“The Message of The Gospel Of Jesus Christ”
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
The Following link will take you to an MP3 recording of this message: http://chirb.it/neD5K0
INTRODUCTION:
1.) This morning as we look to the Word of God, I want us to look at the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
2.) When we speak of the Gospel, many would agree that it is basically translated as “Good news”.
A.) Yet beyond that description, there are many definitions that people will give as to what the Gospel actually is.
aa.) Some have defined the Gospel as merely the N.T. Scriptures.
aaa.) While it is true that Scripture contains the Gospel it is not of itself the gospel.
ab.) There are other definitions but we are blessed in that Scripture itself defines the gospel for us.
aba.) 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
I. THE GOSPEL HAS THREE FACTS TO BE BELIEVED.
1.) Jesus died for our sins.
A.) I Cor. 15:3-4
B.) He who knew no sin died for our sins.
ba.) Jesus was not a sinner --- Yet, He died! Why?
baa.) The answer to that question is to reconcile us to God.
bab.) 2 Corinthians 5:19, 21
bac.) 1 Peter 1:18-21
bad.) 1 Pet. 3:18
2.) Jesus was buried.
A.) Acts 2:22 –24
aa.) The burial is an important fact because it is one the proofs of his death.
3.) Jesus rose again from the grave.
A.) I Cor. 15:4
B.) After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus there were likely people who had gone to Joseph Of Arimathea’s
tomb peered into its darkness trying to fathom out on Jesus.
ba.) When something like that is declared, people want to verify the facts for themselves.
bb.) Many of the people in Jerusalem were probably asking the question, "What happened to the body?"
bc.) I suspect that many who saw Jesus die on the cross were asking the question “Where is Jesus?”
bca.) Yet God’s Word tell us that on one occasion as many as 500 people saw Jesus one day after his resurrection.
.01) The testimony of 500 witnesses is pretty solid proof to the resurrection of Christ.
C.) Peter answered all the spoken and unspoken questions: when he declared Jesus is risen!
ca.) The Good news of the Gospel is not just that Jesus died, but that he rose again from the dead.
cb.) It is the resurrection that affirms with certainty that Jesus is the Christ of God, and that he accomplished
what he said he would do for the salvation of man.
cba.) Romans 1:4
D.) The apostles believed not in a dead Saviour, but in a living Redeemer, who helped and strengthened them.
da.) Every day, they risked their lives for a resurrected Lord.
db.) When you look at the suffering, and persecution, and ultimately the painful deaths that all but one of the apostles of Christ endured, you can be assured they would not do that if Jesus had remained a defeated corpse in rich man’s grave.
dc.) For men to put themselves through such ordeals, they could only have done it if they had the certainty that Jesus had risen from the dead.
dca.) There is not a sane person on this planet who would live and die as these men had done if Jesus had remained in the grave, and the promises of God had been proven to be false.
dcb.) It was only because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that these men could live and die with the firmness of faith they had in the Lord Jesus Christ.
E.) The message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the good news that God has given to the world so that the world can experience the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ.
ea.) Yet as great as the news and the gift of God is, it is not automatically imparted upon us, but is given as we
choose to surrender ourselves to Jesus Christ.
eb.) Just as the Gospel message contains three facts to believe:
II. THE GOSPEL ALSO HAS THREE COMMANDS THAT MUST BE OBEYED.
1.) We must believe (that is put our faith) in the Lord Jesus Christ.
A.) When it comes to salvation, every Christian would acknowledge man’s need to put his faith in Christ for salvation.
aa.) Certainly this is consistent with the Word of God.
aaa.) Heb. 11:6
B.) There are two portions of scripture dealing with faith, which are perhaps the most commonly quoted or perhaps misquoted verses of the Word of God in regards to salvation.
ba.) The first of these is John 3:16.
bb.) The second portion of Scripture that is often quoted is from Acts 16: 30-31.
bba.) Both of these are beautiful passages of Scripture, in regards to God’s plan of salvation, for we must come to believe or have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to come to salvation.
bbb.) Yet as true to the plan and Word of God as these verses are, the mistake that many will make is to stop at that point without acknowledging the rest of what the Word of God has to say in regards to the plan of salvation.
bc.) If we could look at Acts 16 a moment, I want you to see a few things about this passage of Scripture:
bca.) Today many will proclaim verses 30 and 31 as the complete plan of God for the salvation of mankind.
.01) I want to stress that this is not the entire teaching of Scripture in answer to the question: “What must I do to be saved, but only the starting point.
.02) Not only is this not the entire teaching on the plan of salvation, but neither is it the entirety of the teaching on the matter that is in this particular passage of Scripture.
bcb.) In verse 31, Paul was answering the question of the Philippian jailor as to what he had to do for salvation.
.01) At that point the only thing that Paul could tell this man was he had to put his faith in Jesus Christ.
.02) Paul was speaking to an unbeliever.
.021) We know that this man was an unbeliever because when Paul came to Philippi, he met with all of the believers by the river.
.022) There were only women in this group.
.0221) The Philippian Jailor was not with them. (Verse 13).
.012) Though he was an unbelieving man, he had just experienced a powerful miracle in that jail from the true and
Living God.
