E04: There Is One Gospel - Key Elements of the True Gospel

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Amen. I pray that you are thankful for

Christ, the cornerstone because it is truly in him that we

stand, and if we don't stand in Him, we don't stand at all.

Amen. You have your Bibles.

If you would turn to 1st Corinthians and the 15th chapter

as we continue in our series entitled There is One Gospel, we

will be looking today at verses one through 11 there in the 15th

chapter of the First Corinthian letter and a message entitled

Key Elements of the True Gospel. We know that it is no mystery

that in our day and in our time, there are many things that call

themselves in quotation the gospel, which are really no

gospel at all, as we learned the Apostle Paul taught there in

Galatians and our opening message to the series.

But in our day, we have all kinds of gospels.

We have the prosperity gospel, which many of you are familiar

with, that comes out of the charismatic movement that

proclaims a message that says that God wants you to be healthy

and God wants you to be wealthy. And if you're not rich and if

somehow you become sick, well, God is obviously mad at you and

you've got a spiritual problem. However, we know this, that

that's a false gospel, that because the Scriptures do not

confirm any such of a gospel at all.

We also see in our day the social justice gospel, that is

the gospel where Jesus came to fix all the problems in this

world, all the social injustices, all the man made

problems. Jesus came to this earth just to

fix those things so that you can have a better life, live a

better life and enjoy life more. That's no gospel at all either,

though it is very popular in our so-called church culture.

Then we know that there is the morality gospel where we we

simply preach the gospel that says just do right and live

right. Try to get your act together and

if you do right, you live right and you get your act together

and perhaps in the end the good is going to outweigh the bad and

God's going to just go ahead and let you in.

The problem with that is that's a legalistic gospel.

That is a law it has been set up for you to follow, whether

that's God's law, that's some law you made-up in your own

mind. But the morality gospel is no

true gospel at all because no one will be justified by the law

only through faith in Christ. Then we have in our culture the

self help gospel. You, you know what I'm talking

about. Everything is about you helping

you deal with your problems, helping you deal with your

struggles, and helping you with this and you with.

That and everything is ME centric.

Focus on us. Well, the problem with that

gospel is that's not found in Scripture either.

Since Jesus preached the gospel of self denial, I don't think

there's any room for us to preach the gospel of self

inflation. So we know that's not a true

gospel. What about the universal gospel

that we see so prevalent in our time, right?

Everybody gets to heaven. They're just all going there,

their own different ways, and they're all going to end up in

the same place in the end because God's a good God who

would never, ever, ever contemplate even sending one

single person fell, right. So at the end, universal gospel

says, you know, we're all going to find our way somehow.

Some of us, we're going to find it easier than others.

Some of us, we're going to have a more difficult journey, but

we're all getting there in the end.

Well, the problem with that is you're going to have to talk to

those in the last part of Revelation there who are cast

into the lake of fire for their unbelief because all people

won't be saved. And so we know that the

universal gospel just doesn't work, does it?

Universalism is a lie and it's a heresy.

We also have in our day very popular, the gospel of love.

Now before you stand up to leave or you freak out, I'm not saying

that God is not love, and I'm saying that the Gospel does not

contain a message of love. For greater love has no man than

this. Then he would lay down his life

for his friend. And God demonstrates his love

for us in this that while we were still sinners, Christ died

for us. Of course the gospel is a

message of love, but it's not just love.

And the problem with the gospel of love that we have in our

modern. Culture is this, It elevates

God's love over all the other attributes and characteristics

of God, making God only love, right?

If he's only love, then there can never be any wrath.

There could never be any indignation towards sin.

There could sure never be any judgment and hell for any

unbeliever. And the one thing that all of

these gospels have in common is this.

They're not true gospels and they're not true gospels as

we're going to see today, because they're missing some key

elements that the apostle Paul is going to teach us here in

First Corinthians chapter 15. And I want us to look at those

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

key elements. But before we do that, I want us

to look at the context of this give you give you a little

backdrop and a background on what's going on here.

Paul's addressing this congregation here at Corinth and

he's addressing them on the topic of bodily resurrection.

There were some who said we're going to be bodily bodily

resurrected just as Christ bodily rose from the grave.

There were others who were saying, no, it's just going to

be a spiritual resurrection. And they ran a debate about

this, and Paul is addressing them because he wants to clear

up the debate. And he does that very eloquently

as you read the entirety of chapter 15 here.

But before he clears that up for them, what he's going to do,

he's going to get them to refocus on the gospel that they

believed, the true gospel that has saved them, in fact, the

only gospel that saves sinners. And today, what I don't want to

do, as I don't want to expose at the entire 15th chapter and talk

to you about the fact that there is a bodily resurrection because

there will be. That's pretty cut and dry, but.

What I want? Us to do is I want us to revisit

Paul's teaching on the importance of the one true

Gospel and I want us to see the elements that he includes in the

one true gospel so that you will not fall into the trap of

believing an untrue unbiblical gospel.

And he makes this very clear again in light of the

resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why?

Because the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a very important

element to the one true gospel. In fact, without the

resurrection of Christ, you don't have a true gospel at all.

That's why Paul says in Romans chapter 10, verse nine, that if

Romans 10 · chapter mention

you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your

heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

If you don't believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

you're not going to be saved because you're not believing in

the one true gospel or a gospel at all for that matter.

So in teaching this lesson to us today from first Corinthians

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15, Paul's going to revisit the essential or the key

elements of the gospel message that the Corinthians would have

heard, that they would have believed as we're going to see

the message that would have save them.

So he says in verse 1 of chapter 15, he says, now brothers, I

want to remind you of the gospel underline that in your Bible.

I want to remind you. Of the gospel.

For those of you who you say, man, you know I want to hear

something other than the gospel. No, Remind yourself constantly

of the gospel. Be reminded constantly of the

gospel. Not only do you preach the

gospel to other people who are lost and in need of a Savior,

preach the gospel to yourself so that you get it right.

