FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS
OF JESUS
1COR 15 VS 1-20
1 Corinthians 15:1-20 (NKJV)
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.
14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not rise.
16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.
17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
**JESUS CHRIST IS ALIVE!**
IF HE IS ALIVE THEN HE IS WORTHY TO BE OUR HERO, ONE WHO WE SHOULD HAVE ASPIRATIONS TO FOLLOW!
I. THE MESSAGE:
1. THE MESSAGE IS REPENTANCE- JESUS MESSAGE TO THE FOLKS HE MINISTERED TO WAS THE SAME MESSAGE THAT JOHN THE BAPTIST PREACHED, AND THAT IS THE MESSAGE OF REPENTANCE:
Matthew 4:12-17 (NKJV)
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.
13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned."
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
**THE WORD REPENT MEANS SIMPLY TO HAVE A CHANGE OF MIND, WHICH LEADS TO THE CHANGE OF HEART, WHICH LEADS TO A CHANGE OF DIRECTION! *
**WHY REPENT?? 2 REASONS
a. WE ARE SINNERS:
ICOR 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,-
b. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND:
MATT 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
**WE ARE NOT BAD BECAUSE WE SIN, WE SIN BECAUSE WE ARE BAD:
(HAVE THE SIN NATURE)
**THE EARLY CHURCH FOLLOWED THIS EXAMPLE AS THE SAME MESSAGE WAS PROCLAIMED:
Acts 2:36-39 (NKJV)
36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
Acts 3:19 (NKJV)
19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
Acts 17:30-31 (NKJV)
30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."
II. THE METHOD- HOW DO WE DO THIS: BECAUSE JESUS IS ALIVE WE CAN REJOICE EVEN UNDER THE WORST CIRCUMSTANCES:
2. REJOICE- CHRISTIAN LIVES ARE ON DISPLAY TO THE ENTIRE WORLD, IF WE HAVE NO MORE TO OFFER THAN WHAT THEY HAVE, WHY WOULD THEY WANT WHAT WE HAVE?:
Matthew 28:9-10 (NKJV)
9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."
Romans 12:9-12 (NKJV)
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
**OUR METHOD OF PREACHING JESUS TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT SAVED IS ONE THAT CAN BE TOLD WITHOUT WORDS, BUT LIVED OUT AMONG THOSE WHO WE LOVE IN THE FACT THAT WE DO HAVE HOPE, BECAUSE JESUS LIVES!! HE DOES HAVE ALL AUTHORITY AND POWER, NO ONE OR NOTHING IS GREATER THAN HE IS!!
Romans 8:35-39 (NKJV)
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
**LET THIS FACT SETTLE DOWN DEEP IN YOUR SOUL AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO REJOICE, EVEN IN THE TOUGHEST TIMES:
III. THE MOTIVE- WHY THE MESSAGE, AND METHOD? WHAT IS OUR MOTIVE BEHIND ALL THIS?:
3. RECONCILIATION- TO BRING PEOPLE INTO THE LOVING ARMS OF A FATHER THAT LOVES THEM, SO WE MAY BE A FAMILY NOT ONLY HERE, BUT THROUGH THE ETERNAL AGES:
John 3:16-17 (NKJV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Romans 5:8-11 (NKJV)
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (NKJV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
**IF WE WANT TO BE LIKE JESUS, WE NEED TO PREACH “HIS MESSAGE, USE HIS METHOD, AND REMEMBER THE MOTIVE.**
