No More Condemnation for those in Christ Jesus

 

TEXT :  Romans  8: 1-17

TITLE:  The Gospel  teaches us that there is no more condemnation for those in Christ Jesus 

Date :   27 /11 /2011                                                  

Today  we  will consider  yet  another phenomenon   that   would  attack and undermine   the  good seed , the gospel  and therefore  the centrality of the   person and the  work  of the Lord Jesus  Christ  in our  heart , mind , soul and passion:  False  guilt and shame! 

This problem   is  precipitated  by ‘non thinking’  or  ‘shallow thinking’  , or  perhaps by  busy , cluttered minds that do not  want  to  think  through the  teaching of Scripture  on the  achievement  of the cross  for the true believer :  “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Christians who let others  do the thinking for them  will  at some time  either  be  confused by  legalistic  “Galatian type  Christians”  , or  antinomian [1]  “ Corinthian type Christians “ .  Both letters of Paul to these respective  churches reflect  a very stern  rebuke .

Here is  a practical  outworking  of these two positions in terms  of  attending  public worship on  the 7^th day  :

The legalist  says :  “ You have to go to  public worship on  the 7^th day   if you are  you are a Christian “ .  By this statement  the legalist  indicates  that   one’s  works  prove  that you are a Christian . This was the error of the  Pharisees. They  were   meticulously focused  on  law and works , but  this was not combined with  love  for  God  Himself   . Therefore they refused to embrace Christ - the gospel .

The antinomian says  : “ You must not  be legalistic  about public worship  on the 7^th day  , because  you are not saved  by  law or works    , but by  grace alone “ . The antinomian  is right , of course . But  you can be right  in your  doctrine   and yet  not love   Christ  The antinomian needs to read the letter  of  James as a corrective . James teaches us that  works  must  surely follow your profession of faith .   

Conclusion  : If  public worship  is seen as a duty and not as a delight  ,  there is a problem  , whether you are  a legalist or an antinomian . In  both cases the  center of your delight in  worship is not Christ  , but   ‘duty’   or  ‘anti-duty’     . Public worship is a good , sound habit   which   God has  designed  as a  means of grace , and those who do not use  this  means of grace   will eventually  suffer the consequences  .  

When you let others do the thinking for you , you may  become very easily enslaved by teachings that enslave you rather than free you .    I  remind you  that  God has given you  a   mind . It  must be  used  prayerfully  and  in dependence upon  the gracious aid   of the Holy Spirit who  helps us to think. The Bereans of Acts 17:11  were  a good  example  of  such a  people  .

So with respect to false guilt  and shame  that is imposed upon us  so very often by others or by our cultural actions or reactions  , what can we learn from  our passage in Romans 8: 1 -11  ?

1. We consider firstly  the plain teaching of Scripture  :

Verse 1  sums up   the theme of the entire chapter  : “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  This is a  general statement of what is true of the Christian. It is a fundamental  truth ! The  remaining 38 verses are a 'working - out' of the theme...

Verses 2  - 4   teach   us  that  Christians  have been freed from the law of sin and death ( not meaning that the law is evil , but that the law is  unable  to save us ; it  can only condemn us) . Christ Jesus  has  done it !   Christ’s  death  frees the true  believer  from all the accusations , all guilt  all condemnation  that might be  brought against him/her  .

Verses  5 -  17   teach us  that there are  two kinds of people in the world , who  have  two different kinds of desires , and who  have two different  reactions to God and therefore they have two different  future  destinations  and  therefore two  present responses :

(i)            Two different kind of people : those who live according to the flesh  versus those who live according to the Spirit

(ii)          Two kinds of  desires  :  those who set their  minds on the things of the flesh (8:5,6,7)  versus those who have set their  minds on the things of the spirit  (8:4,5,6)  

(iii)         Two  kinds of reactions to God  :  the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God (8:7) and cannot please God (8:8)  , versus the spiritual mind that is at peace with God . The spiritual  mind  has the Spirit of God ( 8:8)… the Spirit of Christ(8:9)

(iv)         Two kinds of destinations  :    those led by the flesh   do not belong to  Christ (8:9) . Their destiny is eternal death  ( 8:6)  , whereas  those who are led by the spirit , have life and peace  ( 8:6) . This means  that even though their bodies must  die , they will be resurrected to eternal life  ( 8:11) . Our salvation is guaranteed, because of the work ( the deposit – Eph  1:14) of    the Holy Spirit within us. He  gives   us  true life (8:2); He enables  us to walk  according to His power  ( 8:4) ; He enables us to have our mind fixed on the things  of God ( 8:5)  ;  His presence in us produces life and peace( 8:6)  ; He dwells in us   and thereby mediates the  real and life giving  presence of Christ  (8:9  -11) .

