1 Corinthians 15

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preach to you. Which you received and on which you have taken your stand by this gospel you are saved. If you hold firmly to the word I preached to you, Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received, I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. And that he appeared to see first and then the twelfth.

After that, he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, And last of all, he appeared to me also as to 1 abnormally born, for I am the least of the apostles, and do not even deserve to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of god, but by the grace of god, I am what I am. And his grace to me was not without effect. No. I worked harder than all of them, yet not I.

But the grace of god that was with me. Whether then, it is that it is I or they. This is what we preach, and this is what you believed. Well, good evening, from me. May I add my, welcome to you all?

My name is Rory Connect. I'm, 1 of the members of this church here. I've been a member for a few years now. And, tonight, we're starting, 1 of a 3 part series in this this chapter of 1 Corinthians 15. There are there's so many great truths in here, and it's so jam packed full of of glorious things.

So I'm hoping, that's by by god's help, by the the help of the spirit will be able to really see and understand just how glorious, some of this stuff is here. So As we start, let me pray, and then we'll we'll dive in. Father, we thank you once again for your words. We thank you so much, that you are a god who is gracious, who, lavishes gifts upon us. We thank you that you are god who gives us this glorious gospel.

And so father we pray that as we come to it now, you won't, your your guard is against complacency, that we will see a fresh, see a new, just how glorious the truths of this this gospel is where you help us now as we as we think about these first 11 verses We open our hearts, help us to understand, help us to apply it to our lives. We pray this in Jesus name, any our, ma'am. Okay. Well, I think to do anything in life. Whatever it is, you need to make sure that you take care of the important things.

And that goes in a number of areas. I I I know many of you here tonight, I guess, are from school, or I've been at university, And so if you take exams for instance, I know a lot of you have done your GCSEs or your, or maybe you still do them. I can never remember, or your a levels, or you're just in your exam you need to get the important things right. Right? So if you turn up to an exam without the right equipment, you've you're not gonna get on too well.

Are you? If you end up going to an exam and you're revised. Actually, I did I actually, I forgot that. I did I did this. I came up to an exam, and I I said, oh, we've got a history exam, and they said, Have you revised, the Germany side?

I said, no, is it on the Germany side? They were like, yeah, Rory. What are you gonna do? I I wasn't too bothered. But that's usually my that was unfortunately my work ethic that was an issue.

Or you might wanna make sure you go to the right exam. An example of my brother Andrew. This is 1 of the daphest things ever. He, he was trying to reset an exam So here, he'd done English, he'd done 2 English exams. In 1 of his English exams, he'd got an a, and the other 1, he failed.

So he went to reset the 1 he failed. What he did, he went and reset the 1 he got an a in, and then got a b in it. So that that wasn't great. You need to make sure you get the important things right. If you're going on holiday, you need to make sure you get the important things right.

You need to make sure you've got your passport. You need to make sure you know what time the ferry is leaving. So, we were gonna go to France once, where myself and the woodcocks, and we turned up to the ferry port, and we saw our ferry going across the channel, and we had to turn back and go home. There you go. You need to make sure you get the important things right.

We need to get the important things right, or else we're gonna fail, or at least we're gonna start to fail. So with that in mind, ask yourself the question, what is the most important thing for you? What is the most important? What is the thing that you think is the most important thing to get you through life? That you need to get right.

What is it that is of first importance? Now I asked my wife, Tarusha, this, in the car, and she said the fir the thing of first importance was sleep. I wasn't sure about that, but if you were here this morning and you heard Tom talk about the lump in in the bed next to you, That is Jerusalem. She is lump. I don't think that is the most important thing, but what is it that is of first importance?

Now the world, I guess, gives us many options or or answers to this question, doesn't it? In fact, the world would probably say, you are the most important thing. You're the most important thing. Go and live as you wanna live. Make yourself happy.

Do what you want. Or maybe they say to be really happy, right? What you need to do is get extremely good grades, and then you gotta get really once you get your really good grades, You gotta get a really good job, get a load of money, and so on and so forth. Then that it will be important. You've made sense of life.

