Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayerful attention to Paul's first epistle to the
Corinthians and chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. In reading for our text, verse
1. Verse 1. I declare unto you the gospel
which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein
ye stand. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and
verse 1. It is the gospel wherein we stand
that is declared, is preached, and is received. The apostle
here He states that he first of all received this Gospel,
and we would begin where the Apostle here begins, and he begins
in declaring the Gospel or stating very clearly, in fact I think
in all the Word of God, There's no clearer summary of the Gospel
than there is in these first verses here in 1 Corinthians
15. We know that the main teaching
through this chapter is the resurrection from the dead, both of all men
and also of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. So the declaration
of the Gospel has to do really in the first place with facts,
with those things that are indisputable facts. We have several times
in these first few verses that what the Apostle is stating has
happened. It was already foretold in the
Scriptures of truth. And of course the Word of God
is the basis for all that we believe and hold, all that we
set forth in the Gospel. And we know that the Word of
God that was given in the beginning, that the Lord gave the Word,
it is the inspired Word of God, that it is the Word of God as
the Bible, the Holy Bible, that it is a collection of historical
writings. It traces from the beginning
of the world right through the nation of the Jews to our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. There are many, many chapters
that are just lists of names, but what it is emphasizing, it
is speaking, not as some accuse the apostles of bringing forth
cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power
and coming of our Lord, but it is speaking of those things that
are real, that really happened. The world truly was created by
God, And that line comes right through then to Abraham. There was, there still is, a
nation of Israel. And through them and to them
came our Lord Jesus Christ. And that line is clearly traced
out in Matthew. The line through the kings in
Luke. It traces back from Mary right
through to Adam and to God. Emphasis all the time. This is
not man's device, this is God's. The Holy Bible declares that
those that wrote it, those the penmen, that they were inspired. It testifies that it is the Word
of God. Thus saith the Lord occurs some
500 times in the Word of God. And so all that was to come to
pass, all that is to come to pass, these things are foretold
in the Psalms, Psalm 22, especially Psalm 69, Psalm 129. They plough
deep pharaohs upon my back, speaking of the sufferings of our Lord
and the scourging that He endured some thousand years before He
suffered in that way. It is told in graphic and very
clear detail in the Scriptures of Truth. And so part of the
Gospel that is declared, as the Apostle sets it forth here, is
the things that he is to state came to pass, they are those
that are foretold, that they would come to pass, and it would
be according to the Scriptures, not just any old how. but exactly
as the scriptures described it would be. So then we have Christ
coming according to the flesh. And so he says before them that
he delivered first of all our Christ. And before, of course,
you can speak of his death. It implies his coming. Who is Christ? This was the question. when our Lord was on earth. This
was that which the eunuch was brought to, whom speaketh the
prophet this of himself or some other man. And Philip began at
the same scripture and preached unto him, Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth. John, in his gospel, 85 times,
he sets forth that Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, is the Son
truly God and truly man. Solomon, when he dedicated the
temple, which was beautiful, type of our Lord, he says that
heaven of heaven cannot contain thee, how much less this building
that I have builted, but will God in very deed dwell upon the
earth. And Job, he knew He says, though
after my skin worms destroy my body, yet in my flesh shall I
see God. He knew of the resurrection.