(v)           Two kinds of  responses :  debtors  not to the flesh,  to live according to the flesh ( which leads to death – 8:12,13a)  BUT  debtors  to Christ, who gives us His Spirit  by whom we  are enabled to live  as sons of God – i.e. not  in slavery and fear (8:15)  BUT as adopted (8:15)  children of God  ( 8:16)

The big point about chapter  8 is that those who are truly Christians  ( as seen by those distinctives  that set them apart from non-believers)  are fully supplied  by God’s   grace .

2. Application  : How does this  knowledge  help us ?    

This passage  helps  the believer  in terms of his/her assurance . The conclusion  near the end of chapter 8  in the light of all this teaching is this : “ If  God is for us , who can be against us ? “ ( 8:31) . If you understand  the complete and powerful work  of  God in  you  in terms of dealing with your sin  and forgiving all your sin , then it   helps  you greatly .  You  are helped to see  that Christ  completely unloads   any  false guilt and condemnation  under which  you may  currently live.  Let us try to see this in real life  situations  in which  various Christians  may find themselves.

•  a  Christian father  who  has to work away from home frequently  lives with constant guilt that he   is not there in the growing up phases of  his children . 
•      a  Christian mother  lives under perpetual guilt and self condemnation because she thinks she does not do enough for her children, her husband , the finances…
•  a  child   growing up in a Christian home   feels perpetual   guilt and shame  for not  living up to its parents expectations . 
•   a   woman has had an abortion  a few years ago ; since then she has become a Christian ,    but she continues to labour under heavy guilt and shame.  
•   You  may perhaps   experience a  continuous   sense of regret over your lack of prayer. 
•    Pastors   often  feel guilty for not being able to meet everyone’s need in the congregation  etc .

 Some of these guilt issues  come such a long and far way , that  some   have begun to think  that it is normal to go through life  bearing such  burdens . Although  you are a  Christian   and  although  you are supposed to be  one of  God’s free people , you  rarely feel free . Many of us feel trapped  and enslaved  by someone or something , and  we  know nothing  of the joy  or the  victory that  is supposed to be   our portion.

The truth is  that apart from the cross , apart from the gospel , apart from Christ  condemnation  is normal !  That is why natural  people drink and do drugs , or engage in a number of distractions  to get rid of these ‘normal’   feelings of condemnation .  The truth is  that  without the gospel ,  apart from  the cleansing and  pardoning work of  our  Lord Jesus Christ we all deserve  to be  condemned.  No one is righteous , not even one …( Rom  3:10-18)

But  here the Bible tells us  : “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  Here you are,  Christian man and woman  , and you feel  perpetual guilt  and condemnation . What  is it that  you are  not understanding?

You  are not  yet understanding  that  the work of Christ in you  is greater than all your sin !

The Bible  constantly affirms  that  in  Christ  the believer’s  sins  ( past , present and future) have been  completely taken care of .  Consider also  what Colossians  2: 6- 14  teaches  us  in this regard . 

Your entire record of debt that stood against  you  with its legal demands , was nailed to the cross   (Col  2:14)  .

This is  precisely what  Horatio Spafford  had understood when  he composed the hymn: “ It is well with my soul”  in 1873

“ My sin – oh the bliss of this glorious thought

My sin , not in part but the whole

Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more

Praise the Lord , Praise the Lord oh my soul.”

So now  I trust  that  you understand the  magnificent grace of God ; His total forgiveness  for all your sins . Consider then all the  guilt and condemnation that you as a Christian  might still experience  to be  nailed to the cross!

Jesus died for all your sin . You bear it no more.

Moreover , you are no longer a slave  ( see 8:15!)  “ For you did not receive  the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the  Spirit of adoption as sons by who we cry  Abba , Father!”