You've done it. You've got through it. Well done. You've retired. You can go on a yacht and live the rest of your time.

It is there. What is the most important thing? What is it for you? What is it that you're always thinking about? What is it that you're always talking about.

What is it that you're acting for? What is it when you go into that, you know, that screen saver, you know, when computers, they go screen saver, and it's usually like a a Dell sign bouncing off the sides and you're kind of mesmerized by it. You go into screen saver mode. When you go into that mode, when you're just sort of daydreaming, what is it that you're thinking of? What's the most important thing?

Now in this letter here and in this chapter, well, Paul contends that the most important thing is the gospel. It is the gospel that should be at the center. It is the gospel that is of first importance. So he he's he's been, saying a load of things if you've looked through 1 Corinthians, and they seem to get you get a really abrupt change of topic here. And he just starts talking about the gospel.

And, we don't know why he's talking about the gospel hundred percent wise, and, and, and, he's especially focusing on the focusing on the resurrection, but verse 12 sort of gives us a bit of a maybe an indication on that. It says, but if it preach that Christ has been raised from the dead? How can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? So it seems that people are doubting aspects of the resurrection of the dead. And Paul is saying, listen, the resurrection alongside all the other all the other parts the gospel is of first importance.

And that's what he wants us to remember. That's what he wants us to focus on. So let's have a look at it. My first thing that I want you to see tonight is a reminder of redemption. A reminder of redemption.

This shows us what is of first importance. A reminder of redemption. I don't get excited that is the only sub subheading with a with alliteration. I couldn't think of any others, so I gave up there. But we get a reminder of redemption.

Look how Paul begins here in verse 1. He starts with now brothers and sisters. Brothers and sisters. Listen here. This is for the Christian.

This is for the 1 who believes in the lord Jesus. This is for the family of Christ. And what is Paul wanting to do here while we keep reading I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel, you are saved if you hold firmly to the word I preach to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

Paul wants to remind the brothers and sisters of Corinth. This is what he's into. He's in the business of reminding it, I want to recall to your mind. It's as if the Corinthians, the Corinthians Christians have forgotten what was often first importance. And he said, I wanna remind you.

We we I think we often don't think we need reminding of of some of these truths. Actually, we just don't think we need reminding. We get we get annoyed when, Rory, have you remembered to be, of course, I've remembered to do that. And then 2 2 days later. Did you remember to do that?

Oh, no. I forgot. We we we do. And actually, the odds are, I mean, I know I'm not that old. I'm 27, but I feel like I'm like, starting to forget more and more.

Like, people ask me what happened last week? And I'm thinking, I'm gonna clear what happened yesterday. Never mind last week. We need reminding. We need to be reminded.

And what is it that we need to be reminded of? Well, look, it is the gospel that Paul originally preached to them. In acts chapter 18, you see Paul coming to corinth and sharing the gospel with the with the believers of corinth. And so, Paul preached the message faithfully to them. They listened to it.

They received it. And they took their stand on it. In other words, they believed it. It was this that they took their stand on, and it was this that they needed to continue to stand on. Why?

Well, because by standing on this gospel, by standing on this, these truths, by taking a hold of it with a firm grasp. That is the way that they got salvation. That is true of the believers in corinth, and that is true of everyone who is a believer in this room. I was very thankful this week. My mom and dad, although they think they're a burden for some reason, they came down and visited me.

And as I'm I was thinking about this and and, I was thinking I I've been extremely blessed to be brought up in a Christian home where my mom and dad faithfully preached the gospel to me so that I received this message and I was able to take a stand on it. And I guess every single person who calls himself a Christian today will have those people in their lives who passed the gospel on. It is this that brought them to salvation. But why do why do they need to be reminded of it? Why do you need to keep reminding them?

