Of First Importance
03/23/08 PM
Text and Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
INTRODUCTION:
The truth never loses its power. People, however, often lose their grip on truth. The struggles in the Corinthian church made it clear to Paul that they needed to refocus their attention on the gospel.
The Greeks did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. When Paul preached the resurrection at Athens, some of the people actually laughed at this doctrine (Acts 17:32). The Greek philosophers taught that the body was the prison of the soul, and the sooner the soul was set free in death, the better off a person would be. The Greeks looked upon the human body as a source of weakness and wickedness, and they could not conceive of a body that continued to exist after death. It was this kind of thinking that Paul had to deal with in writing to the Corinthian believers. He brought his letter to a close with a vigorous proclamation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They were wandering; Paul called them back to the center.
Like the Corinthians, we can’t afford to stray from Christ. Every claim about Christianity has roots in His resurrection. What we believe about this life and the afterlife depends on what we believe Jesus did with death. God’s Word calls us back to the center.
I.The Gospel Paul Preached
1 Corinthians 15:1-2 “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.”
A.The message had saved them
1.The gospel message that he had preached to them, that they had received, on which they had taken their stand was the message that had saved them.
a.Paul wanted to remind them of that gospel, because apparently some (probably false teachers) had been distorting it. In fact, some of the Corinthians had come to believe that there would be no resurrection of the dead (15:12).
2.Not only was the church in Corinth having problems with unity (as Paul tried to clear up in the previous chapters), it was also dealing with basic problems of theology. This, too, could tear apart the church. As an apostle who had himself seen the risen Christ (15:8), Paul took these Corinthian believers back to the basics of the message that they had welcomed and received.
b.Because acceptance of that gospel had saved them, they should hold firmly to it.
B.Delivered as of first Importance
1 Corinthians 15:3-5 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”
1.Paul had received the gospel message from Christ himself, as had all the other apostles; then he passed on to all his listeners that same message. These words indicate the careful and literal way that Christian teachers passed on tradition from one generation to the next. The central theme of the gospel is given here. The three points that are of first importance are as follows:
a.Christ died for our sins. Without the truth of this message, Christ’s death was worthless, and those who believe in him are still in their sins and without hope. However, Christ as the sinless Son of God took the punishment of sin, “dying for sin” so that those who believe can have their sins removed.
b.He was buried. The fact of Christ’s death is revealed in the fact of his burial. Many have tried to discount the actual death of Christ, from the false teachers of Paul’s day to false teachers today. But Jesus Christ did die on the cross and was buried in a tomb.
c.He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. Christ “was raised” permanently, forever; his Father raised him from the dead and He lives today. He came back to life from being dead in a grave “on the third day” as noted in the Gospels (Friday afternoon to Sunday morning - three days in Jewish reckoning of time).
2.In this summary we note two things:
a.The events took place “according to the Scriptures”; as predicted and in full harmony with earlier revelation.
b.The phrase “according to the Scriptures” refers to the Old Testament prophecies regarding this event, such as Psalm 16:8-11 and Isaiah 53:5-6. Christ’s death on the cross was no accident, no afterthought. It had been part of God’s plan from all eternity in order to bring about the salvation of all who believe.
The doctrine of personal resurrection is not developed in the OT. Yet it clearly is present, and was taught by the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. Undoubtedly, the clearest statement in the OT is found in Daniel 12:2: “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake; some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”
But the OT doctrine does not rest on a single verse. Isaiah looked forward to a day when “He will swallow up death forever (Isaiah 25:8) and proclaimed, “Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy” (Isaiah 26:19). Other verses which hint at a deliverance that extends beyond this life can be found in Genesis; Job; a number of Psalms; and Zechariah and others.
While the doctrine is not developed, it is clear enough so that Jesus could justly condemn the Sadducees, who ridiculed the idea of a personal resurrection, saying, “You are in error because you did not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:24).
c.And the events the Gospel affirms actually happened in the real world, and were neither mystical nor mythic in character.
Paul wrote that many people saw Jesus after his resurrection: Peter; the disciples (the Twelve); more than five hundred Christian believers (most of whom were still alive when Paul wrote this, although some had died); James (Jesus’ brother); all the apostles; and, finally, Paul himself. The Resurrection is an historical fact.