Because if you get it wrong. There are eternal consequences,

he says. Now, brothers, 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 were saved,

making it an exclusive gospel, Not by any other gospel, not by

any of the Gospels. That I mentioned.

To you before or any gospels that people could come up with,

he says. By this gospel you were saved.

If you hold firmly to the Word, I preach to you.

Otherwise you have believed. In vain from.

What I received I passed on to you as a first importance.

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, and that he appeared to Peter,

and then to the 12. After that he appeared to more

than 500 of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are

still living, though some have fallen asleep.

And then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles.

And last of all, he appeared to me also as to 1 abnormally born,

for I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve

to be called an apostle. Paul says the reason why?

Because I persecuted the Church of God.

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, whether then it was I or they.

This is what we preach and this is what you believed.

Let's pray together, Father, in the name of Jesus.

We come to you now asking that your Spirit would give us

insight, wisdom into Your Word as it goes forth, that you would

use that wisdom and that insight as you give us discernment and

knowledge in regard to the Scripture that we would use.

This. We would use it in our lives and

sharing the gospel. We would use it and treating the

gospel to ourselves, reminding ourselves of these truths, God,

that we would truly stand in the one true gospel, that we would

stand with a heart and with an attitude that says we shall not

be moved. God, I thank you for these

reminders in your word. They call us to go back to the

true gospel to evaluate our lives in light of it.

May we do that now. Lord, I pray for the person

who's here does not know Christ. Lord, I pray that you would

shower Your mercy upon them today.

That you would open their eyes to see in their ears, to hear

the truth that we will uncover from Your word today, or that

You would allow them to hear them, to see them and to believe

them for the very first time. They would repent of their sin.

They would turn to Christ that they would be saved today.

God, I pray for every St. who's in this room as they hear the

gospel one more time. Lord, I pray that they rejoice

because this is the gospel that has saved them.

Thank you for it. Thank you that you have allowed.

US. To receive it, to proclaim it,

and to rejoice in it once again. And we give you all the glory

for it in Jesus name, Amen. So as we walk through these few

verses today, I want us to see three elements that Paul is

going to highlight for us that are essential to the true

gospel. And without these three

elements, I don't mean three together.

If you take one out, you don't have the true gospel.

Without these elements, there is no true gospel at all.

And I say this so that you don't fall into the trap that many

others have fallen into. So if you're taking notes, write

this down. Element 1, The true gospel

promises redemption. It promises redemption, he says

in the 1st 2 verses. Now, brothers, 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.

By this gospel, you are redeemed, you are forgiven, you

are made right with God. Salvation has been declared to

you through this one true gospel.

It's the gospel that Paul would have preached and that the

Corinthians would have believed. So we see that he begins with

the first element, that the true gospel promises redemption.

And who does the true gospel promised redemption too?

Well, we know it doesn't promise redemption to everyone because

that would be the universalism that we talked about a moment

ago that we said is no true gospel at all.

But in fact, Paul makes it very clear.

He says, Now brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I

preached to you, which you received, which you received.

This true gospel promises redemption to those who receive

Christ. In fact, if you don't receive

Christ as your Lord and as your Savior, you will not be

redeemed. Redemption is promised to all

and to no more than those who receive Christ according to His

Word. According to the true gospel, in

fact, Acts chapter 10 verse 43 says this, All the prophets

Acts 10:43

testify about him. Excuse me?

That everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins

through His name. So we must receive Christ by

faith. Redemption is promised to all

who do receive Christ. How we do this?

We receive Christ by grace alone, through faith alone in

Christ alone. To make that clear for you,

grace is the offering of the gift.

The fact that God offered his only begotten Son and belief is

the receiving of that gift, John says.

This in John chapter one verse 12.

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name.

He gave the right to become children of God.

Now I want you to understand what he's saying there.

Who gave them the right to become the children of God?

God himself. And how did he do this?

He did this by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ

alone, and for. Those who believe.

By grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, receiving

Christ as Lord and Savior, they have the promise of redemption.

And because it's grace, we know that it is a work of God, not a

work of man. As I said, grace is the offering

of that gift. Belief is the receiving of that

gift. The gift would have never been

offered had God not offered the gift.

And you would have never believed had God not birthed

faith in you to believe. Both His grace and your faith

are God wrought works. You say help us to have clarity

on that. Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8-9.

Ephesians 2:8–9

Paul makes it ever so clear when he says this, For it is by grace

you have been saved through faith.

What did I tell you? I told you that the promise of

redemption comes to all who by grace through faith, trust in

Christ. So he says for it is by grace

you have been saved through faith and this is not from

yourself. He's saying you didn't do this,

he goes on. He says it is the gift of God.

What is the gift of God? Many would argue.

Is the gift grace or is the gift faith?

Look at it in its context, grace through faith.

This is the gift of God. It is God who graced us with his

Son, and it is God who gives us and gifts to us graciously.

The faith to believe in his Son, promising redemption to all who

believe in Him by grace through faith.

So the true gospel promises redemption to those who receive

Christ, who receive him biblically by grace through

faith, but who also resolved to stand in Christ.

He says. Now, brothers, I want to remind

you of the gospel I preached to you, what you received and on

which you have taken your stand. He says where you were planted,

where you were planted, where you are steadfastly standing,

that same gospel that you believed, that you're continuing

in. Those who receive Christ will be

resolved to stand in Christ. You will take your stand on

Christ. Christ will dictate every stand

you take in your life, whether that is in your marriage, that

that is in your home, that is in the lives of your children, that

is in how your children will be educated, how they will be

raised, The life of this church. Those who truly have found

redemption in the promise of redemption in Christ, they will

receive Christ and then they will resolve to stand in Christ.

Those who aren't standing in Christ have no evidence that

they truly have received Christ. Paul addressing the Corinthians,

he says that's this is the gospel you received and the

gospel that you have taken your stand in.

This is why it's so important that we know what the true

gospel is, because if we don't know what the true gospel is,

how can we stand in the true gospel?

