Good morning. I ask you to open your Bibles with
me to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. It's good to be with you this morning.
We're thankful to be here and thankful for your pastor. I know
you miss him and desire to have him back with you soon. We may
have passed him somewhere along the way. First Corinthians 15, we'll look
at these first four verses here this morning. Verse 1, we read, Moreover, brethren,
I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which
also you have received, and wherein you stand. This is not another
gospel. This is not a gospel after man. Paul said this, he said, woe
is unto me if I preach not the gospel. And here in our text,
Paul says, I declare unto you the gospel. In the book of Mark,
we read it's the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In Acts
chapter 20, We read, he said, Paul said that I may finish my
course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the
Lord to testify of the gospel of the grace of God. In Romans,
Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is
the power of God unto salvation. In Ephesians, Paul says, in whom
you trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of
our salvation. It's the gospel of peace. How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace. And back in our text, Paul says
this gospel. He said it's the gospel that
you received. That you received. Not that you
earned. Not that you deserved, not that
you merited. It's the gospel you receive,
like you receive a gift. You just receive it and you give
thanks for it. It's a message to be received,
to be welcomed, to be embraced. It's a gospel to be heard. And
it's, listen, it's essential that we hear this gospel. We must hear the gospel. Faith cometh by hearing. Hearing
by the word of God. It's described here as the gospel
wherein you stand. Wherein you stand. You rest in
it. It's a gospel that we rest in and it's, listen, he says
wherein you stand. You stand in it and you're willing
to stand for it. Isn't that what David said back
there? He said, is there not a cause? We stand for this gospel. We
stand in this gospel. We're upheld by the gospel. Let's
read on in our text, verse 2. By which also ye are saved, if
ye keep in memory, if ye hold fast. what I have preached unto
you, unless you have believed in vain. This gospel that we
must hear, this gospel wherein we stand, it's the gospel by
which sinners are saved. In this gospel, salvation is
revealed. We read earlier from the scriptures,
I'm not ashamed. I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Look at verse 3. For I declared
unto you, first of all, that which I also received. Paul's repeating what he'd received. Now listen, this isn't something
new. That's not my desire this morning
is to tell you anything new. If I try to tell you something
new, you'd probably grab me by the coat and throw me out the
door, wouldn't you? We want to hear the same old
story, don't we? This isn't something new. Paul
didn't come up with this. It's not an attempt to be original.
This message I'm delivering to you, Paul says, it's a message
I received. A message, listen, and not just
from anyone, received of the Lord. And it concerns, look at
verse 3 of our text. How? How that Christ died for
our sins according to the scriptures. It concerns how Christ died. Turn to Matthew chapter 27. Matthew 27, beginning with verse 26, how
Christ died. Verse 26, then released he Barabbas
unto them, and when he had scourged Jesus, That word there, we really can't
get the full benefit of it just reading the word scourged. They
took a whip, from what I understand like a whip, and on the end of
that whip were pieces of steel and bones, maybe glass, and they
took that and they raked that across our Lord's back. From what I read, some men didn't
even survive scourging. That enough was alone to kill
a man. And yet our Lord endured that. Endured that for his people.
How awful. How awful sin must be. Yet our Lord endured that. How?
That's what that says. How Christ died. He was scourged. And then he was delivered to
be crucified. And the soldiers of the governor
took Jesus into the common hall and gathered in the whole band
of soldiers and they stripped him. And they put on him a scarlet
robe. And when they plaited a crown
of thorns, they put it upon his head and a reed in his right
hand and they bowed the knee before him and they mocked him
saying, hailed King of the Jews. And they spit upon him and took
the reed and smote him on the head. And when they'd mocked
him, they took the robe off from him and put his own raiment on
him and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they
found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and him they compelled
to bear his cross. And when they were come to a
place called Golgotha, That is to say, a place of the skull,
they gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall. And when he
had tasted thereof, he would not drink, and they crucified
him. And parted his garments, casting
lots that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet.
They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did
they cast lots. And sitting down, they watched
him there. And they set up over his head
his accusation written, this is Jesus, the King of the Jews. And there were two thieves crucified
with him, one on the right hand and the other on the left. And
they that passed by, they reviled him, wagging their heads, saying,
thou that destroyed the temple and buildest it in three days,
save thyself, if thou be the Son of God. They questioned who
he was. If thou be the Son of God, come
down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests
mocking him with the scribes and the elders. And they said
this, they said, he saved others, himself he cannot save. If he
be the king of Israel, let him come down from the cross and
we will believe him. He trusted in God, let him deliver
him now if you'll have him, for he said, I'm the son of God.
And the two thieves also which were crucified with him cast
the same in their teeth. And from the sixth hour, there
was darkness over the land until the ninth hour. And about the
ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli,
lama sabachthani. That is to say, my God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me? And some that stood there when
they heard that, they said he called for Elias. And straightway,
one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and
put it on a reed and gave him to drink. And the rest said,
let us see where lights will come to save him. And Jesus,
when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the
ghost. He laid down his life. And behold,
the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom,
and the earth did quake, and the rocks did rent. Could there be Could there be a worse death?
