I'll come back to 1 Corinthians
chapter 15. Lord willing, we'll look at these
verses this morning, and the next two weeks we'll look at
this chapter. I thought of the verse as they were singing, because
I live, ye shall live also. He didn't say, because I died
or die, although that's true. But a dead Christ saves no one. It is a risen, reigning Lord
who lived to apply what he did in his life and death. His blood,
that's who saves. That's who saves. We worship,
we worship the living Lord. That's what we're here this morning
for, to worship the Lord Jesus Christ who's risen and seated
at God's right hand on our behalf, on our behalf. Now, Paul is going
to deal with this resurrection, this matter of the resurrection
of the dead. First he's going to deal with
Christ's resurrection, because we don't need to talk about the
resurrection of the dead, our resurrection, or the resurrection
of anyone else, until this matter is settled, of his resurrection.
Because if he's not raised, no one else is either. No one else. So Paul will prove the resurrection,
or I should say declare. He's going to declare the resurrection
of the dead in this chapter. Some were saying that there was
no resurrection of the dead. They didn't want there to be
a resurrection of the dead. If he's alive, that means everything
in this book is true. Every message in this book, every
word in this book, every sentence in this book, If he's alive. But if he's not
alive, it all crumbles. It all crumbles. All of it. Look over in Acts chapter 10. Let me read you something. Here's
why some of them came in. Of course, there were some Sadducees
who didn't believe in it, but there was many who did not want
it to be so. And I'll show you why here. In
verse 36, the word which God sent unto the children of Israel,
preaching peace by Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all. That word,
I say, you know, which was published throughout all Judea and began
from Galilee after the baptism which John preached. how God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power,
who 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, this same
person that the Jews slew and hanged on a tree, this same person
who went about doing good this same person who was anointed
with the Holy Ghost and with power, this same person, God
raised the third day." He's alive and well. "...and showed himself
openly, not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before
of God, even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rose
from the dead." We are witnesses of this. And he commanded us
to preach unto the people and to testify that it is he, it
is the same one, the same Jesus, it is he which was ordained of
God to be the judge of quick and dead, of the living and the
dead. And believe me, there were some
who did not want him. They didn't want him to be alive.
They didn't want that to be so. Because if so, they're in trouble. They're in trouble. He's the
judge of the living and the dead. So, if this were true, if there's
no resurrection of the dead, then we have no gospel to preach.
I don't have any good news for you this morning if there's no
resurrection of the dead. The resurrection is one of the
great fundamental truths of the gospel. It hinges on this. It hinges on it. He was raised
again, it says, for our justification. So if he is not raised, we are
not justified. We are yet in our sins. And the
Apostle Paul suffered greatly, all of them suffered for it,
preaching the resurrection of Christ. They suffer for it. Look over in Acts chapter 24.
In Acts chapter 24, look in verse
21. He says here, except it be. Let
me see here. Let me see what verse I need
to go to. Go to verse 14. Go to verse 14. But this I confess
unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, the way
of the cross, the way of Christ crucified, the way of substitution,
the way which they call heresy, so worship I to God by fathers,
believing all things which are written in the law and in the
prophets, and have hope toward God, which they themselves also
allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just
and the unjust. And herein do I exercise myself
to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward
men. Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation in
offerings, whereupon certain Jews from Asia found me purified
in the temple, neither with multitude nor with tumult, who ought to
have been here before thee, and object if they had ought against
me. Or else let these same here say if they have found any evil
doing in me while I stood before the council. Except it be for
this one voice, this one voice, that I cried standing among them,
touching the resurrection of the dead, I am called in question
by you this day." Paul said, I am here this day because I
preached that this Jesus whom you slew and hanged on a tree,
whom the Jews slew and hung on a tree, him hath God raised from
