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...”
The core of the gospel is Jesus’ death for our sins and his resurrection for our eternal life. Today, we would like to study the gospel of the resurrection. Paul reminds us of the gospel as we face many problems small and big. Let’s go back to the gospel. Jesus’ resurrection changed many people. One of them was Apostle Paul who persecuted the early Christians with his misguided zeal. Truly, the resurrection of Jesus is a turning point in human history. We live in the unbelieving world. It is easy for us to follow the wave of the world. We are influenced by the world daily. Only the resurrection of Jesus can restore our faith and help us to have a victorious mission life. May God bless us to hold firmly to the gospel we received by any means. I pray that God may bless us to live as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection through this passage.
PART I. HOLD FIRMLY TO THE GOSPEL (1-2)
Look at verse 1a. “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you.” Verse 1 tells us that the Corinthian Christians had already received the gospel. Paul preached the gospel message to the Corinthians. They accepted Paul’s gospel message and they became very zealous believers. But in the course of living in this real world, they had become lukewarm Christians. So the Apostle Paul wrote them a long, 16-chapter letter. He reminded them of the gospel so that they might live lives worthy of the gospel. Paul had a shepherd heart for them and wanted to restore their gospel faith once again.
Corinth was an important seaport like Baltimore and New York. It was a seaman’s paradise and a virtuous woman’s hell. It was a haven for the pleasure seekers. But God had begun a great gospel work among the Corinthians. The gospel message gained power among and they were happy to serve the work of God fully. Their meetings were filled with joy and they devoted themselves to the word of God. But where God works powerfully, Satan also works. So, many problems arose in the church. They did not take their stand on the gospel any more. They returned to their old life. Their wild and sinful character reappeared when they lost the gospel. There was the problem of strife and division (1:12; 11:18). Satan’s tactic is “divide and conquer.” Someone said, “I follow MDJ.” And then others said, “I follow YDJ.” Then another said, “I follow Jacob.” Still another said, “I follow Christ.” Yes, we follow Christ only. But Paul rebuked them, “Is Christ divided?” (1:13) Division is not from God but it is the work of the devil. Division hurts the body of Christ. So, Paul gave them a strong warning about divisions in the church. The problem of free sex arose (5:1). They sued each other. There were problems about eating (8:1;11:21). Chapter 12 mentions that there was much “showing off” and human competition for recognition in the church. Paul gave clear advice for solving their problems in chapters 1 through 12. Paul thought that all of these problems could be solved with the love of God. So he wrote chapter 13, which is called the “love chapter,” or the best love poem in the Bible. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” (12:4)
Even after writing the love chapter, Paul was not convinced that their many problems were resolved among them. He realized that his letter was focused on the problem solving. Now he returned the gospel message. Only the gospel of Jesus could solve their problems. M. Joseph Jun said during the group Bible study, “We focused on the problem too much and we should focus on the gospel. Then there will be no problems.” So Paul wrote in verses 1,2: “Now, brothers, 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 key word here is “hold firmly to the word I preached to you.” There was a danger that they had believed in vain if they did not hold the gospel firmly. How can we hold firmly to the word we received? We have to store it in our memory. We must remember the gospel all the time. It is easy to lose the gospel faith and follow the pattern of this world. It is easy to become a busy body without the world of God. But it is important to give our first priority to the gospel in our daily life. It is important to memorize the word of God. M. David Chung memorized the word of God whenever he had time. We never let go of the gospel. It is a matter of life or death. Why? By this gospel we are saved. I asked Phillip, “What do people hold firmly?” He said, “It is money.” Yes, people hold firmly to the money, house, or a girl friend. Paul S. said, “It is a cell phone.” People hold firmly to their cell phones because they talk all the time. People do not miss their work but many people miss their Bible study. When God blesses us, it is easy to hold on God’s blessings and neglect God himself. Bible study and prayers enable us to hold the gospel firmly. Let’s examine what we are holding firmly at this time. Let’s go back to the gospel again so that we may not believe in vain. An Afghanistan citizen, Abdul Rahman, became a Christian many years ago and he was arrested in Afghanistan and was charged with the death penalty for converting to Christianity from Islam. Many Islamic clerics recommended him to give up his Christian faith and return to the Islam. But he held firmly to the gospel he received. The death penalty did not sway his faith because he was saved by the gospel of Jesus. He said in the prison, “Give me a Bible.” He was freed now and Italian government gave him an asylum. Praise God for helping him to hold firmly to the gospel he received as a matter of life and death. Then what is the content of the gospel?
PART II.JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS (3)
Look at verse 3. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures...” Paul received the gospel and he passed on others as of first importance. The gospel message was the first priority for his flocks. What did he pass on as of first importance? Verse 3 says that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Sin is man’s number one problem. But Christ died to solve man’s sin problem. This is good news. In Romans 3:23 Paul says, “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...” The first man Adam disobeyed God and sin entered into the world. The result of sin was a broken relationship with God. Adam blamed his wife and God for his problem. In this way, sin separated man from God. When man was separated from his Creator God, he lost the meaning of existence. Then Cain murdered his brother. The words, “all have sinned” explain how sin spread to all mankind. Men’s sin invited the flood judgment. Sin brings penalty. Look at Romans 6:23a. “For the wages of sin is death...” People go to work to earn their wages. In the same way sin brings wages. The wages of sin is death. Death is not a natural course of life. It is a punishment due to our sins. That’s reason why people are afraid of death. It is painful to watch people to die. People think that death is the end of everything. Someone said, “People cremate their bodies in order to avoid any consequences after death.” But they are wrong. Death is not the end of everything. What comes after death? After death, judgment comes. Hebrews 9:27 says that man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. This is the third result of sin. It is a universal truth for mankind that man is destined to die once. No matter who they are, all mankind have appointment with God. Whether we like it or not, this is a Biblical constant. How nice it would be if death were the end of everything. But the Bible says, “...and after that to face judgment.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” All men must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Each person must account for what he has done on earth. Every American citizen must file their taxes before April 15. People are afraid of IRS. So they pay taxes. In the same way each of us must settle our account with Jesus. There is no hiding place at the time of judgment.
