1 Corinthians chapter 15. Moreover, brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel. And all the way down to verse
25, there's a conjunction between each verse And it lets us know
that thought is not finished until verse 25. I'm going to
attempt to preach on all these verses as briefly as I can in
this declaration of the gospel. I've entitled this message, what
is the gospel? A more important question could
not be asked. What is the gospel? I've got
a couple of reasons in asking that question. My first reason
is this. I want to know what the gospel is. And my second reason for asking
this question is I want to know if it's good news to me. I want
to know what the gospel is and I want to know if it is my gospel. What is the gospel? Now, I don't
know how many times I've heard men say, well, I believe the
gospel according to 1 Corinthians 15, that Christ died, was buried,
and raised from the dead. I believe the facts of the gospel.
Now, the problem with that is a very important part of the
verse is left out. The gospel, listen real carefully,
the gospel is not that Christ died for our sins according to
the scriptures and that He was buried and rose again the third
day according to the scriptures. If somebody looks at you and
says, Christ died for your sins, he's not preaching the gospel
to you. The gospel is, according to this
passage of scripture, how that Christ died for our sins according
to the scripture. It's not just that Christ died
for our sins. You can say that and never preach the gospel.
And no one is saved apart from hearing the truth of the gospel.
The gospel is how that. Christ died for our sins according
to the scripture. Now, when Paul made this statement,
New Testament canon had not yet been completed. As a matter of
fact, most people think that 1 Corinthians was the very first
epistle he had written and that there were many to come afterwards.
So when he says that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures, what's he talking about? He's talking about the
Old Testament scriptures. There is no preaching of the
gospel without the preaching of the Old Testament scriptures.
There's no understanding of the gospel. without the understanding
of the Old Testament scriptures. Christ died for our sins according
to the Old Testament scripture. Now the issue is, always has
been, and always will be, what is the gospel? Abel found this out very early
as his brother murdered him. What was the issue? What is the
gospel? I want to know, don't you? What
is the gospel? How would the scripture answer
this question? Not what do you think? I'm not
interested in what you think. It's not what I think. You're
not interested in what I think. What is the gospel? How would
the Bible define the gospel? Now, I'm so thankful for the
scriptures. I was talking to a Hindu last
night on the plane over here, and he said, well, isn't the
Bible just, I was giving what I thought the message of the
Bible was. He said, didn't men write the Bible? I said, yes,
they did. Men most certainly did write the Bible, inspired
by an all-powerful God who can easily make sure that His Word
is preserved against the error of men. What is the Bible according to
the Scriptures? Not what does this church think
or this denomination think. What did the Scripture actually
teach? What is the Gospel? Look with
me in our text in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Moreover, brethren,
I declare unto you the gospel. Now this definite article tells
us that the gospel is a specific message with a definite content. Moreover, brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel." It's an objective message. It's not subject
to what you or I think. It's an objective message. The
gospel. But the word gospel means good
news. It becomes subjective when you
hear. Is it good news to you? Well,
we'll know by the end of this message when we see what the
gospel is, but is it good news to you? Now, to some, it's good
news. That's when it becomes subjective.
It's good news. It's the best thing I've ever
heard. And everybody who doesn't feel that way, it's bad news. It's subjective to them too.
They don't like what is being said. They don't find it to be
a message of good news. Now, how do I respond to the
gospel? Now look what he goes on to say.
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached
unto you. It's the same gospel that I preached
at the very beginning. It's the same now as it was then. No modifications, no amendments,
no different packaging to adapt it to the culture. No attempt
to make it relevant. The gospel doesn't stoop to that
low. It's God's gospel. There's no
need for anything like that. We simply declare the gospel. He said the gospel is the same
gospel that you first heard when you first heard the gospel. It's the gospel which I preached
unto you, which you have also received. Same one. I like what he says next. And
wherein you stand, This is the message you stand in. You're
standing before God. It's in this gospel and this
is the gospel for which you've taken your stand. This is the
gospel you're willing to die for. That's the true gospel. Look what he says in verse two. By which also you are saved.