the dead and made him. both Lord and Christ, Lord and
Savior. He said, that's why I'm standing
here. This is why I'm being persecuted. I tell you, the whole foundation
stands on this, of his resurrection from the dead. His resurrection
from the dead says that God has accepted him, all that he has
done and all that are in him, all that he represented. If he
did not rise from the dead, then we had no hope. Nothing that
he did is accepted. His death, his sacrifice, his
blood are meaningless if he's still in the grave. If he's still
in that tomb, everything he did is meaningless. But he's not
there. He's not there. Why seek ye the
living among the dead? He is not here. He's risen. And what good news that is. Because
His resurrection says that the Father has accepted Him and everyone
in Him. His work, His blood, His sacrifice,
His priesthood, His intercession, it is all accepted. And the proof
of it is He came out of that grave. He's not in that grave. He came out. So Paul starts out
here in verse 1. or over-brethren, I declare unto
you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have
received, and wherein you stand." Paul preached the gospel to them
once again, and it was the same gospel that he preached to them
before. He never changed the message. The message never changes. It is always Christ and Him crucified,
and preaching Christ crucified involves everything about Christ. His eternality, His manhood,
His work, His death, His resurrection, His intercession, His coming
again. That preaching Christ crucified. That's preaching everything
about Him. That's what Paul's saying. I
declare unto you the gospel, the good news, which I preached
unto you. You know, he told the Philippians
over here in Philippians chapter 3, I think it is. Let me look
in Philippians 3. In Philippians chapter 3, Paul
says, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same
things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it's
safe. To write to you about Christ and Him crucified is not a burden. It's not grievous. And it's the
safest thing I can do for you, the safest thing. I can do for
you is to stand here every week and preach the Lord Jesus Christ,
whether it be His priesthood, whether it be His Godhead, whatever
it is about Him. The safest thing I can do for
you is to keep pointing you to Him, to keep your minds, your
affections centered on Him. Church asked me one time, I've
told you this before, they wanted to know, they was talking to
me about being a pastor. They wanted to know if I preached
against rock and roll. They did. They said, do you preach
against rock and roll? I said, no, I preach Christ. They said,
we know that. We know that, you know, we can
set that aside. Do you preach against abortion? I said, if the subject comes
up in the scriptures, I deal with it. I said, but no, I preach
Christ and Him crucified. They said, we know that. That's
not what we are asking you. I know what you're asking me.
And you're not listening to what I'm telling you. You say, I know
what you're asking, but you're not listening to what I'm telling
you. I can preach against rock and roll. I can get it wiped
out. I can preach against abortion.
I can preach against the vices of this flesh and get a man or
get a young person to stop it. And they're still going to perish.
Because God doesn't save men or young people by quitting things.
He saves them by Christ. That's how God saves sinners. Now, you know, when we go, and
this is a good thing about going verse by verse, sooner or later
you'll handle these things. But Christ is the message. And
then there was some here who came into this church and said,
there's no resurrection. Christ is not risen. There's
no such thing as a resurrection. Paul says, we're not going to
compromise here. You can't compromise on the gospel. These fundamental truths of the
gospel cannot be compromised in any way, shape, or form. So
Paul's saying to them, I preached to you the gospel that I preached
to you once before. Some had let it slip, like they
did over in Hebrews chapter 2. Some were letting it slip. And
that's one of the reasons you preach Christ week after week
after week. You'd be surprised how fast it
slipped if we get off on something else. You'd be surprised. Paul reminds them how they received
the gospel by faith. You received it by faith, and
you stand in it by faith, and you continue in it by faith.
The judge shall live by faith. That's how we continue, living
by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel is the only thing
that gives us a standing before God. Nothing else. Nothing else. He says here in verse 2, by which also you are saved. And we can read it like this,
by which also you are being saved. You've been saved, you're being
saved, and you shall be saved by this gospel, by following
on to know the Lord. Not by accepting Him as your
personal Savior, you think, oh, we'll learn how to live right.
