Topic: The Gospel of Christ’ Death and His Resurrection
Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-7
By Ptr. Jack Segismundo
JESUS IS LORD CHURCH
1 Corinthians 15:1-7
1Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Introduction
Good morning to everybody. Today I would like to discuss with you one of the most basic topic of Christian faith. It’s all about the Gospel. Paul Rees has this to say about the Gospel. "The gospel is neither a discussion or a debate. It is an announcement." -
The Gospel in the Scripture is one of the most important topics of the Holy Bible. Any iota of misunderstanding of what it is may be one of the worst things that may happen to a person. For this Gospel is the turning point of every man’s life. How you respond to the Gospel will spell out the difference between heaven and hell for a person.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, defines the Gospel as - (from Old English, gōd spell cf Germanic gut + speil "good news")- the writing that describes the life, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The word is primarily used to refer to the four canonical gospels: the Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Luke and Gospel of John although it is also used for non-canonical writings such as the Gospel of Thomas. The term "Gospel" refers also to the message itself of the four Gospels or of the whole New Testament.
The Gospel is so important that it is the power of God for saving man.- In Romans 1:16-17 (New International Version), the Bible says,
16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[a] just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." - Romans 1:16-17
Matthew Henry has this to say regarding Roman 1:16-17
“In these verses the apostle opens the design of the whole epistle, in which he brings forward a charge of sinfulness against all flesh; declares the only method of deliverance from condemnation, by faith in the mercy of God, through Jesus Christ; and then builds upon it purity of heart, grateful obedience, and earnest desires to improve in all those Christian graces and tempers, which nothing but a lively faith in Christ can bring forth. God is a just and holy God, and we are guilty sinners. It is necessary that we have a righteousness to appear in before him: there is such a righteousness brought in by the Messiah, and made known in the gospel; a gracious method of acceptance, notwithstanding the guilt of our sins. It is the righteousness of Christ, who is God, coming from a satisfaction of infinite value. Faith is all in all, both in the beginning and progress of Christian life. It is not from faith to works, as if faith put us into a justified state, and then works kept us in it; but it is all along from faith to faith; it is faith pressing forward, and gaining the victory over unbelief.” - Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary- Commentary on Romans 1:16,17
The Gospel may be best explained through an illustration.
“Bob Woods, in Pulpit Digest, tells the story of a couple who took their son, 11, and daughter, 7, to Carlsbad Caverns. As always, when the tour reached the deepest point in the cavern, the guide turned off all the lights to dramatize how completely dark and silent it is below the earth’s surface. The little girl, suddenly enveloped in utter darkness, was frightened and began to cry. Immediately was heard the voice of her brother: “Don’t cry. Somebody here knows how to turn on the lights.”
In a real sense, that is the message of the gospel: light is available, even when darkness seems overwhelming. -Bob Woods, pulpit digest
“The Gospel is the light in a man’s dark world. It brings hope and a future to a lost soul.”
Let us have a further discussion of the Gospel. Let us go into detail of why is at a good news.
I. The Good News in the Death of Christ
An anonymous writer has this to say in his poem:
The Clock of Life
The clock of life is wound but once
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop,
At late or early hour.
To lose one’s wealth is sad indeed.
To lose one’s health is more.
To lose one’s soul is such a loss
That no man can restore. - Source unknown
All death brings grief to their loved ones. Whoever they maybe as long as you loved them, you grieved over them when they die. Death brings sorrow, pain, tears and a lot more of negative things. Nobody becomes joyful or happy for the death of loved one except for One - The death of Christ.
The death of Christ brings joy and gladness to the sinful world. For in Christ’s death is the forgiveness of man’s sin. No longer will man be damned to hell but will have a hope for as better tomorrow
“In his excellent little book When Loved Ones Are Taken in Death, Lehman Strauss made some interesting comments about the Greek word translated “departure.” He wrote, “It is used metaphorically in a nautical way as when a vessel pulls up anchor to loose from its moorings and set sail, or in a military way as when an army breaks encampment to move on. In the ancient Greek world this term was used also for freeing someone from chains and for the severing of a piece of goods from the loom. This is what death is as described in the Bible. Here, we are anchored to the hardships and heartaches of this life. In death, the gangway is raised, the anchor is weighed, and we set sail for the golden shore. In death, we break camp here to start for heaven.” - Lehman Strauss, When Loved Ones Are Taken in Death.
II. The Good News of His Resurrection
"Philosophical argument has sometimes shaken my reason for the faith that was in me; but my heart has always assured me that the Gospel of Jesus Christ must be reality." - Daniel Webster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, “In Christianity the Resurrection of Jesus refers to the return to bodily life of Jesus three days after his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology. The Resurrection of Jesus is not to be confused with the Ascension of Jesus into heaven forty days after the resurrection.[1][2]
In the New Testament, after the Romans crucified Jesus, he was buried in a new tomb but he rose from the dead and appeared to many people over a span of forty days before his return to heaven. “
Resurrection of Christ Is…
1. The seal of a finished work Acts 13:29-3-
2. The sign of a glorious triumph Heb. 2:14; Eph. 4:8
3. The pledge of a coming resurrection 1 Cor. 15:20-22
4. The certainty of a future judgment Acts 17:31
From the Book of 750 Bible and Gospel Studies, 1909, George W Noble, Chicago
Raised from the Dead
Resurrection means to be raised from the dead (John 5:28,29). The word is used in different contexts in the Bible. Lazarus was raised from the dead (John 11:43). This is a resurrection, but it is not part of the resurrection that occurs when we receive our new bodies when Christ returns (1 Thess. 4:13-18), on the last day (John 6:39-44) when the last trumpet is blown (1 Cor. 15:51-55). Lazarus died again. The resurrection of Jesus is promissory in that as we know He was raised, so we will be raised also. In that context, Jesus is the only one who has received a resurrected body. That is why He is called the first-fruit from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20-23). We will receive our bodies either at the rapture or when Jesus returns to earth.
The resurrected body is not subject to death or sin. We know very little about it except what was manifested by Jesus after His resurrection; namely, that He was able to move about as He desired—in and out of rooms without the use of doors. Other than that, the rest is conjecture. (See 1 Cor. 15). - Source unknown