Could there be anyone who suffered like our Lord suffered? And listen, to truly know how
He died, we must be taught the truth about who God is, about
who Almighty God is. All things, all things begin
with God. Back in Genesis, we read, in
the beginning, God created the heavenly earth. And listen, I'm
not speaking about the man of God's imagination. I'm not talking
about the God that men make bumper stickers and blaspheme God with
the things they say about him. We're talking about the God of
the Bible, God who is absolutely holy. there at the burning bush. Remember
that? He said, put your shoes off your feet, for the ground
whereon you're standing is holy ground. Absolutely holy. Turn to Isaiah chapter 6. You have Isaiah 6, look beginning
with verse 1. Here we read, In the year that
King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne
high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. And above
it stood the seraphims, which one had six wings. With twain
he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and
with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and
said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth
is full of his glory. God is holy. The God of the Bible is sovereign. Not in just a few things. Not
in just what we'll let him to be sovereign in. He's sovereign
in all things. In Psalm 135, verse 6, we read,
Whatsoever the Lord pleased to do, that did He. In heaven, in
earth, in the seas, and in all deep places, Almighty God is
sovereign. He is sovereign in creation.
He declared, Let there be, and what happened? There was. He
speaks and it happens. He's sovereign in providence,
ordering and directing all things. Nebuchadnezzar said, he said,
I lifted up mine eyes into heaven, and mine understanding returned
unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored
him that liveth forever and ever, whose dominion is everlasting
dominion, whose kingdom is from generation to generation, and
all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. And he,
he doeth according to his will in the armies of heaven and among
the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or
say unto him, what doest thou? He's sovereign in salvation. He declared unto Moses, he said,
I'll be merciful. unto whom I will be merciful."
Our Lord said this, He said, All that the Father hath given
me shall come to me, and him that cometh unto me I will in
no wise cast out. Listen, it must be revealed unto
us who God is. We must know who and what man
is in the light of God's Word. You know, in the eyes of man,
we look upon each other. And though we do tend to find
fault with each other, for the most part, we're OK with each
other by our own standards, right? But in the eyes of God, man is
desperately wicked. Turn to Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3, beginning with
verse 9. Romans 3, verse 9. Here we read, what then? Are
we better than they? No, and no wise, for we before
proved both Jew and Gentile, that they are all under sin. As it is written, there is none
righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth.
There is none that seeketh after God. They're all going out of
the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. Their throat is
an open sepulcher. Their tongues they've used to
see. The poison of asp is under their lips, whose mouth is full
of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed
blood. Destruction and misery are in
their ways. and the way of peace have they not known. There is
no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what thinks
whoever the law saith, it saith them who are under the law that
every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty,
guilty before Almighty God. Job said this of himself. He
said, I'm vile. He said, I'll lay my hand upon
my mouth. In the sight of God, guilty,
dead, sinners. All the way back there in the
garden, God commanded Adam. He said, of every tree, every
tree of the garden, thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For
in the day that you eat thereof, thou shalt surely die." Adam,
he disobeyed God. He fell. By Adam's sin, by Adam's
transgression, sin entered into the world. And when Adam sinned
and fell, we all did. We fell in him. It declares the
truth about God, holy, sovereign, the truth about man, who and
what we are, dead, dead in trespasses and sin. It also declares the
truth about Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the son of man. He identified
with his people. He knew what it was like to be
hungry, to thirst. We read, he grew tired. There
on that ship, on the sea, he fell asleep on the pillow. He
wept in the garden. He prayed to his father. Look
at Matthew 26, verse 39. Matthew 26 verse 39. Listen to what our Lord said.
He said he went a little further and he fell there in the garden.
Went a little further and he fell on his face and he prayed
saying, Oh my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from
me. Nevertheless, nevertheless, Not
as I will, but as thou will." He was tempted in all points,
like we are, yet without sin. He's the Son of Man. People said
that. They said, is this not Jesus, the Son of Mary and Joseph? We know His parents. They just lived down the street. Yet he's the Son of God. We read
that earlier. Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And listen, he is God. According
to the Scripture, he's God. God Almighty in human flesh. Behold, a virgin shall be with
child and shall bring forth a son and they shall call his name
Immanuel. which being interpreted as God,
God with us. He's the Christ. He's the Redeemer. He's our righteousness. He's
the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. He's
Jehovah. He is God my Savior. Who is Jesus
Christ? He's my sin offering. Back in
our text, we read there in verse 3, Paul says, I delivered unto
you that which I received. How? That Christ died for our
sins. The gospel declares that Christ,
the Lord Jesus Christ, died for the sins of his people. Sin requires
death. The wages of sin is death. That's the only way I can be
saved. That's the only place salvation
can be found. This gospel is for sinners. Aren't we thankful Christ died
for sinners? Turn to 1 Peter. 1 Peter 2. Look beginning with verse 21
of 1 Peter 2. For even hereunto were you called,
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example
that we should follow in his steps, who did no sin, neither
was guile found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, we read
that earlier, he was reviled, he was mocked. When he was reviled,
he reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously,
looking to the Father, who his own self bear our sin in his
own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin should live
unto righteousness. by whose stripes ye were healed. For we were always sheep going
astray, but now returned into the shepherd and bishops of our
souls. He's despised and rejected of
men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Scripture said we
hid our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed
him not. Surely he had borne our griefs,
carried our sorrows, Yet we did see him stricken, smitten of
God, and afflicted. He bore our griefs. He carried
our sorrows. The grief and sorrow he bore,
it was not his own. It was that of his people. It was ours. He's the spotless
lamb of God. Had no sin, did no sin, knew
no sin. Yet God's wrath was poured out
upon him. He was made, made sin for us. The Lord Jesus Christ, who knew
no sin, He was made to be sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. In Isaiah 53, it says, He was
wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Him, and with His stripes Thank God with his stripes we
are healed. First we read here of our substitute. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquity.
