The Unshakeable Message

Good morning. It is a joy to open God’s Word with you again today.

We are in week three of our series, "Ambassadors," exploring our identity and mission as representatives of Jesus Christ. In week one, we established our commission. We looked at the Great Commission and saw that we are sent out with the full authority of King Jesus and are sustained by His constant presence. Last week, we examined the character of the ambassador. We dove into Galatians 5 and saw that our message is only authenticated when our lives are being transformed by the Holy Spirit, producing His beautiful fruit.

So we have our commission, and we have the standard for our character. But that leads to the most fundamental question of all: What is the actual, specific, official message we are sent to deliver?

An ambassador does not get to create their own message. Imagine the U.S. ambassador to Japan deciding, on a whim, to announce a new trade policy that was never approved by the government back home. It would be a disaster. It would cause confusion and chaos. That person would be recalled immediately, because they had failed in their primary duty, which is to faithfully deliver the message they were given.

As ambassadors for Christ, we do not have the right to edit, update, or soften the message of our King to make it more palatable or culturally acceptable. Our primary duty is to be faithful messengers. We need to be absolutely crystal clear on the core, non-negotiable content of the Christian faith. If we get this wrong, everything else falls apart.

This morning, we’re going to the place in Scripture that defines this message more clearly and concisely than anywhere else. We’re going to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 1 through 11.

The context here is critical. The church in Corinth was a brilliant but deeply flawed church. They were gifted, but they were also proud, divided, and confused about some very basic Christian doctrines. One of those points of confusion was the bodily resurrection of believers. Some of them, influenced by Greek philosophy which saw the body as a prison for the soul, were beginning to say there was no resurrection of the dead.

The Apostle Paul, hearing this, understands the catastrophic danger of this error. He writes chapter 15 to pull them back from the brink of heresy by reminding them of the one thing that everything else stands on. He doesn’t start with a complex philosophical argument. He starts by reminding them of the simple, historical proclamation that saved them in the first place. He brings them back to the gospel.

In these eleven verses, Paul gives us the DNA of our message. He shows us its supreme importance, its specific content, and its supernatural power. He reminds us that

A faithful ambassador proclaims the non-negotiable message of Christ's death and resurrection, the very power that saves and defines us.

The Gospel is of First Importance (1 Cor. 15:1-3a)

Paul begins by calling the Corinthian believers back to the foundation. He's not introducing a new idea; he's reminding them of the very ground on which they stand. Look at verse 1:

1 Corinthians 15:1–2 KJV 1900

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

He uses four powerful verbs to describe their relationship to this gospel. It is the message they received—it came to them from an outside source; they didn't invent it. It is the ground on which they stand—it is their present foundation, their only source of stability. It is the means by which they are being saved—it is the active, ongoing power of God in their lives. And it is the word they must hold fast to—it requires a conscious, deliberate clinging to the truth.

This gospel is not a peripheral issue. It's not a minor point of doctrine we can agree to disagree on. It is everything. It is the basis of our past reception, our present standing, and our future salvation.

And then Paul makes one of the most important statements in the entire New Testament. He tells them why he is so insistent on this message. Verse 3:

1 Corinthians 15:3 KJV 1900

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

"First importance." In the Greek, en protois. It means at the very top of the list. It means the primary, foundational, non-negotiable reality. There are many things in the Christian life that are important. Church polity is important. How we worship is important. Our views on spiritual gifts are important. But none of them are of first importance. The gospel stands alone in a category all by itself.

As ambassadors, this must shape our priorities. Our mission is not primarily to win political arguments, or to reform social structures, or even to get people to be more moral. Our mission of first importance is to proclaim the gospel. Everything else is secondary. If we are faithful in proclaiming this message, we are succeeding in our core mission. If we neglect, edit, or replace this message, we have failed, no matter what other good things we might be doing.

The Four Pillars of the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:3b-5)

So what is this message of first importance? Paul now gives us the specific, irreducible content. He gives us four historical bullet points that form the pillars of the gospel.

