Look in verse three once again. For I delivered unto you first
of all. This is what is of first importance. And the reason I'm delivering
it as of first importance is because that's what Christ delivered
to me. I'm delivering to you what he
gave me to deliver to you as of first importance. I've heard men take the word
of God and say, well, this is of critical importance. This
is primary. This is of secondary importance. And I think when I hear people
do that, are you able to make that judgment? Will you stand
in judgment of God's word and say, this part is important and
that part is of secondary importance? No, if God said it, it is of
critical importance, every word. From Genesis 1-1 to Revelation
22-21, God used the whole Bible to preach the gospel to us. In this passage of scripture
though, Paul gives us what Christ gave to him as of first importance. Now, that should get our careful
attention. This is what Paul was given to
Paul was given this by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ tells him,
this is what is of first importance. Now, as I said last week. All the way down through verse
25, every word begins with a conjunction. This is actually one of Paul's
famous run-on sentences that goes on forever with conjunctions. Paul wasn't concerned about grammar,
and this is the way God the Holy Spirit had him say it. But this
is one sentence that doesn't even end until verse 25. So everything
from 1 through 25 is what he calls of first importance. And
the last thing he says in verse 25 is, for he must reign. Don't
you love that? He must. reign till he hath put
all enemies under his feet. So everything said in 1 Corinthians
1, verses 1 through 25 is what Paul said is of first importance
and certainly ought to get our careful attention. Now, we looked
at verses 1 and 2 last week. Let me read them. We're not going
to get past verse 4 tonight. But moreover, brethren, I declare,
I make known unto you the gospel which I preached unto you. It's
the same message now that it was when I first preached to
you. It is the eternal gospel. And understand this, if a gospel
can be modified or changed in any way, it's not the gospel
of God. I make known unto you the gospel which I preached unto
you, which also you have received as gospel. And wherein you stand,
you stand in the gospel, you've taken your stand for the gospel,
by which also you're saved. This gospel is what has saved
you. If you keep in memory what I
preached unto you, if you persevere in this gospel, unless you believed
in vain. He's not saying, you know, that you can have faith
and it all be in vain. And so the whole Bible of that,
you know, that's not what he means, but he means if you don't
believe this, whatever faith you have, it's vain faith. It's
not the faith of God's elect. Now let's look at verse three
and four. This is what I want us to consider. For I delivered unto you, like a mailman delivers a letter. He doesn't have anything to do
with content. He simply delivers what has been given to him to
deliver. I delivered unto you. First of all, of primary importance,
that which I also received, that which Christ himself delivered
unto me. And here it is, it's how that. Christ died for our sins according
to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again
the third day according to the scriptures. Now last week I was
driving and I saw a bumper sticker And on that bumper sticker, it
said, Christ died for our sins. That's scripture. We just read
it. Christ died for our sins. That's all it said. Christ died
for our sins. Is anything wrong with that? What if I read to you all people are admitted to enter
this place. And I left out, except for people
who are over 50. If all I put was all people are freely come in, all people can
gain entrance into this place. If I gave that, but I left out
the other part, I haven't given the truth, have I? Now with this
bumper sticker, how that, I mean, Christ died for our sins according
to scripture, that was taking a half a verse and making it
meaningless. It's not Christ died for our
sins. It's how that Christ died for
our sins, according to the scriptures. All the difference in the world. Now, first. What is meant by
the pronoun, or who is meant by the pronoun, our? How that
Christ died for our sins, according to the scripture. Paul did not
say Christ died for everybody's sins, did he? He said he died
for our sins, according to the scriptures. That's the language
the Bible uses. Now, our, who is meant by our? If I won the lottery, And I looked
at Lynn and Aubrey, the immediate members of our family. I said,
this money is ours. Could you say I'm included in
that, ours? No. You weren't included in that. I was just talking to my family.
Well, you said ours. Am I in on that? No, you're not.