You have received power to obey  , and  by this  grace you are able to turn  from old sinful  ways of living  and you are able to walk in grace motivated  obedience . The motive  for going to church on a Sunday  is  no longer duty driven . It is  a delight , because  Jesus is there  , and His Word is there , and His people are there ,  genuine love is there , and a whole lot of spiritual gifts that minister to  you are  there  …

All this does not mean that you will not  regularly  face your own depravity and sinfulness. It is a reality . But the difference is that  when you have taken this scripture into your heart  that  you  will know that the reality of Christ’s  death and forgiveness  of your sin  is a greater reality ! Paul  knew himself to be the  chief of sinners  ( 1 Tim 1:16)  , but note that he wasn’t paralyzed  by condemnation . On the contrary , he    now had  a better appreciation  of   God’s grace by  recognizing his own unworthiness  and sin as  he  marveled at the mercy of God .

It doesn’t  mean that  you will not occasionally struggle with condemnation and feelings of guilt, but you  will know what to do with  it .

And when you do sin  ( and there is no one who does not sin  – 1 Jn 1:8,9 ) , then you must confess your sin  to God . He  who is faithful  and just   has promised  to forgive us  our sins and to cleanse us from  all  remaining sin –  from all  unrighteousness!

By this knowledge may you learn to live the rest of your days  in  worshipful thankfulness  as you  are reminded with  Paul :  But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.  (1 Timothy 1:16 ESV)

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[1] Antinomianism (a term coined by  Martin Luther , from the  Greek  ἀντί, "against" + νόμος, "law") is defined as holding that, under the gospel dispensation  of grace  , moral law  is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary to salvation . 

How Legalism so very easily displaces the Gospel

 

TEXT :  Galatians 3:1- 9      

TITLE:  How Legalism  easily usurps the gospel  

Date :   20 /11 /2011

We know that our  physical bodies  are  subject  to  various  diseases and attacks upon our immune systems . This past week  a girl at  our  children’s school  was diagnosed with leukaemia .  This past week I  also spoke to a man  in a supermarket who  told me that he has  been diagnosed with cancer .

What is true of the body is also true of the spirit.   All of us  are  spiritually fallen  people ( Genesis 3)  .  In God’s eyes this amounts to ‘spiritual deadness‘ ( e.g. Eph 2:1), and the outworking  of this upon us  ,  physically , emotionally  and spiritually,  is   of a  many and  varied nature.   Many people  on the face of this earth are  demon possessed, as they were  also in Jesus’ day . Many  are enslaved  by addictions (drugs , alcohol , pornography)   which often  cause their early death . Many  live their lives in a completely unbalanced manner  e.g. trough  compulsive behaviour such as  eating disorders ( obesity or  anorexia / bulimia)   kleptomania , compulsive  lying , gambling, work-aholism   . Many  are therefore   subjected to   mental illnesses  and depressions  and anxieties .  

All these  things are essentially spiritual problems   and  they all take  their  toll upon our  bodies  and this is ultimately  the  reason why we will  all die .  Our bodies take a beating in the cause of life  and we truly  see that  the wages of sin is death  ( Rom 6:23) and not  one escapes  this .

Thankfully , in Christ,   we are restored  in soul / spirit  and eventually  at the resurrection we shall  also be restored in  our  bodies . In  heaven (our final and eternal state)  we will enjoy that perfect state in a spiritually pure environment  in which also our  new  bodies will never die  again.

In the meantime  we must   trust Christ  and His Word  to keep us focused on these  eternal realities. The Bible  helps us to see that life in this fallen world is a battlefield. There is  an enemy, Satan. He uses  all  possible means at his disposal  to get us down. He knows us well. He knows our weaknesses  and sometimes  He  attacks Christians  directly . There are many countries where  Christians  suffer such direct attacks   . At other times he uses subtler forms  of  attacks  in the form of  trickery and deceit, often masking himself as an angel of the light  ( 2 Cor 11:14) – a wolf in sheep’s clothing  ( Matt 7:15) .  He  knows theology ,   and he   has studied the art  of  subtly changing   the message of the Christian  faith,  handing it back to us in twisted form. The  right words  are all there, but  the primary truth  has now become subject to secondary forms of truth. 

Let me explain  this with the help  of an actual  situation  sketched for us  in  Galatians  3: 1- 9   .

