Turning again to 1 Corinthians 15. I'm taking the title for the message from what is said in verse 1. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul said, which I preached unto you. He would preach no other gospel but Christ and Him crucified, which you also have received." They received, they heard the message and received the message. And he says, wherein you stand fast for the gospel of Christ. So I'm entitling the message, I declare unto you the gospel."

The gospel. There is just one gospel, not another. Just one gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I declare unto you the gospel. I have been attempting and trying to do that for the last 40 years of my life or more. Trying to declare unto you the gospel of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul does not say that he preached a gospel. He said he preached the gospel. Now there's a difference. For there is but one gospel of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's the gospel of his grace, the gospel of his power, the gospel of his glory. Paul writes about it in Romans 16. He calls it my gospel, my gospel. It's the gospel that can save sinners by God's grace. The Apostle Paul said, I'm separated unto the Gospel of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel is not about you, it's about Him. It's about what He did for us through His blood, giving His life for us. separated unto the gospel of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now if you look that word up, gospel, you know the word means good news, good tidings. But I found it's used 99 times in the New Testament, the word gospel, the gospel of God. The angel told Mary and Joseph that day, they're in the stable, I bring you Good tidings of great joy. That's good news. Unto you this day is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. We read about this gospel.

It's described in Matthew chapter 4, verse 24. It's called the gospel of the kingdom. And then in Acts chapter 20, it's called the gospel of the grace of God, Acts 20, 24. In Romans 1.1 it's called the gospel of God.

In Romans 1.16 it's called the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believe it.

And then in Romans 10.15 it's called the gospel of peace. We only have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And then Paul when he writes In 1 Timothy 1 verse 11 it says, According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God. It's a glorious gospel. It's good news. I'll tell you who it's good news to. Sinners. Sinners need to hear the good news of the gospel.

In the Revelation we read, And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel. The gospel of God is as old as God himself. It's the ancient, everlasting gospel. The risen Lord Jesus Christ, who is God our Savior, has told the world had told the church rather to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. The risen Lord said to those apostles, you go into all the world and preach the gospel, the gospel to every, every creature.

I think about this, Paul traveled extensively and travel in his day wasn't easy. I mean, we just jump in the car and take off, and travel is easy to us. In that day, it was by foot, or by horse, or by ship. But Paul traveled extensively preaching the Gospel. But we have such easy means, and the means that God has provided.

We preach the Gospel every week, every day, all over the world. Did you know that? This gospel from this church, from this pulpit, is preached all over the world every day. Through the internet, we have over 6,000 sermons that we put up between Pastor Mahan and our sermons. 6,000 sermons. Almost two million downloads have gone all around this world.

We're doing what the Lord told us to do, to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be condemned. Paul said in another place, in 1 Corinthians 9.16, he says, Woe unto me if I preach not the gospel. If we're going to go preaching, we better make sure we're preaching the Gospel of God concerning our blessed Savior. Now, let's take a look at verse 1, 2, 3, and 4. Verse 1, verse 2, verse 3, and verse 4. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel. I declare it, the Gospel, which I preached unto you, which you also have received wherein you stand. Paul declared the Gospel of Christ.

He didn't come explaining it. He came proclaiming the Gospel, preaching the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Savior of sinners. And the Lord will bless that message to His people. He will. He'll bless that message. He said, I'm determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's the gospel. Christ dying as our substitute. And he said in verse 1, he said, you receive, you've heard this message. And you receive this message. Now man naturally won't receive the Gospel of God. He has to be given ears to hear, and a heart to receive the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, I preached to you and you received it. How do we receive the message of the Gospel?

Not by doing. By believing. We receive it by faith, don't we? And because we've heard the Gospel, because God's given us faith to believe the Gospel, we've received the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what faith does. Faith receives Him as everything in our salvation. And therefore, he said, we take a stand. We stand for the Gospel. We stand for the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you look over here in the same chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, verse 57. The last two verses of this chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, 57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us to victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. So be you steadfast and unmovable, unmovable, We've studied, and we've been going through the book of Jude, and it talks about those who are given faith to believe they should earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints. And we do. And we can preach the Gospel, and we don't have to be contentious, but we do contend for the Gospel of God, and we do boldly preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Look at verse 2. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 2, "...by which you also are saved by that Gospel." What does it mean to be saved? Well, it means to be saved from your sin. Call His name Jesus. How are we saved from our sin? Not by what we do, But what He has done for us, call His name Jesus, He shall save His people from their sin. We have been saved.

