The Church's First Priority

I think we just need to pray.

You hear those?

I get teared up every time that song comes on.

Man, Clay, that was hard, man.

Got to preach after that?

Let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Gracious Heavenly Father,

thank you for your word through your servant Paul,

as we're about to read.

Help us now by grace through faith in Christ

who is worthy.

Help us through the power of your Holy Spirit

to receive the word that you have for us today.

What we know not, teach us.

What we have not, give us.

What we are not, make us.

We pray in Jesus' name,

in the name of the one who is worthy.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, it's a privilege to be here before you this morning.

Like many of you, all of you, I hope,

we've been so blessed as a family

to hear from God's word from this pulpit.

So it really is a humbling

and so it's a mortifying honor

to have the privilege to share this.

So thank you, Pastor Matt and the elders

for allowing me this privilege

to share God's word with you.

Because like you, sometimes

life just gets a little crazy.

We moved here in the middle of a pandemic.

We're supposed to be here for three months or so.

And we're on, I think, what, month 18?

Through it all.

And it's a blessing to come

and to be pointed back to Christ.

And in fact,

that's precisely what we find happening today

in 1 Corinthians 15.

If you're familiar with the church at Corinth,

they're messed up.

Life in their city was a crazy thing.

They had all different kinds of ideologies,

occupations,

a thousand reasons to not follow Christ.

And as you see through the pages of 1 Corinthians

and into 2 Corinthians,

there's even letters that Paul wrote to them

that we don't have.

It was that messed up in Corinth.

And here in 1 Corinthians 15,

Paul reorients them

to keep their priorities straight.

It wasn't about spiritual gifts.

It wasn't about who your favorite Bible teacher was.

It wasn't about anything else

but the good news about Jesus Christ.

And so I invite you,

turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15

if you don't have it open already.

And I want us to read

about the priority of the gospel.

And Paul's going to tell us two simple things.

We need to, as Christians,

we need to be,

we need to receive the gospel

and we need to proclaim the gospel.

Two simple things.

That's where we're going with this today.

So join me in 1 Corinthians 15.

I want to read verses 1 through 11

because this Christ who is worthy

is at the center of what it means

to be a Christ follower,

to be a Christian,

at the center of who we are as a church.

1 Corinthians 15.

Now I would remind you, brothers,

of the gospel I preach to you,

which you received and which you stand

and by which you're being saved

if you hold fast to the word I preach to you,

unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you

as of first importance

what I also received,

that Christ died for our sins

in accordance with the scriptures,

that he was buried,

that he was raised on the third day

in accordance with the scriptures,

and that he appeared to Cephas

and then to the twelve.

Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers

at one time,

most of whom are still alive,

but some have fallen asleep.

And then he appeared to James,

then to all the apostles.

Last of all,

as to one untimely born,

he appeared also to me.

For I am the least of the apostles,

unworthy to be called an apostle,

because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the grace of God,

I am what I am,

and his grace toward me

was not in vain.

On the contrary,

I worked harder than any of them,

though it was not I,

but the grace of God

that is with me.

Whether then it was I or they,

so we preach,

and so you believed.

The verb tenses here

are really important

throughout these first couple verses,

through this opening section,

because Paul is trying to

tenderly,

but firmly remind them,

y'all are crazy.

Y'all forgot who you are.

You forgot your first priority,

and it's our first priority Christian,

it's our first priority church,

to receive the gospel.

They had received it, right?

Look with me there in chapter,

back in verse one,

I would remind you brothers,

he's reminding them,

this is not new territory

for Corinth.

It's probably not new territory

for a lot of us.

If you're like me,

a church kid,

you hear the gospel,

you think,

oh, here we go again.

But Paul's like,

no, no, no, no.

The reason all your crazy's been going on

is because that's your attitude.

You think you've graduated from the gospel.

You think you've been promoted beyond.

No.

Spiritual gifts,

speaking in tongues,

all that other stuff

that in the first 14 chapters here

of 1 Corinthians,

the problem with those problems

are because you forgot.

