Easter 2024
I Corinthians 15
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
03-31–2024
Amazing
When you hear the word amazing, what do you think of?
The definition of amazing is “causing great wonder or surprise, astonishing.”
I’m learning to juggle. It’s not easy. But, recently I saw something amazing.
[Video of kid solving Rubik’s cubes while juggling!].
I asked people on Facebook what they thought of when they heard the word “amazing.” Here are some responses:
A sunset over the ocean, bald eagles, childbirth, tasty food with good friends, Eddie Van Halen playing guitar, and Barry Manilow.
Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, seeing Eddie Van Halen play a solo live, or seeing a baby born may cause us to experience amazement.
But if you live near the Grand Canyon and see it every day, you might lose your amazement at it. If you are a roadie and heard Eddie play Eruption a thousand times, it might become just another solo. If you are an OBGYN and have delivered thousands of babies, it could become just another successful birth. If you have seen Barry Manilow, let’s face it, he’s amazing every time!
If you type the word “amazing” into Google, you get almost six billion results. If everything is amazing, then nothing is amazing.
The same thing can happen with the story we celebrate this morning. We can hear it so many times that we lose our astonishment at the extravagant lengths God went to rescue us from ourselves.
We can find ourselves thinking, “Yes, I know that.” Or yawning through worship songs. Or even nodding off to sleep because we have lost our wonder.
This morning, my prayer is that we will experience wonder and amazement like the first time we heard it.
Corinth
We will be in the letter of I Corinthians this morning. The Corinth of Paul’s day was the wealthiest city in Greece. It was a major multicultural urban center with more than 80,000 residents.
There was an 18,000-seat amphitheater and a 3,000-seat concert hall. Farmers would bring their wares to a large market in Corinth.
The city was full of pagan shrines and the people of Corinth had many different religious and philosophical perspectives.
One commentator likened Corinth to New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles rolled into one.
Paul wrote the letter to the Corinthian church in 55 AD to address multiple issues within the congregation. There was division, believers were suing other believers, and sexual immorality was common and tolerated.
They were arrogant and spiritually immature. The church was a mess.
Aren’t you glad that the church isn’t like that anymore? Hmmm…we’ll come back to that.
Turn with me to I Corinthians 15.
Prayer.
Reminders
“Now, brothers and sisters, 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 preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” (I Corinthians 15:1-2)
Paul planted the church, consisting of mainly Gentiles, on his second missionary journey.
In chapter 15, Paul is winding down his thoughts and wants to remind them about what is most important about their faith.
He wants to remind them of something. Every good teacher knows the power of repetition and reminding. I have nothing original to share on Sunday mornings. My main intent is to remind you of things you already know.
He wants them to remember the Gospel that Paul preached to them. The word “Gospel” means “good news.”
The Corinthians heard the Gospel message and received it. They had placed their faith and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.
It was the ground on which they stood and the basis of their salvation.
But not all had received the message. Not all were standing firm in the hope of the Gospel. There were those in Corinth, just like in Chenoa, that were just good at playing church. Their belief wasn’t belief at all.
I’ve said it many times but I will remind you again, there are three types of people in this auditorium.
There are those of you who know for sure that if you died today you would be in heaven.
Some don’t have a clue what the Gospel is but you are curious. At the end of this service, I’m going to allow you to respond to Jesus.
And some know how to play church. You are a good church person. Corinth had these people in their congregation as well. All churches do. The problem is that hell will be filled with good church people. Without the Gospel, there is no hope of making it to heaven on your own.
Paul then reminds the Corinthians what is most important in their Christian faith.
The Main Thing
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance…” (I Corinthians 15:3a)
In seminary, I would laugh as my friends would argue about theology. I would simply say, “It’s all about the love, baby.”
One time, another student turned to me and said, “That’s not going to get you an A on Dr. Kelly’s test.” To which I said, “But it will get me into heaven!”
One of the best pieces of preaching advice I ever received was to keep the main thing the main thing.
Right now, I fear our church culture has lost the plot of the story. Instead of the main thing, we argue endlessly over trivial issues. We bring politics into our pulpits and causes into our congregations.
Many people in our culture have been so hurt by people in the church and the church’s tepid response to this trauma, that they have abandoned the Christian faith altogether.
They use words like mean-spirited, judgmental, and hypocritical to describe the church. And I can’t argue with them. Much of what they say is true.