We are being saved by His grace and one day we'll be completely and totally saved forever in His presence, by which you also are saved. By grace have you been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, by which you also are saved, justified in Christ, justified freely by His grace. If you keep in memory, if you hold fast to that, which I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. By hearing, receiving, and believing the gospel, sinners are justified from all things which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

It is only by the gospel of Christ that God is pleased to save us. Think of this. Paul writes, this is a worthy saying and worthy of all acceptation that the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners just like you, just like me. God who saved us and justified us freely by His grace. And then he says there, unless you have believed in vain.

Now we know that true faith, the faith of God's elect, true faith is never in vain. It is good and perfect because it's the gift of God. Christ the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the author and finisher of faith. You say, well how important is true saving faith? Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Impossible to please God without faith.

How is salvation received? By faith. Who do we receive? We receive Christ. So without the Lord Jesus Christ, without faith, without the Lord Jesus Christ, it's impossible to please God. So how important is saving faith? Very important, isn't it? It's the gift of God. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

Now, saving faith is never in vain, but he talks here about some Paul said, I've preached to some of you, and some of you have believed in vain. Now what does that mean? Sometimes there is a thing called a profession of faith that's not genuine faith, that will not endure the trial and the persecution, and by and by, that faith which is not genuine faith, the faith of God's elect, by and by will pass away.

You remember our Lord said to those multitude who received the bread and the fishes, that multitude of 5,000, when the Lord plainly declared the way of salvation by grace alone, in Him alone as the bread of life, it said that many quit and followed Him no more. Did they have true saving faith? No, they just got a free meal. They were following Him for the food, not for the spiritual bread, not for the spiritual food, And the Lord turned to Peter and the others. He said, will you also go away? Remember Peter's reply? Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou, as the words of eternal life. We believe and we're sure thou art the Christ. Peter had that saving faith of God's elect, didn't he? So look at verse 3.

For I delivered unto you, first of all, first things first, I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I received." Now, where did Paul receive his message, or whom did Paul receive his message from? We read in Galatians chapter 1, he said, I didn't receive it of men, I wasn't taught of men, but by the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. He revealed himself unto me. For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I received, of which I was taught of God.

And then he says, how that, verse 3, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Now this is so vital, so important. Paul defines the gospel of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ as the power of God and the salvation. That's why Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believe it, to the Jew or to the Gentile. Paul declares the gospel of Christ that he received, that he was taught The gospel is not the mere invention of men, the plan or creation of men. The gospel does not begin with man.

It begins with God. He is the alpha. He is the omega of the gospel. Salvation is of the Lord. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is not about you. It's about Him, Him, Christ alone. His person, who He is. Who is the Lord Jesus Christ? He's God Almighty. God manifests in the flesh. What did He accomplish? He said on Calvary 3, you remember the last words He said? Before he said, Father, into thy hand commend my spirit, he said, it is finished. He finished the work for his covenant people. He established righteousness for them. The gospel of God is the everlasting gospel. It is as old as God. It is the eternal gospel. Never had a beginning, never had an end. Before there was a sinner, There was a Savior. Before Adam ever sinned and fell, the Lord Jesus Christ stood as a surety of that eternal covenant.

We read about it in the Revelation chapter 13. Verse 8 talks about the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. You see, before Adam ever plunged us all into ruin and guilt, and Adam all died, and Adam all sinned, the Lord Jesus Christ stood for us. as a surety of that eternal covenant. Now the God of peace, Paul writes in Hebrews 13, 20, the God of peace that brought again from the dead the Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant. It's an everlasting covenant. God has always loved his people with an eternal love and has always determined to save them through the blood and righteousness established by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now notice what it says there in the text again. I delivered unto you first of all that also which I received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Who died? How that? Who died? Christ died. The Lord Jesus Christ.

You see, this is not just a mere man from Nazareth. who was a teacher, who was a miracle worker. This is not any mere man, Nazarene. They called him the Nazarene. This is God Almighty manifest in the flesh. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Christ of God. Notice how that Christ died. What does that word Christ mean? It means that He's the anointed one. He's the anointed prophet, priest, and king. I read this statement years ago and it stuck with me. And it shows the importance of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The importance of who this man is who died on Calvary's tree, the appointed death. I read this years ago somewhere, I don't even remember where, but it said that the Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed His real humanity on the altar of His deity. on the altar of his deity. Now if you read Old Testament scripture, the altar, under the law, set to sacrifice a part. And what sets to sacrifice a part of the Lord Jesus Christ is who he is.

God bought us with his own blood. That's who he is. when He had by Himself purged our sin. He's the anointed prophet to tell us away. He's the anointed priest to make atonement for our sin. And He's the anointed King, prophet, priest, and King. What does a King do? He reigns. The Lord Jesus Christ reigns over all things. He's God. He said, I'm God, beside me there is no other, the only just God and Savior.