And if we believe a false gospel and we are standing in that, we

are standing in an untruth. We are basing our entire lives

on something that is not right and is not biblically accurate.

So the true gospel promises redemption to those who receive

Christ according to the Scriptures, receiving by grace

through faith, and that alone they resolved to stand in Christ

their entire life. This is true surrender.

I know in the American gospel this is left out so many times,

but if you're really going to stand in Christ, you have to

truly surrender to Christ. And we're going to see, as this

text unfolds, the men who have gone before us, who truly took

their stand in Christ, and they even took their stand unto

death. That one who has received Christ

will be resolved to stand in Christ forever, denying

yourself, denying your life, surrendering completely to

Christ. Jesus confirms this in Luke

Luke 9:23

Chapter 9 verse 23. It says Then he said to them

all, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves

and take up their cross daily and follow me.

It is a gospel of self denial and it is a gospel of daily

standing in Christ surrendered to him completely.

And if someone is preaching you another gospel that does not

have these elements, it is no true gospel at all.

It is some man made gospel that comes through the depraved minds

of human. True gospel promises redemption

to all who received. Christ receiving by grace

through faith and who resolved to stand in him for their entire

lives because those who truly have received Christ will

confidently stand in Christ all of their days.

According to Colossians chapter 2 verse 6 Paul giving

Colossians 2:6

instructions to the church there Colossae.

He says this so then, just as you received Christ Jesus as

Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built

up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and

overflowing with thankfulness. See to is that no one takes you

captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy which

depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces

of this world rather than on Christ.

What is Paul saying to those at Colossae?

He's saying take your stand in Christ.

Be resolved to stand. In the true gospel, do not

compromise on any of these things.

And haven't we seen enough compromised enough compromise in

the so-called American Church? Let us not fall into the trap of

being guilty of doing the same thing.

We cannot compromise on the gospel.

All says this gospel. That you received and on which

you've taken your stand. It's the true gospel.

He's Speaking of those who receive Christ, but he's also

Speaking of those who remain steadfast.

Now, what I'm about to teach you is not real popular in the

American Church, and I'll go ahead and just give you that

preface. But though it not be popular in

the American church, you're going to see that it is quite

biblical. He goes on in that second verse

and he says by this gospel you are saved.

But then there's a clause. And I don't want you to miss

this clause because I'm afraid that many have missed this

clause. He says by this gospel you were

saved. If you hold firmly to the Word,

I preach to you otherwise. You have believed in vain

otherwise. You have believed in vain.

So the true gospel in this element that we're looking at

promises redemption to all who received Christ again by grace

alone through faith alone, and Christ alone who are resolved to

stand in Christ, but also only to those who remain steadfast.

We have all but erased the sin of apostasy from the American

mind in the churches. What is an apostate?

I'll give you an example. Judas Iscariot, who looked the

part, who played the part, who do all the lingo.

He did all the things, but in the end he abandoned Christ for

30 pieces of silver. That is an apostate.

And So what we have in our modern time, we have many people

who think that they can walk an aisle, pray a prayer to ask

Jesus into their heart, and then live any way that they want to

live outside of the church, doing their own thing, never

giving one inclination of their thoughts to Christ ever again.

And I know it because I see it all the time.

And then a man in a black suit is going to get up at their

funeral and he's going to preach that that person is somehow

going to have eternal life. But I present to you the fact

biblically a person who only has a profession of Christ, who does

not continue in Christ holding firmly.

To the word that was preached to them, they have believed.

In vain. What does that mean?

That means that their faith is not true saving faith.

It is human reckoning. All they did is they said, yeah,

OK, historically, I believe there was a Jesus.

And biblically I see him on the pages.

And yeah, I think it's cool if I get to have eternal life.

And so I want eternal life. And so they do what someone

tells them to do, and they parrot some little prayer after

some man who told him to repeat after him.

But never was there a work of God in their life bringing them

to the promise of redemption in Christ.

And they won't remain steadfast. In fact, they have no true

saving faith at all. John said this.

Before someone accuses me of preaching that someone can be

saved and then lose salvation, I'll make it very clear to you

that is untrue. There are many people who can

make professions, and then by their life and their lifestyles

and their true beliefs, they can deny Christ, proving that they

never knew Him at all. Jesus didn't say depart from me,

you workers of iniquity, for I knew you at one time and then

you forgot about me, he says. Depart from me, you workers of

iniquity, for I never knew you. That's the language Jesus uses,

John says. They went out from us because

they were not of us. You know who John had in mind

there? I'm sure John had his old friend

Judas Iscariot in mind there. We spent over three years of his

life next to. So I'm not telling you that a

person comes to faith in Jesus Christ and can lose it.

I'm saying that a person can come to an intellectual

knowledge of the fact that Jesus Christ did exist and that he

did. Walk this earth, and that

perhaps he did die on a cross, and you still not have true God

wrought saving faith, because God wrought saving faith is not

a work of man, it is a work of God.

And the work that God does last forever.

That's why Paul says being confident of this, he who began

the good work in me will carry it on to completion.

And so if God has truly started this good work in you through

the preaching of the true gospel birthing in you.

True faith and true repentance. You're secured by that faith and

you'll remain steadfast. It's the hated doctrine of

perseverance that so many people don't like to entertain.

However, it is all over Scripture that God.

Preserves those who truly belong to Him securing them.

For all of their days. Because true saving faith does

just that, doesn't it? That's why the author of Hebrews

could say this. In Hebrews chapter 10, verse 39,

Hebrews 10:39

he could confidently say we do not belong to those who shrink

back and are destroyed, but to those who have.

Look at it faith and are saved, he says.

We don't belong to a group of people who are going to

apostatize. We belong to a group of people

who are truly saved. And because they are truly

saved, they will remain steadfast, holding firmly to the

word that was preached to them, and they will remain steadfast

all of their days, secured by the faith that saves them.

A man with intellectual faith alone says I have faith,

therefore I'm saved. The man who understands true

biblical faith says faith has me, therefore I am saved.