He says, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand
at the latter day upon the earth. These things are all written,
Job living in the days of Abraham. And so there's a declaration
of the scriptures and of Christ. and specifically here, of Christ's
death. Now, the Lord said before Pilate,
for this cause came I into the world, that he should lay down
his life, a ransom for his people, that he should be a sacrifice
acceptable unto God. For that cause he had to be made
flesh and dwell among us. He had to be truly God. There
had to be no cause of death in Him, but that He should take
on Him the iniquity of us all, and lay down His life a ransom
for us, and to rise again. And so the death of Christ is
set forth, an actual event in history that is so well documented,
not just in the Holy Word of God, but in the histories of
the nations of the world and of the Jews. The man, Jesus of
Nazareth, how that he was crucified at Jerusalem, how that he was
put to death, and then how that he rose again. And this the Apostle
sets before us here, not only his death, but the empty tomb. They couldn't produce his body,
He had risen indeed, and then ascended up into heaven. That
is the whole secret, really, of Christianity, the grand distinction
from any other so-called religion, the empty tomb, one that should
overcome death, one that should rise again, and death have no
power over him. So the fact of Christ coming,
of Christ coming according to the scriptures, of His death,
of his resurrection, and then as he states here, of the witnesses,
the witnesses to these things, to his death, to his resurrection,
scene of Cephas, there's Peter, then 500 brethren at once, some
have died, some are still there, many of them they could have
contradicted Paul if what he was saying was not right, and
then scene of James, all the apostles, and seen of him on
the Damascus road. These things are what are declared
facts. They are not things that we might
say, well, and of course there are those, and this is why the
apostle later on in this chapter, he's addressing those that are
saying there is no resurrection of the dead. He says, if Christ
be preached that he rose from the dead, How say some among
you that there is no resurrection of the dead?" So really his saying
is before there's any preaching, before there's any argument or
reasoning of the doctrines of the teaching, let us come to
the facts first. Did Christ come? Did He die? Did He rise again? These are
the basis, the facts of it. And then there's the teaching,
the doctrine, the preaching, all based around those facts,
around those things that truly happened. The Lord deliver us
from a religion of just speculation of that which is in the mind. We are living, we see each other,
We breathe this air, we live on this earth, are real things.
And in heaven, that shall be just as real. The apostle says,
then shall we know, even as we are known. It's not just how
we feel, just a thing of the mind, when we die. There is a
real place of hell, there's a real place of heaven. There is those
that go down into hell, those that are outside of Christ, there
are those that shall be in heaven, there are those that shall be
with the Lord. These things are real things
and you and I must die. We are surrounded with those
that have lived and died. Many funerals have taken place
recently, and one day it will be ours. And so these precious
truths, these things that are done, that are done with so many
witnesses, proved, declared here by Paul, and now he brings forth
from this declaration, there's four things. which I briefly
bring before you. Four things concerning the Gospel. First, it is the Gospel that
is to be preached. The second is, it is the Gospel
that is to be received. Thirdly, it is the Gospel wherein
believers stand. And then lastly, it is the Gospel
by which we are saved. Those four things the Apostle
sets forth in our text and the first part of verse 2. Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto
you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand. by which
also ye are saved. Firstly, it's a gospel that is
to be preached. The Apostle Peter, he preached
this gospel at the day of Pentecost. And under that preaching, 3,000 were brought to believe. The Apostle begins again with
charging the people that were there present, the Jews, with
the death of our Lord, a great sin as it were, bringing them
to be convicted in their souls, pricked in their hearts, brought
as sinners, and then he sets forth good news for these sinners. He says before them what Christ
came to do. He says to them when they cry out,
what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, repent
or turn from that ungodlessness, that unbelief, that rejection
of Christ, that rejection of all what the Lord taught. Be
sorry for what you've done. Start afresh and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now we read that then they that
were gladly received his word were baptized. What was the gospel? What would have been the other
way? You've crucified the Lord of life and glory. There's no
hope for you. You've sinned out of any hope
of mercy. Hell is your portion. You're
just deserved. Yes, that is what they deserved. But the gospel was mercy. The gospel set forth that our
Lord, in being crucified, had paid their debt. Yes, their debt. Cried on the cross, Father forgive
them, they know not what they do. He laid down his life, I
lay down my life for the sheep, other sheep I have which are
not of this fold, not of the Jews, the Gentiles. To the Gospel
it sets forth that there has been a ransom, there has been
a payment made, the wrath of God has been appeased, it has
spent itself on the Lord as a substitutionary offering. The law of God has
been magnified. You know the heavens, all the
creation, that glorifies God. But at Mount Sinai, when the
Lord gave the law of God, that also magnified God. He gave us
a law, yes, and in a secondary effect, it is that we should
obey that law. But by the law is the knowledge
of sin because the law sets forth the majesty and purity of God. How many people have said, that's
impossible. How could you possibly fulfill
that law? How could you obey that law?