You let something else

become the first priority Christian.

You let something else

become your first priority church.

So Paul has to remind them

that you received something Christian.

You received the gospel.

And you forget that

to your detriment.

Paul, in fact,

points out just how awkward

and difficult the danger is

as we move in verse 2.

It's an awkward phrase.

This,

if you hold fast

to the right approach to you

unless you believed in vain.

What is Paul talking about there?

He's warning them

about two alternatives, really,

to what you can do

with the gospel.

You can choose

to believe the right thing

insincerely.

A fancy word.

You could be a hypocrite

at its worst.

Or you could just be

sincerely indifferent.

Yeah, I go to church on Sunday.

Yeah, I heard the preacher.

I took killer sermon notes.

I mean, it's like,

he could preach from that.

Or, you know,

yeah, I aced the Sunday school lesson.

I knew the answers

before the teacher told me.

But,

but,

Monday morning,

Thursday afternoon,

Wednesday night,

how's that working out?

You see,

our practice betrays our doctrine.

Our practice betrays

what we truly believe.

And our priorities

throughout that week

betray

what's really our first priority

in this life.

and Paul's trying to remind them,

hey,

you gotta keep the gospel

your first priority.

Otherwise,

maybe,

maybe you don't believe

what you think.

You use that word, Christian,

but I don't think that word

means what you think it means.

Because I'm looking at your life

and I'm not seeing

how

they don't add up.

There's another alternative

that Paul is suggesting

of this idea of believed,

by believing in vain.

It's also the idea that,

well,

maybe,

just maybe,

you believe the wrong thing

sincerely.

And so,

Paul's wanting to remind them,

make sure it's crystal clear.

We'll see this in verses 3

and following here

in a few moments.

He wants them to be crystal clear

that what they believe,

what they receive,

is in point,

in fact,

what Paul gave them

in the first place.

So he's reminding them

because their salvation,

as Paul even says himself,

is God's grace to them.

It's nothing you do.

It's nothing you performed.

He does it for you.

He does it to you.

That's good news.

It doesn't matter

how much Bible you know.

As long as you know the gospel,

as long as you remember it

and don't forget about it,

Christian.

You see,

Paul even

punches it

even further down at us

that

the gospel is the message

that we stand upon

in verse 1.

It's the message

in which you stand upon.

It's the grounds

for all that you do,

Christian.

And notice again,

verse 2.

And it's the gospel

that which you're being saved by.

Now,

I don't mean to

overwhelm with grammar here

for a second,

but

did you notice

that that's like

a present tense verb?

Right?

I'm being saved.

Present perfect

for those who want to

get into it a little bit.

But

Paul's trying to help us

understand, Christian.

It's not,

you don't graduate

from the gospel,

you're sanctified

by the gospel,

and you're saved

by the gospel.

And that's good news.

Until you forget about it.

And then it's not good news

because you've forgotten

and you've gone off

and done all these

other crazy things.

Like,

picked a Bible teacher

that you really love

and that's all you care about

is what he said

and how they said it.

Christ saved you.

Not that.

I mean,

praise God for a good Bible teacher.

I'm not trying to,

but it's a mis,

your priority's

in the wrong spot.

It's about Christ

and what he's done for you

in this good news

gospel message

for you.

And it produces,

and when we,

excuse me,

when we receive

this good news,

it produces fruit

in our lives.

On the one hand,

that act of salvation

where we receive Christ

and become Christians,

we become Christ followers,

but then that ongoing,

secondly,

this idea of receiving

also has that ongoing idea

of internalizing God's word.

How do I live

gospely?

If I could say it that way.

Paul's trying to get us

to remember

that we need to not just

receive it to believe,

but we need to receive it

to live.

What about your life,

Christian,

is gospely?

What about your life

reflects good news

that Christ died for sinners?

What is it about your life,

Christian?