There is no salvation apart from the gospel. And this is the gospel
by which you are saved. And oh, I need saved. Lord, save
me. This is a prayer that I've prayed,
I reckon, more than any other prayer. Lord, save me. Save me. The gospel is the gospel by which
you are saved. And there is no salvation apart
from this, the gospel. I'm not even talking about this
gospel. The gospel. There's only one gospel. And then he says, It's the gospel
we must persevere in if you keep in memory what I preached unto
you, unless you believed in vain. You see, we're made partakers
of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to
the end. He that endureth to the end,
the same shall be said. The first thing I'd like for
us to consider is the gospel defined. The gospel defined. He says in verse 3, For I delivered
unto you, first of all, that which I also received. You know, the Lord took Paul
up into the third heavens. You can read about it in 2 Corinthians
12. taught him the gospel. He said,
I wasn't taught by men. God taught me. Now, he heard
Ananias preach. He first heard through a man.
But after that, God brought him into heaven. He said, I knew
a man, Christ, about 14 years ago, whether in the body, I don't
know, or out of the body, I don't know. God knows. Taken up into
the third heavens. And he heard unlawful things,
which are unutterable things, which are not lawful for a man
to utter. He was taught the gospel by Christ. And he comes back
and delivers the message to us just as he received it. Aren't
you thankful for that? Like a mailman. You know, a mailman
brings a message. He doesn't have anything to do
with the content of the mail, does he? He just brings the message.
And that's exactly what Paul does when he brings the gospel. Moreover, brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel. And here's the first thing he
says. He says it's how that. How that. Not just that Christ
died for our sins. Somebody can say that all day
long and never preach the gospel. And you'll never be saved simply
by hearing that statement. It's how that Christ died for
our sins according to the Old Testament scriptures. Now I could
preach on that for the rest of my life, couldn't I? First thing that came to my mind
was the first gospel promise. The Lord said to Satan, the seed
of woman is going to crush your head. You'll bruise his heel. He did
that on the cross. The seed of woman is going to
crush, overwhelmingly destroy you. That's gospel. God appears to Abraham when he's
an old man. Abraham, I bet he winced every
time he heard his name. Every time he heard his name,
something severe was getting ready to take place. Abraham,
take now thy son, thy only son. Ishmael wasn't to acknowledge
the son, was he? And offer him up. burn offering on a mountain that
I shall show thee of." And Abraham, in obedience to that command,
takes the wood and the fire and the boy and off they go. When
they get there, he says to the people with him, look, y'all
wait here. I and the lad will go yonder and worship and return
to you. I love that. You know, he knew
he was coming back with that boy, even though he was going
to kill him. Because God had promised the Messiah was going
to come through him. And he knew that if he killed him, God would
raise him from the dead. Now, as they're walking up that
mountain, his boy says, Father, see? Here's the fire. Here's the wood. Where's the lamb for a burnt
offering? My son, God will provide himself
a lamb. Now here's the gospel according
to the scriptures. Me and you can't provide anything. You believe that? Thank God, God provides the lamb. And he provides the lamb for
himself. For God to do anything for me
or you, he first had to do something for himself. Now that's the gospel
according to the scriptures. And he provided himself as the
lamb for the burnt offering. Exodus chapter 12, God says,
you find a lamb, a perfect lamb without spot or without blemish,
one year old. You slay that lamb and you take
the blood of that lamb and put it over the doorpost of the house. And God says, when I see the
blood, I will pass over you. Now remember the gospels according
to the scriptures. What is the one thing God was
looking for? One thing. He said, when I see the blood,
not when I see your faith, not when I see your works, not when
I see your sincerity, not when I see your efforts, when I see
the blood. That's all he's looking for.
He said, when I see the blood, I will. pass over you." He didn't
say, I might pass over you. He didn't say, when you see the
blood. He said, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No doubt about it. All he was
looking for was blood. The blood of his dear son and
all that that meant. Now, was anybody in those houses
with the blood over the door, was there anybody that was punished
anyway? No. Was there anybody outside of
one of the houses with the blood that was the firstborn that made
it? No. Was the blood for everybody?
