The Gospel We Must Preach

OCTOBER 10, 2021 STUDY NOTES I CORINTHIANS 15:1-4 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES THE GOSPEL WE MUST PREACH INTRODUCTION I Corinthians chapter 15 is the classic chapter in the NT concerning the subject of resurrection No single passage of Scripture reveals more truth about the resurrection of Christ No other passage reveals more truth concerning the future resurrection of the believer’s body No single passage of Scripture answers more questions related to the resurrection than 1 Cor. 15 This chapter begins with the importance of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead Without Jesus’ resurrection there is no “Gospel,” there is no “Good News” about salvation One of Satan’s greatest attacks against Christianity is the denial of the resurrection of Jesus Satan knows that Jesus is alive, but Satan does not want you to believe that Jesus is alive If Satan could destroy the truth of Jesus’ resurrection, he could destroy the truth of the Gospel There is no salvation in the belief of a dead savior, there can be no salvation unless Christ is alive Salvation is received by believing in the “Living Lord,” Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Paul begins 1 Corinthians 15 with the importance of the “Good News” of salvation Paul defines the “Gospel” for us in the first four verses Paul says four things about the Gospel and the Corinthians: (1) I preached the Gospel to you (2) You received the Gospel (3) You stand firm upon the Gospel (4) You have been saved and are being saved by the Gospel It is the Gospel that we must receive in-order to be saved and the Gospel that we must live by The “Gospel” is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus “according to the Scriptures” Which is “the Gospel we must preach” 1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; “Moreover” means that Paul is now introducing another subject, one that is most important It is not new to the Corinthians because Paul said he had preached it to them, it is the “Gospel” The fact that they had heard and received the Gospel is why he identifies them as “brethren” Which identifies them spiritually, they are united in Christ and to one another through Christ Since they had already received the Gospel, why does Paul now declare unto them the Gospel? Paul is calling to their attention how important it is for them to know what they now know How important it is for them to know “the Gospel,” the Gospel they had believed and received The “Gospel” is the good news, the good announcement, the glad tidings The “Gospel” is the greatest news the world has ever heard, today’s world must hear the Gospel The good news is that your sins can be forgiven, Christians must tell the lost that good news The good announcement is that you can receive a new life for today, you can be saved The glad tidings are that you can spend an eternity in Heaven with God, an eternal salvation But you must hear, believe, and receive the “Gospel,” the “Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” Why is this Gospel that we must preach today so important? The Bible tells us what will happen to those who “obey not” the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ The Gospel must be preached because Jesus is coming again, 2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, Page 1 of 5 At the time of the return of Jesus to the earth there will be “rest” for those who are saved The “rest” that Christians will experience is also known as the “rapture,” 1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. At that same time, at the return of Jesus, those who have refused the Gospel will face God’s wrath Jesus is going to come with His mighty angels in a “flame of fire,” 2Th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: His “vengeance” is a righteous judgment upon those who “obey not the Gospel of Jesus” That is why Paul reminds us of “The Gospel We Must Preach,” there are those who are lost Those who obey not the Gospel of Jesus face an eternal penalty, 2Th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; “Everlasting destruction” is the very opposite of “Everlasting Life” in the presence of Jesus The destruction is not an annihilation of being, it is not a ceasing of existence It is an eternal separation from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power Which is why the Gospel must be preached, Paul had already preached the Gospel to them The word translated “preached” is used to identify with “proclaiming” the Gospel From the beginning of the NT church, it was Jesus that was preached, Act 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. The early church was persecuted for preaching the Gospel and had to scatter, what did they do? Act 8:4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. A good question for us today is, are we going “anywhere” to preach the Gospel? It was the Gospel of Jesus that was proclaimed, there is no other Gospel to preach (Gal. 1:3-9) Jesus is the only One who gave Himself for our sins, Gal 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: The religious world of today is teaching many ways of salvation, different ways to come to God But the Bible is clear, there is one Gospel which tells the Good News of One Savior That is the Gospel that Paul had preached to the Corinthians, and they had “received” it They had “received” the Gospel, they had paid close attention to what they had heard They paid attention because they were interested in what they were hearing, a “New Life” They desired to make a personal application of what they heard, they “received” the Gospel We are accountable for the opportunities of hearing God’s Word, Heb 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. (Earnest heed” is opening your ears, your mind, and your heart to what you are hearing) The warning is clear, listen to God’s Word when you have the opportunity If it is the “Word of God” give it your full attention, don’t let it go in one ear and out the other There is a promise from God that goes with the Gospel, 1Th 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. The Gospel will work “effectually” in you when you believe it Hear, believe, receive the Gospel and it will begin to work in a powerful way in your life The Corinthians welcomed the Gospel, accepted it into their life, claimed it personally Paul said, it is the Gospel “wherein you stand” There is no other solid foundation of life to stand upon than the Gospel of Jesus, 1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. You must receive the Gospel, stand upon it daily, continue to stand upon it, and preach it 1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. Page 2 of 5 The original is written in the present tense meaning “you are being saved” Salvation not only takes care of the past, when you were saved, it is also a present experience Christians are “being saved” more and more each day, salvation is working in us all-of the time Our salvation covers the past, which is justification, it covers the present, which is sanctification Our salvation covers the future, which is glorification, which will be fulfilled when Christ returns The past, the present, and the future are promised and fulfilled because our Savior is “Alive” “If you keep in memory” means to hold fast to what you believe, to what you have received Christians can continue to “hold fast” by claiming the promises of God, Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) Paul tells us what will happen if we don’t “hold fast” to our salvation, unless ye have believed in vain. What is a “vain salvation?” There is no thought of a loss of eternal salvation in Paul’s words “In vain” means “without purpose,” to no avail, without