What is it about

the heart attitudes

that you have

that is formed

and transformed

by the gospel?

We need to be reminded

of this gospel,

not just save from it

and graduate on

to other things.

And what's striking to me

is that,

and I'm saying all this,

it's almost as if

the gospel is this

thing over here

and it has to be

delivered to me.

Not just in the act

of salvation,

but daily

as I grow

in my walk

with the Lord.

And so Paul has

a lot to say

about that too

as we look at

the rest of verse 3

and into verse 11

because Paul isn't

just concerned

that we receive

the gospel,

he's also concerned

about what the gospel is

and our first priority

to proclaim

the gospel together.

We receive it

and we proclaim it.

Two very simple points

Paul has here

and along the way

he wants to make sure

you know what that gospel is

because,

again,

I'm not wanting to split hairs

too much here,

but it's interesting

that Paul's choice

of vocabulary here

in verse 1,

I preach to you

the message you received,

it's a little more,

if we were to take this

a little more woodenly,

it's I gospeled

the gospel to you.

He's not using

the usual word for preach

here in verse 1.

He's using the verb gospel

to talk about

the subject gospel.

I want to remind you,

brothers,

of the gospel,

I gospeled to you.

Someone had to tell you,

Christian,

so that you could be

a Christ follower,

just like someone had to

tell the person

that told you,

that told you,

that told you,

that we go all the way

back to Paul

and the apostles

who got it from Jesus,

who got it from

the Father himself

who was sent.

And glory of all glories,

it was written down for us,

inspired by the Holy Spirit,

the Spirit of Truth,

like Pastor Matt taught us

last week,

guiding us

and shaping us

and helping us

to think gospely.

That's the good,

that's part,

that's the good news

applied to your life,

Christian.

Remember,

Paul wants us to remember it,

but he wants us

to also proclaim it.

It's not enough to know it

and to remember it,

it's a message

that we're to proclaim

because how else

is your neighbor

going to hear

the good news about Christ?

You were told,

someone proclaimed it to you,

what about the person

sitting next to you?

What about that girl

across the office way

from you?

What about the student

two desks down from you?

What about,

Paul says in Romans 10,

how will they hear

if no one preaches?

It's on us, church,

it's on us, Christian,

to remember the gospel,

to receive it,

and to proclaim it,

to get it out.

But,

perhaps,

perhaps you're like

the church at Corinth,

or one of the Christians,

probably not everybody

was this way,

but maybe that's just it.

You're not sure

what the gospel is.

Could you,

if I had you come up here

right now,

what's the gospel, Christian?

What would you say?

Paul gives us

four simple statements

about what the,

that comprise

the gospel message.

the bare bones,

the most,

if you could only say this,

what would you say?

Paul tells us here

in verses 3 through 10.

Christ died for our sins

according to the scriptures.

He was buried.

He was raised from the dead

on the third day

according to the scriptures.

And he was seen.

Four simple things.

That's it.

That's the message

that saves.

Not my testimony

about how I

received the gospel.

That's important.

But how Timothy Hine

heard the good news

about Jesus

and placed his trust,

that's not the good news.

The good news is

Christ died for our sins

according to the scriptures.

He was buried.

He was raised

from the dead

on the third day

according to the scriptures.

And he was seen

by his followers.

That's the good news.

We could say more,

couldn't we?

I mean,

what about

the virgin birth?

He was fully God.

He was fully man.

He was raised

from the dead.

Notice the passive tense

of that verb there.

Someone raised.

He was raised.

He didn't raise himself.

He was raised

from the dead.

Doctrine of the Trinity,

God, Father, Son,

and Holy Spirit.

According to the scriptures,

which scriptures?

Isaiah 52 and 53

like we read earlier.

All the prophets,

all the law.

Paul says elsewhere

that the whole law

and prophets

point to the coming

of Christ.

We could talk

about those things,

but if we think about it,

that's really just

meat on the bones,

isn't it?

The gospel,

the message that saves

is decidedly simple.