No, you're not. Who is our? Christ died for our
sins, just in regular language, the way that we use that. You
can't look at that as everybody. Paul didn't say everybody when
he said Christ died for our sins, according to the scripture. Who is the our? Who is meant? I can tell you
very easily, everybody he died for. Everybody. He died for. Listen to this scripture. Who
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Now, who's been
spoken to? The elect. Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justified them. Who is he that can condemn? It's
Christ that died, yea, rather that's risen again, who's even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession us. Who? The elect. If God be for us, who can be
against us? So when we're looking at this
passage of scripture, it's of critical importance that we understand
who is meant by our. He doesn't say everybody, but
it's everybody he died for. All of the elect. Now most of what goes on under
the name of Christianity, and you know this as well as I do,
here's the message. God loves you. Christ died for
you. God the Holy Spirit is calling
you. Salvation is offered to you.
Forgiveness is offered to you. Have you ever said to anybody,
I offer to you forgiveness? You've never said that to anybody
in your life. You either forgive or you don't. It doesn't really
have anything to do with whether they receive it or whether they
don't receive it. In your heart, you just forgive. You don't say,
I'm offering you forgiveness. Are you going to take it? No,
I forgive you or I do not forgive you. But yet the message preached
in our day, God loves you. Christ died for you. God the
Holy Spirit's calling you. He's offering you forgiveness.
He's offering you salvation. All you gotta do is take it.
Reach out and take it. And if you reject it, it's on
you. The gift's for you. And if you reject it, it's your
fault. If you'll just take it, you will
be saved. This big general offer of salvation. And that's an accurate assessment
of most of what goes on under the name of preaching the gospel.
God loves everybody. Christ died for everybody and
so on. You know that. Now, let's take one man we know
was saved and one man we know was not saved. I know Peter was
saved. You know that, don't you? Peter.
And I know Judas was not saved. The Lord called him, not clean,
you're not all clean. He said, I know whom I've chosen
and Judas wasn't one of them. I know whom I've chosen. He's
called the son of perdition. There is no doubt that Judas
was not saved. And I mean, we can, we can feel
sorry for Judas on some levels, knowing that we're just as bad
as he is by nature. And we can think all those different
kinds of thoughts, but whatever, whatever else comes to your mind,
Judas wasn't saved. Peter was, Judas wasn't. Now,
if God loved Judas and Peter, what did God's love do for Judas? Nothing. Nothing. If God wanted Judas and Peter
both saved, if he willed the salvation of Judas and the salvation
of Peter, what's the will of God have to do with salvation?
It doesn't even enter the equation. It's what Peter did. Peter accepted
the gift. Judas didn't. The difference
was not in the will of God. The difference was not in the
love of God. It's what Peter did that Judas didn't do. What
if Jesus Christ paid for the sins of Judas and paid for the
sins of Peter equally? What's the blood of Christ have
to do with salvation? That actually makes the atoning work of Christ
meaningless. If he shed his precious blood
for Judas, for the forgiveness of sins, and Judas winds up in
hell anyway, what's that say about the blood of Christ? It
says it's insufficient. It says it will not save. If God the Holy Spirit is calling
them both, and Judas goes to hell and Peter goes to heaven,
what's the Holy Spirit have to do with salvation? It's what
you do. That is a message of salvation
by works. Now that's how important it is
for us to understand just who is meant by the pronoun our.
Christ died for our sins. I wanna be one of those people,
don't you? I wanna be somebody that he died for, that he represented. I wanna call on his name. I'm not gonna sit there and say,
well, but what if I'm not? That's not fair. No, Lord, save
me. Have mercy on me. So something
that simple is the difference between preaching the gospel
and not preaching the gospel. Who is meant by our? Christ died
for our sins, according to the scriptures. It's how that Christ died for
our sins, according to the scriptures, the Christ Who is Jesus Christ? That's what is of first importance.
As a matter of fact, this is the most critical of all things.
Who is Jesus Christ? What is meant by Christ? Christ,
you know it's the anointed, God's prophet, God's priest, God's
king. But who is Jesus Christ? Because if I can answer that,
I can answer every other question. Who is Jesus Christ? That tells
me who God is. That tells me who I am. It tells
me how he saves sinners if I know who he is. He's God's prophet. He's God's priest. He's God's
king. Oh, I love to think of him as
the prophet, the very word of God, the prophet of which Moses
spake. No prophet like this prophet.
Every other prophet said, thus saith the Lord. He said, I say
unto you. All the difference in the world.