Well, if they don't keep hearing that this is our first important that I think the danger is is that they will move away and trust in other things to save them. When I when I got a sensible answer out of Jerusalem apart from just sleep, and I said, why do we need to be keep why do we need to be kept remind, like, kept kept on reminded about this. And she was like, well, I think 1 of the and I think she's right. 1 of the reasons is because the world is so it's always preaching a message to you that you have to trust in other things. We said that.

Trust in yourself. Find help in yourself. Go with the grades, have a career. Put a lot of you, I mean, we're having babies all over the show at Cornerstone. I make a I've lost count.

I'm I don't know their names. I wish I did, but they're all there. It will be very tempting to listen to the world and say, make that your life. Have all that as the most important thing in your life. It it matters that they, you know, they become a great sports star.

Or that they have a great education and they go to, anywhere but Kingston University. Not knocking cakes. I went to Rohampton. I don't think it's much better. Not only do we have that, but we have our hearts that want us want to do stuff that has this default position where we wanna try and earn our way to heaven and and do good things to get to heaven.

And so the danger is is that we step off. We've had we've had our stand on the goth when we decide to take a step off. We've been holding firmly to this thing that that's been saving us, and we let go. And we try and grab something else that won't save us. Well, I was thinking about this, is I think this is true.

I might be making it up. And if I have made it up, great, you can just quote it and pretend it's true. You know, when a great bushfire is coming towards you and there's fire all around you. 1 of the 1 of the safest place to be is in a place that's already been had a fire because he can't burn there. Right?

So you're there. You're standing in the safe place. You're standing in the with a fire all around you, but you're in the safe place. That's saving you to move away from that and to step out and go, oh, actually, that looks like a like a nice little little bit of sand, and step. That's madness.

You need to stay standing in the safe place. Because if you do, then there is a danger that it all may be in vain. Did you see that at the end of verse 2? In other words, that word means there is no effect in that faith. There is no success in that faith.

There is no salvation. And you have to consider were you ever saved at all? Did you really have true faith? So let me ask you again, what is it that you are making most important in your life? What are you living for?

Is this of first importance? Now you might be saying, Rory, yes, it is. Come on. We're we're Christian. We come to Cornerstone every every week.

Of course, it's of first importance. That we should can we not learn something about, I don't know, more about Esther? She's great. The thing is if this is truly off first importance, If it is true that this is of first importance, why is it so often that we get out of a sermon and we talk about what, I don't know, what happened the day before in football or, you know, oh, World Cup, Germany beat Mexico. Yeah.

That's great. If this is true, if this is truly our first importance on our lives, why is it that we so often worry about the things that are happening in our lives, whether you know, what's gonna happen with my line manager today? Are I gonna, am I gonna, you know, get to work okay? If this is your first importance, why do we care so much about other things? Why am I so consumed with trying to get money?

Why am I so tuned, we're trying to get popularity and care more about what people think about me than what god thinks about me. If this is our first importance, why do I fire myself in a constant cycle of sin? What do I find myself time and time again ignoring this gospel? And putting other things instead of him in front of them. Paul says you need to keep coming back to this.

You need to make sure that you keep standing in this gospel. Don't let go. Don't step out. He's showing that actually the Christian life is a life of perseverance. You need to keep going.

You need to keep standing. You need to keep holding on firmly. Don't let go. That's the first thing, the reminder of redemption. Second thing is, well, what is the gospel?

What is the gospel? And Paul's message reveals what is of first importance? So the gospel that Paul is talking about, I think we see 5 things that there is. So the first thing that you'll see, look down with my actually, we'll read verse 3 to 8 first. Read that with me.

For what I received, I passed on to you as of first importance, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to see first and then to the twelfth. And after that, he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time. Most of whom are still living. Though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

And last of all, he appeared to me as to 1 abnormally born. Here's the first thing I think you see about the gospel. It is received. The gospel is received see that in verse 3. Again, it was in verse 1.

I received it. Paul received it. Paul is not going. Let's just make up a gospel. Let's just manufacture a gospel.