I remember talking to my brother before I was born again and complaining about all the hypocrites in the church. He said something that I’ve never forgotten:
“Stop looking at Christians. They will always disappoint you. Look to Christ! He is faithful and true.”
We need to get back to the main thing. This is what Paul wants to remind the Corinthians of.
What is the Gospel? What is the main thing?
The Gospel is the Main Thing
“…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…” (I Corinthians 15:3b-4)
Paul quotes an early Christian creed that the Corinthians would have been very familiar with by this time.
What’s the main thing of Christianity? Three amazing things.
Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture.?
What Scriptures? The Old Testament foretold the death of the Messiah, the Savior.
In Genesis 22, Abraham took Issac up on a mountain to sacrifice him to the Lord. But, at the last minute, God stops him and Abraham notices a ram stuck in a thicket. The ram died in Isaac’s place.
In Psalm 22, a song of David about the coming Messiah, he writes almost as if he had been at the foot of the cross:
“Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” (Psalm 22:16-18)
Nearly 700 years before the cross, Isaiah wrote:
"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 gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all… For he bore the sin of many…” (Isaiah 53:5-6, 12)
Paul would later write to the Romans:
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly… But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6,8)
Christ died for you, in your place, to pay the penalty for your sins.
This is amazing! The righteous dying for the unrighteous, in our place.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21)
Do you believe that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures? In just a minute, you have an opportunity to say yes to Jesus.
that He was buried
Rather than being an afterthought, these four words have tremendous power.
Jesus was 100% human and 100% God. Because He was human He could die.
And He died on that cross. He was taken down by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, his body washed and anointed with spices, and then wrapped tightly with linen cloths.
He was then laid in a tomb and a two-ton stone rolled across the entrance.
He wasn’t mostly dead. He was dead.
This is important because people started spreading a rumor that Jesus hadn’t died. He had swooned. He had passed out under the weight of the pain and when He was placed in the cold air of the tomb He revived again. And then, somehow, he moved the stone and walked out.
He was really dead. The second Person of the Trinity, 100% human and 100% God died. Amazing!
Jesus predicted this when the Pharisees asked him for a sign:
“A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:38-40)
John tells us that Jesus, “Bowed His head and gave up His spirit.’ (John 19:30)
This is important because you have to be dead to experience resurrection!
that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
This is the guts of the Gospel. This is the core of our belief. This is the main thing of the main thing.
The Christian faith stands and falls on the amazing resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave.
Jesus Himself predicted His resurrection:
“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Matthew 16:21)
He was resurrected according to the Scriptures.
After rising from the dead, Jesus encountered two discouraged disciples on the road to the village of Emmaus. They had hoped that Jesus was the Messiah but were crushed that he had been killed. They were also baffled by reports that the tomb was empty. Jesus responded:
“How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27)
David wrote in Psalm 16 concerning the Messiah;
“…because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” (Psalm 16:10)
Listen to me. If Jesus weren’t alive right now, I would be playing golf poorly. I certainly would be here.
Later in the chapter, Paul says it this way:
“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (I Corinthians 15:14-19)
Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day. That’s the Gospel.
Paul continues:
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (I Corinthians 15:20-22)
Then Paul provides amazing proof through the eyewitness who saw Jesus.
Eyewitnesses
“…and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred 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 one abnormally born.” (I Corinthians 15:6-8)
Why did Jesus appear to these people? One reason is that there was a rumor that the disciples came and stole the body.
Who did He appear to?
Cephas or Peter
Peter had denied Jesus three times and was crushed after Jesus had died. He had lost hope and gone back to fishing. But Jesus sought him out, restored Him, and commissioned him to be a leader in the church.
Maybe you have lost hope today? Or do you think what you have done is too bad? That’s not true. Peter was restored and you can be too.
Then to the twelve
They were eleven with the suicide of Judas. Everyone one of them had abandoned Jesus in the garden when He was arrested. They were filled with shame and guilt. They needed to see Jesus. They needed to be forgiven. And they were commissioned to spread the Gospel message to the whole world.
To more than 500 people. -
Some people claim that this was a group hallucination. But as someone who has worked with people who have hallucinations, I can tell you that doesn’t happen. Hallucinations are very individualized.
These were just normal people, living in Jerusalem. Many of them were still alive at that time and anyone could go and ask them about seeing Jesus.
