Return to the Gospel Pt. 16

Growing up in Puerto Rico, when I was about 8, 9, maybe 10 years old, I have a memory that has never left me. Living in an island—you’re surrounded by many beaches. For this reason we would often go to the beach. With family, with my cousins, with friends. And one of the things we loved to do was ride the waves.

You know how it goes—you stand there, you watch the wave coming in, and at just the right moment you begin to swim in order to allow the wave to carry you all the way to the shore. And this was so much fun. We used do it all the time. However I remember this one day, I went a little deeper than I should have.

A big wave came in, and I tried to ride it—but instead of riding it, I got caught inside of it and I got pulled into the wave.

And I remember trying to come up for air and every time I got close to the surface—another wave would hit me. And then another. And then another. And what probably lasted a few seconds… felt like a lifetime. Because I just couldn’t catch my breath. I couldn’t get a break.

Now, the reason I share this with you… is because sometimes life can feel exactly like that. You’re trying to breathe… and suddenly something hits you, and while still trying to process the first hit you get hit again, and again and again.

And as you’re dealing with one situation… and here comes another.

Maybe you’re dealing with pressure at work…

And to that you add financial stress at home…

Which then produces tension in your marriage…

And all of a sudden your kids start getting sick…

And before you can even process one thing—another wave hits. And if we’re honest, it’s not just what’s happening around us… Sometimes it’s what’s happening within us.

Our own sin.

Our own struggles.

Our own failures. (get mixed in the whole thing)

And it begins to feel like what John Piper once described— that life can feel like a conveyor belt of bad news. Where bad news just keep coming. and coming. But here’s the question we must answer:

When life feels unstable… when the waves keep hitting… what do we do? How do we stand? How do we keep moving forward? Where is our anchor? And this is exactly where Paul takes the Corinthians in Ch15.

(Done with FTCG) After everything the Corinthians had gone through—division, immorality, conflict, confusion—even disorder in worship… You can almost imagine them feeling overwhelmed because:

Life was happening to them.

Sin was happening within them.

And the church was being shaken.

Now what will see in Ch 15 is that Paul doesn’t give the Corinthians some new revelation. He doesn’t bring them 7 steps to find satisfaction in this world. He takes them back to the foundation. In essence he tells them: “Brothers and sisters… Remember the gospel.” Because when life is unstable… when sin is heavy… when everything feels like it’s crashing in… we don’t just move on from the gospel. We must return to it.

And today, as we look at these first 8 verses, we’re going to see four realities—four actions we must take when life feels uncertain. In other words we will seek to answer the question. What do we do when the waves don’t stop? Number one:

I. When Life Is Unstable, We Stand On The Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:1–2a Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you also are saved,

As Paul begins to write the first verse in chapter 15 notice how he addresses the church members at Corinth. He addresses the church members as brothers and sisters. In V1 he writes:

“Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you…”

Now this is an important fact because it means that Paul is not just writing to some random people. In Paul’s mind he’s writing to believers. Paul is writing to those who belong to the family of God. (brothers and sisters) Now the question is, How did they become members of God’s family? The answer is through the gospel.

Ephesians 1:4–5 He (God) chose us in Him (Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. 5 In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ,

And then in V13 Paul tells us how this takes place?

Ephesians 1:13 (NASB 2020) In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise,

This then implies that Paul is writing to people who should already know the gospel. We can come to that conclusion because he addresses them as sons and daughters. And yet, what does Paul do? He says, “I make known to you, brothers and sisters the gospel which I preached to you”

In other words—You have already heard the gospel and now I have to bring it back to your attention. Why? Because the Corinthians had forgotten the foundation of their faith. As we’ve seen throughout this letter—division, immorality, pride, disorder in worship—caused them to drift away from the Gospel. They hadn’t necessarily rejected the gospel… but they had lost sight of it. And the reality is that whenever life hits us, this is what we are tempted to do. We are tempted to lose sight of the gospel.

So what does Paul do? He reminds them. Paul is saying I’m putting the gospel right in front of you again. “Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you,”

In other words He doesn’t give them something new.

He brings them back to the foundation.