Woke up 1 morning, invented it, sounds good. Let's let's go and tell people about that. I think if you're gonna invent a message, it would not be this message right here. If I was gonna make up a gospel, I think it would be something about, I don't know, giving me lots of things and giving me lots of glory. And not something that would give me lots of suffering, lots of persecution, jail time, people reject me, people leaving me.

I don't think that's the message you're gonna make up. Paul says, I received it. In Galatians, chapter 1 and verse 11 to 12, he says, Paul, Paul speaking again. I want you to know brothers and sisters that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man nor as I taught it.

Rather I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. This gospel is from the lord Jesus Christ himself. It is received. Secondly, Christ died for our sins according to scriptures. Christ died for our sins according to scriptures.

The fact that it was according to scripture shows us that this was all part of the plan. The old testament talks about it time and time again, that that that 1 is gonna come and do this. Listen to the words of Isaiah 53 verse 4 onwards. Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering. Yet we considered him punished by god, stricken by him and afflicted, but he was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed. We all like sheep have got astray. Each of us has turned to our own way and the lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted.

Yeah. He did not open his mouth. He was led like a a lamb to it the slaughter. And as a sheet before it shearer, is it silent. So he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away, Yet Herbert's generation protested for he was cut off from the land of the living for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with a wicked and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence nor was any deceit in his mouth. A prophecy years ago. There's more Psalm 22. My god, my god, why have you forsaken me?

On the cross, what does Jesus cry? The same words. The old testament says there's 1 coming who will take the sins of the people and will be punished for them. And so, lo and behold, The lord Jesus Christ comes onto the scene. He lives the perfect law abiding life.

And then he comes, and he hangs on a cross. The god of the universe the creator and the sustainer of all things that we see. Hangs on a cross, cursed. Why? Why?

Christ died for awesomes. Sin, the sin that we've committed, the sin of me elevating things above god and worshiping them rather than god. The sins that I've done in my life, the sexual immorality, the impurity, the things I've thought, the grudges I've held, the anger I've had in my heart, All of that is upon the lord Jesus Christ, and he is dying on the cross because of that. And he's saying, I'm gonna bear that sin. I will bear that punishment.

I will be abandoned by the father. You might be saying Roy, I've heard this all before, but this is of first importance. This is 1 of the most amazing things of the gospel that god that god that god hangs on a cross. Frost. That he would die on a cross for my sin.

And for your sin to defeat it, to defeat sin, and to defeat death. So that we may have salvation. Thirdly, he was buried. See that? That he was buried.

He really did die. Now as far as I'm aware, you don't tend to bury a live people. Unless you want to kill them, I guess. I don't know if that's what you're into, but you don't tend to bury dead people. Do you?

So when when when you get this when Joseph gets this Jesus, and if he starts to stir, Joseph Arimathea, when he's about to bury him, he starts to I don't think he's gonna carry on wrapping him up and linen and sticking him in the tomb anyway. He's meant to be dead. Put him in. He's definitely dead. The lord Jesus is really dead.

The spear goes in his side as blood and water separated. He's killed by professional executors. He's really dead than he had to be, to pay the price for Sydney had to die. And he does. It's the proof that he dies that he was buried.

Fourthly, that he was raised again according to the scriptures. Again, It's prophesied about in the Old Testament. You can look at it in in some of the Psalms. Jesus references Jonah. You know, when Jonah gets swallowed by a great big whacken fish, And then 3 days later, it gets spat out again.

They're saying that's the resurrection. That's what it's pointing to. And again, in the in the gospel accounts, we see 3 times. Don't we? The lord Jesus are saying, yeah, I'm gonna die.

But don't worry, I'm gonna rise again. And the disciples don't get it time and time again, but he keeps telling them. He rises again. This is truly glorious news. Jesus does not stay in the grave.

He rises victoriously. See, without the resurrection, this is not good news. If this does not happen, then it's all for nothing. But because it's true, is the evidence that the once and for all sacrifice on the cross works. Hebrews talks about the sacrifice happen once and for all.