No. The blood was for Israel only. Now understand, when Christ died,
it's how that. He died according to the scriptures. Now according to the scriptures,
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. Who's the
hour? Who's the hour? Christ died for our sins. Who
can take this to themselves? He died for his people. His hour,
the hour refers to his people, those who believe. Matthew 121
says, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his
people from their sins. The Lord said, I pray for them.
I pray not for the world, but for them which you have given
me, for they are thine." Now listen real carefully. Someone
that preaches that Jesus Christ died for the sins of all men
without exception does not know the gospel. He doesn't preach the gospel. And no one's saved by that message. He died for our sins according
to the scripture. Who his own self, and I was just
thinking about this verse this afternoon, it was just amazing
to me. Who his own self bear our sins in his own body on the
tree. If he bears them, that means
they're not on me. They can't be two places at once, can they?
He actually bore our sins in His own body on the tree that
we, being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness, by whose
stripes you were healed. His death, according to the Scriptures,
satisfied God. He shall see of the travail of
his soul and be satisfied. God could ask for nothing more. And he would take nothing less. Now that's how the Christ died
for our sins according to the scriptures. The sins of all for
whom he died were removed, tiffified by the scapegoat. Now I love
that, the day of atonement. Remember it's how that Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures. On the great
day of atonement, two goats, one a sin offering and one a
scapegoat. The sin offering taught us about
the punishment of that sin, the wrath that he endured. The scapegoat
told us of the removal of that sin. It was removed. The priest
put his hands on the goat signifying the transference of those sins.
And that scapegoat was led away by the hand of a fit man into
the wilderness. Gone! Gone! And I think it's glorious the
three things that the children of Israel are supposed to do
on the Day of Atonement after all this was done. Number one,
they'd afflict their souls. You can't look at the Gospel. You can't believe the Gospel.
You can't hear the Gospel without afflicting your souls over your
sin. You know what else they were to do? To do no work at
all. No, don't do it. Don't do it. You know what else they were
to do? Rest. A Sabbath of rest. You want something to do? Afflict
your souls. Do no work at all. There remaineth a rest for the
people of God. For he that's entered into his
rest has ceased from his own works as God did from his. The gospel is how that Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures. Read on. Well, four. He was buried. That's four. He was buried and
then he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
He was buried and he rose the third day, just typified by Jonah. Three days in, three days out. He was buried. He was raised
from the dead according to the scriptures. He shall see the
travail of his soul and be satisfied. He shall not fail, nor be discouraged.
When he was raised from the dead, every one of God's people, you
know, there's a, there's a bunch of people I'm looking at right
here. I hope all of it. But, um, when he was raised from
the dead, you were justified. You were justified. That means
you don't have any guilt. You don't have any sin to feel
guilty about. It's gone. It's been blotted out, put away.
That's what Christ did on Calvary's tree. He died for our sins, according
to the scriptures, and he was buried and raised from the dead. The third day, according to the
scriptures, he was delivered for our offenses and raised again
for our justification. Is that good news? Now the next point is the gospel
revealed. Verse five, he was seen. of Cephas,
then of the 12. And then he was seen of about
500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto
this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen
of James, then of all the apostles. And last of all, he was seen
of me also as of one born out of due time. Now, I think it's
very interesting that every time you read that word seen five
times, it's always passive. He was revealed. He made himself known. Now everything
I have said will be meaningless unless he is pleased to make
himself known. You can't understand it. You
can't figure it out. You can't re-enter into it. It won't be
good news to you. unless he is pleased to make
himself known. He made himself known. Paul said,
when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and
called me by His grace to reveal His Son in me. that I might preach
him among the heathen." Immediately I conferred on the flesh and
blood. I didn't need man's affirmation or approval after he revealed
himself to me. If God ever reveals the gospel to you, you're not
going to have to have anybody hold you up. You don't need it. You
believe yourself. The gospel revealed. He made himself known. And then
we have the gospel confessed. You see, when the gospel's preached
and the gospel's revealed, you're gonna have the gospel confessed.