cause, without effect, useless Nothing here indicates the loss of true salvation, but it does reveal the truth of a living salvation If someone gave you a new automobile and you refuse to drive it, what good is it to you? If someone gave you a new home and you refuse to live in it, what good is it? God gave you a New Life in Christ, if you are not living that new life, what good is it? Believing in a resurrected Christ without living a “new life” is believing “in vain” Paul’s focus is on the result of salvation today, a salvation that changes our way of life A salvation that had no effect upon your life is a “vain salvation” The opposite of a vain salvation is a profitable salvation, one that lives and preaches the Gospel 1Co 15:3 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 of all,” because of its importance, in order of priority the Gospel must be above all else The Gospel is of utmost importance, there is nothing more important to preach than the gospel Time is not the emphasis, it is priority, that which must be first, the reason it must be first, Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. Paul preached the same Gospel that he had “received,” the Gospel that gave him a “New Life” Man cannot change the truth of the Gospel to suit what he wants to believe Man cannot teach or preach a Gospel according to what he thinks it should be The Gospel that Paul believed and preached must be the same Gospel that is preached today Paul clearly defines the Gospel in verses 3 & 4 by the word “that:” That Christ died (verse 3) That he was buried (verse 4) that he rose again (verse 4) The only Gospel message to preach is the “death, burial, and resurrection” of Jesus Christ Christ died for our sins, the Sacrificial, substitutionary death of Jesus on the Cross He died in our place, 1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. He died for our benefit,1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: The “Good News” is, Jesus died for our sins, and He died “according to the scriptures” When the multitude came to arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword and smote the ear of one of the soldiers, listen to what Jesus said to Peter, Mat 26:52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Mat 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? Mat 26:54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? Page 3 of 5 The cross “must be” because the Gospel “must be,” and the Gospel “must be” preached today All according to the scriptures, which means that it was written beforehand The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the predetermined plan of God, which is found in the scriptures The way of salvation was not an “afterthought” with God, our salvation was a “forethought” Even before the foundation of the world, 1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 1Pe 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Jesus did not die on the cross because He had been betrayed by Judas Jesus did not die because an angry mob cried out “Crucify Him, Crucify Him” Jesus did not die because a crooked court system sentenced Him to death Jesus died “according to the scriptures,” Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Act 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Act 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. God determined that His Son would die on the cross for our sins and Jesus said “it must be” The evidence that Jesus died on the cross was His burial 1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: The Bible makes sure that we understand that He was dead when he was removed from the cross They wrapped his body and put it in a tomb, Mat 27:57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: Mat 27:58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. Mat 27:59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, Mat 27:60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. When Jesus was buried, they made sure that the tomb was sealed and guards stood watch, Mat 27:62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Mat 27:63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. They called Him the deceiver, but His words were not deceiving, they were according to scripture And we have scripture to confirm the truth of the scripture, Mat 27:64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Regardless of what man did, they could not prevent scripture from proclaiming, “He is risen” They watched to see that it could not happen, Mat 27:65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. Mat 27:66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch. They were sure that they had everything taken care of, but God’s Word was also “sure” Jesus had told them what was going to happen three days after his death and burial On the third day, the first day of the week, Sunday morning, scripture was fulfilled and that he rose again the third day His Spirit reunited with His body, and He arose Page 4 of 5 The Gospel truth is, Christ died for our sins, the Gospel truth is, He was buried The reason we must preach the Gospel today is, “He rose again,” He lives today to save sinners “He rose again,” He is no longer dead, He is no longer in the tomb, He was raised up How important is it for us to know that Jesus was buried and then three days later “He arose” Important enough that all four Gospels reveal the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Important enough that “Heavenly Messengers” were sent to the tomb to explain His resurrection Important enough that signs were given, the earth shook, and the guards shook All four Gospel accounts are specific and agree, it was the “first day of the week” The tomb was empty, Jesus was not there, He is risen The Scriptures had said, “He must rise again from the dead,” listen to Matthew, Mat 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. Mat 28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. Mat 28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: Mat 28:4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. Mat 28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. Mat 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. According to Matthew, He is risen, According to Mark, He is risen, Mar 16:6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. According to Luke, He is risen, Luk 24:6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Luk 24:7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. John tells us that Jesus was not in the tomb and that He appeared to Mary Magdalene, Joh 20:18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. Paul is right, Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (1 Corinthians 15:3) Paul is right, he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:4) If he had resurrected on the 4th day or the 5th day or any other day, it would have been a miracle But it would not have been “according to the Scriptures” Scripture had not only revealed that Christ would come forth from the grave Scripture had revealed the exact time, Christ had named the day of His resurrection, Luk 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. CONCLUSION According to scripture there is a Gospel that must be preached According to scripture Christians are the ones who are to preach that Gospel There is but one Gospel that must be preached Paul has presented it to us in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 The verses we have just studied are an amazing truth, but we can believe them It is amazing that sinners can be forgiven of their sins It is amazing that we can receive Jesus as our Savior There is a song you have heard many times, you have sung it many times Listen to it and meditate upon its truth Page 5 of 5