You don't need to do anything more. The sacrifice has been done. It's like there is, we, you know, we've now gotta keep all our receipts, don't we? For this food and healthy, you know, because we're all gonna die of food poisoning to get done for it. You keep your receipt to show that you've paid the price The lord Jesus' resurrection is the receipt saying I've paid the price.

The debt is paid. It's effective and it's effective to do what well, it has the power to save us for 1 thing. We saw that. It gives us salvation. There's so much Without the resurrection, not nothing happens.

So without the resurrection, we're not saved. Without the resurrection, we don't have atonement. We can't we can't be right with god. We can't stand with god. There's so many glorious things that the resurrection makes possible.

We get new birth. Listen to 1 Peter 1 3. By his great mercy, we have been being born and new to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The lord Jesus makes us new people by his resurrections, resurrection. We have, a new heart, we have a new hope, a hope that we will live with god forever.

We're born into his family. We're called his child. So if it's our first importance and I'm in his child, I'm gonna be living for his approval, not for the approval of my friends and worrying about what they think about me because I'm a Christian. It means that we're forgiven of our sins. All that muck, that filth, all that rebellion against god because of the resurrection, that means it is forgiven.

And so, it's our first importance because now we don't have to earn our forgiveness. It is our first importance because god takes sin seriously and so should we. The resurrection means that there is no condemnation for the elect. It's been great to go through Romans, hasn't it in our mornings? Who can bring any charge to god's elect?

Who can bring condemnation? No 1. Christ has paid the price. He has taking the punishment so that when we stand before god, we're not we sang it before. God can look on us and pardon us.

He gives us the Holy Spirit as a result of the resurrection. The resurrection means that Jesus is his savior, but doesn't just mean that he's savior. It also means that he is lord. Acts chapter 2, Peter, you know, the apostle Peter after me, you know, His first sermon, he preaches this absolute mammoth sermon, 3000 people saved. And at the end of the sermon in verse 36 of chapter 3 chapter too.

He says, therefore, let all Israel be assured of this. God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both lord and Messiah, both lord and Messiah. So he's not just he's not just a savior He's the lord. He's the king. And he lives and reigns forever and ever.

And if he's the lord and he's the king, then that is of first importance. Why? Because if he's lord and king, that means I should serve him and give him my full allegiance, and in everything that I do, should be for his glory. I should be obeying him. And because he's lord and he's king, That means that he's gonna return to judge the world.

That is our first importance. I need to make sure that I am trusting in him so that when he returns, I will be safe from the coming wrath and judgment that he promises will come. And that I will be in that new land, in that new place with the lord Jesus forever. This is of first importance. Lastly, he appears, in verses sorry.

5 2 8. You see he's got a whole list of people he appears to. So just as you know, the burial was this sort of proof that Jesus was dead. So him appearing to all these people is the proof that Jesus rose again. You've got a load of people in this in this world who say, oh, the resurrection's a load of nonsense.

Well, 500 odd people would argue differently. He appears to these people. It is true. It is fact. He was seen He goes to Peter after Peter's deserted him, he goes and says, look, here, Peter, I'm here.

Risen. He goes to the 12, the apostles, the disciples that he'd spent time with. I'm risen. And then 500 or more see the risen lord jesus at 1 time. So some people argue that they're all hallucinating.

I don't think 500 plus people all have the same hallucination at the same time. I don't think that's how hallous hallucin I don't know. Hallucination's work. I'm I'm not used to them, but I'm guessing that doesn't happen like that. And and Paul say, listen.

Most of them are still alive. Go and ask them. Then he goes to see James, Jesus's brother. And then lastly, he goes to Paul as Paul is on that road to Damascus to destroy the church. And it's just amazing that the lord Jesus, the risen lord Jesus appears, and and gives him this gospel.

So that is the gospel. That is what is our first importance, but then look lastly with me at the transformative power of the gospel. It shows how it is of first importance. The transformative power of the gospel. See, if this is of of first importance in your life, if it truly is, then it's gonna bring a change.

