Road Trip
Notes
Transcript
Have you ever been on a road trip?
And I do not mean like a two hour trip, but I am talking about a road trip, where you are traveling at least a couple days and you are stopping at cool places along the way.
but if you have gone on a real road trip you know there are some things you need. (possibly have them shout it out)
You need good junk food
You need a killer music playlist on your phone
If your the passenger you might need headphones because the person who is driving thinks their playlist is good, but its not.
You need some coffee, right?
You need a car (thats a big one)
But then there is one thing I was reading in an article this past week about road trips and it mentioned that theres a lot you need, but one of the most important things you can have on a road trip is a plan.
Because its important to have some idea of where the road trip is going to start, and where it is going to end.
and not just that but to make it really effective you should be taking out a map and figuring out the places you want to stop on the way.
Because if you do not have a plan than chances are you are just going to be wondering aimlessly around the highway and probably not see anything that great.
But you know as I was thinking about this concept of planning a road trip, I could not help but think about how in a way our lives are simaler to planning a road trip.
Because it is something where when we look at our life it is so important that we are intentional at looking at where we are, where we have been, and where we are going.
And really today we are in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 and Paul the guy who wrote this passage is wanting us to take a step back and look at our lives like if we were looking at it on a Map.
Because in this passage he tells this church he is writing to, this is where you are, this is where you have been, and this is where you are going.
And today my hope for us is to look at our lives on a map and see those things.
Because when we are able to see where we are, where we have been and where we are going, it allows us to live a life where we are not just wondering around hoping for the best
But we are able to live a very intentional life.
So turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 because Paul starts with where we are currently.
So look at these first couple verses because he says this:
1 Corinthians 15:1–2 (ESV)
The Resurrection of Christ
15 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
So like I said Paul tells this church can I take a moment before anything else to remind you this gospel I preached to you which you are now standing in.
Basically this gospel I gave you is where you currently are.
and Paul tells them in verse 2 what it means to be standing in the gospel.
Because it says if you are standing in the gospel you are being saved.
Isn’t it weird for it to say that?
Because we believe that the moment we accept Christ we are saved.
I mean it sounds like something that had happened in the past doesn’t it.
But this actually means two things:
The first is that God’s grace is so big that it is constantly pursuing and covering you.
You know there is not a mistake you can make that God’s Grace can’t reach because God’s grace is that HUGE.
Its almost like if we went to Lake Michigan and we were on the beach and we decide we are going to remove as much water from the lake so that we can and make the water level go down.
Guess what though chances are we can try to do this, we could get heavy duty equipment even, but we are not going to make a difference in the water level of the lake.
Because there is so much water in that lake that we can do our best, but the water level most likely will not change because what we do is nothing compared to the amount of water.
But truthfully thats how God’s grace is because it is infanit, and so big that we can mess up, we can do things wrong, but God’s grace will always be bigger then the mistakes we make.
And not just that but a lot of scholars actually believe that it means that not only are we being saved, but we are being sanctified
meaning that yes we are saved, but everyday in our walk with God we should be growing closer to Him
Where if we looked at where we were a year ago we would be able to say “I have grown further into who God has called me to be this past year”
And Paul is saying this is where you should be standing right now.
Where you can say I am being saved and God is making me more like Him.
Well look at this next Part because Paul tells the reader so this is where you are, but then he also says you really need to understand what got you here.
Look at verses 3-4 because it says this:
1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (ESV)
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
So in this section Paul tells them something really basic that all of us have heard and that is Christ died for our sins.
and this sounds so simple but when you break down this phrase it is pwerful.
Because say this is your life before sin. (clean water)
It is clean pure and perfect right?
Because God created you clean, pure and perfect.
But the problem is that all of us have sinned where we have either chosen a lifestyle against God or we have even done small things to rebel against Him
And look what sin does because sin comes in and it ruins this purity and beauty that God created us in (Put black food coloring in)
and that sin destroys us where we may not even notice how harmful it is, but all of the sudden we find ourselves looking nothing like how God created us
And instead of us being this light God called us to we find ourselves in a dark place.
And Paul is saying all of us have been here because we all have sinned.
And this is bad because there is no way for us to get out of this.
Because we can do good works (pour in water)
we can be nice to people (pour in water)
We can even come to church and go to small groups (pour in water)
But none of these can change the fact that sin has entered our lives.
But here is the thing because there is a hope, because Pauls says Christ died for our sin meaning that He died as a sacrifice for our sin and He took on the punishment
And it doesn’t just stop there because Paul says on the third day Christ rose from the dead defeating death and sin where when we trust in Him we no longer have this heart that is stuck in sin
But now Christ begins to change us (Pour in bleach)
And instead of this darkness that we had because of sin we see God changing it.
Where God sees the broken pieces of our life and is putting them back together.
God sees our sinful hearts and He transforms us where we are made clean.
I mean can we just say praise God?
Because this is not some sort of secret offer for the goos people but this is the offer for us personally this morning.
And if you haven’t been here possibly today is the day you can say this is where I want to be washed in the blood of Jesus.
I want to look at these last few verses because this is a part that a lot of people jump over bu t is so important because it tells us where we are going.
Look at verses 5-8 because it says:
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
You know this part is really interesting, because Paul is saying after Jesus rose, He began to appear to all these people.
And this doesn’t seem to be that important but in this culture that Paul is writing to the people did not believe it was possible for Jesus to resurrect.
Because not only does it seem impossible for Him to do it personally, but if Jesus resurrected then we are told that the people who accept Him when they die that will not be the end but they go to heaven,
And the thing is people thought this idea was ridiculous. Because the people didn’t just believe it was impossible for Jesus to resurect, but they believed when they died that was it and they had no hope.
And so Paul is telling them about all of the people who saw Jesus come back from the dead and He is saying this wasn’t some sort of hoax, or joke that a few people put together, but this is something real.
Because we are freed now, which is awesome, but Paul is letting these people know that there is somthing even bigger.
In fact in verse 19 in this chapter Paul says:
1 Corinthians 15:19 (ESV)
19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Meaning yeah we have this hope that Christ can change us here and now (like this water) but our short life is nothing compared to the eternity we have in Christ.
Where when we breath our last breath on this planet we can look forward to a time where we do not just have this future hope but we get to experience it.
Where we will sit in the precence of God and all those who placed their trust in Him
and not only that but there will be not more pain, no more sarrow, no more sickness, and all will be make right.
Will you pray with me?