Aren't you thankful for those of you who are in Christ that faith

has you? You couldn't unbelieve if you

wanted to. Why?

Because it is a work of God, and that work of God secures us.

Therefore we remain steadfast as Paul was declaring here.

We're not going to be like the example in Luke chapter 8, verse

Luke 8:13

13. You know it as the parable of

the sower. He presents us with many

examples, but in 813 he gives us the example of the seed that

fell on the rock. I want you to pay.

Close attention to this it says those on the rock are the ones

who received the word with joy when they hear it, but they have

no root. They believe for a while, but in

the time of testing they fall away.

What happened? There was never a route.

It didn't say there was a route and it rotted.

The route doesn't rot. There was never a route.

There was never a life changing encounter with Christ.

It was never true faith. They heard the old ABC's of

Christianity and told, and we're told that if you don't submit to

this, Hell's your option. If you do submit to this,

heaven's your option. Now, I don't know about you, but

I can't speak for me without any spiritual activity going on in

my heart. I can tell you in my mind I can

reckon that heaven is a better option than hell.

But did you know the gospel was never intended as a message to

sell real estate in heaven instead of real estate in hell?

The gospel is a message about Christ and true surrender and

true repentance and true faith in Christ.

And if it's true faith, you'll be.

Secured by that faith. If it's true faith, you'll be

striving in that faith. It will be your entire life.

It's funny, in American Christianity, we look at someone

who their life is consumed by Christ and we look at them as if

they're an anomaly and say what is wrong with this person?

We use terms like they're radical.

No, they're not. They're biblical.

We think something that is biblical is radical.

It's not a person who truly comes to faith in Jesus Christ.

They will be striving in that faith.

They will abide in him. They will live in Him.

They will walk in Him. They will fellowship with him

constantly. That's true Christianity.

The problem is the American church has sold a false gospel,

so we have false converts. We have false Christianity.

True Christians will strive in the faith.

Hebrews chapter 3 verse 14 says We have come to share in Christ,

Hebrews 3:14

if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very

end. So, well, Kirk, I don't like all

these stipulations put on it. I don't care if we like it or

not. This is what Scripture says.

Jesus himself in Matthew chapter 24.

Matthew 24 · chapter mention

He who endures through the end will be saved.

What does that tell us? Those who make a hollow

profession and then they fall back into the world, they won't

be saved. Because the true gospel preaches

striving faith, the faith that Paul speaks of in Colossians

chapter one verse 22, when he says, but now he has reconciled

you by Christ's physical body through death, to present you

wholly in his sight, without blemish and free from

accusation. Watch if if you continue in your

faith established and firm. This is striving in the faith,

not moved from the hope held out in the gospel, he says.

This is the gospel that you heard and that has been

proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I,

Paul, have become a servant. He says this is the gospel.

That I, the apostle Paul preached to you that if you

strive and you continue in faith in this one true gospel,

remaining in the truth, never shrinking back, he.

Said you'll be saved, but for all of those who have fallen for

the bait and switch of pray this little prayer and ask Jesus in

your heart only to go back and live your life just as you've

always done. You won't strive in faith.

Soon as things get difficult and you're tested, you know what

you're going to do. You're going to run right back

to the world that you're familiar with.

You're going to bury yourself in it just like you've always been

buried in it. True believer will strive in the

faith, persevering in the faith, remaining in the truth.

And so the true gospel promises redemption to all who come to

Christ, believing that he is the Christ, the Son of God.

The one who came to. Offer Himself as a sacrifice to

rescue and redeem helpless sinners.

That promise of redemption is for all who trust in Him and

continue in their faith. For all who trust in Him and

continue in their faith, they will be saved because continuing

in your faith is the proof that your faith truly is genuine.

We move to the second element today as we examine the true

gospel according to Paul. Element #2 The true gospel

always, just as it always, promises redemption.

The true gospel always preaches Christ.

Without the preaching of Christ, there is no true gospel.

Paul says for what I received in verse three, I passed on to you

as of first importance that Christ died for our sins of

first importance. Now when you see Paul say

something is of first importance, you might want to

listen up. He says that Christ died for our

sins according to the scriptures.

Underline that according to the scriptures.

What scriptures are he is he referencing here?

What are we talking about? He's not talking about the New

Testament because he's pinning the New Testament right now

under the power of the Holy Spirit.

So he's obviously talking about the Old Testament scriptures

that we talked about last week that prophesied the cry.

We know that those scriptures did declare that Christ died for

our sins, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third

day. According to here it is again

the Scriptures. And so a gospel message, a true

gospel message must contain the element of Christ centered

preaching. Let me help you out the gospel

message. This is going to force some of

you. Are you ready?

Is not your testimony. I'm glad your life has changed.

I'm glad you're different than you used to be.

There's lots of people who are different than they used to be

and they've never heard the one true gospel.

They found Alcoholics Anonymous or they found some other kind of

help for whatever problem that they had.

The one true gospel is not your testimony.

It's not your story. Stop thinking that when you

share your testimony that there's power in your testimony.

There's not power in your testimony.

Paulson I'm not ashamed of the gospel.

Why? It is the power of God, the

gospel. Now you may be involved in that

meaning that you heard the gospel story and the power of

God revealed through the gospel saved your soul.

Share that story. Why?

Because it points all the glory to Christ and it takes the glory

away from you. So it's not your story and it's

not your testimony. The true gospel will be centered

around. Christ.

So many modern gospels leave this out, don't they?

It's about us. It's about our life and it's

about our eternal existence, and it's about what makes us.

Happy or that makes us content or full of joy.

That's not the gospel that Paul. Has preached to these

Corinthians that they have believed because the true gospel

preaches Christ and places him in a preeminent.

Position Paul says it's of first importance that you can't have a

gospel unless you preach. Christ, that's for all of you

who know you should share the gospel with your lost family

members or your lost friends, and instead of sharing the

gospel, you invite them to church.

