[We continue to not be able to record our services due to construction. The following is Rev. Todd’s sermon manuscript. We hope to have the sermon’s back on Youtube soon. Thanks for your patience!]
We are going to talk about the epistle today and that which Paul calls “of first importance”. His answer is “The Gospel”, This answer may seem a bit ‘churchy’ when you hear i. It’s so important to meditate on this – in a world that gives different answers to the question: What is of first importance? // Answers like: happiness, being your best self, political power, money, are all frequent answers, and people even use spirituality towards these ends. But doesn’t say any of that, instead he boils it down to// “The Gospel”. So we will spend our time this morning talking about what does this world mean. [This word that even brings Ozzy to the baptism waters!]
He says starting in I Cor 15:1:
Now I would remind you, brothers, of// the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
So what is this Good News? What is the ‘Gospel’? If I asked you to summarize it, how would you do that? I’ve had quick answers in the past like “Jesus died for my sins”. However, this is not as complete of an answer as I once thought. It’s PART of the Gospel, but it’s not the whole story. That answer is not the whole good news of the Kingdom of God.
But, Let’s look at what Paul calls of First Importance. The MOST important and best news you will ever hear:
Paul continues:
For I delivered to you as “of first importance” what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
Paul’s statement lays the foundation for us to understand the whole good news of the Kingdom. So, let’s look at one point at a time:
- Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.
a. First, CHRIST. It couldn’t have been anyone else but Christ. Why? Because Jesus Christ is God himself, and He is the only incorruptible one. Uncreated. The WORD through whom all things were created. Speaking of Christ Paul says in Col:
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together Col 1:16-17
b. Second, He died for our sins. – Through the incarnation, He took on corruptible flesh so that we might become incorruptible. He was born of a woman, so that His divine nature could make the corruptible, incorruptible. Which means that, in Him we are no longer subject to death, but have eternal life.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,(very poetic language to say that He IS GOD) and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him Col 1:19-21
Peter says this same thing in another way, in 2 Peter 1:3
through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
So, YES, Christ and Christ alone. He is the one who created all things and the only one who could renew all things. He did this not so we can now behave, and be religious, but so that we can become like Him…being partakers of the divine nature through Christ.
All of this is part of the first sentence Paul calls of first importance. Here are a couple more. Our passage in 1 Cor 15, continues to highlight what is of first importance:
that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
He died, and he was buried // This is not a fake death. He was dead dead, and buried. Now, we may ask: how did God die? I recommend you have a long conversation with Jesus about that when you see Him face to face.
For now, what we need to understand is that He died in his humanity so that we could live in his divinity.
Here are a few more verses in Colossians: (2:9-10,12)
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
The life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus really is the most transformational, life-giving event ever. Understanding its implication to us and whole of creation makes us want to share the Good News.
When you wonder about the most important things in our faith, you would do well to remember these truths. The foundation of the Gospel.
The Church will fight and fuss about all kinds of nuances of theology, and even some things that are pretty important. People will make the things of this earth THE most important things: money power, sex. But nothing is of “first importance” like this. Hold on to this and never let go. Bring the gospel to others so they can know the life Christ has given them. This is the truth:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
Amen.