In this letter  we find one of the most  vicious  diseases  that    attack our  spiritual  immunity system  : Legalism !

A  note on the letter to the  Galatians:

Paul wrote this letter  to the Galatians  because he  had seen  that  they had allowed  their hearts,  which    at one time had yielded to Christ, only  to be led astray by what he calls “a different  gospel  - not that there is another one “. This has happened through  “ some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”   (Gal 1:6,7)

What was this  different gospel , which was no gospel  ?  

Follow Paul  through his argument in Galatians  3 : 1- 9  

[3:1] O foolish ( Gr aneotoi  lit. senseless)  Galatians! Who has bewitched you? JB Philips translates:  "Oh,  you dear  idiots of Galatia… surely you can’t be so idiotic ?" Paul is clearly annoyed !  What they were doing was so senseless. It  almost  seemed  as if some sorcerer had cast a spell over ( bewitched) them . Those who had   ‘bewitched’  them  were the so called   ‘Judaizers’  -  people in those days ,  who in addition  to acknowledging  the fact  that Christ had come in the flesh  were also insisting that  the keeping of the law and circumcision were necessary  for salvation.  This amounted to  a  “Christ –plus“  situation ; a deadly compromise of the gospel, in which the gospel  was lost  and  where the law and circumcision rite won  the day !  The gospel (Christ) was  being replaced by  the law. 

Don’t get this wrong!  The  problem is not with the law . The  law  is  holy ( Rom 7:12)  and spiritual ( Rom 7:14) , the law is good ( Rom 7:16)   because it is of God. However, the law  is  no  way to  justify you before God . On the contrary, it constantly accuses you  because  the law is perfect and you are not . So in terms of obtaining a right standing before God,  the law can never help you. It can , as we have seen, only make us more guilty.  So it is foolish to want to tie people up with the law. We must look further  than the law. The Bible says that (at)  the   end of the law is Christ ( Rom 10:4).  

So, these Judaizers  under Satan’s influence  subtly indicate  to the Galatian  believers that  their  simple faith in Christ  is not enough. They needed to add the law and circumcision . By adding  this ‘tail’  to Christ, Christ becomes in reality  obscured, and the law  becomes once again  greater than Christ, and  the result is therefore that  the gospel   becomes   ‘ no gospel’.  This was  simply the  way of the Pharisees  among the Jews  resurrected  and reintroduced  in the life of  the Gentile -  Christian church .

 Paul responds ! 

“It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified [1].”  Jesus  Christ   is the gospel .  Period !   Now see how Paul challenges them  :

[2] Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? [3] Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? [4] Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? [5] Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—

Paul had come to Galatia to preach the gospel to them. He had publicly portrayed before their eyes   the person of  Jesus Christ ( The Saviour  from heaven)  and the work of  of the  Lord Jesus  ( Christ crucified).

They had heard the gospel!  With the  eye of faith they had   seen Christ crucified on the cross  for them !  They had believed in Christ , and so they had also received the  Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit   in us testifies to Christ.

Please note !  They had  not believed by becoming circumcised; they had not pledged allegiance to the law. They had only  believed in Jesus Christ, and  on this confession of their faith they  were justified  by God  and they were baptized  by the Holy Spirit  into Christ  (1 Cor 12:13 – baptized by one Spirit into one body -  this does not refer to water baptism)

This being  the facts of their experience, Paul argues that it  is  silly,  that  having begun with the Spirit, they would now   aim to  perfect  that experience by returning to  the   flesh  (by the human keeping of the law)! In this case this wonderful experience, this Spirit induced conversion  which came by a pure  faith in Christ alone ,  would be  of no purpose.

Now Paul  in typical fashion   musters all his guns  to drive   this point home. It was a masterstroke . These Judaizers  (or  legalists)  looked to  Moses as their teacher. So Paul  went a few centuries  ahead  from Moses  and  reminded them  that the  father of  faith  was  in fact Abraham .

[6] just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

[7] Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. [8] And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” [9] So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Here’s an interesting question :  How or on what basis  was Abraham  justified before God? Let me remind you that at that time  there was as yet no  law and no sign of  circumcision. To be precise, the law came only 430 years later ( Gal  3:17)  Abraham simply believed the God who had spoken to him  and this fact  ( and nothing else)  was credited to him as righteousness . He was the father of all  who would believe – from all nations  of the world  .  All this , says Paul , the Galatians should have known . They should never have fallen under the spell of these false teachers . If only they had kept Christ crucified ( i.e. Christ and His work)  before their eyes , this would not have happened . 