Inviting someone to church is not sharing the one true gospel.

Did you hear that? I'm glad you're inviting them to

church. But you know what I would

rather? And you know what God's Word

would rather you do? Sure.

With Him the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation.

Sure, within the gospel and when they believe on the Lord Jesus

Christ, then invite him to church because then they're a

part of the church, then they'll fit in just fine.

Around here. You're afraid to preach Christ?

What if it offends people? What if it does?

What if it bothers them? What if it does stop?

Thinking like that, what if they hear the true gospel and they

see the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus

Christ, and God uses that to open their eyes to their need

for a savior and they repent of their sin and they turn to that

risen Savior for salvation that day?

Stop using your what ifs incorrectly.

What if by design you go out and you share the gospel boldly and

by design God adds to the number of believers, those who are

being saved. So the preaching of the gospel

will always be an element of the true gospel.

The preaching of the gospel will contain a proclamation first of

Jesus sacrificial death. We have people standing in

pulpits today who claim to be preaching the gospel who are not

going to talk about the sacrificial death of Jesus.

Christ at all. Can I help you?

If you are not declaring the sacrificial atoning work of

Jesus Christ for the Sinner, you're not preaching.

The true gospel. You are entertaining.

People in a social club that you call a church.

Preaching of the gospel will contain a proclamation of Jesus

sacrificial death. Every time you present the

gospel, you will present the death of Jesus Christ.

Paul says this is a first importance, what I received and

how do you receive it? From Christ himself.

He says, and I passed it on to you as of first importance, that

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

What does that tell us? This sacrificial death provides

atonement. For sinners, what does that

mean? Atonement.

Such a big churchy word, right? And in modern churches, what

we're supposed to do is not give you churchy words.

Instead, what we do around here, we give you churchy words and we

tell you what they mean. How about that?

You actually walk out the door and you understand the

substitutionary atoning work of Jesus Christ, and we don't water

it down. We'll just tell you exactly what

it means. When we talk about the atoning

work of Jesus Christ, the fact that He was the propitiation for

our sin, what does that mean? Means that Christ presented

himself on a cross, died a brutal death under the weight of

our sin, and that in his death the Father's justice was

satisfied. Now I want you to pay attention

to that because a lot of people think like this in the American

church. They think this, that Jesus

because of grace just overlooks your sin and you get to go to

heaven. If you hear anybody preach that

that is not the gospel. He doesn't just turn the cheek

away and not notice your sin. In fact, He noticed your sin,

and He noticed your sin to such a degree that he came to this

earth, and He died to bear the punishment and the wrath that

belonged to you because of your sin.

He didn't just look away from it, He took it upon himself.

That's what substitutionary atonement really is.

Why would I water that down? So that you can feel good about

yourself? No, he who knew no sin became

sin so that we might become the righteousness of God.

That's the gospel Jesus. Atoning work on the cross

satisfied the Father's justice, Isaiah said it pleased the Lord

to crush him. He was pleased because Christ

bore the wrath. Of all those who the Father

desired to save, making it possible so that they could be

reconciled with the Father, you want to talk about an atonement.

You can't talk about atonement without reconciliation.

It is through the blood sacrifice of Jesus.

Christ, I promise I don't have tuberculosis, I don't think.

It is through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

That we are. Reconciled with the Father.

Why? Because sin severed that

relationship, didn't it? Go back to the Garden, see Adam

and Eve and see what happened. But Christ, there was death on a

cross. That sacrificial death

reconciled us to the Father, making atonement for the Sinner,

bringing to us expiation. Expiation.

What in the world, pastor? Our sin removed, the guilt and

the punishment of that sin removed and placed on the back

of Christ fulfilling the picture of the scapegoat in Leviticus

Leviticus 16 · chapter mention

chapter 16. If you know the Bible, where the

sin of the entire nation was placed on the back of that

scapegoat and he was sent off never to return again.

Christ being our scapegoat who bore the punishment and the

wrath that belonged to us through His sacrificial death.

So the true gospel preaches Christ first.

It preaches Christ sacrificial death, the fact that Jesus truly

died as a sacrifice in our place willingly to appease the

Father's wrath so that we could be reconciled to the same

Father. The preaching of the gospel will

contain this always. If you hear something called

gospel preaching that doesn't talk about the death and the

sacrifice of Jesus Christ, it's not gospel preaching.

But it will also include another element that Paul shows us here,

not only Jesus sacrificial death, but also Jesus sure

resurrection. He says in verse four that he

was buried and he was raised on the third day according to the

scriptures. Why did he mention the fact that

he was buried? It's pretty simple, isn't it?

Do we bury people? Who are alive?

No. Only dead people get buried.

This is for all the skeptics who say that Jesus didn't really

die. He just was knocked into an

unconscious state and they're in the coolness of the tomb.

The coolness revived him, and then he walked out, never to

really have died. That's heresy.

That's not true. Or that his disciples somehow

stole him. He wasn't really resurrected

from the. Dead.

That's all False, and the true gospel declares that his sure

resurrection. Can I insert this?

Everything that we hope on and everything that we bank on as

Christians revolves around the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

If Jesus Christ wouldn't have walked out of that tomb, you

would have no claim to eternal life.

You would have no claim to any hopeless salvation, any claim to

forgiveness of sin. You would have no claim to

anything that belonged to God. I know you're you're floored

right now. We're always supposed to talk

about these things on Easter, pastor, every Lord's day, we are

to talk about these things. We're to talk about our

resurrected Savior and the life that we have in him because we

died with him. We were buried with him and we

were risen to new life in him with him.

So Paul's saying here, the gospel you believe included this

must include it. His sure resurrection.

First Peter chapter 1 verse 3 says His praise be the God and

1 Peter 1:3

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In His great mercy He has given

us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of

Jesus Christ from the dead, new birth into a living hope.

We just sang about that living hope a moment ago.

