First Importance
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Pray to begin
Tonight, we officially begin our fall kickoff for students and it is my first Wednesday preaching as your Student Minister.
If you were here for the meet n greet I had towards the end of July, you may have heard part of my testimony and the story of how I got here. But I realize that some of you were not able to be there for that.
Visit to seminary in Louisville, Ky
Graduate college
Serve Crossings summer of 23
Become an intern
Attend Westside/ Join Westside
Talk about being on staff here
Interview/Hired
With all that being said, I am deeply honored and grateful to be here as your Student Minister
I had thought about starting a series as we kicked off for the fall, but I then decided to have a stand alone sermon.
Turn to 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 (ESV)
I wanted to preach a message that proclaimed the gospel very clearly. What I wanted to make clear to you was that I will be faithful to preach the gospel. I hope you see that be the main theme in all that I say. And also a message that will help us to treasure Jesus with our head, heart, and hands.
This is Paul writing here to the believers who were in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 1:2
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
Throughout the letter, Paul is addressing Divisions in the church, calling out Sexual immorality in the church, establishing principles for marriage and life, as well as explaining spiritual gifts and emphasizing the way of love. Then He gets to chapter 15 where he hits on the doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He spends a whole chapter proving the resurrection.
*Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Main Idea: No thing is of greater importance than the Gospel
Main Idea: No thing is of greater importance than the Gospel
As we dive into this passage, I want us to look at three things that will help us answer this question:
How can we keep the gospel of first importance?
How can we keep the gospel of first importance?
1. Holding Fast to the Gospel (v.1-2)
1. Holding Fast to the Gospel (v.1-2)
Paul starts out by reminding the believers in Corinth of what He has already preached to them. And what he preached to them was the same message. 1 Cor. 2:1-2
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Paul came preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He proclaimed the person and work of Jesus. Not only has he preached the gospel to them, but they have also received it. The word “received” has this idea that they took the gospel and brought it with them, they carried it along with them, or took hold of. The gospel message was something the people at Corinth received and wanted to keep. —> it was important to them
Before he reminds them of the gospel itself, he tells them that they have not only recieved the gospel, but it is in the gospel that they stand and are being saved. This speaks to the continual work that God does in us as we live. This is extremely important. but then Paul says “if” (read v.2) that makes it sound conditional.
So does being saved depend on us? Are we responsible for keeping ourselves saved?
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
These verses help us understand that if God has saved us, He will be the one to keep us. So what Paul is saying is that, you are saved by God’s power and it is his power that keeps you saved. We only hold fast to the gospel because it is Christ who holds us fast. So if you’re in christ tonight, you remain in Christ by his power and promise.
There are some who believed in vain, meaning they did not truly receive the gospel. Their salvation proves true by holding fast, but a lack of holding fast is evidence of belief that was empty.
So, we keep the gospel of first importance by holding fast to the gospel and trusting that God will complete the work that He begun. We trust that just as the gospel brings us from death to life, it will be the gospel that sanctifies and keeps us.
2. Remembering the Gospel (v.3-9)
2. Remembering the Gospel (v.3-9)
Say you had a friend who is severely sick. Your friend was healthy and active, never had any health issues. He goes to the doctor and find outs he has a type of cancer that has no known cure and is life threatening. One day you are over at your friends house finding out this tragic news and the phone rings. You look at your friends phone and the his doctors name appears. But he had gone to the bathroom and so you decide to answer for him. You pretend to be your friend as the doctor begins to talk. What you hear absolutely stuns you. The doctor shares that they had very recently found a cure for your friends cancer. Now, like any good friend and caring person, as soon as you hang up, you run to tell your friend and there is nothing that is going to stop you. The news that you have is of first importance to you and there is nothing else you want to share more than what you just heard.
This is how Paul feels when he shares the gospel. He is delivering news that He had received and it was of first importance. and then he begins to share the gospel in three simple phrases:
Christ died for our sins
He was buried
He was raised on the 3rd day
This news that is of first importance seemed so simple, yet at the same time, this news is the power of God. Those 3 elements have the power to save a person
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. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Christ died for our sins. We must understand that we are all sinners and are in need of forgiveness from our sins. Rom 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
The sins we have committed and all the sins we will commit was what Christ died for. And this was in accordance with the Scriptures. Isaiah 53:4-6, 12
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—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
The fact that he was buried only helps support the fact that Christ died. Psalm 16:10 speaks to how though Christ would die, he would not stay dead.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
lastly, Christ would be raised on the 3rd day in accordance to the scriptures. Matthew 12:40 “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Jesus tells of his death and how long he would be dead. Paul is emphasizing the point that the old testament over and over again foretold his death, burial, and resurrection.
We are the friend with cancer. We needed saving. And if you are a believer, that means that someone saw the gospel of first importance and wanted to share with you what they had received. If we have this news, we must share it. We must remember the gospel: that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the 3rd day all according to the scriptures. And we remember the gospel not only to share with others, but to remind ourselves:
When you sin, you remind yourself of the gospel and that Christ died for it to forgive it. You no longer stand condemned.
When you mess up, you remind yourself that Christ didn’t. He is perfect. He took your place. He was perfect for you.
When you fear death, you remind yourself that Christ already has died and been buried so that you don’t have to fear that.
When you fear the future, you remind yourself that Christ has resurrected and you now have hope in Him. You can have confidence that you too will be resurrected with Him. For he is the resurrection and the life.
By getting in the habit of preaching the gospel to yourself instead of listening to yourself, you will naturally start to view the gospel as of first importance.
Again, the main idea I want you to see is that:
There is no thing of greater importance than the gospel.
3. Responding to the Gospel (v.10-11)
3. Responding to the Gospel (v.10-11)
Paul mentions how the Corinthians had received the gospel message, and also how Paul himself was called to be an apostle. He responded to the gospel. There’s always a response.
In v.11, he concludes by sharing how they responded. Whether it was Paul or themselves, someone preached the gospel and they believed.
That is the only two responses to the gospel message: believe or do not believe
Paul attributes his belief and all that he is to the grace of God. We, like Paul, were sinners who hated God and undeserving of His grace and forgiveness. Yet He sent His Son to die for our sins. Not his own, but ours. He was buried and by God’s power raised him.
Tonight, there are 2 kinds of people in this room. Those who believe and those who do not believe.
For those who believe, there is application for us:
We must realize the importance of the gospel in our lives still.
We must stand firm and hold fast to the gospel
We must proclaim the gospel to those who don’t believe
For those who don’t believe, I would remind you
Christ died for your sins so that you could receive forgiveness
It is by the grace of God that you be saved and receive life.
If you will only call out to the Lord you will be saved. Romans 10:13 makes that clear
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
I was reminded this morning in my Bible reading that people are saved and come to believe in Jesus through the hearing of the word of truth.
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
The preaching of the gospel is the means by which God uses to draw people to salvation and people come to believe in Him. Tonight that could be you. You have no excuse now. You have heard the word of truth, the gospel. It is through hearing that people come to believe… will you believe?
Pray.