By righteousness, by our own works, we shall never get to
heaven. But that's not what God intended.
He really showed himself as not only the law giver but the God
that was shown forth in the law. The law is showing forth a God
that is perfect and holy and that not only gives that law
but then obeys that law, satisfies that law and This is the gospel,
that what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the
flesh, God sending his own Son, and in the likeness of sinful
flesh condemned, sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us, which walk not after the flesh,
but after the law. And this is the provision of
the gospel, deliver him from going down into the pit, I have
found ransom. It is mercy for those who do
not deserve it, who never deserve mercy. It is forgiveness and
pardon. It is life from the dead. It
is that message that again was given to thee. Gentiles, in what
we would term the second Pentecost in Acts 10, when Peter, not the
angel, but Peter, a sinner, Peter like Paul, that had said he'd
received that gospel himself, Peter could say so too. And he
brings that word, and he speaks that word to the Gentiles, the
word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching
peace by Jesus Christ. There's a summary of the gospel,
preaching peace by Jesus Christ. His peace speaking blood, making
peace, God and sinners reconciled in the Lord Jesus Christ. In
all that he has done, in all that he accomplished, He testifies
to them how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost
and with power. He went about doing good and
healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with
him. And we are witnesses of all things
which he did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem,
whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Him God raised up the
third day, showing to Him openly, not to all the people, but even
unto witnesses chosen before of God. But you know, dear friends,
it still is so, not to all the people, but to those to whom
Christ is revealed and shown through the Word and brought
to believe. They have that witness that they
are the children of God, who hear His voice, who see Him,
in the Word. It's a blessed thing. Then were the disciples glad
when they saw the Lord. Well, this Gospel is good news. And may it be good news to us. May we know something of those
provisions for sinners. The provision by God Himself. As God said to Abraham, my son,
God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering and it is
that good news that is set forth in the Word of God. In Hebrews
12 it is contrasted with the fiery law given at Mount Sinai
and then the better things that the Gospel preaches. We could
even have it contrasted right at Sinai. The broken tables on
one hand, that is what we have done. Broken the law of God. The whole tables written again,
put in the ark, symbolizing the Lord Jesus Christ. There is the
gospel. There is what Christ has done. Not just to prove and say what
they are. Man breaks the law. I keep the
law, that's what man would do, but the Lord kept it for his
people, and he paid the price that they owed in breaking the
law, and he made that old law honourable. And in his perfect
life of obedience, he wrought out a righteousness to give to
believers, to give to his people. We ever thought what would it
be if we didn't have that? Had to appear before God? We'd say our sins are put away
by the blood of Christ. But what of your life? What of
your standing? What have you done? How ashamed
we would be to bring anything of our life into that holy place. But instead we point to the righteousness
of Christ. This is the name wherewith she
shall be called, the Church of God, the Lord, our righteousness. This is a provision, it's a provision
for time, provision for eternity, is all that a sinner needs is
in the Lord Jesus Christ and what he has done at Calvary and
his intercession in heaven. I want to look then secondly
and it is a gospel that is to be received. When the Word is preached, and
we read of those in the New Testament, those that when Christ preached,
some believed the Word spoken and some believed not, when the
apostles preached too, as many as were ordained unto eternal
life believed. Some received it, some did not
receive it. The Lord, when he commissioned
the disciples to go forth into all the world and to preach the
gospel to every creature, he that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved, he that believeth not shall be damned. The method
of salvation, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching
to save them that believed. That method He gave, He instituted,
He sends it forth. Man by wisdom, man by learning,
by his own understanding, that is not how I'll be saved. But
through the preaching of the Gospel and the power of the Holy
Spirit, applying that word and blessing that word to sinners. But that Gospel is to be received. The Lord said that, whosoever
will not receive you, to shake off the dust from off the feet,
and then to move to another place. And then he said this, he that
receiveth you, receiveth me. And he that receiveth me, receiveth
him that sent me. It is vital that we receive the
Word. You know, many have had Bibles
from us here at the chapel. We announced this before, just
this last month, 99 throughout the world and 18 from our boxers
here, some 700 from the boxers in this town. Many have received
a Bible. But the important thing is, have
we received the Word? When we have opened that Bible,
when we have read what it says, have we read about sinners and
we say, I'm not a sinner. When we have read about God's
holiness, when we have read about the existence of hell and of
heaven and of judgment to come. Have we received it? All that is said about man. One
of our hymns says, nor are men willing to have the truth told. The sight is too killing for
pride to behold. And our Lord said of his people,