You look at the example of poor poor shows from zone. I've looked with me at verse 9 to 10. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of god. But by the grace of god, I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No.

I worked harder than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of god. That was, that was in me that was with me. Look at his example. First, that you see that Paul understands just how sinful he is in the light of the gospel, doesn't he? Look, he's I don't deserve the god the gospel of grace.

I don't deserve God's grace upon my life. I'm so unworthy. Look at me. I was going around trying to kill and arrest Christians. I'd have deserved this.

And he know he doesn't. It brings humility. Humility is needed to bring change. But secondly, he understands that his identity is absolutely in Christ and his grace. But the grace of god, I am what I am.

Because of god's grace, I'm saved, not because of what I do. I can't make up for what I did wrong. By god's grace, I am what I am. And then what does he do? He works harder than anyone else.

And he's not saying that to go look how great I am. Because look at him. It's not me. It's the grace of god. The grace of god the grace of the gospel should make us change.

Paul, once a persecutor of the church, now the proclaimer of the message of god. Paul, a man, absolutely fully committed to seeing the end of the church. Paul now committed to seeing and serving the church. And seeing his message get passed on to others. And it should be the same for us.

Listen to, listen to these words from ephesians chapter 1. Verse 15 onwards. For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the lord Jesus and your love for all god's people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the god of our lord Jesus Christ The glorious father may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the Holy People And this is important and is incomparably great power for us who believe that power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realm far above all rule and authority, power, and dominion.

And every name that is invoked, not only in the present age, but also in the 1 to come. The power of God, the grace of God, the power that that resurrected the lord Jesus Christ is the same power that resides within us as Christians. And because we have that power, because by the grace of god, we have that power. We can live for Christ. We can change We can we can understand our sin.

We can understand how gracious God has been to us that he would consider us consider us and save us even though so unworthy and so undeserving. And in the light of that, We can serve him. We can live for him. It should make all the difference. It means that we should be changed, that we should become more like the lord Jesus, that we serve him more and more.

And that we take the message that is of first importance to the people around us. Justice Paul got passed on to me. I passed it on to others. Do we do that? Do we pass this message of first and put this supposedly of first importance.

Is that the first thing that we wanna tell our friends and family and colleagues about? So is this of first importance to you? Are you standing in this gospel? Are you clinging to this gospel, or are you clinging to something else? Are you standing in something else?

If you're standing in something else, then hear the warning that Paul gives. Here the warning. Turn from that, turn to the lord Jesus stand in his gospel. Trust that the lord Jesus can save you. And Christian, is your life reflecting this?

It's easy for us to say this, isn't it? Yeah. It's our first importance. Yeah. I believe this.

You know, amen. Great. But is your life reflecting this? When you doubt, I guess it I guess it would be easy for those Christians in Vietnam to doubt. They need to come back to this that is of first importance so that we may remain steadfast in the gospel of the lord Jesus Christ.

When we sin or when we're tempted, do we go, what's our first importance? The lord Jesus Christ? What he did for me? I'm not gonna sin. I'm be free from sin.

The resurrection shows that when I'm tempted to worry or care about the things of this life rather than what god thinks. Come back to this, brothers and sisters recommit to this, keep reminding 1 another of this because it is of first importance. For what I received, I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. That he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. Father, we thank you so much for this glorious gospel.

We thank you that you did indeed die. On a cross for our sins. But we thank you so much that you rose again. We thank you that you defeated death, you defeated sin. So that we may have salvation, so that we may have relationship with you, that we may be right with you, that we may have a king who is actually worth following.

And so far that we pray that you will help us to recommit to keep reminding ourselves of these simple truths. Father we pray and and we ask for your forgiveness for when we take a step away from this or we let go or we loosen our grip and we look to other things for satisfaction or contentment or or salvation, father guard our hearts against this, bring us back to the gospel. Help us to grow in the knowledge that the lord Jesus died and rose again. To win sinners for you. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.