Pillar 1: Christ Died for Our Sins

Verse 3 continues: "...that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,"

1 Corinthians 15:3 KJV 1900

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

First, the historical fact: Christ died. This is not a myth or a metaphor. The Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, was executed on a Roman cross outside of Jerusalem under the authority of Pontius Pilate around 33 A.D. His death is a fixed point in human history.

But the gospel is more than just a historical fact; it's an interpretation of that fact. He died for our sins. His death was not a tragic accident or a political martyrdom. It was a substitutionary sacrifice. The holy Son of God willingly took upon Himself the penalty and the wrath that our rebellion against God deserved. He died the death that we should have died.

And this was not a last-minute plan. It was in accordance with the Scriptures. From Genesis 3 onward, the entire Old Testament pointed forward to this moment. The sacrificial system, the prophecies of Isaiah 53 ("he was pierced for our transgressions"), the cry of the Psalmist—all of it anticipated the day the Lamb of God would come to take away the sin of the world.

Pillar 2: He Was Buried

Verse 4: "...that he was buried,"

1 Corinthians 15:4 KJV 1900

And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

This may seem like a minor detail, but it is critically important. Why? Because the burial is the undeniable proof of the death. It confirms the finality and the reality of the first pillar. He wasn't just mostly dead. He wasn't in a coma. He was dead and buried, sealed in a tomb. This fact is what makes the next pillar so miraculous.

Pillar 3: He Was Raised on the Third Day

The verse continues: "...that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,"

1 Corinthians 15:4 KJV 1900

And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

This is the linchpin of the entire Christian faith. The tomb was not the end of the story. On the third day, by the power of God, Jesus Christ was physically, bodily raised from the dead. This was not a spiritual resuscitation; it was a glorious resurrection into a new kind of immortal human life. His resurrection is God the Father’s divine "Amen!" to Jesus's "It is finished!" It is the proof that His sacrifice for sin was accepted. It is the declaration that death, our final enemy, has been defeated.

And again, Paul says this was in accordance with the Scriptures. The Old Testament is filled with foreshadowings of the resurrection—Jonah in the belly of the great fish for three days, the promise in Psalm 16 that God would not let His Holy One see corruption. This was always the plan.

Pillar 4: He Appeared to Many Witnesses

Verse 5: "...and that he appeared to Cephas [Peter], then to the twelve."

1 Corinthians 15:5–7 KJV 1900

And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

Paul goes on in later verses to list more witnesses: "Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive... Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles."

This is the evidence that proves the resurrection. The gospel is not based on a private feeling or a subjective experience. It is based on the public, verifiable, eyewitness testimony of hundreds of people who saw, touched, and ate with the risen Lord Jesus. Paul is essentially saying, "If you don't believe me, go ask them! Most of them are still around." He is grounding the gospel in historical evidence.

These four pillars are the unshakeable message. Christ's substitutionary death, His verified burial, His bodily resurrection, and His eyewitness appearances. This is the gospel. An ambassador who preaches this message is being faithful. An ambassador who omits or changes any of these pillars is preaching a different gospel.

A bride was very nervous. It was right before the service. She wasn’t sure she could even walk down aisle. Her mother gave her some words of calming wisdom. She said to her. “Honey, there’s only three things you need to focus on. If you focus on these three things, you’ll be fine. The first is walking down the aisle. Just focus on walking down the aisle of the church. I know its rather long, but just concentrate on that. Don’t get caught up with those on either side of the aisle. Just focus on getting to the end of the aisle. Next, focus on the altar. It is your destination today. Make your way down the aisle to the altar. There you will stand before God with the man you love and will make vows to God and him. God will also make vows to you. Focus on the altar that represents the love God has for you in Jesus Christ. Last, focus on the hymn that the soloist will sing. In poetry and song, the hymn embodies God’s love for you in Christ, your love for your husband and his love for you. So, to help you not be so nervous, focus on those three things. Walking down the aisle, standing before the altar and listening to the hymn.”The bride was very thankful to her mom for her words of advice. The family and friends gathered watched as she walked down the aisle and noticed a look of calm determination on her face. But as she passed them, they began to chuckle quietly. For along with the look of calm determination, she was mumbling three words over and over to help calm her nerves. As she passed them, they heard her saying, “Aisle, Altar, Hymn… Aisle, Altar, Hymn… Aisle, Altar, Hymn.”