3.The Gospel is simply not the Gospel if the element of Resurrection is removed. So Paul reminded his readers, “This is what we preached and this is what you believed and this is what saves you, if you hold fast.
II.Gospel Centered Life
1.Paul understood the need to remember what is most important and he was never far from the message of the Gospel of Jesus.
2.The cross was at the center of Paul’s theology. He taught of many things but whatever he taught was always derived from, and related to, the foundational truth that Jesus Christ died so that sinners might be forgiven and reconciled to God the Father. This was not just one of Paul’s messages; it was the message. Paul understood the importance of having the truth of Jesus at the core of the Christian life.
A.The Gospel needs to be just as central in our lives today.
Ill: The Parrot Story.
A young girl purchased a parrot that was advertised to be able to talk. The next day she returned to complain that the parrot had not said a word. “He needs a ladder”, she was told. The next day she returned again and was told the parrot needed a mirror. On the third day without a peep the clerk at the pet store suggested a shiny parrot toy. The next day a swing. The next day a tiny plastic tree. The next day she returned with the parrot cage in hand and tears in her eyes. The parrot was dead. “Did he say anything at all?” the clerk asked. “Yes” the young girl replied through her sobs. “Right before he died he looked right at me and asked ‘Don’t they sell any food at that pet store?’”.
1.Many things can occupy our time and attention and not just things of this world but good causes and activities.
a.We are all living lives centered on something but is it the right thing?
b.We might be centered on our careers, or a particular hobby, or perhaps politics, or sports. That one thing that we like to talk about when we can talk about anything.
c.We might be centered on something clearly “others centered.” A worthy charity or a pressing social issue or maybe our families.
d.All are good things, worthy things but not the best thing; the thing of first importance.
2. But just as no amount of parrot-cage amenities can make up for the lack of parrot food, nothing can replace the Gospel in our lives as Christians. Without it our spirits will become just like the parrot in the story – starving in a life full of secondary things.
B.Things to help us be Gospel Centered
1.Study the Gospel
a.Orwell wrote that “sometimes the first duty of intelligent men is the restatement the obvious.”
b.I am sure it is of no surprise to anyone that to have the Gospel at the center of our lives requires that we study the Gospel.
c.How much time do you allot to God’s word compared to the other activities you do day to day? If you are like most it is a low percentage but should not be.
d.There are many ways for us to increase our exposure to the Gospel. Use the Bible on tape or CD during the work commute. Tune into the offerings of the local Christian radio stations if available. Read the Bible will on lunch break.
2.Pray the Gospel
a.The Gospel makes it possible for us to approach God, make it the center of your prayer life.
b.There is nothing complicated about this:
c.Thank God for the blessing of eternal life, purchased through the death of His Son. Acknowledge that Christ’s work on the cross is what makes your very Prayer possible. Thank Him for the cross, for the fact that by the cross you are reconciled to God, that we will never be separated from His love. Then ask God to bless you graciously with all that you need to obey and glorify Him.
3.Sing the Gospel
a.Music can make connections in our minds which can aid in the assimilation of information, use Gospel centered songs and hymns to imbed the Gospel in your mind and heart.
b.Find CDs of Christian worship music which centers on the message of the cross, get a copy of your favorite hymnal and sing your heart out to God.
4.Preach the Gospel to yourself
a.Reminding ourselves of the Gospel is the most important habit we can develop in ourselves. We need to find ways to immerse ourselves in the truth about Jesus any way we can.
b.It’s a matter of sitting ourselves down, grabbing our own attention, and saying “Hey, self, listen up! This is what matters most! This is of first importance!”
CONCLUSION:
The resurrection is the key to our understanding of the past, and the doorway of hope for the future. Death came into the world through Adam’s sin; life comes to all mankind through Jesus’ resurrection. The future will now unfold according to the plan of God: Christ is raised first; when Jesus comes, those who belong to Him will be raised, and then at the end - Jesus takes His kingdom and ultimately hands it over to God the Father.
Invitation
