His Grace Was Not In Vain
Notes
Transcript
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world, but still I am not what I used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am”
I would remind you of the gospel
He just got done talking about exercising spiritual gifts in worship
Prophecy
Tongues
Their use in worship
He is about to correct them on some bad doctrine that has crept into the church
Some of the members of this church evidently began to believe that there is no resurrection of the death
This is similar to what the Sadducees believed
Paul corrects this error and says that if there is no resurrection then Christ has not been raised
If Christ has not been raised then Christians are the most pitiable of all people
In the middle, he chooses to give the gospel foundation
The gospel is the corrective
It is the foundation, the guide, the most important truth, the power of God unto salvation
What is the gospel?
How many of you can confidently say that you can accurately articulate the gospel?
without notes or a cheat sheet
just internalized knowledge of the truths of the Good News of Jesus
We MUST know the gospel well and be able to articulate it well
The gospel is for every one of you right now
The gospel is the most important news in the world
“Of first importance”
How can we not give ourselves to knowing it deeply and fully and truly?
Christ died
As a propitiation (wrath appeasement and reconciliation)
Romans 3:23-25a- for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
Isaiah 53:4-5- Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
Christ was buried and raised on the third day
John 2:22- When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Hosea 6:2- After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.
He appeared to the His disciples and Paul after His resurrection
These are not cleverly devised stories
Men and women saw Jesus in bodily form after His resurrection
Mark 16:14- Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.
Tie it all together
Acts 13:27-38- Bible
What does the gospel do in the lives of those who believe?
It transforms
The gospel is powerful
It makes you a new creation in Christ
It makes dead sinners alive in Him
It does not leave you the same
It gives true purpose
What is work except for action with a purpose?
Paul was not only transformed but he was inflamed with a desire to give his life for the purpose for which he was made
It saves His people
The gospel is power
“Are being saved”
Not only does it justify sinners, but it is a power that ensures the salvation of His people
What hope do you have that you will make it?
The same blood that bought your justification is the same blood that bought your final glorification
He give His Spirit to dwell in us and through Him, we are actively BEING saved
His grace toward you
But what will you do with such a truth?
It is possible to know all of these things in your head and waste your life
Will it be in vain?
Paul was sure that God’s grace toward Him was not in vain
He didn’t waste it. He use it for Christ
You have freely received, therefore, freely give
My prayer for you and I this year is that we will live boldly in this gospel
That you will be drawn ever deeper into truths of the Word of God
That you will strive to live in holiness and godliness
That you will consistently share the gospel with others
That you will gain a greater vision of what life in Christ is supposed to be and that you will give yourself to it
We are not what we ought to be, we are not what we want to be, we are not what we hope to be in another world, but still we are not what we used to be. By the grace of God we are what we are, and His grace toward us was not in vain. On the contrary, we will strive to work harder than any of them, though it is not us, but the grace of God that is with us.
