By this gospel you are saved

[0:00] Praise God, we can today look into God's Word concerning the resurrection. And I pray on this Good Friday, the Word of God will do His wonderful work in each of our lives.

[0:16] Amen? Amen. Come, let's pray and then we'll look into God's Word. Heavenly Father, we are so grateful for the work of the cross.

[0:30] Thank you, Lord Jesus. Your Word says every priest stands to minister daily, to offer sacrifices day after day, slaughtering animal after animal.

[0:50] But the blood of goats and bulls can never take away sin. Lord Jesus, we praise You.

[1:05] You came. You offer up Yourself. And You did it. You offer one sacrifice, and it's enough for all time, for all those who come before You.

[1:21] For by one sacrifice, You have perfected for all time, those who are sanctified. We give You praise for this great work as we come, O Lord.

[1:34] Holy Spirit, Lord, do Your mighty work in our midst. Conform us to the image of Your Son, Jesus Christ. And this morning, may the power of the resurrection work in our souls.

[1:52] For we pray all this in the name of Christ. Amen. Amen. Yes, you can look at 1 Corinthians 15, the text that we have read today.

[2:05] That is an important text. Well, what happened? The Corinthians, they say, there is no resurrection of the dead.

[2:23] There is no resurrection of the dead. They say that. And that's a very serious thing to say. No resurrection of the dead.

[2:36] And Paul is showing them, if there is no resurrection of the dead, there is no salvation. There is no gospel.

[2:48] If there is no resurrection of the dead, there is no Christianity. And we are wasting our time sitting here. But we praise God.

[3:00] Paul devoted the entire chapter to deal with this very serious problem in the church of Corinth because the resurrection is real.

[3:14] It's real. It is, in all the issues that Paul deal with, this is probably the most important that he has to deal with at the church of Corinth because the future of the church is at stake.

[3:30] Christianity is at stake. If there were no resurrection, there will not be Christianity.

[3:42] Okay? There will not be you and I sitting here worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ. So 1 Corinthians 15, the text that we have read, Paul shows us four important truths to establish the truthfulness of the resurrection.

[4:01] And the resurrection is indeed at the core of the gospel truth. Paul lays it out. It is the death and resurrection of Christ that made up the gospel.

[4:14] So you cannot have one without the other. So this is the text that we will devote our time, the short time here, to deal with this four critical reality.

[4:25] these four critical truths in this passage that the resurrection is real. The resurrection is real.

[4:37] So you look at the text, first one, as we have read in verse 1 and 2, that is the first truth. The first truth is the resurrection is real because of its saving power.

[4:53] Its saving power. Three phrases, Paul puts it out to the Corinthians, three phrases in verse 1 and 2 to just highlight the gospel power.

[5:09] 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.

[5:20] By this gospel, you are saved if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you, otherwise you have believed in vain. Which three phrases is right there in verse 1 and the beginning of verse 2.

[5:39] Three phrases that Paul reminds them of its saving power. first phrase, the gospel you receive, at one point in time, in the past, you received by faith and the power impacted you at that very moment.

[6:04] Happened one point in the past and then it did not stop. this power continued to impact your life and that goes to the second phrase on which you have taken your stand.

[6:24] The effect which happened at one point in time, it continued, you can see the very impact right now you are standing on its very power.

[6:39] and then the third phrase as commentator Simon Christenmaker or Christenmaker highlighted, this is like building up climax, building up climax at the third phrase by which, by this gospel you are saved.

[7:03] This is the saving power of the gospel. It is this gospel gospel that has saved you. As in the present continuous tense, like our English, in the Greek it's the same present continuous tense, you are being saved, as some translation put it.

[7:24] The impact continues. It happens at one point in time and it carries on until the very day you are standing and it goes on and it's building up to a climax, which is, and we all know, we will see Christ face to face.

[7:44] As Romans 8 puts it, those whom he predestined, he also called. Those whom he called, he also justified, and those whom he justified, he glorified.

[7:57] this is the saving power of the gospel and the resurrection is the key to this power.