The Transforming Power of the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:8-11)

After laying out the content of the message, Paul concludes by showing us what this message does. It is not just a set of facts to be believed; it is a dynamic power that radically transforms lives. And to prove it, he offers himself as the primary exhibit.

Look at verse 8. After listing all the credible eyewitnesses, he adds himself to the list:

1 Corinthians 15:8 KJV 1900

And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

Paul's encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus was the defining moment of his life. And he never got over the sheer shock and grace of it. He calls himself "one untimely born," a strange phrase that conveys a sense of violent, abnormal birth. He's saying his apostleship wasn't natural; it was a shocking, disruptive act of God's grace.

And this leads him to a profound statement of humility in verse 9:

1 Corinthians 15:9 KJV 1900

For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Paul never forgot who he used to be. He was Saul of Tarsus, the chief persecutor of the church, a man who thought he was serving God by hunting down and destroying Christians. He knew he was the last person on earth who deserved to be an ambassador for the King he had so violently opposed.

But then comes the great pivot of grace. Verse 10:

1 Corinthians 15:10 KJV 1900

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

This is the power of the gospel in a single verse. "By the grace of God I am what I am."

His new identity was not a product of his effort or his merit. It was a 100% gift of God's unearned, undeserved favor. But this grace was not a passive thing. It was a dynamic, empowering force. It didn't lead to laziness; it led to labor. He says God’s grace motivated him to work harder than anyone. Why? Because he was so overwhelmed by the mercy he had been shown. The memory of his past and the reality of his forgiveness compelled him to spend the rest of his life on mission for the King who had saved him.

Notice his careful clarification: "...though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." Even his hard work, he says, was fueled by God's grace. This is the paradox of the Christian life. We work, we strive, we labor—but we do so in the strength that God's grace provides.

This is the power of the message we carry.

The gospel is not a message of self-improvement. It is a message of supernatural transformation.

It takes persecutors and makes them preachers. It takes enemies of God and makes them ambassadors for God. Our own changed lives are meant to be the living proof that our message is true.

The Ambassador's Solemn Duty

Paul concludes in verse 11 by bringing it all back to the message itself:

1 Corinthians 15:11 KJV 1900

Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

He says, in the end, it doesn't matter who the messenger is—whether it's me, the former persecutor, or Peter, the former denier. The messenger is secondary. The message is everything. We all preach the same, unshakeable, four-pillared gospel. This is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

As ambassadors for Christ, this is our solemn duty and our incredible privilege. We don’t need a new message for the 21st century. We don’t need to make the gospel more relevant. The gospel of a crucified and risen King is as relevant and powerful today as it was 2,000 years ago, because it addresses the deepest, universal needs of the human heart: our sin and our mortality.

So, let me close with three questions for us to carry with us.

1. Am I personally clear and confident in this message?

If someone were to ask you today, "What is the gospel? What do Christians believe?" could you lay out these four pillars with clarity and conviction? Or would you fumble and talk vaguely about "being a good person"? An ambassador must know the message.

2. Do I truly believe in the power of this message?

Do we believe that the simple proclamation of "Christ died for our sins and was raised" is the power of God for salvation? Or are we tempted to rely on clever arguments, polished programs, or impressive events to change people's hearts? Let's recommit to trusting in the power of the gospel itself.

3. How does the grace that transformed Paul affect my motivation to be an ambassador?

When you reflect on who you were before Christ and the incredible grace God has shown you, does it, like Paul, compel you to live your life on mission for Him? Does gratitude for your salvation fuel your desire to share His message?

Our King has given us a message of first importance. It is historical, it is powerful, and it is the only hope for this broken world. Let's be the kind of ambassadors who deliver it with clarity, with confidence, and with lives that have been visibly transformed by its grace.

Let's pray.