It's continuing on to know Him. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of what? Me. He's always the lesson. He's always the message. He's
always the meal. He's the bread of life. He's
always the drink. He's the water of life. Always. By which also you are saved,
if you keep in memory. Now that doesn't mean If I grow old and I forget him,
I forget my name, then I'm going to wind up being lost. If you
look over in the margin, it says, hold fast. If you hold fast, hold fast to him and all that's
about him, he's your only hope. That's all he ever is, your only
hope. Nothing else comes between you and Him. You see, you don't
start saying, well, you know what? Maybe they're right. Maybe
there is no resurrection of the dead. And then you finally fall
off and go that direction. You apostatize. You were never
His. You were never His. But Paul speaks to everyone who
confesses Christ that you're His. You know, everyone here
who confesses Christ and you've believed on Christ, I tell you
what, until you finally leave, Until you completely leave it,
I'm going to preach to you it is His. By which also you are saved.
I tell you what, if you'd walked into that church, if you'd walked
into that church, you'd never believe it was the church of
the Lord Jesus Christ. The stuff that was going on in that congregation,
you would think, there's no way this is the Lord's church. But
it was. But he allowed this church to
have all these problems for you and me. Examples. Examples. We can see a lot of
things through going through this book and through what Paul
dealt with here. We've learned a lot of things
from him. You know, when you see something else, if the Lord
allows somebody to go through something, it's like he did the
Corinthians, then you can look at it and say, I don't want to
go that direction. It's an example of what not to do, as well as
what to do. But by which also you're saved
if you keep in memory, if you hold fast, what I preached to
you, unless you have believed in vain, unless it was vain.
It was just an emotional, you got emotionally caught up in
it, and you made a decision, and then time was passed by,
and that's what it proves out to be, just an emotional decision. And it's in vain. But it's this gospel of Christ
crucified by which God saved you, and that's the way He'll
keep you saved, through this gospel. And the one who is saved
by the gospel perseveres in the faith. If God has saved you,
you will persevere in the faith. But there are some who believe
in vain. There are some who are going to stand before God, and
they are going to say, stand before our Lord, and they are
going to say, we preached in your name. We cast out devils
in your name. We did many mighty works in your
name. He's not going to argue with
them. He's going to say, depart from me. I never knew you. They
believed in vain. Their faith was in vain. They
never really believed in him at all. I love him. Then Paul says, for I delivered
unto you, first of all, that which I also received. He never
preached a message to them that he did not get directly from
the Lord. Not one message. I delivered
unto you, first of all, that which I also received, how that
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, the Old Testament
scriptures. And no doubt in his preaching
he pointed them back to the Passover lamb and he went back to that
tabernacle and Franklin through this tabernacle. here some time
ago in the Bible class. I bet Paul did that too. I bet
Paul in his conversations sitting in their homes, I bet you he
went back, reached back to that tabernacle and related it to
Christ and the priesthood. He was there for a year and a
half. He taught them the gospel. Christ was evidently sent forth
before them. That's what he's saying. I preach
to you that which I was given from the Lord. The Lord gave
it to you. His doctrine, his gospel came
from above. Look over in Galatians chapter
one. Here's what Paul preached to
them. Galatians chapter one. Paul said, but I certify you,
brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after
man. I did not learn it, get it from
man. For I neither received it of
man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus
Christ. The Lord took Paul to the desert
and taught him the gospel personally. sat down and talked to him and
taught him personally. Well, you have heard of my conversation
in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted
the church of God and I wasted it. He said, that's how I handled
it. And profited in the Jews' religion
above me and my equals and my own nation, being more exceedingly
zealous of the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated
me from my mother's womb, called me by His grace to reveal His
Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen, immediately
I conferred not with flesh and blood. I didn't call old Peter
or the other apostles. Neither went I up to Jerusalem
to them which were apostles before me. But I went into Arabia and
returned again into Damascus. Then after three years I went
up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him fifteen days.
But after the apostles saw I none save James the Lord's brother.
Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God
I lie not." My conscience, I have a clear conscience. I'm telling
you the truth. Afterwards, I came into the regions of Syria and
Cilicia. It was unknown by face unto the churches of Judea which
were in Christ, but they had heard only that He which persecuted
us in times past now preaches the faith which he once destroyed,
and they glorified God in me." But the gospel that I preached,
everywhere Paul preached, was the gospel that he received directly
from the Lord Jesus Christ. Directly. That which he delivered Christ
and Him crucified. What was it He said to the Corinthians
when He came there? I determined not to know anything
among you. I don't want to get in the buggy
and go look at the architectural work around the city. I don't
want you to say, well, look at this library, or look at this,
or let's go show you this. He said, I don't want to know
anything except this. Let's get this settled first. It's not
saying Paul wasn't interested in them. But he said, let's get
this settled first. I'm determined not to know anything
among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He took the leadership
of that. And he said, we're not going
to talk and get into philosophy. We're not going to get into human
wisdom. Here's what we're going to do.
I'm going to preach Christ and Him crucified. And you're going
to listen. You're going to listen. Because
I tell you what, you go sit around a table and try to talk to the
gospel with people, you get into an argument. People start throwing
out what they believe. Doesn't the Bible say this? I
heard someone a couple of weeks ago, I heard a man saying, well,
the Bible says, I heard, he wasn't talking to me, he was talking
to someone else. He said, the Bible said, da, da, da, da. There's
nowhere written in the Bible. What he was saying, I can say,
there's nowhere written in the Bible. And I was not about to step in
there and say, no, that's not what... I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll
invite him to come here and sit down, shut up and listen. That's when God saves sinners.
When he shuts their mouth and that sinner listens to his preacher. The God sent man. Standing around
arguing about it's not going to save anyone. You don't want to argue with
a fool unless you become just like him. And you will. You'll lose your
temper and you'll become just like him. So Paul prays to them Christ
crucified. He's the sin bearer. He's the
substitute. He's the scapegoat. He's the
high priest. His blood is the blood of atonement.
He's the Lord. He's God incarnate. That's what
he preached. That's the message he preached.
He preached a person. He didn't preach a religion.
He preached a person. He preached a person. And it was nothing new. Paul
did not preach one thing to them that was new. He backed every
bit of it up by the Old Testament, according to the Scriptures.
Everything he said, he could back up by the Word of God. He
could turn over to Isaiah. He could turn to Isaiah 53. He
said, you want to talk about substitution? Look over here
in Isaiah 53, and he preached Christ from Isaiah 53. Or he
could go back to Genesis, talk about the seed of the woman.
And I'm sure he did. Over that year and a half, I'm
sure he took the Old Testament, because that's all they had.
He took the Old Testament, he took those types and those pictures,
and he preached Christ. And God saved a multitude out
of that city. God said, I have many people
in this city. Many. He preached it. Our gospel must be according
to the scriptures. And we have the Old and New Testaments,
so it's according to both. It's according to the Old Testament
and according to the New Testament. And that he was buried, look
in verse 4. I'm not going to get as far as
I thought. That he was buried and that he rose again the third
day. How? According to the Scriptures.
Listen, according to the Old Testament Scriptures. Go read
Isaiah 53. It doesn't end in disaster. It ends victoriously. Look over there. Even Psalm 22
ends gloriously. It doesn't end in disaster. Where'd
I say go? Isaiah 53. In verse 10. Yet it pleased the
Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to a grief. When
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall what? See his
seed. He shall prolong his days. He's
alive. And the pleasure of the Lord
shall prosper in his hands. Well, not if he's dead. He can't
prosper in his hands if he's dead. But if he's risen, right
now the pleasure of the Lord is prospering in the hands of
our Lord. Right now. He shall see that the travail
of his soul shall be what? Satisfied. That's victory. By
his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he
shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a
portion with the great, And he shall divide the spoiled with
the strong." Only a living man could do that, not a dead one,
because he had poured out his soul unto death. He did die.
He was numbered with the transgressors. He buried the sin of many, and
he made intercession for the transgressors. It ends in victory.
My servant shall not fail. He shall not fail. He was buried alright. Christ
was truly the man. He was the man that could die
and the man that did die. He was put to death. But he didn't
remain that way. Three days he came out of that
grave. His body saw no corruption. No corruption whatsoever. He rose a third day as the scripture
said that he would. You remember when Abraham was
going to offer up Isaac? It says he received him in a
figure raised. He not only saw the substitution
of Christ, he saw that he was raised. He saw that God was going
to raise him up, that he was going to raise Isaac back up.