[8:09] And then Paul adds at the ends of verse 2, notice that he say basically this, it is impossible, it is impossible for you who believe in the gospel not to be impacted by its power.

[8:32] If you are not impacted by its power, you have believed in vain. That is such a great statement.

[8:46] If you are not impacted by its power, you have believed in vain. You have believed for nothing. your belief is empty.

[8:59] That is what it means literally. Your belief is fake. It is not the gospel fake. It is your belief is fake. Because if you believe truly, this is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believe.

[9:19] Paul elsewhere in 2 Corinthians reminds the Corinthians again, 2 Corinthians 5, and it says, if anyone is in Christ, what?

[9:33] He is a new creation. Amen. The old is gone. Behold, the new has come.

[9:47] God has come. How can it be no transformation? If there is no new creation, there is nothing wrong with the gospel that Paul proclaimed.

[10:03] It is something wrong with your belief. So, Paul established that the resurrection is real because of his saving power.

[10:18] And that's why Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

[10:31] And that has been the message of the church. And that has been the message of many missionaries. They go to places like here, you can probably recall your history.

[10:44] When the missionary came, they came among total pagans, total darkness, and they proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[10:59] And you have the church today, the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What?

[11:11] Why would anyone do anything else if it is such power? And Paul says to the Corinthians, the resurrection is real because of its saving power.

[11:26] And it moves on to the second truth. The resurrection is real because of its scriptural conformity.

[11:39] what do we mean by that? You look at verse 3 and 4. It says, for what I receive, I pass on to you as of first importance, that Christ die for our sin according to the scripture, that he was buried, he was raised on the third day, according to the scripture.

[12:02] Notice this phrase, according to the scripture, repeated twice. basically, Paul wanted to highlight according to the scripture or in conformity to the scripture or in agreement with the scripture to explain why the gospel has such power is because it is according to the scripture.

[12:28] The power comes from the word and the word is God's brief word. 2 Timothy 3.16 All scriptures are breathed out by God, meaning scriptures are God's word.

[12:52] When the Bible speaks, God speaks. So here Paul highlights to the Corinthians that the gospel has such power is because it is in conformity with God's will.

[13:10] It is God's very word. So I receive, Paul said, I receive directly from the Lord and I pass on to you, this is so important that you know that this gospel that I preach is in conformity to the scriptures.

[13:37] And I'm so encouraged to hear all the scriptures were read just now concerning this great truth. And Paul in particular has Isaiah 53 in mind.

[13:51] He was pierced for our transgression. Isn't it? And Isaiah prophesied this about 700 years before the coming of Jesus Christ.

[14:07] In the Old Testament, Scripture speaks, God speaks. And Paul highlighted to the Corinthians Christ came according to the scripture.

[14:25] He died. And notice that he died for our sin. Isaiah we have read, he was pierced for our transgression.

[14:38] He was crushed for our iniquity. That is the coming of Christ in line with the scripture. And not only that, he was raised on the third day according to the scripture.

[14:59] Well, even in Isaiah 53, later on after verse 5, we talk about the crucifixion of Christ and then you have even there like in verse 10, the second half, for he will see his offspring.

[15:16] offspring. Even there, you will see that this Messiah will see his offspring. And of course, we know it speaks to the resurrection of Christ.

[15:28] He did not stay in the tomb. He did not stay in the grave. The tomb is empty. The tomb is empty.

[15:39] And of course, another important passage all New Testament believers knows is from Psalm 16. Psalm 16 verse 10 that talks about God will not abandon his Holy One to decay in the grave.

[15:59] God will raise him up according to the scripture. Christ was raised. It is in complete agreement with the revelation of God.

[16:19] So, Paul highlighted this is not man's word. This is God's word. And God's word has authority.

[16:32] God's word has authority. Remember that God created this entire universe by the word of his mouth.

[16:46] His word is powerful. There's nothing like the power of the scripture. And Paul knows the power and authority of the scripture.

[17:02] He knows the scripture is the very word of God. And he has using the words of the reformers high view of the scripture.