The   spiritual disease  that had attacked the thinking  and  the faith  of the Galatians was this wretched  substitute for the gospel , called legalism . Now we  must be concerned about this, because it is the easiest  trap  to fall into, and to be honest , all of us  have fallen into it at various times, and perhaps  we  are still there. 

In conclusion   let us consider  how  we may  watch out for  the insidious tentacles of this phenomenon  and  how we may keep ourselves in the love of Christ.

I will do this    by giving you an ordinary example .  John and Jill  have  just become Christians . They are exited  about the Lord and they have the first love glow about them. They  obviously  have yet a lot to learn about the Christian faith.   And if they  have just joined an ordinary busy  evangelical  church  where so many things are happening, and where there are so many well meaning people  wanting them to get involved  in  so many  good things. They  are excited to learn about prayer, and they are fired up by the recent  conference on evangelism, they are into a bible reading program, and a home fellowship , the music group, the diaconal ministry  teams etc . One by one they add   more and more spiritual activities  to their portfolio. All these  activities are good ; some are vital AND YET without realizing it  there is a dangerous shift taking place  in their  mind and hearts . What God had  intended to be a means  of experiencing grace , becomes within them  a means  to earn “spiritual brownie points “ .

By and by  their love  and thankfulness for Christ Himself  is  replaced by  commitment to activity. But there is something else happening in their heart.  They now begin to  look   at the Christian faith through the eyes of their performances and activities .  The  shift is plainly seen on Sundays .  On one Sunday they  participate in worship with zeal and sincerity, and they feel good about having been at church. Now something happens during the week .  There are  activities that they cannot participate in for one or  the other reason . John  or Jill have also   not been able to have good , consistent Bible reading times   and because of that  they feel that God disapproves of them , and the next Sunday in church  they are  disappointed in themselves. Worship feels  ‘flat as a pancake’   .

What is happening here ? Their confidence is no longer in the gospel. It is in their performance which hasn’t been so great lately .  The joylessness of legalism !

The answer :   Let the Gospel  be  your center

Just in case you are wondering  whether  breaking free from legalism means  that you must stop reading the Bible and that you should not  go  to  the prayer meeting  or  evangelism outreach   on Saturday  etc .  No,  it  doesn’t mean that all  , and  neglecting these things may mean that you fall into  another trap of the devil .You may now  become spiritually lazy by not using the spiritual gifts that God desires you to employ  for His glory and for the  building up of the church.

You must get your  thinking about the gospel right  !

Remember the basis of your salvation !  When you first  put your  faith in Jesus , God  justifies  you  and forgives you all your sin  and gives you the righteousness of His Son. Thereafter  He continues to work in you. That work is called sanctification. Sanctification is the process of making you more like Jesus , and this process will not end in this life until Jesus comes   or  when you meet Him  at death. Both works are God’s works . God works in you to will and to do His good work (Phil 2:12,13) . You  respond to the work of the Holy Spirit in you . That is a typical  sign of the  new birth .  You fight sin ; you flee temptation;  you pursue holiness ;  you work in the kingdom.  However  you must  NEVER  be tempted to think  that  your performance  in all this will contribute to your  justification. Not one of these good spiritual activities  will make you more saved and more loved by God .  You are always accepted  by virtue of Christ’s finished work on the cross alone  !

The point is this : Do  everything  out of a true love and appreciation  for God  Worship is your core business , not works . Works follow worship.  Keep  Christ  (His person)  and  the  cross  (His work)  central , and remain  thankful .   