And this is huge for us. Why? Because it means that:

1. When life becomes unstable, unpredictable and difficult, we do not need something new. We need to be reminded of that which is true.

And for that reason, Paul reminds them of the gospel.

2. The word “gospel” in the original greek is the word evangelion—and it literally means: Good news.

Now think about that for a moment. When life feels like wave after wave after wave of bad news… When it feels like you can’t catch a break… What do we need? We need some good news. (Go to the mail - today I get the miraculous check)

Not just advice—though it can help.

Not just strategies—though they have their place.

Not just encouragement—though we all need it.

We need news. And not just any news… We need good news.

Good news that are greater than our circumstances.

Good news that we can actually stand on.

And one way to understand this is to think about something like Juneteenth.

On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, enslaved people finally received the news that they had been set free. Their freedom had already been secured. When?

Two and a half years earlier, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared enslaved people in Confederate states to be free. This meant that legally speaking, their freedom had already been accomplished. two and a half years earlier.

However there was only one problem… The news hadn’t reached them. The slaves did not know.

This meant that for over two years and a half years after being declared legally free, there were people still living in bondage… not because freedom hadn’t been won… but because they hadn’t heard the news yet. But imagine that day…

Imagine the day when the news finally reached them: When they heard the news “You are free.” Beloved in that moment, nothing changed in terms of what had already been accomplished…

However everything changed once they heard the news. Why? Because now they knew:

“I’m not a slave anymore.”

“I’m not property anymore.”

“I’ve been set free.”

And in the midst of their pain and suffering that must’ve been good news. And Church, that’s what the gospel is.

3. The Gospel is not: Advice about what we must do to save ourselves.

4. The Gospel is the good news about what Christ has already done to save us.

So, Paul says: “This is the gospel which I preached to you…” And even though the Corinthians had already heard the Gospel they had forgotten about it.

And here’s why this matters when life feels unstable: This matters because when the ground beneath us is shifting… When we feel like we are losing our grip on this life… we will need something that’s already been settled.

5. And Paul is saying: “Your stability is not found in your circumstances , your stability is found in the gospel and here’s where you need to stand.

(the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you also are saved,) Because it is through the work of Christ that you and I have been saved. And this is good news. So, when life feels unstable we stand in the Gospel and:

II. When We Feel Like Giving Up, We Must Hold Fast To The Gospel

Paul continues in verse 2:

1 Corinthians 15:1–2 Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you also are saved, if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

“if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you.”

Now don’t miss this. Paul is not just reminding them of the gospel, he is now calling them to hold on to it. Why? Beloved, because it is possible to hear the gospel, it is possible to even profess belief in the gospel and yet not truly cling to it or depend on it.

And what Paul is saying is:

6. True faith doesn’t just receive the gospel once, it holds fast to the gospel continually.

However here’s the reality… That’s not always easy. Because when suffering comes… when sin weighs us down… when discouragement sets in… There is a real temptation to drift. To loosen our grip. To stop holding on to the very thing that once anchored us.

And in some ways, it’s similar to what happened to some people after Juneteenth. There were people who had lived in bondage for so long that even when freedom had been declared it was difficult for them to live as if they were truly free.

Or maybe think about the movie The Shawshank Redemption. There’s a character in the movie named Brooks—an older man who had spent most of his life in prison. And when he was finally released… he couldn’t adjust.

Freedom felt unfamiliar.

Freedom felt overwhelming.

And instead of learning to live in that freedom… he ends up taking his own life. And church, in a different but real way, we can do something similar spiritually.

7. The gospel declares that our sin has been paid for, that we are no longer condemned, that we are no longer slaves and yet, when life gets hard and when we feel overwhelmed, we can begin to let go.

And the result is that:

We forget the gospel.

We drift away from the truth.

We stop holding on to what we once believed.

And Paul says: “Be careful… because if you are not holding fast to the gospel, you have believed in vain.”

8. In other words: It’s not enough to say, “I believed that once.” The question is—are we still holding on?

Because sometimes the greatest danger is not the waves that hits us… it’s that we let go of the anchor.

