospel. He preached it everywhere he went. Now he is instructing the Corinthians to receive, stand and hold on to the gospel that he preached. So what does he mean? Let’s take a look.

Receive the gospel

To receive the gospel one must repent of their sins, put their faith in the sufficiency of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus and His resurrection , and believe that He is the Son of God. The repenting of your sins means to have a heart change towards your sin. The word repent is metanoia in the Greek. It simply means to have an inward change. We all have sin that we desire in our lives. We must surrender our desire for sin and replace it with the desire for the holiness of God. John 3:19

John 3:19 NASB95

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

To repent means to come out of darkness into the light of Christ. This is difficult because no one likes to be exposed. However, it is in the exposure to sin that one will find a Savior that redeems and forgives.

Jesus is able to do this because he paid the price of sin on the cross. He satisfied the wrath of God by dying the death we deserve. It is enough to cover any and all sin for those who repent.

His resurrection from the grave demonstrates that he has conquered sin and death and is able to give everlasting life. 1 John 3:7-9

1 John 3:7–9 (NASB95)

Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

The last part of receiving the gospel is believing that Jesus is the Son of God. John 3:16

John 3:16 NASB95

“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.

Stand in the Gospel

to stand in the gospel means to live in the gospel. Your life must be different than the way of the world. You must stand for the kingdom of God . 1 Peter 5:8-9

1 Peter 5:8–9 (NASB95)

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

We live in a world of chaos and confusion, full of distractions that cause our focus in life to prioritize the temporary and lose sight of the eternal. We can get caught up in the culture and the ways of the world with different forms of media, politics, and many other worldly stuff. To stand in the gospel means to keep focused on the teachings of Christ and the truth. Don’t get swept away in the drama of the world but stay grounded in the truth of the Word!

Hold fast to the gospel.

This means to live in relationship with Christ. A person with a religion will grow tired an frustrated because to live in accordance with the commands of Christ without the relationship with Christ is tiring and frustrating. We cannot hold on to the gospel with out a love relationship with Jesus.

This is why so many people fall away from Christ. They never had a love for Christ. They want the blessings of Christ without the commitment to Christ. The only way to be committed to Christ is to love Him. John 14:15

John 14:15 NASB95

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Many people will claim to be Christians that have no relationship with Christ. They use Jesus when they need Him and ignore Him when they don’t.

This is why God gave us the church. The church is just a bunch of messed up people that are living for Christ and encouraging others to do the same. The church was never intended to be perfect this side of heaven, but it is intended to be the ordained organism that carries on the mission of Christ.

When people get hurt by someone in the church, they will often times leave the church and categorize the church based on their hurt rather than seeing the church for what it really is. That is a place of worship, where imperfect people can a make mistakes, repent of their mistakes and be reconciled.

Hold fast to Christ and you will overcome.

The Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (NASB95)

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Christ Died For Our Sins

Sin is disobedience to the laws of God. If you have ever lied, stolen, been jealous, had unrighteous anger, looked with lust for someone, or disobeyed your parents then you have sinned. These are just the sins that we commit against each other. Serving other gods, having idols in our life, taking the Lords name in vain, and not worshipping on a Sabbath are sins against God. All of us are guilty. Our sin separates us from God. There is no hope for forgiveness of our sins in our self. The only hope we have is in Christ. He is the only person that lived without sin. He qualifies as a sacrifice to pay the price for our sin. He did this by going to the cross and giving His life for ours. Dying the death we deserve. It is his perfection that he gives to us when we repent an believe. 1 John 2:2

1 John 2:2 NASB95

and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

He was buried

Jesus died a real death. He hung on a cross and died. He was placed in a tomb. Matt. 27:57-61

Matthew 27:57–61 (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.

And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.

Jesus was resurrected on the third day

Jesus was dead for three days. After three days he came back to life to prove that He is the son of God. He defeated Satan, sin, and death. He gives forgiveness, abundant and eternal life. John 10:17-18

John 10:17–18 (NASB95)

“For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

There is salvation in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Who can receive this salvation?

The Gospel Is Available For the Worse Sinner

1 Corinthians 15:9–10 (NASB95)

For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit 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 did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

Paul was a man that persecuted the church, killed followers of Christ, mistreated children and women of the faith. He was a ruthless man that was determined to get rid of the thought of Jesus and anyone who followed him.

God saved him. If God will save him, he will save you! The only person Jesus will not save is the one who does not want to be saved. If you do not want to repent of your sins, believe in His atoning sacrifice, and follow Him, He will not force you. But understand that if you decide not to receive His salvation then you will face judgement by yourself.

On the other had if you want this salvation that comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ you can have it this morning. Come and repent of your sin, put your faith in Jesus, and receive the salvation that Jesus wants to give you this morning.