Paul's
Epistles - 1 Corinthians
Part
28 – THE RESURRECTION
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House
of Faith Church | www.PS127.org
| www.TruthDigest.org
INTRODUCTION
Paul,
having received word in the form of a letter from the church in Corinth, is
responding to that letter, as well as to information he has received from
trusted sources about the condition of the Corinthian church. Adultery, members
suing each other, married couples abstaining from physical relations in order
to gain a more "spiritual" relationship with God, as well as the
misuse, or abuse in the realm of Spiritual Gifts.
Paul
addresses these issues in his letter to the Corinthian church and urges them
not to go beyond what is written.
He
warns them about their sexual immorality, as well as not becoming a stumbling
block to those who are weaker in faith. He explains for those who think some
foods are not permissible, or that they are not allowed to drink wine, or one day
is holier than another, if they believe this for God's sake, then let it go, do
not fight amongst yourselves.
Paul
tells them to be self-disciplined, and warns that when the Israelites sinned
against God and did not repent, they did not receive forgiveness, and never
made it to the Promised Land. Look at them as examples. There MUST be
repentance if there is to be forgiveness. Paul then warned the church that
communion was to be taken together as a body, not for eating and getting drunk.
The congregation must be one, looking out for each other.
The
last few weeks we have been looking at Paul explain certain Spiritual Gifts.
This points to the notion, since only a few are mentioned, that these may have
been the gifts which they were abusing, or exploiting.
Paul
explains that all parts are important, no matter the size or number of gifts.
He explains that it is OK to desire and even pray for certain gifts, but there
was a way greater than the gifts for bringing people to Christ, rather than use
the gifts like parlor tricks, Paul says use I Corinthians 13. Love is
the greater way. Then in Chapter 14, Paul explains prophecy,
tongues and the importance of intelligible words being greater than tongues.
This
week we look at the importance of the Resurrection.
SCRIPTURE
REFERENCE I Corinthians 15:1-11
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. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.
Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6 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. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to
me also, as to one abnormally born.
9 For I am the least of the
apostles and do not even deserve 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 to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder
than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and
this is what you believed.
I.
THE GOSPEL
a.
I preached it to you
i.
The meaning of the New Covenant
ii.
The Cross and Resurrection
iii.
They received it (Paul gave it to them!)
iv.
They must live in it (to live victoriously in this
world and after)
b.
It IS what saves
you!
i.
Belief in the
resurrection is a MUST for Salvation
1.
If Christ did not die, your sins were not paid for!
2.
If Christ was not brought back by God from the dead, He
was not the savior!
3.
These things fulfill prophecy.
c.
Keep it (the fact
of New Covenant purchased with Christ's death and resurrection) in your memory,
else you believe in vain!
i.
Hebrews 2:1 "We must pay the most careful attention,
therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."
ii.
If you drift away from the
Truth of the Resurrection, you believe in Vain!
1.
Vain: futile, useless,
pointless, to no purpose, hopeless.
2.
In other words, if you do not believe the New Covenant
was purchased with the death and resurrection, or that Christ
"actually" died and rose again, you believe in vain, you have NO
Salvation!
3.
Paul says in verse 2, "Hold firmly to the Word I preached to you.", Otherwise
you may stray (Do not go beyond what is written warning in I Corinthians 4:6).
a.
If you stray, you believe in vain!
b.
No Salvation!
c.
Proof text: "Not
everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord', will enter the Kingdom of Heaven" Matthew 7:21
d.
Proof text: "My
brothers and sisters, if one of
you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person
back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from
the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude
of sins." James 5:19-20
iii.
This text by Paul as well as the scriptures in the book
of Matthew, James and in various other places in the Bible proves that the
Doctrine of Unconditional Eternal
Security is a false teaching.
1.
We MUST believe in the Death and Resurrection
2.
We must never stop believing in it
3.
If we do, we wander from the Truth
4.
If we wander from the Truth, our error, our sin, will
cause us to lose our Salvation which was purchased BY the death and
resurrection of Christ!
II.
THE FACTS
a.
Paul says, I have
delivered what I received!
i.
Christ died for our
sins according to Scripture!
1.
Psalm 22:15
ii.
He was buried and died and rose again according to
scripture!
1.
Isaiah 53:10; Hosea 6:2
b.
He (Jesus) was seen
by many!
i.
By Peter
ii.
The 12 Disciples (before ascension)
iii.
500 believer's at one time
1.
Most still alive in Paul's time, but some dead
iv.
By James, the brother of Jesus who did NOT believe
Jesus during His ministry. John 7:5
v.
And then by the Apostles (after the ascension the
disciples were called the Apostles) Luke 24:50
vi.
and lastly by Paul (after the ascension)
c.
For I am the least of the Apostles
i.
True modesty, not mock modesty like so many have!
ii.
Paul continuously claimed he knew and understood he was
not worthy of what the Lord did for him.
iii.
As we all should be!
iv.
vs.9 "I am not
worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God."
III.
THE GRACE
a.
But by the Grace of
God, I am what I am!
i.
This trope, or figurative or metaphorical expression,
has been used many times in our modern history with much the same meaning.
1.
Dumbo is teased for having abnormally big ears, which
are what later enable him to fly. As his friend Timothy Mouse puts it,
"The very things that kept you down are gonna carry you up and up and
up!"
2.
Kung Fu Panda:
Tai Lung: You cannot defeat me... You're just a big... fat... panda!
Po: I'm not a big fat panda. I'm THE
big fat panda!
3.
Popeye, "I yam what
I yam, and that's all what I yam"
ii.
Paul's point, the Lord took me as I am, and everything
I have become, or will become is not by what I am, but by what He is in me!
iii.
God's Grace!
iv.
God's Grace: A prominent Old
Testament word describing God's
grace is chesed. This
word speaks of deliverance from enemies, affliction, or adversity. It also
denotes enablement, daily guidance, forgiveness, and preservation. The New
Testament word is Charis. It focuses
on the provision of salvation.
b.
His Grace bestowed upon
me is NOT in vain!
i.
It was NOT without effect
ii.
Also meaning, it IS without effect in many!
1.
Many receive God's Grace, with no effect!
iii.
Why was it of effect in Paul? He tells us! "Because I labored more abundantly than them." VS 10
1.
Not I, but the Grace of God which was with me.
2.
This is with all believers who look at the cross!
a.
I Corinthians 1:17
c.
THEREFORE
i.
Whether it was me or the other Apostles, we preach, and so you believed.
1.
False teachers were trying to turn the Corinthians faith away from the
resurrection.
CONCLUSION
The Gospel that Salvation is founded upon is the
New Testament, which was purchased with the death and resurrection of Christ,
and fundamental to receiving Salvation.
If you believed at first, then wandered, you
walked away from your Salvation.
How can you have Salvation when you do not
believe the foundation?
There were so many who had witnessed at Paul's
time the resurrected Christ. If it were not true, there would not have been
over 500 people risking death for blasphemy as witnesses.
Everything that we are or become is not by who we
are, for we are NOT worthy, but by God's Grace, bestowed unto us TO DO A WORK, in
us and our lives so that we too may be a light unto this world, and an
instrument to bring others unto Christ and Salvation!
I know I am not worthy, however, because of the
Cross and Jesus Christ purchasing a New Covenant with God, I can be part of that,
and accepted by God because of His Grace.
I am what I am, take me as I am, renew my mind,
give me a mind like Christ, make me a new creation, a new creature, let the old
pass away!
Want to learn
more about Salvation and Getting Saved?
CLICK
HERE!
No comments:
Post a Comment