Then to James and the apostles.
This James was the half-brother of Jesus. He didn’t believe that his older brother was the Messiah. He thought Jesus had probably lost His mind.
But then Jesus appeared to him and he became the leader of the Jerusalem church!
Maybe you think this whole story is pretty crazy. It is, and it’s true. Today is the day that you can stop doubting and start trusting.
and last of all Paul
Paul didn’t just not believe. He was antagonistic to the Gospel and to Jesus. He arrested Christians and had them killed. On the way to Damascus to round up more Christians, Jesus appeared to him and the persecutor became the preacher!
Maybe that’s you today. You are angry. You think Christianity is stupid. So did Paul. Until he saw Jesus.
Drowning
God created us to be with Him
Our sins separate us from God
Sins can not be undone by good deeds
When the boys were little, we loved going to the Chatworth pool. One day, the lady who ran the pool asked me to help them with a lifeguard test. She asked me to drown, or at least pretend to drown.
I jumped off the high dive and then began to flounder and call for help. Help came in the form of a teenage lifeguard who couldn’t have weighed more than ninety pounds!
I went limp and she put her hands under my armpits and began trying to drag me to shore. She was struggling and finally whispered in my ear, “Would you please kick your feet under the water to help me?” Which I did, and she received a huge ovation when she got to the edge of the pool to safety.
She didn’t have to swim out to me. She could have just thrown a rescue ring and encouraged me to grab it.
We are drowning in the middle of the ocean and you can't swim to the shore. You are helpless and hopeless. Unless intervention comes from outside of you, you are going to drown.
Romans 6:23 makes it clear, “The wages of sin is death…”. But
Paying the price for sin Jesus died and rose again.
Yes “the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life.” (Romans 6:23)
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
The cross is the rescue float! And the fact that Jesus came back from the grave means you can hold on to it and be saved.
But you have to grab hold of it. If you say, “I can get myself out of this mess” you are sadly mistaken and headed toward destruction.
Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life
Being saved isn’t like joining a club. It is like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Cor 5:17)
And there is only one way. You may think that is narrow-minded but when my son would take me flying I didn’t think he was being narrow-minded when he landed on the runway instead of a lake.
Jesus made it clear - “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
Terry Gene Bollea said he “accepted Christ” when he was 14. At age 70, he figured out that he didn’t have a relationship with Jesus and was baptized with his wife at Indian Rocks Baptist Church in Florida recently.
He said it was the greatest day of his life. He posted on Instagram:
“…the main event theme of surrender, service, and love makes me the Real Main Event that can slam any giant of any size through the power of my Lord and Savior and so it is, even now brother, AMEN!”
By the way, Terry wrestles under the name “Hulk Hogan.”
Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.
This is pie in the sky when you die. It’s living an abundant life full of joy and peace here and now.
We had my friend Elnor’s celebration of life service on Friday. She had 83 surgeries over the years. In the last decade of her life, she could feed herself or clean herself.
This was her motto - “It is what it is.” This was not fatalism. It was a declaration of her belief that all things work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to His purpose.
She had joy amid sorrow, and peace amid pain, and she shared that with everyone with a sparkle in her eye.
John Newton was a terrible man. He worked on a slave ship and kidnapped men, women, and children to take back to England for money. He was a mean-spirited alcoholic and a miserable soul but found himself praying in the middle of a storm for God’s mercy.
Jesus Christ invaded him and opened his eyes. He wrote a song about this:
“Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me - I once was lost but now I’m found was blind but now I see."
He became a pastor and an ally of William Wilberforce in the fight for the abolition of slavery in England.
Near the end of his life, he went blind but he said that He could see Jesus clearer than he ever had. He wrote:
“I am not what I ought to be - ah, how imperfect and deficient. I am not what I wish to be - I abhor what is evil, and I would cling to what is good. I am not what I hope to be - soon, soon shall I put off mortality, and with mortality all sin and imperfection. Yet, though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be, I can truly say, I am not what I once was, a slave to sin and satan, and I can heartily join with the apostle and acknowledge, “By the grace of God I am what I am.”
I love what he had written on his tombstone:
“John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy. Grace did not free him to serve no master, but a new Master.”
Where are you on this diagram? Maybe you are on the left side. Today is your day to grab the life preserver of faith.
After hearing that story, maybe for the first time, are you amazed?
Ending Video: Are You Amazed?