And this is the one who died for our sin. God bought the church with His own blood. He said, no more your own, you're bought with a price. What a price He paid. His life, His blood to put away our sin. And then it says how that Christ died, how that Christ died for our Sins. For our sins. And He did so according to the Scripture. He died for our sins. Now, we know the wages of sin is death, right? How that Christ died for our sin. That is, in the room instead of His people. We get back to that word substitution. We see something of our sin. He died for our sins.

Now, do you ever think about this? Adam was the only man who became a sinner by sinning. Think with me now. Adam was the only man that became a sinner by sinning. We are born in sin, shaped in iniquity. We don't become a sinner when we sin. We are born sinners. And because we are born with that nature and guilt of Adam, because we are sinners, that's what we do. Sin against God.

Now how did we get that way? If you look in this same chapter, 1 Corinthians 15 verse 21, For since by man came death, there's those two representative men, Adam, and Adam all died, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. For since by man came death, by man, this is the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all died, Guilt.

Judgment because of our sin. Even so, Christ having made satisfaction for the sin of God's people, in Christ shall all be made alive. That is all who are in Him. All that were given to Him. Our Lord said, all that the Father has given to Me, they will come to Me. And I will never cast them out. Now, He died for our sin. Turn over a few pages to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5.

Verse 21, For He had made Him to be sin for us, the One that knew no sin. This One who was a God-man mediator, He had no sin, knew no sin, and did no sin, but He was made sin for us. God laid on Him the iniquity of His people. God made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

That's the blessedness of Christ being our righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ willingly takes the sin of his covenant people to himself, bears their guilt, dies their death, paid their debt of sin unto God to satisfy God's holy law and God's justice on our behalf. He bear our sin in his own body on the tree. Christ once suffered for our sin that just for the unjust that He might bring us unto God. How that Christ died for our sin.

He had no sin of His own. He dies for the sin of His people being charged to Him by God Almighty. And He does so according to the Scriptures. He gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil world to whom be glory both now and forever. Now, notice this fourth statement, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. You see that? According to the scriptures. According to the decree of God. Never think of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ as an accident. He dies on purpose.

Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified the Lord of glory. He dies the appointed death at the appointed time. He dies the appointed way. You know, under the law, those who were guilty of sin against the law, they were stoned to death. The Lord Jesus Christ was stoned, he was hung on a tree, because the scripture said, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. He dies the appointed way, upon the cursed tree. He dies for the appointed people. He dies at the appointed time, in the fullness of time. God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law.

We don't become sinners by sinning. We sin because we are sinners against God Almighty. Now, look again at verse 3 and 4. For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received, now that Christ died for our sin, and He dies for our sin according to the Scriptures.

It pleased God to bruise Him in our room and in our stead. As the Lord Jesus Christ dies for the sin of His people, He's fulfilling all Old Testament types and pictures for us. When they fulfilled all that was written of Him, they took Him down from a tree, laid Him in the supplicar that God raised Him for from the dead. He dies according to the Scripture, fulfilling all the Scripture, all the Old Testament Scripture. The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled in His death. I'll give you some examples.

In Genesis 3.15, it says the woman's seed will bruise the serpent's head. Who is that woman's seed? It's Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled that.

Having spoiled principalities and power, He made a show over them in Himself, by Himself. Another picture, you remember the lamb that Abel brought and killed, typical of Christ, the lamb of God crucified for us. The Passover lamb in Egypt, Moses told the people, instructed by God, put that, slay that lamb, put that blood on the lentil and the doorpost. God said, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. That's a picture of Christ, our Passover. 1 Corinthians 5, verse 7, Christ our Passover, He sacrificed for us. God still says, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. And that's the blood of Christ.

In the wilderness, the Lord Jesus Christ is typified by that smitten rock. When the people were in the wilderness, no water, thirsty, complaining, God told Moses to smite that rock. Out of that smitten rock came the water. Christ is that smitten rock of which comes out of Him the water of life. Paul writes about it this way. They all did drink of that spiritual rock, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.

That's a picture of Christ being smitten for us. The brazen serpent lifted up in the wilderness. Those who were bitten were to look to that serpent lifted up that Moses made like unto that fiery serpent. That brazen serpent lifted up. And the Lord said, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. You see how Christ died for our sin according to the Scripture. He's fulfilling all Old Testament Scripture.