He's the priest after the order of Melchizedek. He didn't bring
the blood of an animal. He brought his own blood. And
he who brought his own blood lives and he presents it before
the father. He's God's priest. If he represents
you, you must be saved. He's God's king. The one whose
will must be done. It's Christ that died. Now listen to this scripture. Who is he that condemneth? Bring
it on. Who is he that condemneth? What
was his answer? It's Christ that died. That's
the only answer that's needed. I need no other argument. I need
no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died
and that he died for me. It's Christ that died. I could die for you. It won't
do your soul any good. I've got my own sins. If Christ
died for you, you must be saved. It is Christ that died for our
sins. Not Christ died for our sins,
how that Christ died for our sins. And listen to this. This
is what's of first importance. It's how that Christ died for
our sins. That's the most mysterious thing
that Jesus Christ could die. You know, there's so much mystery
involved even in life. You know, it's life. I think
of people thinking life began with some kind of chemical something in some primordial
stew and all of a sudden we have life. And no. How does life die? I don't even
know. But Him who is independent life, Him who is God, He died. Now that's what's of first importance.
He really died, graveyard dead. They took Him down from the cross,
a dead corpse. Why? There's only one reason
for death, sin. He bore our sins in his own body
on the tree and Jesus Christ died. How that Christ died for our
sins. Every sin that I've ever committed
he bore in his own body on the tree He never committed a sin
himself you and I know that but he bore all the shame and the
embarrassment and the humiliation and the feeling of Separation
and the feeling of being forsaken, you know, how you your sin makes
you feel separated from God He felt that infinitely more than
you or I ever could have he died for our sins The wages of sin
is death. He paid the wages of sin. Now here's the gospel. It's not
Christ died for our sins. It's how that Christ died for
our sins according to the Scriptures. Now remember, the New Testament
had not yet been fully completed, and all he's talking about is
the Old Testament Scriptures. You and I can't really understand
the death of Christ apart from the Old Testament Scriptures,
and we could go in so many directions. and how that Christ died for
our sins according to the scriptures. And the first thing that comes
to my mind is Isaiah 53. Would you turn with me there
real quick? Isaiah 53. Written 700 years before the
death of Christ. Verse four, surely he, had borne our griefs and carried
our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God
and afflicted, but he was wounded for our transgressions. He was
bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him and with his stripes we are healed All we like sheep,
Isaiah's including himself, all we like sheep have gone astray.
We've turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid
on him the iniquity of us all. Who's the us all? Verse nine,
he made his grave. with the wicked, with the rich,
and his death, because he done no violence, neither was any
deceit in his mouth, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him, to crush
him. He hath put him to grief. When
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed,
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of
his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many for he shall bear their iniquities. Now that's
how he died for our sins according to the scripture. Just as Isaiah
53 describes it. And we have so many stories.
And the next thing that came to my mind to understand how
the Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures was
the Passover. You take that lamb and read about
it in Exodus chapter 12. and you watch it for 14 days. Now why 14 days? Numbers always
mean something in the scripture. I don't always know what that
means, but I know what this one means. 14 days is two sevens. That's talking about the perfect
humanity and the perfect deity of Jesus Christ. Two sevens,
14. You watch that lamb for those
14 days, no blemish, no spot, gotta be perfect lamb, and then
you kill it. And you take the blood from that
lamb. First you eat it, eat all of it, don't boil it, Has to
be roasted with fire, all the typology of that. And you take
the blood of that lamb and put it over the doorpost. And God
said, when I pass through the land to judge and kill the firstborn,
he said, when I see the blood, this is God speaking, when I
see the blood, I will pass over you. Now that's how the Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures. What was God
looking for? He didn't say when I see your
faithfulness. He didn't say when I see your
faith. He didn't say when I see your sincerity. He didn't say
when I see your efforts of battling sin. He didn't say anything about
what he sees in us. Aren't you thankful for that?
He said, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. that very day had committed a
sin that was just cringeworthy and wicked and evil. What if he was in the house that
had committed this horrible sin that very day? Would God make
an exception for that? Well, that's just too bad. No.