Christ died for our sins

according to the scriptures.

He was buried.

He was raised

on the third day

according to the scriptures.

He was seen.

That's the message

that saves.

And when we,

when we get too far

on a rabbit trail

from that,

Paul's trying to warn us

it can lead to some scary place.

It can lead to some weird

messed up places.

You see,

you can't take away

from the gospel.

You also can't add to it.

Let me do a little gospel math

if you will.

If you can,

I'm not a mathematician

so forgive me here

if I get dangerous.

But the gospel is actually,

it's so simple,

it's scary in a sense.

The gospel

plus something else,

it's not the gospel.

It's not good news.

Jesus died and rose again

for our sins

according to the scriptures

plus you praying super hard.

That's not the gospel.

Christ died and rose again

for our sins

according to the scriptures

and you show up

every Sunday early.

Not the gospel.

Conversely,

the gospel

minus something

is also not the gospel.

What if Jesus

wasn't really God?

He was just an angel

who took on flesh.

Even in the first century

people were saying that.

Even today people say that.

It takes away from the gospel.

Well, maybe,

maybe he was fully God

but was he really human?

I mean,

maybe he was just like

God in a man's suit.

You know,

he just came down

and zipped up the tuxedo

of human flesh

and he looked like God.

Again,

a problem the church dealt with

back in the first

and second centuries

and yet,

you hear that today,

don't you?

It's not the gospel.

You can't take anything

away from this

without changing

the gospel message.

Christ died for our sins

according to the scriptures.

He was buried.

He was raised from the dead

on the third day

according to the scriptures

and he was seen

by his followers.

That's the message.

That's the good news

that saves

and everything flows

out of that.

Christ was crucified

because he claimed

to die on the cross.

He claimed that his death

was atoning for sin.

He was crucified

because he said

he was God's son.

He was crucified

because he claimed

to be king of kings

and lord of lords.

Martyrs,

blood flowed

for this message.

Christians,

so let's be careful

to remember

what this gospel is

because it's not

a lot of things

that we oftentimes

want to add

to the gospel

but if we really

want to pray,

if we really want

to split that hair,

we're really talking

about the gospel

and the effects

of the gospel,

how it flows

into other facets

of our life,

how it permeates

and how we internalize

it as a people,

as individuals,

how we wish society

would absorb

that gospel message,

that good news.

I mean,

strictly speaking,

even some of our,

I'm all for

penal substitutionary

atonement

and justification

and these things

but those are all,

those are the,

that's the outflowing

of the gospel.

That's the gospel

applied,

isn't it?

That I receive the good,

that God changes me

so that I receive

the good news

and I'm made

right before him.

That's the result

of this gospel,

bare bones,

gospel message

and that's good news.

But maybe you're like,

maybe you've met

that person before

who maybe forgets

that sometimes

and they know more

about what this theologian

or that theologian said

than what the good news

itself is.

Or maybe you've met

that person

person who's so hung up

on certain theological themes.

These are all good things.

But they're not the gospel.

They're not the good,

they're not the first priority.

And just like the church

at Corinth,

we can look at them

2,000 years removed

and think,

oh, silly kids.

They didn't know

what they're doing.

We've got,

we've grown up,

we've matured.

No,

we still have

the same sinful heart.

We still live in a city

much like theirs

that was prone

to find all different

kinds of ways

to do things

that offend God.

And but for His grace

we would do the same

just as well.

But when our priority

is first and foremost

fixed on Christ

and His good news,

the effects,

it changes everything.

It should change everything.

If it doesn't change

everything for you,

what did you receive?

Because the gospel

changes everything.

Maybe not everything

all at once.

It takes time.

I'm still lazy.

The gospel's still

working on me on that.

What's the gospel

working on for you

still, Christian?

Is it working on you?

No?

No?

The gospel

can and does

transform people

and society.

But even social change

and social justice

aren't the gospel

message itself.

It's a result

of the gospel.