Look, beginning in verse eight. And last of all, he was seen
of me also, of one born out of due time, for I am the least
of the apostles, that am not me to be called an apostle, because
I persecuted the church of God. Now, this confession was in humility.
I'm the least of the apostles. Give him some time to grow more
in grace. He don't say, I'm less than the least of all the saints.
Then right before he dies, he says, I'm the chief of sinners. There's always a growth in humility
when anybody ever hears the gospel. But here is confession. Verse 10, but by the grace of
God, I am what I am. By the grace of God, now what
is meant by the grace of God? Well, let's go to the first time
it's mentioned. In Genesis chapter 6, verse 5,
and God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only
evil continually. And note those three words, only
evil continually. Was Noah in that demographic?
Absolutely. Are you in that demographic?
Am I in that demographic? Absolutely. We read in verse
eight, but Noah found grace, complete unmerited favor. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. Now here is what grace is, it's
God. doing something for you that
he didn't do for everybody else. I am what I am by the grace of
God. What are you? Well, I can answer
that. First of all, and I'm not saying
this glibly, I'm not saying this without shame, but I'm a sinner. And all that entails. Right now,
what are you doing preaching for? I am, but I'm a sinner. You know what that means? That means that all I do is sin. It means I cannot not sin. It means I can't look down in
moral superiority over any human being. It means I have no claims
on God Almighty. I am a sinner. And listen to
this. It's only by the grace of God that I'm a sinner. I didn't used to know that. I
didn't used to believe it. I do now. A sinner is a sacred
thing. The Holy Ghost hath made him
so. I'm an elect sinner. And that
election, I sure enough know, is by grace. He didn't see anything
in me that caused him to choose me. I'm an elect sinner for the
children being not yet born, neither having done any good
or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might
stand. Not of works, but of him that
calleth. It was said unto her, the elder
shall serve the younger. That's what's written. Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Now I'm an elect sinner, and
that election's by grace. I'm a justified sinner. You know what that means? When I'm
talking to you right now, when God looks at me, He sees someone
without guilt, without sin, without unrighteousness. He looks at
me right now. I'm a justified sinner. Wiped out put away. It's gone. It's no more. Remember
the scapegoat took it away And now I have no sin. I stand before god Just and I
know that that justification is by grace being justified freely
freely By his grace through the redemption that's in christ jesus
And this is my story to god be the glory I'm a redeemed sinner,
and that redemption is all of grace. I'm a believing sinner,
and the faith that I have, I know is the gift of His grace. I know
it didn't come from me. He gave it to me. I'm a repentant
sinner. My mind has been changed, and
that's by grace. I am, I'm a sinner who actually
loves God as He is. I wouldn't change Him if I could.
And I know for sure it's all of grace. Now that's the confession
of a believer. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. Is that your confession? You
really believe that? By the grace of God, I am what
I am. And you know, it's grace that
produced something. Look what he says. But by the
grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace which was bestowed
upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than
they all. This grace produces something.
But look what he says next. Anybody who ever really believes
grace is very careful to give grace on the credit of others.
Yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Now, beginning in verse 11, the
gospel is a declaration that every preacher preaches and every
believer believes. There's such a, well, look what
it says in verse 11. Therefore, whether it were I
or they, so we preach and so you believe. This is what every
preacher preaches. This is what every believer believes
when they believe the gospel. And then in verses 12 through
19, the gospel is a message that doesn't contradict itself. It's
logical. It makes sense. It doesn't contradict
itself. Now, I don't believe something
because it's logical. I don't believe something because it makes sense.
I believe because the Bible teaches it. That's why we believe, not
because it's logical or it makes sense, but the Bible, the gospel
is logical. It does make sense. I remember
one time I was talking to a preacher. He was a Southern Baptist preacher.
