Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Turn with me in your Bibles to I Cor 15.

I had originally intended to cover the last part of I Timothy this morning, to wrap up our study in I Timothy, but as I was praying, studying, and preparing and considering what God might have me say to you today on my last Sunday with you, the Spirit led me to a different passage.

In I Timothy 6, Paul exhorts Timothy to...

and he concludes his letter to Timothy by commanding him to...

1 Timothy 6:20–21 (ESV)

20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you.

Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.

Now, Paul doesn’t really elaborate a whole lot on what exactly that “deposit” was, but clearly he’s referring to the “deposit” of sound doctrine of the gospel.

So, like Paul, I can think of no better parting words to bring to you this morning than to remind you of the gospel that I have already preached to you.

To remind you that “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

So, turn with me in your Bibles to I Corinthians 15 as we read Paul’s summary of the Gospel message he preached to the church at Corinth.

Scripture:

Prayer for Illumination

Transition: We often describe the Gospel as the “Good News,” and rightly so, for that is what ‘gospel’ means.

But you can’t understand the Good News without first understanding the Bad News.

The Bad News.

1 Corinthians 15:3 (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,

God created the universe to bring him glory.

God is the Creator, and therefore, the owner of all.

God created mankind with a purpose—to display his glory, to image or reflect his glory all over his creation.

Colossians 1:16 (ESV)

16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Everything was perfect

Genesis 1:31 (ESV)

31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

Mankind has rejected God’s rightful rule.

God gave only one rule

Our father Adam broke that rule, passing down an inheritance of sin and death

We have continued in Adam’s example of sin, rebelling against God’s rightful rulership

Our sin-debt must be paid.

Sin has separated us from God

Sin is rebellion and demands the death sentence

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

23 For the wages of sin is death

Hell awaits those who refuse to submit to God.

The other day, I was watching a show about wildfires.

Some of the videos and pictures of these fires were just unimaginable.

Flames were shooting well over 100’ into the air as trees went up like matches.

I thought of what it must be like to be a firefighter fighting that blaze.

Can you imagine being caught in a wildfire like that?

The wildfire produces so much smoke it blacks out the sky.

The only light is what comes from the flames, which are all around you.

The heat is so intense it burns your skin even through your clothes, and burns your lungs as you breathe.

Can you imagine the fear that would overtake you as you look around and see only flames?

Can you imagine the hopelessness and despair of knowing you wouldn’t make it out of that fire?

I think God gave us wildfires so that we would have a picture of what hell is like.

God created the world for his glory, but mankind rebelled.

All of us stand guilty before God as rebels and traitors.

The penalty for our sins is death and eternal separation from God.

Since God is the source of all things good in the universe, the absence of God is the absence of all good.

That place is called Hell, and it is a place of eternal suffering.

That is the Bad News, and it is the worst news in the world.

But--thank God!—that’s not the end of the story!

The Good News

1 Corinthians 15:4 (ESV)

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

Our sin-debt has been paid by Christ

Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV)

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Christ offers you forgiveness and eternal life

God provided salvation through his son, Jesus.

Salvation is ONLY found in Jesus

You cannot earn your forgiveness, work off your sins, or balance out your bad deeds with good ones.

All you have to do is A-B-C.

Admit you’re a sinner.

Romans 3:19–20 (ESV)

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Luke 18:13–14 (ESV)

13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Believe Jesus died for you and rose again.

Acts 16:30–31 (ESV)

30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved...”

Romans 10:9–10 (ESV)

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Confess Jesus as Lord of your life.

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Romans 6:11–14 (ESV)

11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.

13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Today is the day of salvation

King Jesus will return one day to judge the world.

He will remake the world as it was in the Garden of Eden and those who have trusted in Christ will enjoy fellowship with God forever.

But for those who have refused to repent of their sins and trust Christ, there will be only judgment.

Hebrews 3:7–12 (ESV)

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion...12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

Perhaps you don’t know for sure which group you’re in or where you will go when you die or Christ returns.

Come this morning and settle the matter.

Perhaps you are already saved but you haven’t been living a life that reflects that.

Come rededicate your life this morning.

Perhaps you know people in your life who are dangling over the pit of Hell.

Will you come pray for them this morning and commit yourself to sharing the gospel with them?