May 03, 2025
In 1st Corinthians 15 we have the entire Gospel.
Verse 3 tells us that Christ died for our sins.
Verse 4 tells us that he was buried and rose on the 3rd day.
So important is the resurrection to the Good News that Paul talks about it for almost the entire chapter. He tells his readers that if the resurrection isn’t true than our preaching is in vain, our faith is worthless, our dead loved ones are lost and we are still dead in our sins.
Verse 23 tells us that Christ is coming back and when he returns, he will set all things right again.
Yay!! The shortest sermon in history!!
Not so fast… The Good News only takes you so far.
There is no benefit to antibiotics if you don’t actually take them.
There is no benefit to soap and water if you don’t actually get in the shower and turn on the tap.
There is no benefit to the Good News if it doesn’t change you.
I’m going to ask you 2 questions:
• Do You believe that Jesus died for you, was resurrected and is now in heaven preparing to return for you?
• Has it transformed your life?
You see, being a Christian is about more than just listening to the words your pastor preaches every week or being morally better than the people around you. It is possible to be a “good Christian” in the eyes of the world – yet not KNOW Jesus. Being a church goer and a Christ Follower are not the same thing.
Matthew 7:21-28 - "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 22 "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.' 24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. 25 "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. 26 "And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. 27 "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall." 28 The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were amazed at His teaching;
So, how do we move from being church goers to Christ followers?
How do we move from hearing ABOUT the Good News to being PARTAKERS IN the Good News?
What is the journey of the Disciple?
• Acknowledge what you are without Jesus and accept his sacrifice on your behalf:
Romans 3:10-12 - As it is written, "There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one."
Romans 5:8-10 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while 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.
• Do something about it and receive the gift of forgiveness:
Acts 3:19 - Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 - Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
• You are called to Follow -
Matthew 4:19 - "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
• You are called to Obey -
John 14:15 - If you love me, you will obey what I command.
Christian obedience is more than following a set of rules. What we do or don’t do is grounded in our relationship with Jesus.
Obedience is THE WALK of faith.
Hebrews 11:8 - By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
During WW2, an elite group of soldiers was formed - the paratroopers. It was a voluntary organization. A paratrooper was not drafted. The paratroopers were dropped behind enemy lines to cause as much damage as possible. Of course, part of paratrooper training was jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.
When the green light went on, each soldier jumped, without pause, without doubt, without reflection, without questioning. If a paratrooper hesitated at the door, he was sent to the worst possible alternative - the infantry.
The only relevant question for the paratrooper was, “Did I sign up to be a paratrooper?” Because the answer was, “yes,” he jumped out the door.
The only relevant question for the Christian is, “Did I choose to follow Jesus?” If the answer is, “yes,” then you wait when He says, “wait,” stop when He says, “stop,” and go when He says, “go.”
Obedience is not a checklist ---- it is a way of life.
James 1:23-25 - For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.
Bill Hull {The Complete Book of Discipleship 117} - Beyond calling us to follow, Jesus also described the nature of the commitment that we need to follow Him. My whole life is the answer to Jesus’ call to follow Him. He calls and I answer, not just in words, but in the action of following. George MacDonald noted, “Instead of asking yourself whether you believe or not, ask yourself whether you have this day done one thing because He said, ‘Do it,’ or once abstained because He said, ‘Do not do it.’ It is simply absurd to say you believe, or even want to believe in Him, if you not do anything He tells you.”
• You are called to Abide and Grow -
To abide means to be in agreement with Jesus.
Amos 3:3 - Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?
To grow means to naturally progress – to mature – as you walk alongside Jesus, going where he is going and learning what he is teaching. As you journey with Jesus, you will begin to reflect him in character and action.
Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
That is the true miracle of the Good News:
Jesus died.
Jesus rose again.
Jesus invites you into a transformational relationship with him and promised that if you abide in Him, He will change you.
2 Corinthians 3:18 - And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Jesus is coming back for you.
Ephesians 3:16-21 - I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