And Paul is reminding us: When you feel like giving up… when everything in you wants to drift… Hold on tight to the gospel.

Because here’s the danger we face. When life gets hard and we feel like giving up— we don’t just drift emotionally. We run the risk of drifting theologically. And the result is that we begin to believe things that are not true.

And the enemy doesn’t always come with something obvious—he comes with subtle lies. And in a very real sense:

9. To let go of the gospel is to let go of the truth.

So, when we fall and suddenly our heart begins to tell us “God has abandoned you.” The gospel reminds us of the words of our Lord, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

When we carry the weight of our past, our shame says, “You are defined by your sin.” But the gospel declares: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

When we feel the pressure to clean ourselves up. Our hearts tell us, “You have to fix yourself before coming to God.” But the gospel reminds us that: “It is finished.” That God demonstrates His love towards us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

When we continue to struggle in the same areas, our minds begin to say, “You’ll never change.” But the gospel says: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation the old has passed behold the new has come.”

And little by little. If we don’t hold fast to the truth we begin to believe the lies. And if we believe the lies our grip weakens. And when our grip weakens we start to drift.

10. And church, this is why Paul says: Hold firmly. Because the moment we let go of the gospel, we don’t just lose our grip—we lose our perspective.

Which brings is to reality number 3.

III. When We Lose Clarity, We Must Remember The Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 For I handed down 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,

Paul begins verse 3 with a statement of priority: “For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received…” Don’t miss that phrase—“of first importance.”

11. Paul is saying: This is not secondary.” “This is not optional.” “This is not one truth among many.” This is the truth that everything else stands on.

Because the truth is that when we lose clarity we need to return to what matters most. We need to come back to the priority of the gospel. And then Paul proceeds to lay out the Gospel with simplicity and power:

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, (What?) 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,

This is the gospel. This is the good news. That Christ came and dealt with the one problem we could never solve. Our sin.

The one thing that separated us from God.

The one thing we could never fix.

The one thing we could never undo.

The one thing we could never overcome.

Christ dealt with it. He died so that sinners like us might be reconciled to a holy God. And Paul says that He did it—“according to the Scriptures.”

Meaning:

This was not random event.

This was not accident.

This was not plan B.

This was God’s redemptive plan all along.

Acts 2:23–24 Referring to Christ Peter says: this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. (V24) But God raised Him from the dead, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

This means that His death was real.

This was no illusion.

This was not a performance.

This not symbolism.

He died. But He did not remain in the grave. Paul says: “He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” This was a real, historical resurrection.

Which means that:

Sin has been paid for.

Death has been defeated.

And salvation has been accomplished.

And let me try to help us feel the weight of these news for a moment. A few years ago, there was talk about student loan forgiveness. And at the time, I had over $20,000 in debt. During COVID, payments were paused, and I remember applying and then honestly, I forgot about it.

Until one day, I received an email. And when I opened it, it said that my debt had been canceled. Just like that. Over $20,000… gone. And I can’t even begin to describe to you the feeling. The weight lifted. The relief. The joy. It felt like really, really good news.

But here’s the reality…

Even if that hadn’t happened, I could have worked. I could have made sacrifices. Over time, I probably could have paid that debt off. But when it comes to the debt of my sin… this is was unpayable debt.

No amount of effort…

No amount of good works…

No amount of time…

would ever be enough.

I could work my entire life… and not even make a dent. And that’s why this is not just good news— this is the greatest news in the world. That Jesus Christ died for our sins… that He was buried… and that He was raised on the third day…

Which means God accepted His sacrifice. And now— He takes our sin and gives us His righteousness. So that we can stand before a holy God…

not condemned… but forgiven…

not guilty… but made righteous…

Beloved, the truth is—everything in this world is temporary.

Psalm 103:15–17 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

That’s life. In this world, I can lose my health and my life. I can lose my job. I can lose my home. I can lose my savings. I can even lose the people I love. Heck… I’ve even lost my hair. Everything in this life is fragile. Everything in this life can be taken.

12. But there is one thing—one thing—that can never be taken away from me and this is the steadfast love of the Lord displayed in the salvation that Christ has secured for us at the cross.

