THE GOSPEL OF THE RESURRECTION
(We have been saved by this gospel)
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Key Verses: 15:3-4
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…”
Through Revelation Bible Study, we have seen Jesus in His glory/ We have learned that Jesus is God Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega, and the Living one. Especially, Jesus is the Lamb who was slain, so only he is worthy to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and praise. (Rev 5:12) For the next 3 weeks we are going to study about the gospel through 1Corinthians, Luke 15 and 23, and Romans 6. We will learn about Jesus who made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, and who humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross. What two different images of Jesus there are! Still both images tell who Jesus is.
“Gospel” means good news. How could someone’s suffering and death become the gospel “good news” for us? It is because by this gospel we are saved when we hold it firmly. Today Paul tells us that “What happened to Christ 2,000 years ago” is still very best news for all people. Through these bible studies for the next 3 weeks, God may remind us of the gospel of Jesus. May God bless those who prepare for baptism to receive the gospel of Christ as their own very best news. Holding on to the gospel of Jesus, sinners may be saved / and we may go deeper into Christ’s grace. May God open our hearts and speak to us personally through his words!
I. By this gospel you are saved
Let’s read verse 1&2. “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” The Church in Corinth was pioneered by Paul around 50 A.D. For 18 months, Paul stayed in the city, teaching and preaching the word of God. When people heard the gospel, they received it and believed it from their hearts. Then, they had made a decision to trust Jesus for their salvation, turning away from their life of sin such as idol worships, sexual immorality, pleasure or fun seeking, selfish ignorance, self-righteousness, materialism, drunkard, homosexuals, and so on. That is what it means to take their stand on the gospel.
However, after Paul left Corinth, as time passed by, their zeal for Christ became cold; their life of faith lukewarm; they lost their first love for Christ. When Paul wrote this letter around 57 A.D, the church was full of problems. The temptation to have an easier and more comfortable life tempted everyone in the church. Once for them, being poor wasn’t so bad; as long as they had Jesus in their hearts; they felt they had everything. They were happy to give and to serve and to share because they were doing it for Jesus’ sake. But now they no longer seemed happy to be poor anymore. They had compromised the sacrificial life just a little and enjoy some worldly comfort. Once, they trusted God with their lives and futures. But now they were asking questions, “Is it really necessary for me to sacrifice (my time) so much for Bible studies, Worship, and serving others – all the time?” “Shouldn’t I seek for my future security first?” They felt that something was missing from their lives. Then, they began to go back to their old life of sin, indulging into selfishness, pride, and seeking pleasure and fun. We are not much different from them. As time passed, it seems like the bible studies, Bible reading, testimony writing did not help us to overcome our sins or bad habits any more. All our efforts and prayers seemed to not work. We liked returning to our life of sin, even after sharing testimonies, merely saying, “I repent this or that.”
How did Paul counsel (help) them? “I want to “Remind you of the gospel I preached to you.” Paul reminded them that they were saved by the gospel of Jesus. He also taught them that they must hold firmly to the gospel. Otherwise, they would have believed in vain. They should hold the gospel of Jesus. Their fundamental problems would not be solved by simple advice or counseling, but by the gospel faith only. What was missing from their hearts is the gospel of Jesus. That was the root cause of all the problems they were facing. Paul wanted to remind them of the gospel of Jesus and wanted them to firmly hold the gospel, for the gospel of Jesus is always solution to every and all problems. “Hold firmly” means “hold fast, grip tight, and do not let it go.” Holding on to the gospel is not optional, but vital – a matter of life and death. When life gets tough it is easy to let go of the gospel. But the gospel is the message of salvation; related to our eternal life and eternal condemnation. Not holding firmly to the gospel is like letting go of our life-jacket in a crisis of death in the sea.
Paul’s message for the church in Corinth is just like Jesus’ words for the seven churches. “Repent, and do the things you did at first.” (Ephesus); “Be Faithful, even to the point of death…”(Smyrna); “Hold to what you have until I come” (Thyatira); “Remember what you have received and heard; hold it fast …”(Sardis); “Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your life.”(Philadelphia) To be victorious in time of troubles is to hold fast the gospel of Jesus. To resolve all the problems we are facing is also hold on the gospel of Jesus. The gospel of Jesus is the answer.