But what he saw was Christ being raised up. He said, Thou wilt not leave
my soul in hell. It says over here in Psalm 16,
I believe it is. Let me look. Over here in Psalm
16. In verse 8, I have set the Lord
always before me, because he is at my right hand, I shall
not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad and my glory rejoices.
My flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul
in hell or in the grave, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One
to see corruption." He brought him up. He brought him up. He
brought him up. Now listen, Paul not only declares
it, but Paul says, there was witnesses. There are witnesses.
Let everything be done in the mouth of two or three witnesses.
There was witnesses to this. And listen, they were men of
character. They were just men. They were honest men. These were
honest people. He was seen of Peter, then of the other apostles. And after that, he was seen of
above 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remained
until this present. But some are falling asleep. Some are
dead. They're just falling asleep.
They're in him. They fall asleep in him. Many saw him and listened. None of them denied the experience.
Through the persecution, some were sold asunder. I mean, there
was persecuted, but you know what? None of them denied Him.
None of them said, I'm lying. I didn't see Him. He's not risen.
No. No, they went out in faith. They remained true to him to
the end. And after that, he was seen of
James and all the apostles, all the other ones, except, you know,
Judas wasn't in it. Paul mentions many prominent
men and women here. These are good witnesses. These
are credible witnesses that saw him. And last of all, he was
seen of me also. As one born out of due time,
he finally mentions himself as one of the eyewitnesses. He said,
I saw him also. I've seen the Lord. To be an
apostle, you had to, as one of the requirements. As one born
out of due time, not out of God's time. Paul says, as one born
out of due time, but not out of God's time, not out of his
time. He's talking about his late coming
to Christ and seeing him after he had ascended back to heaven. For I am the least of the apostles,
and I'm not mean to be called an apostle because I persecuted
the church of God and awaited it. He never got over that. He
knew it, but the Lord forgave him. You know, if the Lord forgives
you something, you're able to deal with it. You're able to
deal with it. You're able to live with it.
Because you know His grace. You know the power of His blood
and sacrifice. You know it's put away, even
though you don't forget it. Even though you can't forget
it. But he said this, I'm the least
of the apostles, but I've seen Him. And the others have seen
Him. The others have seen Him. And guess what? He's alive. There
is a resurrection. And that resurrection, listen,
there is a resurrection and it's alive. You know, when Martha spoke to
him, spoke to our Lord, she spoke to him about the resurrection
as a doctrine. He talked to her about it being
a person. He spoke to her, he said, Martha, I am the resurrection
and the life. Quit looking for an event. Look
for me. Look to me. There's a lot of
people out there looking for an event called the resurrection,
but they're going to miss the resurrection, which is Christ. I am the resurrection and the
life. And Paul says, I and other apostles
and about 500 other brethren have seen him and he's alive. Now, if he's not alive, and I'll
wind this down, If he's not alive, if he's dead, if he's still in
the grave, then our preaching is vain. This is useless. What
are we doing? What are we doing here if he's
dead? It's vain, he says. And our faith
is vain. And we're false witnesses of
God. We're lying on God because we're saying that God raised
him from the dead. If there's no resurrection of
the dead, then we're lying on God. But if the dead rise not, then
is Christ not risen, because no one else is risen if he's not. And if Christ be
not raised, your faith is vain, and you're yet in your sins.
You've been duped. You've been duped. They also which have fallen asleep
have no hope either, if in this life Only we have hope in Christ,
we're of all men most miserable, because look what Paul put up
with. Look at the persecution they
were put up with, that they were putting up with. Look what they
suffered. If Christ is not risen, then
we're of all men most miserable, because look what we're going
through, denying ourselves. But now, verse 20. But now is
Christ risen from the dead, he's alive, he's alive and well and
seated at God's right hand, and he's become the firstfruits of
them that slept. They are alive also. All who
are in him are alive, and they too shall be raised from the
dead.