I have given them thy word and the world hath hated them. Who's
the only thing that is needed for the world to hate the people
of God when they have the Word of God. And yet there are those
too, when the Word of God is brought to them, they don't receive
the Word of God. They hate it. They reject that
Word. You know, that beautiful Word
of the Gospel in John 3, in John 3.16, O God, so love the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God
sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that
the world through Him might be saved. There is the Gospel. But then we read this, He that
believeth on Him is not condemned. But he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name
of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation,
that light is coming to the world. The men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil. Everyone that doeth
evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved. that he that doeth truth cometh
to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they
are wrought in God. In other words, they receive
the word. They receive the light of the
gospel, the light of the word, though it shines in a dark place,
though it shows us what our hearts are like, when it shows us the
truth that is hard to be received. It is a gospel that is to be
received. It is to be received by sinners. And it is to be received freely,
without money, without price. By nature we always like to give
something. Even if someone gives us something
freely, we like to give something in return or pay for it. But
the gospel is completely free. And we must come, as the hymn
writer says, nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross
I cling. It is to feel our foulness, the
vileness of our heart, what we are by nature, and we are to
receive it in its entirety, not just part of it. By grace, you
say, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the
gift of God. And so maybe think on this. Have we received the gospel? Have we heard it? Have we received
it? Have we fallen under it? Have
we bowed before it? We think of thee, one that came
to our Lord. What good thing shall I do that
I might inherit eternal life? And the Lord brought him before
the law of God. Well, he said he could do those
things, he could fulfil the law. But then he says, now go, sell
all that thou hast and give to the poor. Come, follow me, thou
shalt have treasure in heaven. And he went away, went away sorrowful
for he had great riches. The Lord says, how hardly shall
them that have riches enter. And then he clarifies that, however,
How shall they that trust in their riches enter into the kingdom? The Apostle Paul counted all
things but dumb and dross, that he might win Christ and be found
in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
which is by faith in Jesus Christ. So it's how it is received. Some
will receive it. And just as a name cast into
the lot, they really are trusting in themselves and not in the
Lord. But if we truly receive it, we
receive it as hell-deserving sinners, and we light the public
and beating upon our breasts, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. I want to think, then, in the
third place, the gospel wherein believers stand. It's one thing
to begin in the way, to believe. It's another thing to really
know where we stand. Now, the Lord says in John 8,
verse 30, He said to those that believed on His name, If ye continue
in my word, Then shall ye be my disciples indeed. Ye shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. And it is
a continuing in the way, a bringing forth fruit in the way. And where there is to be a continuing,
there is to be a growth in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Very interesting how the Apostle
Paul, when he writes to the Ephesians, he writes to them as believers,
those that had been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places. But then he gives them some things
that really show them what their standing was, what was the base
and their security. He says, according as He hath
chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world. And every believer
has to know this. You stand in the Gospel, you
stand in the choice of God, of your soul, before the foundation
of the world. And you have been predestinated
to come to this world, to be found as a sinner, and to receive
the Gospel, hear the Gospel, receive the Gospel, and to believe
in that. their redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins. And he shows them in that chapter
that the power of God that wrought in them to make them believe
was the same power that he wrought in Christ when he raised him
from the dead. How would a poor sinner really
know that unless it's authoritatively set forth before them in the
Word of God? You don't just stand on your
frames and feelings. You don't stand on your own works. You don't stand on your own efforts. Disciples said unto the Lord,
what shall we do that we might work the works of God? And the
Lord says in John 6, this is the work of God. that ye believe
in him, in the Lord Jesus Christ, in him
whom God has sent. And so there is a standing, there's
a foundation, is upon a rock, the foundation of God standeth
sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. And the Lord says that I give
unto them eternal life, they shall never perish, neither shall
any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father is greater than
I, no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." And
there he says that because I live, ye shall live also. And what
he's setting before them is what their standing is, their security
is, that it's not uncertain. It's not shaken, it is sure,
it is certain. And Paul takes this up and he
writes to the Romans. He says, what shall we say to
these things? And he gives that beautiful following
on from knowing that all things work together for good, to them
that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose.