Then, what is the gospel? Let us read verses 3-4. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, …” The core of the gospel is Jesus’ death and resurrection. How does Jesus’ death and resurrection become good news for all the people? First, Jesus died for our sins, so we have been set free from sin. What is sin? And why did Jesus have to die for our sins? To many people, sin is no big deal. Many deny that sin is even real. So, they sin freely and do not seem to suffer any ill effects. However, sin is the greatest and worst problem of mankind. Sin might be enjoyable at first, but it is not free. It demands deadly consequences. The Bible says, “the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23) People sin, but at the end they must pay for their sins with their lives. More than that, they must also face God’s judgment. Hebrews 9:27 says, “… man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” All dead people will stand before the throne of God and will be judged according what they have done. All those who have done what is impure, shameful or deceitful will be thrown into the lake of fire. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Rev21:8) This is the second death. That is the terrifying consequence of sin, which no one can escape since everyone fall short the glory of God.
Do you know what sin does to our mind, heart and soul? Sin separates us from God. (Isa59:2) When sin came to the world through one man’s disobedience, we lost his holiness, so His relationship with the Holy God was broken. Because of sin, mankind becomes strangers to God, even enemies of God. Sin destroys the image of God in us. (Ro3:23) Though God made us to be pure, loving, kind, holy, forgiving just like him. But Sin damaged / distorted our soul so much that we were no longer even close to God’s image. Rather, we become more violent, hatred, anger, pride, jealous and so on. Sin damaged the image of God in us. We are lost in our sins. We become meaningless and purposeless wonders. We work hard and struggle for 3 meals a day. Eventually sin leads us to death, and then the second death. Sin ruins our lives and in the end brings death and condemnations. That is why Jesus told the woman caught in the act of adultery, “Go now and leave your life of sin.” He also told the man who had been healed from 38 years of paralysis, “Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.” Sin is not something enjoyable at all. Guilt, shame, condemnation, loneliness, despair, death , and even the second death are the consequence of sin.
God who is merciful and gracious did not abandon us in our hopeless situation. God gave us a Savior to save us from our sins. God loved us so much that he gave his one and only Son, Jesus to be perfect Lamb of God for our sins. As our sin offering, Jesus was slain in our place to set us free form bondage to sin. Isaiah said of Jesus, “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried out our sorrows… but he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isa53:3-5) Jesus died on a cross for our sins, providing atonement and redemption for us and the whole creation. Since Jesus paid the price for our sins in full, we are not slaves to sin any longer. We have been set free from sin. Hallelujah! It is wonderful Good News!
All we need to do is to believe! Jesus said in John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” By faith in God’s love and accepting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sin, we are saved. Hallelujah! By faith in Jesus, all our sins are forgiven. Bu the blood of Jesus, all our sins are washed away, and we have been made righteous with God, and our broken relationship with God has been restored! By his blood, he has freed us from our sins, and made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve the living God without fear in his presence. Praise God.
By this gospel, many of us have been saved including Sh. David, M. John, M. Emmanuel, M. Joseph Lee Sr., M. Rebecca Lee and myself. I was one of the most hopeless sinners. It was not because I committed any terrible sins; but because I was completely spiritual blind, deaf and mute. I had no Idea about sin or death, but I was shocked by my father’s sudden death. To me, nothing made sense to be but death only. To me, death seemed the end of everything; nothing was meaningful or worthy to seek. It did not matter if you live righteous life or not; if you work hard and achieve something great or not because death would wipe away everything and make things forgotten. This world was full of injustice. There would be No reason to be good or righteous. It would be okay to commit a lot of crimes and die, because death would make everything forgotten, just like all the people who had lived and died since creation of the world have been forgotten by death. I was under the power of death.
But, thanks God for the gospel of Jesus. Jesus gave me his word through Mark’s gospel Bible study. “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Jesus’ words opened my eyes to see the spiritual reality. I was a sinner who did not know my creator God, who had been paralyzed by my blindness for long years; who accused and blamed God for this unjust world. But, Jesus suffered and died for my sins on the cross, and washed away all my sins to see the truth of God. Death is not the end of everything. Everyone will be raised and stand before God’s throne. All will be judged by God’s absolute justice. Simple and clear: Anyone who sins will be punished and anyone who lives by the word of God will be rewarded. Since everything what we have done is written in the book, no one can avoid God’s judgment. There is God’s righteous judgment.
Surprise! Though I am a sinner, I will not fall into the second death because all my sins are forgiven by the blood of Jesus. I could live a new life as a new creation in Christ Jesus. My life testimony title is “from a Sassy boy to a disciple of Jesus for world mission.” “Son, your sins are forgive” When I took his word as the word of Jesus for me by faith, this word of Jesus came to alive and work with mighty power. It was not just a letter written in a paper, but it is the word of life which gives life and salvation. The gospel of Jesus is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. Amen.