Why is our hope alive? Because the one who we put our

hope in is alive. So we must preach the sure

resurrection of Jesus Christ, that because he is alive, we are

alive. What does this resurrection do

for us? Well, it affirms his person and

His power, doesn't it? We talked about that last week,

that the true gospel is faith in the person and the work of Jesus

Christ. And part of the work of Jesus

Christ is the fact that He walked out of that tomb, isn't

it? I know what many people say.

Well, that's just almost unbelievable.

It is. It's foolishness to those who

are perishing, but it's not foolishness to those of us who

are in Christ. We know that our Savior lives

because His Word declares it, just as it was predicted in the

Old Testament Psalm 16. Verse 8 just skip to 10 where he

says because you will not abandon me to the realm of the

dead, nor will it will you let your faithful one see decay.

That is a prophecy in the Psalms of the Lord Jesus Christ who did

not see decay. In fact, that's one of the

things that he would have spoken with the believers about there

in Luke chapter 24 when he met with them in that house where

Luke 24 · chapter mention

they were all afraid. The Old Testament predicted sure

resurrection of Christ. Isaiah 53.

You saw last week in Isaiah 53 the suffering servant.

If you keep reading in 53 you also see the risen Savior.

It says yet it was the Lords will and verse 10 to crush him

and calls him to suffer. And though the Lord makes his

life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and

prolong his days in the will of the Lord will prosper in his

hand and after he has suffered he will see the light of life

and be satisfied by his knowledge.

My righteous servant will justify many and he will bear

their iniquities. After he has suffered he will

see the light of life. The prophets declaring sure

resurrection of Jesus Christ before the gospel message must

preach the sure resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It affirms this person is power, but also assures eternal life to

those who believe. I told you before, you have no

eternal life if Christ is not alive.

You have no mediator of a new covenant.

You have no intercessor to your. Prayers.

You're in heap of trouble. You're exactly what you once

were. Unfortunately, that's what some

of you still are. But you've always been.

The resurrection of Christ assures eternal life for those

who believe, just as promised in His Word.

Does He not promise eternal life to all those who by faith

believe and trust in Him? John chapter 3, verse 36.

John 3:36

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever

rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on

them. What is He saying?

And those who reject the Son, the wrath of God is already upon

you. He doesn't have to deliver His

wrath to you. You're walking in it.

But to those of you who receive His Son by true faith, believing

in the resurrected risen Savior, what does He say to you?

There's no more wrath upon you, because He bore the wrath on the

cross and He bore the wrath on the cross through then He died

and then He was buried, and then He rose again, and you rose with

them, assuring you eternal life. So the sure resurrection of

Christ gives us that assurance, doesn't it?

First, John chapter 5, verse 11. John says this, and this is the

John 5:11

testimony. God has given us eternal life

and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life.

Whoever does not have the Son. Does not have life.

It's that simple, isn't it? Here in the sun, you have life.

Here in the sun properly. What is being in the sun

properly? Recognizing his death, his

burial and his resurrection. My faith, earnestly believing in

that, gives us the assurance of eternal life.

I'm thankful for that. How about you?

I'm thankful that for that every time I read the Gospel accounts

of Jesus walking out of that tomb, that tomb being empty when

his friends and his followers showed up there that next

morning. I'm thankful for that because of

the fact that because he lives, I'm in him and I too live.

I don't ever forget that we have to trust in and to preach the

sure. Resurrection of Christ because

there's no eternal life without it.

This is for what I received. I passed on to you as a first

importance that Christ died for our sins according to the

scriptures that he was buried and that he was raised on the

third day according to the scriptures.

He's saying it's all according to the word of God.

He's a sacrificial death. Jesus, sure, resurrection,

firming his person and his power, assuring eternal life

promise to all who believe, but not only that, even giving us

confidence of a future physical bodily resurrection.

I told you the context of this, of this is Paul telling the

Corinthians that yes, there will be a bodily resurrection that

brings hope, doesn't it? Because we preach the doctrine

of glorification. It's going to be very difficult

for us to be glorified in our body if we don't have a body

that is then glorified. But I love that scripture is

very clear on this. I'm just going to give you some

thought and before we leave this section, John chapter 5, verse

John 5:28

28, the Lord says this, do not be amazed at this for a time is

coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and

come out. Those who have done what is

goodwill rise to live and those who have done what is evil will

rise to be condemned. Great cut and dried, isn't it?

There will be a future bodily resurrection.

Those who are in Christ will be raised to eternal life.

Those who are not in Christ will be raised through eternal death.

That's why John calls it the second death.

In the Lake of Fire. First Thessalonians chapter 4,

1 Thessalonians 4:16

verse 16 says this. For the Lord himself will come

down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the

Archangel, with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ

will rise first. After that, we who are still

alive and are left will be caught up together with them in

the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

And so we will be with the Lord forever.

What does that sound like? That sounds like we're coming

out of the grave. Why?

Because just as Christ came out of the grave bodily, we too will

come out of the grave bodily in His own image, conformed to him.

And it's because of His sure resurrection that we have that

hope of a future resurrection, that hope that Paul talked about

when he spoke to the Corinthians in the 15th chapter again down

there in verse 52 in this text concerning the resurrection.

He says this in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye at the last

trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the

dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be

changed. For the perishable must clothe

itself with imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

And when the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable

and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written

will come true. Death has been swallowed up in

victory. Where O death is your victory?

Where, O death is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and

the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, he gives

us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, our risen Savior.

So true gospel message, we'll always preach the sure

resurrection of Jesus Christ. It will always preach Jesus

sacrificial death. Thomas Watson said this.

The true gospel, it will preach Christ.

He says this. We are more sure to arise out of

our graves than out of our beds. We're more sure to rise out of

our graves as believers than out of our beds.

You might not have gotten out of bed this morning, but if you're

truly in Christ because of the sure resurrection of Jesus

Christ, you can have confidence of this that day that you don't

get out of your bed. You will one day still get out

of the grave according to what God's Word promises.

That's why He says according to the Scriptures.