It's fruit

of the gospel.

And that's good news too.

We have to keep

the gospel

our first priority.

We keep it the first priority

by receiving it.

We keep it the first priority

by proclaiming it.

When our message changes

to something other than

Christ crucified

and resurrected,

we've moved the chains.

We've changed the target.

We've confused our priorities.

And history tells the story

of many a church,

many a Christian

who has lost sight of this

and fallen away.

We can think of institutions

that were built

to train ministers

that now don't even acknowledge

the good news about Christ.

We can think of

numerous friends,

maybe you have friends

or family

who said they were Christians,

followed Christ for a season,

and then...

And now,

look at them.

Their priorities

are all over the place.

But not...

Not here.

Not centered on Christ.

It's God's grace

that...

It's because of God's grace,

Paul says in verse 10,

that He is what He is,

and you are what you are,

Christian.

Let's not add

or take away from that.

Now,

receiving the salvation,

receiving the gospel...

I come at this as a church kid.

You have to forgive me.

I've heard this a million times.

You've heard this a million times too,

church kids, right?

Growing up in the church,

and you say to yourself,

so what am I supposed to do?

What...

Jesus did it all.

He paid it all.

He's the foundation I stand on.

He's what I received.

I can't affect...

I can't change my status before God.

He does that.

But how do I...

How do I live this out?

What do I do?

How do I live different?

Do I need to go be that guy

on the corner

with the sign

and the, you know,

the Lord is coming?

No, that's not what Paul's saying here.

What Paul's saying here

is we need to order our lives

around the gospel.

And it begins

even with our proclamation of the gospel.

Before you preach the gospel

to someone else, Christian,

do you preach the gospel to yourself?

daily.

Reminding yourself,

I...

He died for our sins,

Paul says in verse 3.

My sins.

And it was according to God's plan.

He was...

The Son of God

was buried in a tomb

for three days

because of my sin.

He was raised to life

just like God promised

according to scriptures

three days later.

What great news, Christian.

You have a hope.

You're not dead

in your trespasses

and sins anymore.

So why was that

a temptation again?

Why...

What was that thing

that was teasing you,

flirting with you?

Take five minutes each morning.

Preach the gospel to yourself.

I can't tell you

how much gospel good it'll do you.

It's...

It's the best news

your soul could ever receive

that day, today.

And this is why,

like, I think it was Pastor Nick

a couple weeks back,

abiding in Christ.

Spending time in God's word

and prayer.

Reminding yourself of the gospel.

Reading it.

Reading his promises

in the Old Testament.

Reading the promise,

how he fulfills those promises

in the New.

Oh, it's words of life.

It's not just...

Oh, here we go.

If that's your heart attitude, Christian,

what did you receive again?

What did you receive again?

What...

What...

What are you standing on again?

Maybe for some of us,

Paul's exhortation here

about proclaiming the gospel

is our problem.

Maybe you're a little stale

in your faith

because you've not talked

to anyone about it in a while.

You haven't talked to yourself

about it.

You haven't preached it to yourself.

You haven't preached it to anybody.

You haven't proclaimed it.

You haven't delivered a message

to anybody,

including yourself.

Maybe you're at that place

in your spiritual journey,

in your walk with Christ, Christian,

where part of the...

of your walk with the Lord

is you've not...

you've not...

you don't know how to articulate

the gospel

and what a great way

to work that out

than to tell...

share with somebody.

Proclaim the message.

Deliver the message,

the good news that saved you.

It's what you stand on.

Hopefully it's what you bleed

when life presses in on you.

Can you articulate it?

Tell somebody.

Try it out.

It might be an epic fail.

That's fine.

That's fine.

God's word never returns void.

But are you doing

what God's called you to do?

Receive it.

Proclaim it.

Maybe along the way,

if I need...

I need help with this.

That's the beauty of the church.

We do this together.

It's not about how awesome

she is at this

and he is at that

and she's...

We're here together

to help each other,

to grow in Christ.