When I see the blood, that's all he was looking for. He didn't
say, when you see the blood. He said, when I see the blood. I will pass over you. Now that's how the Christ died
for our sins according to the scriptures. What about on the
great day of atonement? That high priest comes into the
holy of holies and on his breastplate there's the name of the twelve
tribes of Israel. Not all men without exception,
just the 12 tribes of Israel. He comes in representing men. And God accepted what he did. Only the high priest could come
in, only Christ could come into God's presence. And he came with
the blood of that sacrifice and God was satisfied as he represented
the 12 tribes. You could just go on and on throughout
the scriptures, Abraham and Isaac, Substitute ram that took out,
just go on and on. It's how that Christ died for
our sins according to the scriptures. Now, if I don't preach the gospel
just like that, I'm not preaching the gospel. Look in verse four. And that he was buried. Now what's
the point? He was graveyard dead. That's
why it says he was buried. He was buried according to the
scripture. I already read one of those scriptures in Isaiah
chapter 53, 9 where he made his grave with the rich. He was put
in a rich man's tomb according to the scriptures. They said
that was what was going to take place. He was buried. But here's
the heart and soul. Keep on reading. He was buried
and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Turn to Acts chapter two for
just a moment. This is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, before I read this passage
of scripture, The resurrection of Christ authenticates that
everything about himself he said about himself was true. If he
wasn't raised from the dead, nothing he said was true. but
he really was raised from the dead. He was dead, graveyard
dead, in that tomb for three days, and all of a sudden his
heart begins to beat, he begins to breathe, he opens his eyes.
Don't you love the way he took the grave clothes off and he
put them in a neat pile and the napkin over his face he put somewhere
else and they came into that tomb, it was empty. Why? Because he was raised from the
dead. Now, listen to Peter's preaching
in Acts chapter two. Beginning in verse 22. You men of Israel, hear these
words. Jesus of Nazareth, A man approved
of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God
did by him in the midst of you as you yourselves also know.
Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.
whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because
it was not possible that he should behold nothing. For David speaketh
concerning him. I foresaw the Lord always before
my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved."
He's quoting a psalm. Therefore did my heart rejoice,
and my tongue was glad. Moreover, also my flesh shall
rest in hope, because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither
wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption. He never went
through the process of decay. Thou hast made known to me the
ways of life. Thou shalt make me full of joy
with thy countenance. Now, men and brethren, let me
freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he's both
dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. Therefore,
being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to
him that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh,
he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. He, seeing this
before, David knew exactly what he was saying. He knew exactly
what he was saying. There wasn't some kind of stream
of consciousness where he was saying these things, being inspired,
but not knowing what they meant. He knew exactly what he was saying.
He, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ,
that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see
corruption. For this Jesus hath God raised
up. Whereof we are all witnesses,
therefore being by the right hand of God, exalted and having
received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed
forth this which you now see and hear. For David has not ascended
into the heavens, but he saith himself, the Lord said unto my
Lord. Rick, you just read that. The Lord said unto my Lord, sit
thou in my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore
let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this
same Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. The claims of Christ could not
be true were he not raised from the dead. Listen to this scripture,
Romans chapter one, verse four, he's declared to be the son of
God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection
of Christ from the dead. He humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, wherefore
God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above
every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. Things in heaven, things in earth,
things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Now this is
the content of gospel preaching. It's how that. It's not simply
saying Christ died for our sins. Like I said, I saw that on a
bumper sticker. And that, someone says it's in the Bible. Yeah,
I know, but it's a half a truth. And a half a truth is a whole
lie. If I don't tell all the truth, I've not told the truth,
period. When that bumper sticker was
created, here we are, Christ died for our sins, that's in
the scripture. That's a misquoting of that scripture. It's how that.
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he
was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures. One of my favorite stories in
the New Testament is the Mount of Transfiguration where the
Lord took up Peter, and James and John into a high mountain
apart, and the scripture said he was transfigured before them. And his face shined as the sun,
his raiment was white as light. Put yourself in these fellows'
place. They saw Moses and Elijah appear and were Given the privilege
of knowing what they were talking about, they speak of the deceased,
which he should accomplish. Isn't that glorious to think
when Moses and Elijah appear to him this time, what they talk
about? The death that he would accomplish. And you know the
story of Peter saying, Lord, it's good for us to be here.