So we see that element #2 of the true gospel always preaches

Christ #3 and we'll close. The true gospel produces

disciples I don't want you to miss.

This. Because that is the entire point

of the gospel. That is what Jesus commissioned

his disciples to do, to go into all the world and preach the

good news in order to make disciples.

Verse 5 he says and that that he appeared talking about the risen

Savior. He appeared to Peter, then to

the 12:00, and after that he appeared to more than 500 of the

brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though

some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James.

This was talking about his brother James, or half brother

as you know him, and then to all the apostles.

And last of all he appeared to me also talking about Paul as

the one abnormally born. For I am the least of the

apostles and do not even desire to be called an apostle because

I persecuted the Church of God, he says.

But by the grace of God, I am what I am.

It's what Paul sees there and what he's proclaiming.

I don't deserve to even be called an apostle, but God in

his grace has made me one, he says.

And his grace to me was not without effect.

It did exactly what God desires for it to do.

There's no one who is here who is the recipient of God's grace

that that it hasn't truly affected you.

It's not without effect. He says.

No, I worked harder than all of them.

He's not braggadocious here. He's giving God glory.

Watch yet not I, but the grace of God that was in me.

He said God graced me with apostleship and He graced me

with a hard work ethic so that I would reach multitudes for His.

Glory, he says. Whether then it was I or they me

or the other apostles or the people that I mentioned, this is

what we preach. I love that they're all on the

same page. I wish the churches in this

world would get on the same page about the gospel.

This is what we preach. They're not divided on this.

They can't be divided on this. And this is what you believe.

You say this is the gospel. You believe the gospel we

preach. This is the death, the burial,

the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This is what God uses to make other.

Disciples and the true gospel will always produce disciples.

We are not here. Are you listening, Church?

We are not here to produce church members.

Everybody go like this. We are here to produce disciples

of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are enough people trying

to make church hip, cool, and relevant so that they can

produce more church members. We're not going to do that.

We're going to proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ

as described and explained in Scripture, and he's going to add

to our numbers those who he desires to say.

He's going to make disciples. That's our objective.

And in order to make disciples, you have to preach the gospel.

And if you are preaching the gospel, it will always result in

the making of disciples. Always.

Produces disciples. It produces disciples who have

seen Christ. Look at this revelation here

that he's explaining. He's talking about those who saw

the risen Savior and this revelation that they received

was based on the revelation of Christ and Christ coming to them

graciously. Jesus reveals himself to true

disciples. Matthew Chapter 11, verse 27.

Matthew 11:27

Look what the Lord says. All things have been committed

to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the

Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those

to whom the Son. Chooses to reveal him.

All of those examples that Paul just listed, those disciples,

all of them disciples of Christ, Christ chose to reveal himself

to them. Oh, I got him in order again.

He revealed himself to Peter, to the 12, to the 500, to James, to

the other apostles, and then to Paul in a unique.

Sort of way, but all who received the revelation of Jesus

Christ, the true revelation of Jesus Christ, will become

disciples of Christ. Because when he truly reveals

himself to you, there is no doubt in your mind who he is.

How many of you would say, well, you know, Kirk, I've never had

this apparition of the Lord like you're talking about these

people seeing you. You've had an apparition of the

Lord today, as the apostle Paul has taught you from the first

Corinthian letter, chapter 15. And God has revealed himself to

you through his word by his Spirit.

You're seeing Christ today. The fact that he lived and that

he died and that he was buried and that he rose again, you're

seeing Christ. But I pray that you're seeing

Christ with more than your human eyes this morning.

I pray that like these who Paul mentions, you're seeing God by

or Christ by God's grace. Did you know this?

Jesus didn't have to go to any of those men.

None of them. He chose to reveal himself to

them. He went to them.

He went to Peter. And why is that so important?

You know the story of Peter, He had faltered and he had failed,

and he had denied that he even knew Christ.

But yet one morning on the shore of Galilee, Jesus made a

breakfast appointment that Peter didn't know anything about.

Oh, you remember the story where Peter jumped out of the boat and

he swam to Jesus, and Jesus restored him by the same grace

that had saved him? Jesus graciously revealing

himself to Peter, to the other 12.

Why that? Why is that mentioned?

Precisely because they were all in a room, huddled together,

afraid. What were they afraid of?

They were going to be killed. They had just seen their Lord

and their master brutally crucified.

They're running for their life. Jesus walked through the walls

and appeared in the room. According to Luke's gospel in

the 24th chapter. He began to comfort them.

How did he comfort them? By revealing himself to them.

By letting them know that I am the one, the risen Savior, the

one that the prophets and Moses and the Psalm spoke of.

I am him. You need not fear any longer.

Don't be afraid. 500 other believers, you say, Who are

they? I don't know.

No one does. They're a group of believers.

I know what it does tell me. It tells me that the disciples

of Christ were doing their job because all of a sudden there's

500 other believers. They were sharing the true

gospel. Jesus reveals himself to them

and then to his brother James. Oh, his little brother James

that had doubted that he was truly the Messiah.

Did you know that about Jesus? Even his own brother John

John 7 · chapter mention

Chapter 7 confirms this in verse 5.

Princess or even his own brothers did not believe in him.

Jesus is kind enough and gracious enough to reveal

himself to his brother James. And to say, James, I know that

you haven't had faith in me up until this point, but you're

going to believe now. And from that point on, James

the brother of Jesus. And we know when we read the

epistle of James, it is he that wrote that epistle under the

inspiration of the Holy Spirit, this James who lived his life

for the glory of God and for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Why? Because Jesus revealed himself

to him, revealed himself to the other apostles for 40 days and

40 nights. Acts tells us that, doesn't it?

Acts chapter one, verse 3. After suffering, he presented

himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was

alive. And he appeared to them over a

period of 40 days and spoke about the Kingdom of God.

Jesus took the time to reveal himself, his disciples, and

those who saw him and truly saw him, they believed.

So the Gospel produces disciples, disciples who have

seen Christ. You say, what about us?