And because of this  ( and not for a legalistic reason) you would never  ever again want to miss  worship on Sunday .  This is because  you love Him, and you want to be with Him , and you want to be with those whom He loves   !    Amen

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[1]  Gr . estaurōmenos :  perfect tense of the participle : the force of this is  that Christ’s work was completed on the cross , and the benefits of His crucifixion are  ongoing and available

Keeping Christ in the Center

 

TEXT : 1 Corinthians  15:1-11    

TITLE:  The danger of forgetting  ‘first things’   : Keeping  Christ in the Center      

Date : 13/11 /2011

The year  is rapidly drawing  to a close. Our bodies and minds  yearn for rest  from the  routines of the year behind us . We  just want  to ‘ chill ‘ , as the young people  say.  Rest and  holidays are important in the scheme of things , but  as with everything good  that God gives us , there are peculiar dangers  attached even to  legitimate   “ rest  and relaxation”  .  We must never  loose our spiritual vigilance !   Peter says : “ Be sober-minded  ; be watchful . Your adversary the  devil prowls  around like a roaring lion  seeking someone to devour…”  ( 1 Peter  5:8) . 

But there is another  matter I want to put before you at the end of this year , and it is a problem  for all of us who  regularly  read the Word and  who participate in regular worship , and who  are busy , committed Christians .  It is the matter of  forgetting the most  foundational  truths , among  the many other important   things that we are called  to  focus  upon . There always is that  danger of being  so busy  even with many good things  that we    forget  the important things – things that belong to the core  of our faith !

The most foundational ,  or  “core   truth”   for us  all  is the gospel .  In all our  good work for God , in all our worship , in our  raising  of   kids  and in our  keeping our marriages  in good shape  , and in  doing our regular jobs  and in our   recreation ,  we can so easily forget   the main thing  - the gospel   that  saves us , and  therefore the gospel  that should move us  in the core of our being ,

·         first , in loving , faithful worship of  our God

·         secondly,  in loving faithful service to   our brothers and sisters

·         thirdly in   loving , faithful  evangelism of   this desperately lost and needy world  around us !  

But it is the gospel  that we must   retain in our hearts at all costs .  In writing to Timothy  the apostle Paul pressed this  fact upon the  conscience of his young son in the faith, who by now was becoming a busy pastor in Ephesus    : “ Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David , as preached in my gospel . “ ( 2 Tim  2:8)

You have been with me as we have  worked our way through much of  Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians .  I have shown you time and again  that the greatest problem of this Corinthian church was  that they had  forgotten the  main thing – the gospel – the Lord  Jesus Christ . Whilst they were doing many things  ( and sinning badly against one another in the process)  they had forgotten  what the church  was all about and where it derived  its source of  true life from  . And therefore  Paul the  founding father of the church at  Corinth   had to stop them dead in their tracks  and remind them once  again  of ‘ first things ‘  in   1 Corinthians 15:1-11  

[15:1] Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, [2] and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.[3] For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, [4] that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, [5] and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. [6] Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. [7] Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. [8] Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. [9] For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. [10] But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. [11] Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. (1 Corinthians 15:1-11 ESV)

Now  what you read here  is , is   what you have heard so often . And this is  the problem –  we  easily become bored  , we become familiar  with the sacred ,  so that ,  as AW  Tozer  says,  we loose our Oh’s and Ah’s  [1]  . The fact of the matter  is  that it is utterly sinful to loose  this divine  love  with which our hearts were inflamed when we first met the Lord Jesus Christ  as Saviour. The Ephesian church  ( Rev  2:4ff) was told that the absence of her first love for Christ  was  cause for repentance ! 

My brothers and sisters  when we read the inspired Scriptures, there are no imperfections  to be found there . The deep  wisdom  of Scripture  must always cause us to   say with the apostle  Paul  “ Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  (Romans 11:33 ESV).  We Christians  should watch lest we loose that  “ oh” from our hearts – particularly when it comes to the gospel .  And this is exactly what we are seeing . All around us  we see Christians  and churches  relaxing their grip on the gospel, fumbling it, and in danger  of letting it drop from their hands altogether , because we have lost the “oh” !

So then , in  the light of the Lord’s supper  being served to us today  , let us remind  ourselves  of what  this text  says as  Paul reminded  the Corinthian Christians concerning that which was of  first importance :

1.      “Now I would remind you, brothers  of the gospel I preached to you “ : This  gospel must continually  be shared  with the world ( as did Paul with the  pagan Corinthians ) and then   again and again by way of  a reminder  . Paul did not stop preaching the gospel just because  people  had become  Christians .

2.      “(The gospel) which you received, in which you stand, [2] and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word. “ .  It is the gospel preached , received  and stood  upon  ( persevered in)  that will save  you  i.e. bring you to heaven . Nothing else ! By not  holding to that gospel   with perseverance means  that  you have not received it  .

