Resurrection Message

1 Corinthians 15:1

1 Corinthians 15:1 “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel

The Gospel...

The Gospel means good news!

A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible 2098. εὐαγγέλιον

2098. εὐαγγέλιον ĕuaggĕliŏn, yoo-ang-ghel´-ee-on; from the same as 2097; a good message, i.e. the gospel:—gospel.

We all need a little good news right!

Who shared the gospel?

2. I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,”

3. We “stand” is the New Testament word for continue, hold up, abide, or even covenant!

So what is the gospel?

This is the gospel! How that Christ was victorious over the grave! This is the basis for the New Testament or the covenant of promise!

But first the trial of the world was upon His shoulders!

Mark 15:1–24 “And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him…”

This was the path by which they expected Jesus to carry the crossbeam. The fact that Simon the Cyrene was enlisted reveals that Jesus was already too weak to carry the cross.

Mark 15:22–39 “And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land…”

Psalm 22 “To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;…”

1 Corinthians 15:2 “and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.”

Quite literally Paul is saying “Now I make known unto you the gospel” Presuming the people Paul was speaking to might not completely understood who Jesus was and what is the gospel?

Why did this early church not know the gospel?

From scripture we find the answer!

1 Corinthians 15:34 “Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.”

Their actions said that they didn’t know Christ Jesus. Our job as a church is to teach clearly that Jesus Christ is the risen Lord!

He conquered sin, death, and Hell! Why did He did He do this?

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

We have fallen short! But God through the person of Jesus Christ conquered it all for us!

The church wasn’t responding as if they knew the their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

1 Corinthians 15:2 “and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.”

The key part of Jesus’s words, “if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you!”

Again verse 1 of chapter 15 states it this way!

A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible 2722. κατέχω

2722. κατέχω katĕchō, kat-ekh´-o; from 2596 and 2192; to hold down (fast), in various applications (lit. or fig.):—have, hold (fast), keep (in memory), let, × make toward, possess, retain, seize on, stay, take, withhold.

Do we hold the gospel or does the gospel hold us?

The KJV says “If you keep in memory” what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.”

The idea then in this text. Has the message of Easter so gripped you that He has changed you forever?

Unless your faith is in vain!

Which is impossible that your faith is in vain! Why? Because trusting in the Living God, the Risen Lord is not vanity!

How do we know that Jesus Christ is alive? Was not the risen Savior thing just a myth?

Matthew 28:1–10 “Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go…”

16:2 the first day of the week Refers to Sunday.

By Mark’s reckoning, Jesus died and was buried before sunset at the end of the 15th of Nisan (Friday). The Sabbath that followed (Saturday) extended from that sunset (the beginning of the 16th of Nisan) to the next sunset (the beginning of the 17th of Nisan, Sunday). In accordance with Jesus’ predictions (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34), He was buried for three calendars days: the end of 15 Nisan, the entirety of 16 Nisan, and the beginning of 17 Nisan.

Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Mk 16:2). Lexham Press.

Luke 24:1–10 “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them,

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles,”

John 20:1–10 “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them,

“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.

Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.

Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from…”

They saw the Lord Jesus Christ alright! They saw Him bleed, suffer, and die on that old rugged Christ.

The cross of Jesus Christ is the ultimate proof that suffering can lead to victory over the forces of evil.

John F. MacArthur

Christ’s victory over death, exalting him as reigning Lord, is the basis for his exhortation that John has nothing to fear because he has access to the redemptive blessings flowing out of Christ’s victory (vv 9–20)

G. K. Beale

 2   The victory lies not with us, but with Christ, who hast taken on him both to conquer for us and to conquer in us. Richard Sibbes The Bruised Reed (1630)

Richard Sibbes

If it wasn’t for Christ’s victory, we would have nothing! Our faith would be in vain.

Paul said that in 1 Corinthians 15:13–14 “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.”

His word is living proof that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not what is empty!

1 Corinthians 15:3–10 “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 five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy 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 was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”