Again, not for any transgression of his own, our transgressions,
our sin, our rebellion. And he stood, he hung there on
a cross as our substitute before the law and justice Almighty
God, bearing our iniquity, bearing our sin. He took upon that, He
took upon that our suffering, all the justice that could be
inflicted upon Him. God's wrath for sin, punishment
for sin, and He made full satisfaction. The sin debt paid in full. The justice. Think about that. Who God is. The justice of a
holy God. Satisfied. Who is Jesus Christ? He's my life. He is life. Life eternal. In Adam we died. In Christ we are made alive. He's our righteousness. He's
our holiness. Scriptures say he's our wisdom,
our righteousness, our sanctification and redemption. Paul summed it
up best when he said this, Christ is all. Now back to our text,
back to 1 Corinthians 15, verse 4. He was buried and he rose
again the third day according to the scriptures. He was taken
down from the cross and placed in a borrowed tomb. in which
no man had laid, and when God rolled away that stone, he rose
from the grave victorious." Listen, he was delivered for our offenses
and raised for our justification. Turn quickly to Romans chapter
8. Romans 8, verse 33. Romans 8.33, who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It's
Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. His resurrection points to the
accomplishment of his death, his acceptance Paul declares,
if Christ be not risen, your faith is vain. Our preaching
is vain. Friends, we would be of all men
most miserable, wouldn't we? Huh? We'd yet be in our sins. But he goes on to say, Christ
is risen. He is the sin debt paid, paid
in full. And He presents us holy, unblameable,
and unapprovable in His sight, in the sight of Almighty God.
Jesus Christ, who being the brightness of God's glory and the express
image of His person, holding all things by the word of His
power, When he had by himself, we didn't contribute nothing
to him. When he had by himself purged our sins, he sat down
on the right hand of the majesty on high, seated at the right
hand of God. He had by himself purged our
sins. When our Lord suffered the wrath
of God on the cross, When he had finished the work, he declared
this, it is finished. And he sat down. He sat down. The work, the work complete. The redemption price paid, paid
in full, completely paid. And listen, he's not, how foolish
is it when man says he's waiting for us to do our part? Huh? He paid it. He paid it in full. There's nothing. There's nothing
left. And my friends, if there was
anything left, we'd be hurting. Because we don't have anything,
right? Last night, last night, we drove down here and we checked
in at the hotel. And I went up to the desk and
gave him a name. And the fellow said, OK, we've
got your room. And he said, I just need one
thing. He said, I need the last four
digits of your credit card. And now, any other time, that
wouldn't be a problem. But our credit card got hacked
this last week. So for a little bit, I was nervous. But then he said, wait a minute. And he pulled out a card and
he said, Mayhem. He said, you're good. Huh? There was nothing left. Had there been something left?
Men may have been washing dishes or serving breakfast this morning,
right? Not for anything I'd done or
we'd done. Listen, and that was paid. I'm pretty sure that was
taken care of before we even got on the road yesterday. But Lord Jesus Christ, he paid
the sin debt. And he paid it in full. That's our hope. That's our confidence. How else could we ever rest apart
from the Lord Jesus Christ? We're complete in Him. We rest,
we rest in Him. When the Lord Jesus Christ, when
He finished that work, a work that we could never do, the best
we could ever produce is filthy rags. But He came down from heaven,
robed in human flesh. He suffered and died in our place,
in the place of His sheep, in the place of His people. And
as the sinner's substitute, he made full satisfaction for God's
wrath and judgment. He died. That's what we just
read there. He died, was married, and is
now risen. Paul says, I declare unto you
the gospel. The gospel you receive, the gospel
wherein you stand, the gospel by which you're saved. And listen,
it's concerning how Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried,
and rose again according to the Scriptures. And we rest in it. That's the only gospel, isn't
it? Huh? That's the only gospel that can be received. That's
the gospel we believe. That's the gospel wherein we
stand. And that is the only gospel that saves. It's all of Him. All right. God be pleased to
bless His Word.