So when confusion sets in, when life feels unstable, we hold on to the gospel. We hold on to what Christ has already done for us. Because everything else may come and go but the gospel remains.

And this is why, when we lose clarity, we must remember the gospel. Because the gospel cuts through the confusion. The Gospel anchors us in truth and it reminds us that no matter what we’re facing—our greatest problem has already been solved in Christ. For this reason:

IV. When Doubt Creeps In, We Trust The Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:5–8 And that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; (V7-8) then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

Beloved,

13. The truth is that whenever we experience pain and suffering, pain often produces doubt.

We begin to ask questions like:

“Is God really in control?”

“Is God even real?”

“Can I really trust Him?”

Think about the psalmist in Psalm 73. When he saw the wicked prosper, when he saw injustice all around him the Bible says he almost stumbled. His footing began to slip. Until… he remembered. Until his perspective was restored.

And in the same way, Paul is helping the Corinthians—and us—understand something critical:

14. Our faith is not built on a made-up story.

This is not a fable.

This is not a fairy tale.

This is not religious imagination.

This is a historical reality.

15. Jesus Christ lived a real, perfect life. He entered human history and forever changed it. He died on a real cross, was laid in a real tomb, and truly experienced death—but on the third day, He rose again.

And the question is: How do we know this? How can we trust this? And Paul answers that question by pointing to eyewitnesses. He says: “He appeared to Cephas… then to the twelve…”

In other words:

This wasn’t private.

This wasn’t hidden.

This wasn’t imagined.

Then Paul adds that: “He appeared to more than 500 brothers and sisters at one time—most of whom remain until now.”

Do you hear what Paul is saying? “Go ask them.” “These people are still alive. You can talk to them.”

Then he appeared to James… then to all the apostles… And finally, Paul says: “He appeared to me also.”

And Church, this matters. Because:

16. When doubt creeps in, when life shakes us, when suffering clouds our thinking our confidence is not in how we feel. Our confidence is in what has been revealed. Our confidence is in what has happened.

17. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just something we believe. It is an event that took place in history.

18. And that means: Our faith is not blind. Our hope is not wishful thinking. Our salvation is not uncertain. Our salvation is anchored in a risen Savior.

So what do we do with this? Because church the reality is, we’re all going to face moments where life feels unstable. The waves will come. As a matter of fact some of you might in that place right now.

Today you might be feeling overwhelmed… tired… uncertain… maybe even discouraged. So what do we do?

In the late 1800s, a man named Horatio Spafford experienced unimaginable loss.

First, he lost his young son to illness. Then, in 1873, his four daughters were on a ship crossing the Atlantic when the ship collided with another vessel and sank. All four of his daughters died.

His wife survived… and sent him a telegram with just two words: “Saved alone.” Can you imagine that?

As Spafford traveled across the ocean to meet his grieving wife, the captain of the ship told him when they were passing over the place where his daughters had died.

And it was there…

In the middle of unimaginable pain…

In the middle of overwhelming waves…

That Horatio Spafford wrote the words of the hymn: “It is well with my soul.”

When peace like a river, attendeth my way When sorrows like sea billows roll Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say It is well, it is well, with my soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come Let this blest assurance control That Christ has regarded my helpless estate And hath shed His own blood for my soul

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Church, how can a man in the midst of severe loss write something like that? How does someone, in the middle of that kind of loss…say, “It is well with my soul”?

It was certainly not because life was stable.

It was certainly not because the pain was small.

It was because his foundation was unshakable.

It was because in the midst of great instability… he stood on the gospel.

In the midst of pain that could have caused him to give up… he held fast to the gospel.

In the midst of sorrow that could have clouded his vision… he remembered the gospel.

And in the midst of questions and grief… he trusted the gospel.

He was able to say, “It is well,” not because everything around him was okay, but because he knew what Christ had done.

He knew that Christ had died.

He knew that Christ had risen.

And he knew that his hope was not in this life alone.

Church, this is what it looks like—

to hold fast…

to remember…

to trust the gospel…

when everything else is falling apart.

Because the gospel is not just what saves us…

The Gospel is what will sustain us—all the way home.