3.      This gospel  which  Paul received  ( Acts 9)  is of first importance : “For I delivered to you as of  first importance what I also received” . It was the  preaching of the gospel  that was Paul’s primary work ( 1 Cor 9:16  : “ Woe  to me if I do not preach the gospel “ ) , and we must never criticize our preachers for bringing before us  the gospel  too often ! One man I know  , came from a Christian family , claimed to be a Christian  ,  went to seminary , became a pastor , dropped out  and wandered around the wilderness for many,  many years , and eventually heard the gospel  in this  congregation and was converted, and now lives to the glory of God  !  

4.      Lest we forget  : The   content  of the gospel  is  not only a message , but  it proceeds  from  a  person : The Lord  Jesus Christ  !  Paul’s gospel message was this  : Christ died for our sins.. was buried… was raised… and appeared  ( 15:3-9) . So when you think  about the gospel  you must  understand  and treasure up these   4 things  in your heart :

·         Christ died for your sins ! If  He had not done that , you would  not inherit eternal life ( heaven) , but  you would  inherit eternal  condemnation ( hell) . The  words that Jesus  spoke on this  are very clear .  There is no middle road  .  “ I am the Way , the Truth  and the Life . No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn  14:6)

·         Christ was  buried ! Your  sin really killed Him !  He was dead . The thing that He had feared most in life had come true .  He was forsaken by His Father (Matt 27:46)  with whom He had to this point  enjoyed fullest  , loveliest fellowship! At this  time   He bore ,  to the  fullest extent ,  the  terrible and righteous wrath of the Father ,  and all this   out of love  for His sheep – the  people  that the Father had given Him  from before the foundation of the world ( Jn 17 :6, 9 ). We will never  know  the agony of the grave  for Christ   , but this is what Jesus did for you , dear believer – never loose the “Oh!  ” on that !

·         Christ was raised ! Thank God that  He raised Christ  from the dead , after He had fully satisfied (propitiated)  the wrath of God .  The following  thoughts are important  in relation to the resurrection :

(i)                 God was faithful to His eternal plan . Thank God that  He was raised on the third day in accordance  with the Scriptures ( i.e. the OT Scriptures). He is trustworthy , and the same God who sent Christ , and gave Him up as a sin offering , and  raised Him from the dead , shall  send  Him again  from heaven  to  subdue all things and to judge the living and the dead.

(ii)               Christ lives !  A dead Saviour  is no Saviour – that is the point that Paul makes in 1 Cor 15: 12 -19 . We  worship and  serve  a living  King and we can’t wait to see Him , and  even  though we have not seen Him we love Him ! (1 Peter 1:8)

(iii)             We shall live !  Christ’s resurrection from the dead by the power of God is  our hope of the resurrection also  ( see 1 Cor 15:20-27 )

·         Christ appeared !  Thank God that there were many witnesses  to His resurrection appearances.  Four  times in this passage Paul says : “Then He appeared…” . Christ’s resurrection is a historical fact  . The Jewish historian  Josephus , who did not claim to be a Christians  wrote : “ Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ.  And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross , those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day  , as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named for him, are not extinct at this day.[2]  This helps us greatly  , for we know  that Jesus  is not a myth or a fable . He is a real person , and if what He  said  was true , then  He is  not only  a man , but He is  God . Therefore our worship today is right and meaningful and  also necessary.

5.      This gospel changed Paul’s life completely !  “ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.” (v.10)  This is actually a bit of an understatement . The power of God in  Paul  was amazingly manifest , and yet Paul  receives this  knowledge not in boasting , but in humility , because   he knows that the gospel  is not his  invention – it has been given to Him , and he worked hard  with it , and  today we are witnesses to the  power of  God’s word through  Paul .

 

So , in the light of all this ,  we must  make sure that we never loose the sense of wonder  of the gospel . And when the vision grows dim within you , plead with God to restore  it to you . This is no minor thing . It is a major  matter . Your life , your joy , your meaning in life depends on   the gospel ,  which is Jesus Christ in you , the hope of glory ( Col 1:27)  . Amen

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[1] AW  Tozer : Born after Midnight ,  p.85

[2] "Jewish Antiquities", by Flavius Josephus. Book 18, Chapter 3, paragraphs 1-5.