Didn't he graciously appear to you?

I know that He graciously appeared to me one day.

I'm not talking about in any weird, kooky, charismatic sort

of way. I'm talking about into the

depths of my being. For His Spirit crushed me and

convinced me of how sinful I truly was.

And He quickened me to new life to see that I needed a Savior

and that there is a Savior who loves me and not only loved me,

that He gave Himself for me on a cross.

And He died in my place to bear the wrath of the sin that

belonged to me. And then He was buried.

And then He rose again. And upon hearing that message, I

saw Christ personally for the very first time, although I

didn't see Him with my human eyes.

I longed for that day when I get to look at Him with my glorified

eyes after that bodily resurrection where I get to see

Him face to face. No, no, I haven't gotten to see

Him face to face because He did not appear to me in that way.

Oh, He has revealed Himself to me, allowing me to believe,

trust in Him to be one of His disciples.

Isn't that what happens when the gospel, the true gospel, goes

forth? Disciples are made.

Christ, by the grace of God, reveals himself to those who

hear that message, the message of one who has, like those

mentioned by Paul in this passage, witnessed the risen

Savior, witnessed his life and his ministry.

Oh, he graciously appears to us through his word, confirmed by

his Spirit, revealing the risen Christ to us, bearing witness

that our Savior truly is alive. I wish I was more eloquent in

saying that like Alfred Ackley when he said he lives, He lives.

Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me and talks with

me a long life's narrow way. He lives.

He lives salvation to impart. You ask me how I know He lives.

He lives within my heart, and He does because He took out that

heart of stone full of sin and full of envy and full of

wickedness and full of hate. He placed within me a heart of

flesh where He now abides by His Spirit.

And I know that He lives because He lives within me.

Oh, he makes disciples, producing them out of those who

have seen Christ, producing disciples who not only have seen

Christ, but who serve as witnesses of Christ.

That's our job, that's our duty. How do we do that?

We share the good news of the gospel.

We don't share stories. We don't share things that don't

mean anything. We share the very words of life,

the gospel, the death, the burial, the resurrection of

Jesus Christ, and the fact that if man does not believe and

trust in him. He will perish.

In his sin for all eternity we share the good news of the

gospel is that not what Jesus said would happen and the Spirit

comes upon his believers in Acts chapter one verse 8.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you,

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and

Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

True disciple will be a true witness of Christ.

They will be able to say I know He lives because I have seen him

through his word and it has been confirmed, confirmed by his

Spirit. I am His and He is mine, and I

just want to tell you about Him and how He saved sinners because

I'm thankful that someone once told me this old gospel message.

Are you serving as a witness of Christ, sharing the good news,

powered by the Spirit, making disciples?

I'm going to say a bold statement here.

There's no burning desire to do that in your life.

Don't dare claim to know the risen Savior because all of

these examples of those who knew the risen Savior, you know what

they did, they spent their entire lifetime even giving

their life as witnesses of the risen Savior of the Lord Jesus

Christ was displayed by their entire lives evidenced by the

change that he brings. Doesn't he bring a change when

you encounter the risen Savior, Amen.

I won't wait on you this morning.

The scripture confirms that if we're in Christ, we're a new

creation. All the old is gone.

Behold, all things have been made new.

Have you been made new? The surrendering to Christ after

hearing the gospel message. Is there an evident change in

your life? Have you truly been saved under

the power of the gospel? It was displayed by their entire

lives. They unashamedly continue to be

witnesses for Christ and His resurrection.

Why? Because the true gospel always

produces disciples who produce disciples who produce disciples.

Aren't you thankful that we're here because that's true.

Had someone 4 generations ago apart from me in the past not

shared the gospel when they had the opportunity to share the

gospel, I might not have ever heard the gospel.

I'm thankful that in God's plan He is always raising up those

who have seen the risen Savior, either by sight as these

examples or by faith as us. That's why Jesus said blessed

are you who have seen me and believed, but even more blessed

are those who believe and have not seen.

It was displayed by their lives. It should be displayed by ours.

It was declared by their message, teaching others the

good news, not shying away from that, appointing sinners to

Christ constantly. Luke chapter 24 and I'm done.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

He says this, He told them, This is what is written.

The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,

and repentance for for the forgiveness of sins will be

preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

You are witnesses of these things.

All of you, under the sound of my voice, are now witnesses of

these things, that Christ died, He was buried, and that he rose

again for all who would believe by faith and trust in him as

Lord and Savior. Gospel that doesn't produce

disciples is no gospel. Turn from your sin.

Turn from your life. And follow the risen Savior

today as one of his disciple. To the believer today as we

close, I take the time to walk through these truths for you

because we live in a world where there are so many gospels and it

can be quite overwhelming and it can be quite confusing.

But I ask you this question, does your gospel that you

believe, that you proclaim to others, and hopefully that you

continually proclaim to yourself, does your gospel look

like this gospel? Does it contain these elements,

the promise of redemption, preaching of Christ, the

production of disciples? Does your gospel look like this

gospel? This is the true gospel to the

unbeliever. I pray today that you have heard

the gospel, that you have seen the gospel.

My prayer for you is this, that Christ in all of his mercy would

reveal the truth to you today. And He is that truth that he

would reveal himself to you today, drawing you out of the

darkness of your sin and drawing you into his marvelous light to

be saved, to be forgiven. As you humbly surrender to him

as your Lord and Savior. May you repent and may you

believe on the Lord Jesus Christ today.

Let's pray together. Father, in the name of Jesus, we

thank you for your word, but I thank You for the strength that

has allowed me to endure as Your Word has gone forth today.

We know that it comes by you and You alone.

God, I ask that you use it for your glory, that you use it to

call others disciples to your feet, to wash them, to cleanse

them of their sin as they surrender to and as they live

for and as they serve the risen Savior for all eternity.

But may you have mercy on sinners today.

May you encourage Saints today by the hearing of the gospel.

Once again we pray all these things in Christ name, Amen.

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