And I was talking about how Christ only died for the elect. And
he said, you're just trying to make sense. Well, I wasn't trying
to make sense, but that does make sense, doesn't it? I mean,
Christ's effectual atonement for his people. My only hope
is his successful redemption. It does make sense. Now, look
what Paul says in verse 12. Remember, this is a gospel that
does not contradict himself, verse 12. Now if Christ be preached
that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there's
no resurrection of the dead? Now look at the implications.
If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not
risen? And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, it's
a waste of time, and your faith is vain, it won't do you any
good. Yea, and we're found false witnesses of God, because we've
testified of God that he raised up Christ from the dead, whom
he raised not up, if the dead be not risen, we're false prophets,
we're false witnesses, we're telling lies. Verse 17, if Christ
be not raised, your faith is vain, you're yet in your sins,
your sins are not put away. Then they also which are fallen
asleep in Christ have perished, everybody who's died believing.
They're in hell right now. Verse 19, if in this life only
we have hope in Christ, we're of all men most miserable. Now those are the implications.
But verse 20, now Christ is risen from the dead. And since he has
been raised from the dead, you know what? Number one, Our preaching
is not in vain. Number two, our faith's not in
vain either. It saved him. If he's raised from the dead,
our faith's not in vain. And we're true witnesses. We're
not false witnesses. And we're not in our sins. They're gone. Verse 18, they
which are fallen asleep in Christ are in heaven. Verse 19, if in
this life only we have hope in Christ, we're of all men most
miserable, but no, we're of all men most happy, most happy. Oh, what joy there is in the
gospel. Now, verses 20 through 23, we
have a declaration of what we believe regarding the gospel.
Look what it says in verse 20, but now is Christ risen from
the dead? Now is Christ risen from the dead? And he became
the first fruits of them that slept. He's the guarantee that
they'll all be saved. For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead. And he expounds
on this in verse 22, for as in Adam all die, even so in the
precise same manner in Christ shall all be made alive. Now, in Adam all died. When Adam died, me and you died. And we were held responsible
for His sin because His sin was our sin. We sinned just as truly
as He did. And you can't think for a second,
well, I wouldn't have done it. Yes, you would have. Yes, you
would have without any question. For in Adam all die. In the same manner, in Christ,
in the Lord Jesus Christ, shall all be made alive. Now that's the result of Christ's
work, and Christ shall all be made alive. What a gospel. Verse 23, that every man in his
own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterwards they that are Christ
at his coming. We talk about his coming, don't
we, when we preach the gospel. He shall return. He's gonna come
again. Verse 24, then come at the end.
The gospel's about the end. when he shall have delivered
up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he hath put down
all rule and authority and power for, and I love this last statement
regarding this definition of the gospel, he must reign. He must reign. The absolute sovereignty of the
Lord Jesus Christ. All this is part of what is called
the gospel. And I believe this to be the
most formal definition of the gospel in all the Word of God.
The thought isn't finished until verse 25. Now, I want to leave
you with this. One time, Henry Mahan told me
about this. He and Scott Richardson were
driving home after a meeting. And they were asking themselves
this question, how can I know that the gospel I preach is the
gospel of the scriptures? How can I know that my gospel
is the gospel? First, does my gospel line up
with the Old Testament scriptures? Does the gospel I believe line
up with the Old Testament Scriptures. If it doesn't, it's no good.
It's not real. Secondly, does my gospel give
God all the glory in salvation? If it gives any man any glory
whatsoever, it's no good. Does my gospel give God all Thirdly, does my gospel give
the preeminence to Jesus Christ in all things? You know, Christ has glorified
my election because I've chosen him. Christ has glorified my
redemption because he's the one who redeemed me. Christ has glorified
in my justification because I'm justified by his righteousness.