[17:18] High view of the scripture. Today we have many low view of the scripture. but Paul and all the New Testament apostles and all the reformers high view of the scripture.

[17:35] When God speaks we obey because it is God's word. When God gives out his command we will do.

[17:55] That is the high view of the scripture. The reformers they come up with this doctrine sola scriptura.

[18:10] What does it say? It basically says this. Yes the word of God is inerrant without errors we believe that.

[18:22] The word of God is infallible. We believe that. The word of God is all sufficient. We believe that because that's the nature of God's word.

[18:36] And the word of God is the only rule of faith and practice and judge of all controversies.

[18:50] there's a powerful belief arriving at that belief from the scripture itself. The reformers by the chief, one of the chief, Martin Luther, when he was summoned to the diet of worms because the church authority in his time want him to recant of all the writings that he has written against church tradition, against church hierarchy of authority, they want him to recant because if not, they will, they will persecute him.

[19:43] They will even take his life. what did Luther do? What did he do? He was summoned before the authority, the church ecclesiastical authority, and they want him to recant of all his writings.

[20:06] He said his famous saying, I am captive to the word of God. My conscience is captive to the word of God, and I cannot, and I will not recant.

[20:23] For to go against the scripture, to go against my conscience, is neither right nor say.

[20:33] and I pray that will captive your conscience today, the scripture. Today, we have so many worldly philosophies, we have so many heretical teaching, false teaching, we have so many on YouTube or online, we have so many superstitions, we have so many self-professed healers or apostles, we have so many lies, we have so many psychological theories, we have so many out there, but for the Christian, for the believers, they only care about one thing, is this scriptural?

[21:32] right? That's what the people of God care about. Does God say this? It is from the Bible, because if it is from the Bible, it is God's will and God says it and God will not let His word return to him, void.

[21:59] God is the power of the scripture, and the resurrection is real precisely because it is in conformity to the scripture.

[22:14] Thirdly, thirdly, the scripture is real because of its spectacular eyewitnesses, eyewitnesses. The resurrection is no fake news.

[22:28] Let me say that again because there are so many fake news today. The resurrection is no fake news. Do you get that?

[22:41] It is real. But if it is real, then what do you do with it? And Paul presented overwhelming eyewitnesses.

[22:56] the resurrection is irrefutable, undeniable.

[23:07] Look at what Paul says. Verse 5, he appeared to Peter or Cephas, and then to the twelve, precisely will be the twelve, I mean the eleven disciples of Christ, the apostles of Christ, and verse 6, after that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom still living, they are still alive.

[23:41] At the time of Paul's writing, most of them are still alive. So Paul is implying to the Corinthians, if you have any doubts, you can go to them.

[23:55] They are still alive. Most of them, some have fallen asleep. There's a language of Christians, death, they just fell asleep, they will wake up again because there will be resurrection.

[24:12] The resurrection, as Charles Spurgeon says, Charles Spurgeon, the late London preacher, the resurrection is a fact.

[24:24] The resurrection is a fact better attested than any event recorded in any history.

[24:38] This fact is so well attested that no historical event comes even close to it.

[24:52] That is the resurrection of Christ. And it's so critical because, as I said earlier, the death of Christ alone doesn't save.

[25:08] You know that. The death alone doesn't grant forgiveness of sin. It has to have the resurrection.

[25:21] Without the resurrection, there is no gospel. So, if you doubt the resurrection, you doubt the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[25:34] And that is huge. That is very serious. so Paul wrote to them, the eyewitnesses are overwhelming.

[25:50] If you have any doubts, you can still talk to them. They are around. They are alive. But for us, we know as a matter of fact, as a matter of fact, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day.

[26:08] and we are here today celebrating the fact. And Paul goes on to the last truth. The resurrection is real or the gospel is real because of his special preacher.

[26:31] Special preacher. So, God raised Christ from the dead and Christ appeared to so many eyewitnesses.

[26:44] Then he appeared to James, verse 7, and to all the apostles, and verse 8, last of all, he appeared to me also.