And he has a beautiful linking, the full knowledge of God, predestination,
those that were called, those that are justified, those that
are glorified. He says, what shall we say? If
God be for us, who can be against us? And towards the end of that
chapter, you can read it at your leisure. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather that is risen again. Who shall owe anything to the
charge of God to elect? No, he is persuaded, he says,
that there shall, who shall separate us from the love of God? I am persuaded that neither death
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present
nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus, our Lord. There is the standing. There
is the security. Dear soul, you're troubled by
your sins, burdened by them, tempted by Satan, shaken and
tossed to and fro. And the gospel here is set before
us by the Apostle. It is set before us as standing. for the people of God, not uncertain,
not in their power, not in their strength, but in the Lord. He is the keeper of his saints.
He is the one that brings them the word again and again. He
is the one that brings the Holy Spirit, the remembrance, you
might say, in verse two. We'll come to that just in a
moment. By which also you say, if you
keep in memory, you say, here's a condition, what if I don't
keep in memory? You will. When the Holy Spirit
is given, he shall bring all things to your remembrance. You
won't forget, not when the Lord is your keeper and shall bring
these things to your remembrance. And may it be this morning, there's
been some things that are mentioned that brings to remembrance. And
it brings to you that The standing in Christ is not an uncertain
thing. Your believing was not an uncertain
thing. Your receiving Christ, your receiving
the Word, your receiving the Gospel was not an uncertain thing. It was what was wrought sovereignly
in you. So many do not receive it. So many reject it. So many despise
it. But you haven't. And you received
it. You may have been tossed many
times by your sin, besetting sins, the devil, the world, your
own wicked, evil heart, but Christ remains the same. He abideth
faithful. You've only got to look at all
of the rebellings and murmurings of the children of Israel through
the wilderness and you see the faithfulness of God. that brought
the promise to pass in spite of all, yes, it is a good standing,
where it is standing upon the Gospel, standing upon Christ. I want to then just briefly think
of this last point, and that is the Gospel by which we are
also saved. Think of this, saved. What are
we saved from? save from eternal condemnation,
save from the wrath to come, save from hell which was our
just deserts, save from our sins here below, that they do not
have dominion over us, that they do not have a power to drag us
back again to be, as it were, unregenerate. No, save us from
the love of sin, and saves us from the consequences of our
sin. Those consequences that really
we deserve and we don't deserve to be saved from. But he hath
not dealt with us after our sins deserved. Saved from the power
of the grave, the grave we must still come to. We read at the
end of this chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, O the victory over the grave,
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin, the strength of sin is the law. But
thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Saved from the spirit of this
world and the things of it. It's not only saved from, it's
saved to. Saved to eternal life. Saved
to be with Christ, saved to be in heaven with Christ, and to
walk with the Lord by faith here. Yes, through this gospel it is
by which we are saved. May the Lord then bless this
word to us, and that we know this gospel, we know this gospel,
we've heard it preached, we've received it, we stand in it,
We've been saved by it, and it is the Gospel that bears our
spirits up, and we bless the Lord for that good news of salvation
through Jesus the Lamb, that by his grace we have received
and have known something of the power, sweetness, and loveliness
of. May the Lord add his blessing.
Amen.