Let's make three tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses,
one for Elijah. And at that time, a bright cloud
overshadowed them. They hit the dirt, they were
scared to death. I reckon they thought they were gonna be destroyed.
And that's when the Lord's Father spake from heaven, this is my
beloved son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him. And while
they were laying there in the dirt, trembling, Jesus put forth
his hand and touched them, the scripture says. And when they
arose, they saw no man save Jesus only. And then they started walking
down the mountain. And he said to them, you can
read this account, Mark chapter nine, he said, the son of man
is going to be crucified. And three days later, he's going
to rise from the dead. And the scripture says, they
questioned among themselves what the rising of the dead should
mean. I wonder how often that happened.
You know, when he wasn't around, they'd say, what was he talking
about? What do you mean by that? I bet that happened all the time. They were questioning themselves
what the rising from the dead should mean. Now remember, if
I preach the gospel, I preach how that Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried graveyard
dead and raised from the dead according to the scriptures.
Now, what does the rising of the dead really mean? Let me give you four things in
closing. Number one, God's eternal purpose
fulfilled. This is God's eternal purpose
for Jesus Christ to come to this earth, to live a perfect life,
to die a sin atoning death, and to be raised from the dead according
to the scriptures. As a matter of fact, Revelation
13 says Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Now, if he was slain from the foundation of the world, he didn't
stay dead from the foundation of the world, did he? He was
raised from the foundation of the world. This is God's eternal
purpose. This is the reason God created
the universe. This is the reason for the fall
of Adam. This is God's purpose for all
things. The resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead. He glorified every attribute
of God. He accomplished salvation by that resurrection. This is
God's eternal purpose. Number two, Romans 4.25 says
he was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. When he was raised from the dead,
the reason God raised him is because he had justified every
single person he died for. If you're justified, that means
you stand before God as one who has never sinned. Not simply
forgiven. You stand before God as one who
has never sinned. That's what justification is.
Not guilty. Without guilt before a holy God.
You've kept God's law perfectly. Now I realize the only way we
know this is by faith. We believe this because God says
it in his word. That's the only reason we say it. It's not because
we see it, but we believe it, don't we? When he was raised
from the dead, every believer stood before God justified without
guilt, without sin. That's what he accomplished.
And third thing I'd like to say about his resurrection, this
is the ground of salvation. This is the ground of assurance. This is the ground of acceptance. He was raised from the dead. That's it. That's the singular
ground of salvation. If he stayed dead, then you don't
have any hope. But because he was raised from
the dead, the sure and certain ground of salvation. My salvation
doesn't have anything to do with my works. but because he was
raised from the dead. Remember, they speak of the deceased,
which he should accomplish. Well, what did he accomplish?
The complete salvation, justification of his people. And he was raised
from the dead. Who is he that condemneth? It's
Christ that died, yea rather, that's risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. We preach because of his resurrection. We preach him who lives. He is risen. He lives right now. He's seated at the right hand
of the father. Hebrews 7 25 says, Wherefore
He is able to save them to the uttermost that come to God by
Him. And let me remind you what this
means, this thing of coming to God by Him. It doesn't mean I'm
coming to God pleading only Him, although I am doing that. No
question about that. He's He's my only plea. I'm not saying, well, hear me
because of something I've done or been or no. Hear me for his
sake. When we pray, we pray, hear us
for his sake. Forgive us our sins for his sake. But me coming
into God, it's not me coming pleading him. It's when he comes
to God because I'm in him, I come to God. I am the way, the truth,
the life. No man coming to the father but
by me. When he comes to the father, guess who else does? every single
one of his people. Wherefore he is able to save
them to the uttermost, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them." Those Old Testament priests, they're going to die.
They did die. There's none of them left. He
lives. I serve a living Savior. He lives. Thank God he lives right now. He's risen from the dead. And
he is Lord. We sang that this morning. How's
it go? Someone said. He is Lord. He is Lord. He is risen from the dead and
He is Lord. Every knee shall bow. Every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord. He is Lord. His Lord, He is risen from the
dead, and He is Lord. Every knee shall bow, every tongue
congress, that Jesus Christ is Lord.