II. Jesus has risen
Jesus suffered and died on a cross for our sins. But, also Jesus was raised from the dead. Let us read verse 4. “… that he was buried, he was raised on the third day, according to the scriptures.” Can you believe that Jesus was raised to life? There are many questions people want to ask regarding “resurrection.” But, Paul did not argue to prove Jesus’ resurrection. Instead, he presented the most powerful and credible evidence: the eye witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection, some of whom were still alive at that time. But
look at verses 5-8. The first witnesses were Peter and the twelve apostles. Right after Jesus died, the apostles were fearful for their life. Out of fear they were hiding in a locked room. But after meeting the risen Jesus they were changed. They were emboldened and became courageous and powerful witnesses of Jesus.
Besides these apostles, many people – more than 500 – saw the risen Jesus. Then, Jesus appeared to James, one of Jesus’ brothers. He used to push Jesus to show off to the world. But after Jesus’ resurrection he was changed and became a leader of the church in Jerusalem. All these witnesses and their changed lives are clear evidence that Jesus rose from the dead. Paul was not making up the idea that Jesus rose from the dead, but sharing the same good news all the other apostles shared at the beginning. Then why does the resurrection of Jesus good news for us?
First, Jesus’ resurrection is the power of God that overcomes the power of death. Death brings sorrow, despair, and fear into our lives. Because of the fear of death, we had become the slaves under sin. But, Jesus’ resurrection won the victory over the power of death and sin. The resurrection of Jesus testified that death is not the end. In fact, it is the beginning of new life in God. When we hold faith in the resurrection, we can overcome fear, despair, sorrow, and hopelessness of day to day life. Rather, we can live victorious live with sense of victory.
Secondly, Jesus’ resurrection give us Hope, the living hope in the kingdom of God. Peter testified about the living hope. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you…” (1Pe1:3-4) When people live without God, they could not but trapped in sin. All their hopes are earth bounded – focused on things of the world – which will perish, spoil or fade away. These are dead hopes. But the resurrection of Jesus give us a living hope in the kingdom of God, the eternal life through faith in Jesus; living hope in the kingdom of God; this living hope cannot be taken away. We might suffer as God’s people; we may be poor and destitute; we may be misunderstood or mistreated. Still nothing can touch the living hope to be resurrected with Christ Jesus. We have the hope to live forever in Jesus. For Jesus lives, we live.
Paul himself is the witness how Jesus’ resurrection changed his life. Paul’s example tells us why the resurrection of Jesus is blessing for all the hopeless sinners. Look at verses 8-9. “and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” Paul spoke of himself as the last witness of Jesus’ resurrection. Paul knew what kind of sinner he was before he met Christ. He was a persecutor. He thought he was advancing the work of God by wiping out all Christians. But after meeting the risen Jesus on the way to Damascus he realized he was sinning greatly against God.
Let’s read verse 10. “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them-yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” Paul knew that he had been saved and become an apostle only by the grace of God. He confessed that he was the worst of all sinners. By the power of the gospel, Paul’s life change was dramatic. If he wrote a life testimony the title could be ‘From a persecutor to an apostle’. God changed his life 180 degrees. Paul was so thankful whenever he remembered the grace of God. What did Paul do when he received the grace of God? Paul worked hard for Jesus and the gospel. We can learn from Paul what to do when we receive the grace of God. Many people receive the grace of God and then fall from it. They forget or ignore God’s grace and only live for themselves. But Paul remembered God’s grace and worked hard for Jesus and the gospel.
Paul didn’t work hard or preach the gospel out of a sense of duty or a burdened heart. He was so thankful for the grace of God; the grace of God compelled him to work hard for Jesus. Whenever he thought about the grace of God for his life, his heart was moved and he was compelled to work for Jesus. Paul was full of God’s grace, and The God’s grace actually was overflowing from Paul, Then, people flocked around him. Paul worked hard than all the other apostles. But he confessed that it was not he but the grace of God that was with him. He didn’t become proud after working hard or achieving great accomplishments. Instead he remained humble because he knew they were accomplished only by grace.
Let’s read verse 3&4 one more time. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” This is the gospel of Jesus which changed Saul, the notorious enemies of Christ, to be Paul, the great servant of God. This Gospel of Jesus is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes; first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles (Rom1:16) One of repeated phrase is the “according to the Scriptures.” It teaches us that the word of God is trust worthy for our God is faithful and powerful to keep what he had promised.
12 young people are preparing for baptism. By the power of the gospel of God, all may receive the grace of the forgiveness of sins. All may be set free form the power of sin and death. So, the each of them live a new life as a new creation in Christ Jesus. Each of them may confess that Jesus is the Lord by faith. By faith in the gospel of Jesus, they may be saved. Not only that, God may also raise them to be a blessing as a Bible Teacher and a shepherd for God’s flock for this generation. Thank God for Jesus who died on the cross for my sins according to the Scripture. Thank God for Jesus who was raise from the death according to the scriptures.