Christ is glorified in my preservation because he's interceding for
me and keeping me and preserving me in God's grace. And I'll tell
you what, when I'm brought into glory, he's gonna have all the
glory of my salvation. He has the preeminence in all
things. And then, fourthly, does my gospel
line up with the character and attributes of God? What do I
mean by that? Well, God is holy. Does my gospel
magnify His holiness? God is sovereign. Does my gospel
magnify His sovereignty? He has absolute control and I'm
in His hands and He can do with me whatever He's pleased to do
and He has absolute control. God is immutable. He never changes. Does my gospel line up with His
immutability? How He never changes. God is
omnipotent. Does my gospel line up with his
absolute omnipotence? He's got the power to actually
put away my sins to where they're no longer there. My God is all
wise. Does my gospel magnify his wisdom
in finding a way to be just and justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus? Does my gospel line up with the
character and attributes of God? If it doesn't, it's not the gospel.
Any message that skews who he is, is not the gospel. Fifth, and I like this, I like
them all. Does my gospel honor God's holy
law? If it doesn't, it's no good. Do we make void the law through
faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law. The only way you can honor God's
law is not by trying to keep it, but by believing the gospel
and knowing it's been kept for you and honored. Will my gospel meet a sinner
where he is, and save him, and make him just
like Christ? Will my gospel meet a sinner
where he is? Well, where am I? Absolutely
helpless. Absolutely without merit. Absolutely without even the ability
to stir myself up and call upon God. Just like the good Samaritan. Where did he come to that man?
He came to him where he was. Does your gospel come to you
where you are and do for you what you cannot do for yourself? If it is, it's the gospel of
God. Will my gospel enable me to face
death and judgment? Will my gospel enable me to face
death and judgment? Let me tell you this. If all God requires of me, he
looks to his son for, then yes, I can face death and I can face
judgment. If all God requires of me, he
looks to his son for. Yeah, I can face death with anticipation. You know, the only thing that
makes you afraid of death and judgment is sin. But if sin is
taken care of and there is no sin, there's nothing to fear
at all. Now, if that's my gospel, if
it lines up with the Old Testament scriptures, if it gives God all
the glory and salvation, if it gives all the preeminence to
Jesus Christ, if it lines up with the character and attributes
of God, if it honors God's holy law, If it meets me where I am
and it gives me the ability to face death and judgment, my gospel
is the gospel. Thank God for the gospel. Amen. Pastor. Thank you, brother. I need to hear that. That's good
news. It's the gospel. It's good news
to a sinner. God makes you to be a sinner.
You'll know that gospel. The only hope you have. Otherwise, everything we've heard
tonight is absolute absurdity. There's no middle ground. I was
talking to a man recently and shared the gospel with him and
he said, boy, it sounds like to me you guys are either all
in or all out. I said, yep, yep. It's one way or the other, isn't
it? Thank you, brothers. We will meet again, Lord willing,
tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. and hear two more messages and
have an opportunity to worship and fellowship together. So I
hope you'll be able to come in the morning. Tom's going to come
and lead us in number 62, crown him with many crowns. Crown him
with many crowns. God's already crowned him. What
we mean in this hymn is not that we crown Christ, but that we
are agreeing with what God has done in crowning him. Let's sing
together. Crown Him with many crowns, the
Lamb upon His throne. Hark how the heavenly anthem
drowns all music but its own. Awake, my soul, and sing! of Him who died for thee, and
hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity. crown him the lord of love behold
his hands and side rich wounds yet visible above in beauty glorified. No angel in the sky can fully
bear that sight, but downward bends his wandering eye at mysteries
so bright. Crown Him the Lord of life, Who
triumphed o'er the grave, Who rose victorious to the strife,
For those He came to save. His glories now we sing, Who
died and rose on high, Who died eternal life to bring, And lives
that death may die. Crown Him the Lord of heaven,
One with the Father known, One with the Spirit through Him given,
From yonder glorious throne. To Thee be endless praise, For
Thou for us hast died. Be Thou, O Lord, through endless
days Adored and magnified. I'm going to ask our folks to leave
the parking lot open for our guests tomorrow and Sunday. If
you could park behind over here somewhere, several of you, that
way their spaces will be available.