And then verse 4, in closing, He said He was buried. Now why was He buried? Because He really died. The wages of sin is death. Our sin caused His death, and the justice of God killed the Lord Jesus Christ. He was buried, but thank God He didn't. That's not the end of the story. That He rose again the third day, and again, it's according to the Scriptures. According just as God said it would happen, it did happen. It was buried according to the Scripture to fulfill the Word of the Lord.

Psalm 16, verse 10 says, Thou wilt not leave my soul in the grave, neither wilt thou suffer the Holy One to see corruption. Now, it says in Acts chapter 13 that David died. David, the king of Israel, died and saw corruption. But the Lord Jesus Christ, when He died, He saw no corruption. You know why?

He put away our sin. There was no sin in Him. He put away our sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Christ once suffered for our sin, that just for the unjust that He might bring us unto God. Raised again according to the Scripture. Paul raises that issue. If Christ be not raised up the third day, our preaching is vain, and we are yet in our sins. How important is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ? Without the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have no good news. We have no gospel. We have no message of good tidings, glad tidings. It says in the book of Romans, the Lord Jesus Christ was delivered for our offenses, raised again for our justification. Our Lord said this in Matthew 12. Where Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Remember what happened to Jonah?

On the third day, that whale bombed him out on the shore. And on the third day, the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-Man Mediator, because He accomplished our salvation. On the third day, on that third morning, What happened? He walked out of that tomb as the God-man resurrected God-man mediator. Because He was raised from the dead on the third day, we too shall be raised up in Him. Because He lives, we shall live also. He said, I'm he that liveth and was dead. Behold, I'm alive forevermore.

He has the keys of hell and death. They're in his hands. He has the authority. He was not only raised from the dead on the third day, but after 40 days, the God-man mediator lived among men 40 days as a resurrected, glorified body. And after 40 days, what happened? He ascended to glory. He's seated in the heavenlies.

When He by Himself purged our sin, He sat down on the right hand of God. Now listen to this. And this is so. When the Lord Jesus Christ came, He came as a representative man. When He died, we died in Him. I'm crucified with Christ. When He was raised again from the dead, we were raised up in Him.

When He ascended to the heavenlies and is seated on the right hand of God, where are His people right now? in Him seated in glory already. You know that? In the purpose and mind of God, God's people are already seated in the forerunner who has entered in and is seated in the heavenlies? Paul says that in Ephesians chapter 2.

Raised up together and made us to sit together in the heavenlies in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's an amazing gospel, isn't it? It's the good news we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, how do we know what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us was accepted of God?

Because he lives, because he's seated, because he finished the work. God put his stamp of approval upon it. He ascended and he sat down. And he ever lived to intercede for us? His redeeming work? Successful. He's a victorious Lord Jesus Christ. How important is his resurrection?

And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, and you are yet in your sin. If Christ be not raised up, our preaching is vain, and your faith is also vain. If the Lord Jesus Christ is not raised up and is seated in the heavenlies, you know what that means?

That means what He said was not true. That means what He did was a failure. But my friend, He's a successful Christ and we are victorious in the Lord Jesus Christ. He cannot fail. He succeeded in all His covenant work for us. Now, I'm going to close with this. I want you to consider this.

How can I find assurance and hope that the Lord Jesus Christ died for me? How do I know He died for me? He died for somebody. He died for His people. He died for His elect. How can I know if I'm one of those for whom Christ died? Well, do you fit the description for those for whom He died? The Word of God describes those for whom He died.

It says that He came out to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He came to save sinners. Does that describe you? In 1 Timothy chapter 1, he said, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. The Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Paul said, I'm the chief one, less than the least of all the saints. In Romans chapter 5, it says that the Lord Jesus Christ died for... He didn't die for good folks. He didn't come to call the righteous sinners to repentance. When we were yet without strength and due time, Christ died for the ungodly.

Does that describe you? Does that describe me? Yeah. He came to save those lost sheep given to Him. He laid down His life for the sheep. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ meets all our need. I have great need. He meets all our need. God, just supply all your need according to His riches in glory through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ is the water of life to the thirsty. Christ is rest to the weary. Christ is light to those who are in the dark. Christ is the bread of life to the hungry. Christ is the covering, the Lord Jesus Christ is the covering to those who are chilled by their nakedness. He is the Lord our righteousness. He is the robe of righteousness and the garments of salvation to those who are chilled by their nakedness and guilt before God.

Blessed is that man to whom the Lord imputes righteousness without works." Isn't that good news? That's the Gospel. Saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven. Blessed are those whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. That's a blessed man.

How do I know if I'm one of His? How can I know that He's my Savior? Look to Him. Right now, always looking, looking, looking to the Lord Jesus Christ. May God give us grace to see in Christ and Him crucified all our salvation, all our righteousness before God.