That's all the more reason

to talk to someone

about the gospel.

If you're nervous

to tell someone

who doesn't know,

talk with someone who does.

Hey, am I getting...

Am I missing something here?

We're...

We're not all called

to be PhDs in New Testament

and that's okay.

That's a good thing.

Most of you shouldn't do that.

Please don't.

But maybe you are called to that.

Praise God.

Do it and help us all

figure this stuff out.

You don't need a PhD

to share the gospel.

You don't even need

a primary school degree.

You don't even need

a high school diploma.

You just need

the gospel message itself.

It preaches.

Do you know it?

Tell somebody.

Talk to another Christian

about it and help them...

Help each other

get better at talking

about the gospel

and then go tell others

who don't know the good news.

Maybe you've been doing it

for a while

and you just need

a fresh perspective.

That's where great Christian books

can be so helpful.

There's a thousand...

There's thousands of them today.

There's no reason not to

get into that broader conversation

that's so accessible.

So ask me afterwards.

We can talk about more of those.

But the good news

is that not only can we

receive the gospel,

we can grow in our understanding

of it

and we have each other

to do it with.

What great news

for a life caught up

in a pandemic

where we're isolated

from each other.

These are the good news.

These are the results

of our good news, Christian.

But I want to close...

I want to close

by asking

and talking for a moment

to those who don't follow Christ.

Maybe you're here seeking God.

You're seeking for something.

You're still trying

to figure it out.

I got great...

It's all right here.

It is super simple.

Now I know

even Paul faces

if you go back

and read 1 Corinthians 1,

it sounds foolish.

It's a stumbling...

It's foolish

for the sophisticated.

At least that's how

it can sound sometimes.

And maybe you come

from another religious tradition

and you think

it just doesn't...

It doesn't add up.

It doesn't match

my tradition

that I grew up with.

Precisely.

Look, friend.

God exists

and He spoke.

And He spoke

good news of life

because He promised

to deal with

the one thing

you and I can't solve

on our own.

The fact that

we're lost in seeking.

What you're looking for

is how to be made

right with God.

You may not be able to...

It doesn't...

Maybe it's not that way

in your head

but what Scripture

is trying to help us see

is that is what you're missing.

You are not right

with God

because there's stuff

separating you from God.

Stuff inside you,

stuff in your life.

The Bible uses

a big word called sin

to describe that.

And the...

And that's the...

That's the bad news,

admittedly.

We're separated from God

from our sin.

But the good news

is He did something about

while we were still

seeking.

While we were still

hostile.

While we were still

alien and foreign to Him,

He,

because of His great love

with which He loved us,

sent His Son,

Jesus Christ,

to die on the cross

for our sins

according to the Scriptures.

It really happened.

He really died.

He really rose again.

And people saw it

and wrote it down.

And it's the best news,

my friend.

It's what you're looking for.

It's what you need.

It's what saves.

It's what gives us hope

for this life

no matter what comes.

In fact,

that's what the rest

of 1 Corinthians tells us.

1 Corinthians 15

talks about

is the hope

that we have in Christ

because of this gospel.

It's not about

what you do.

It's about what Jesus

has done

and what He's going to do.

And that's...

That's good news.

It's the best news

if we would but receive it

by repentance

and faith.

I don't know about you, friend,

but I want to invite you

to receive that gift.

And Christian,

brothers and sisters,

this is our good news.

Don't forget it.

Don't let something else

take first priority.

because it's only just good news.

It's the best news.

Let's pray.

Gracious Heavenly Father,

thank You for the good news

that Christ died on the cross for us.

Thank You for the good news

that our one foundation

is not how much I know

about Your Word.

It's not how spiritual I perform.

It's about Christ

dying on the cross for our sins

according to the Scriptures.

And it's a hope that we have

for this life

and for the life to come.

It's also

our first priority

to order our life,

to identify ourselves by

so that we might please You

in all that we say and do.

Help us, Lord, we pray.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.