.0121) This Jailor knew absolutely nothing of God, or of salvation through Jesus Christ.
.0122) The only thing he knew was that Paul and Silas were worshippers of this God.
.0123) Though this man may have been ignorant of even the most basic knowledge of God, what he had seen and experienced in that prison that night convinced him that this was the God he wanted to serve in his own life.
.001) So in response to his question that night, Paul answered the searching of his heart with the words “Believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.”
bcc.) I want you to observe from this passage of Scripture that the plan of salvation Paul presented to this man did
not end with the words “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
.01) Rather than ending here, this was the starting point of presenting to this man the plan of salvation.
.02) Observe with me throughout the rest of this 16th. chapter of the book of Acts:
.021) Verse 32 He spoke to them the Word of God.
.022) Verse 33”At that hour of the night… was immediately baptized.”
.0221) This action shows the importance Paul had placed on the act of Baptism.
.0222) It was probably between 3 and 4 A.M. when this baptism occurred. That and the fact that Paul was both exhausted, and had been severely beaten by the Romans with steel rods and had a body full of pain.
.023) Verse 34 -- “Filled with joy”
.0231) Notice that it was after he had been baptized that Scripture declares he was filled with joy.
B.) One of the great truths of scripture is that to come to Jesus and to receive salvation from him, we must come
through faith.
2.) Repent of our sinfulness.
A.) Acts 3:19
B.) As Peter was addressing these individuals on their need to come to Christ, the bottom line was that most of them were still outside of Christ.
C.) This was a group of people who needed to repent and make a turn around in their lives, in their values, in their priorities and the whole outlook of life.
D.) Note the promise Peter gave to them, “that times of refreshing may come.”
da.) The times of spiritual refreshing can only come from the presence of God when the life of that individual has been surrendered to God.
db.) As Peter was telling these people how to come to spiritual refreshment, he told them that part of that process is to Repent of our sins.
dba.) This repentance from sin is partially having a sorrowful heart over what we know is displeasing to a loving God.
dbb.) Part of it is also that we are consciously surrendering our wills over to give way for the will of God within our lives.
3.) Be Baptized.
A.) The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Good news of God, but it is only good news to those who will obey the Gospel.
aa.) 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
ab.) To further understand the concept of obeying the Gospel turn with me to Rom 6:3-5
ac.) Look at the diagrams on the front of your sermon notes:
aca.) Here in this first picture you will see the gospel portrayed, just as described in 1 Cor. 15:1-4
acb.) In this second picture you will see the picture of what it Paul meant when he said to obey the gospel.
B.) In the act of baptism, we die.
ba.) For all intense purposes when we are in the water we are physically dead (about two or three minutes from death.)
bb.) In the water we are physically buried.
bba.) We are physically buried, and at that point by our faith in Christ become dead to sin.
bc.) Then in the few seconds that it occurs for a baptism, something very beautiful happens.
bca.) This person and body which had gone down into a watery grave are resurrected from this water as a new living person redeemed by Jesus Christ.
C.) Baptism is the point where in and through faith we pledge our allegiance to Jesus Christ.
ba.) 1 Peter 3:18-21
D.) It is in that act of complete immersion that we are obedient to the gospel and have applied the death, burial,
and resurrection of Jesus Christ to our own lives.
III. THE GOSPEL ALSO HAS THREE PROMISES TO BE ENJOYED.
1.) We receive Remission of sins.
A.) Acts 2:38
B.) Peter speaks of the forgiveness of our sins.
ba.) If you are a Christian here today, think back to that moment when you realized that God had forgiven you, and had cleansed you of all sin and unrighteousness.
bb.) What a time of excitement!
bba.) There are not adequate words to express the joy and peace within your heart.
2.) The Gift Of the Holy Spirit.
A.) Acts 2:38
aa.) This is the indwelling Gift of the Holy Spirit.
B.) Perhaps the biggest thought we had when we came to Christ was our salvation.
ba.) At that point it was a release from sin and guilt which gave us joy beyond measure at our new state before
God.
C.) But somewhere along the line, more and more we came to realize and rejoice in the presence of the Holy
Spirit of God in our lives.
ca.) We have had times when the greatest thing in the entire world was that Jesus had sent another comforter or
Counselor to be with us.
caa.) There have been times when in our needs we have felt the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
cab.) There have been times when we have thanked God for his spirit that would pray and intercede before God
on our behalf we have not known how to pray.
3.) There is the gift of Eternal life.
A.) Rom. 6: 23
aa.) “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.”
B.) God wants us to have eternal life.
C.) Jesus said He came to bring us a full and abundant life.
ca.) Even here and now we taste a small morsel of living in a state of eternal life.
cb.) Ultimately, we will have the privilege of an eternal feast of righteousness enjoying the very presence of God.
CONCLUSION:
1.) Today we have looked at the message of the Gospel.
2.) We have stated the gospel has three facts to be believed: that Jesus died, was buried, and raised again.
3.) The Gospel has three commands to be obeyed: that we are to believe, repent, and be baptized.
4.) And the Gospel has three promises to be enjoyed: the forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and eternity
in the presence of God.
5.) If Christ is speaking to your heart today will you through faith make that decision to obey the Gospel today?