[26:55] As to one, I'm timely born, or abnormally born, for I'm the least of all the apostles, and do not even deserve to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church.

[27:09] But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I work harder than all of them, yet not I by the grace of God that was with me, whether then it is I or there.

[27:28] This is what we preach, and this is what you believe, because of this special preacher, Paul himself.

[27:44] It is a very powerful work of God that he raised Paul up and transformed him from a fierce persecutor.

[28:00] You read the book of Acts, he basically goes around and putting Christians in prison, and when Stephen, the first martyr of the church, was stoned to death, Paul was there.

[28:15] Paul was there. He has his part in the stoning of Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian church. He was a fierce persecutor of the church, but God saved him.

[28:33] Just to note, as Paul himself tells us, he is the last one. He is the last of all.

[28:48] Those who have seen Christ, he is the last one, because Christ will not do this anymore. Paul was the last one that Christ appeared to.

[29:04] So, we do not have the privilege like Paul had today, but we have the scripture, and that is more than enough, more than enough. But anyway, God appeared to him.

[29:17] A fierce persecutor become strong, or the greatest defender of the resurrection. Today, we have many people like that, they want to discredit news, or discredit scripture, they will find people who have left the faith, and they will call them in, they say, this is a former preacher turned atheist, this is his message, church, here it is, to discredit the truth, but God did it the other way around, because that's the truth, here, this is the truth, that Paul was a fierce persecutor of the church, God saved him, transformed him, and he becomes the greatest defender of the truth.

[30:18] He wrote most of the New Testament books, Jesus, and he is the preacher of the resurrection of Christ. So, Paul, I want to challenge you today too, if you doubt the resurrection, will you take up the challenge to read the eyewitnesses account, to read the eyewitnesses account, and I would recommend the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.

[30:55] If you challenge the reality of the resurrection, you should read the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, because the author Luke inspired by God to write the eyewitnesses account of the life of Christ and the death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ, and then the church continue this proclamation that Christ indeed rose from the dead.

[31:33] And that's why Paul ends with 11, whether then it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believe.

[31:44] believe. And I pray, this is what you believe, and you will see His power, and you will see this is indeed the Word of God.

[31:59] God willed it, and this is indeed an overwhelming, attested fact, and you have the Apostle Paul calling you to believe it.

[32:15] Will you believe it? Well, God wants to speak especially to those who do not believe today.

[32:29] You do not believe. or you say, yeah, I, yeah, I, I've been going to Good Friday many times, but nothing changed.

[32:45] Again, you have to go back to what Paul said. If there's nothing changed, it's not the problem with the resurrection. It's not the problem with the gospel. It is because you have believed in vain.

[33:02] You do not embrace this gospel with all your heart, soul, and mind. And the Holy Spirit will do that this morning if you will say, Lord, help me, help me.

[33:25] I want to give my life to you from this day onward. help me. And God will do it. Because he says he will do it if you believe there is power in the blood of Christ, in the death and resurrection of Christ.

[33:49] Come, let's pray. heaven heaven father, we are so grateful that the Lord Jesus Christ would accomplish such great work for us who believe.

[34:09] And Lord, we pray today that you will do your work in our midst. For you say in your word, Therefore, there is now no condemnation to those who believe, to those who are in Christ.

[34:31] There is now no more condemnation for those who put their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ. And Lord, we pray that will be the work of yours even this morning, that hearts will be set free to worship the true and living God.

[34:57] And Lord, we also pray that you will strengthen if anyone here, just like the Corinthians, having doubts about the Gospel.

[35:14] They are shaken by all the fake news. They are disturbed in the inside. They are not sure.

[35:27] And especially in this very chaotic time, Lord, we pray that your word will strengthen your people even this morning, that the resurrection of Christ indeed is a reality.

[35:46] As your word said, that those who believe in Christ, they not only die with Christ, they are also raised together with Christ and seated with Christ in the heavenly places.

[36:01] So Lord, we pray that this truth, this glorious facts will strengthen your people even this very day.

[36:12] For we pray all this in the name of Christ. Amen.