What comes after judgment? After judgment the second death comes. Look at Revelation 21:8. “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” In this verse, “second death” means spiritual death or eternal punishment after the judgment. Those who are pronounced guilty at the judgment have to suffer eternal punishment in “the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” It is dreadful just to think about spending eternity in the fiery lake of burning sulfur while all saved people live in the paradise with Jesus. People will live in heaven or hell eternally. We just thought about the consequences of sin. It is really terrible if we end our message here. It is filled with many bad news. But there is good news from now on. What did God do for perishing people? The Bible says that God gave us the gift of God, that is, eternal life in his one and only Son Jesus Christ. Look at Romans 6:23b. “...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The Bible assures us that God gave us his one and only Son as a ransom sacrifice to save us from our sins. John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John the Baptist, who realized this, said in John 1:29, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” God, in his great mercy, sent his one and only Son to save men from their sins. When Jesus came into the world as God the Son, he humbled himself. He healed the sick and preached the kingdom of God. But Jesus was despised and rejected by evil men. Because of our sins he was crushed and smitten. Finally, he was crucified on the cross in our place to save us from our sins. He shed his blood on the cross. By his blood our sins are washed away as white as snow. By his blood our sins are forgiven. How can we be saved from our sins? John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God...” We are too sinful to save ourselves. But when we believe in Jesus, he gives us the power to become the children of God. John 5:24 says, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” The way of salvation sounds too easy. But we are saved simply by hearing his word and believing in the Son. Then God gives us eternal life right at the moment we believe, and we will not be condemned. Jesus’ death solved our sin problem once for all. This is the first part of the gospel message.
PART III.HE WAS RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY (4)
Jesus died on the cross and shed his blood. Thus he forgave our sins. However, if everything had ended with his death on the cross, he would have been no different from other holy men. His story on the cross would have been just another beautiful but a sad story. But Jesus rose from the dead. Look at verse 4. “...that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures....” What does the resurrection of Jesus mean? The resurrection of Jesus changed human story forever. Jesus ended the terror of death and opened a new chapter of life. George Mason University basketball team opened a new chapter in the NCAA history by reaching to the Final Four. They did not win any NCAA games before. They were from mid-majors and regarded as David in the basketball world but to our surprise they became a Cinderella team and killed Goliath like UNC and U. of Conn. Now David Jr. is happy to be admitted to GMU. Though they lost to the Florida team last night, all people cheered them. All I am saying is that they opened a new chapter that a mid-major team could win NCAA champion trophy. Anything is possible if you believe. Now, let’s go back to Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus conquered the power of death and freed all men from the power of sin and death. Jesus brought victory to all men through his resurrection.
Jesus’ resurrection proved that God is mighty and nothing is impossible. It proved that God is living. Genesis 1:1 says that God created the heavens and the earth. Our God is the Creator God. At the same time, our God is the God of love. God sacrificed his one and only Son on the cross to save men from their sins. But if God had not raised Jesus, he could not have proved that he is the living and Almighty God who created the heavens and the earth. But God raised Jesus from the dead. Thus, he proved that he is living. Read Acts 2:24. “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” Jesus did not remain in the tomb. 1 Cor. 15:55 says, “Where, O death, is your victory? “Where, O death, is your sting?” Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days; then, he was vomited out on the land near Nineveh. Likewise, Jesus was swallowed up by the power of death, but God raised him on the third day. The resurrection of Jesus guarantees us the final victory. When Jesus was hung on the tree, receiving capital punishment like a criminal, evil seemed to triumph over righteousness. But God raised him from the dead on the third day. God made the Risen Jesus the Judge of the living and the dead. In the Risen Jesus, we have final victory. The resurrection of Jesus gives us a living hope. There is no greater attachment to every man than his attachment to his own life. Most people make great efforts to be better off. But the sad news is that all people die once, no matter how hard they try not to. Men put their hope in stocks, bonds, gadgets, pleasures and thrills. Actually, we have no hope, because we must die someday. We cannot put hope in the things of the world because all of them slowly and steadily perish, spoil or fade. Everything will be swallowed up by death. But we have a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus gives us eternal inheritance in heaven. That’s our ultimate hope.
PART IV.RESURRECTION WITNESSES (5-11)
Paul repeated the words, “according to the Scriptures” twice in verses 3,4 to emphasize the historicity and authenticity of the Scriptures. But if no one had seen the resurrected Jesus, if there had been no witnesses, how could the resurrection be believed? So Paul introduces witnesses who could attest to the truth of Jesus’ resurrection. They were once hopeless people, but when they met the Risen Jesus, they were changed into spiritual men. The greatest and most indisputable testimony to the resurrection of Jesus is the changed lives of people.
The resurrected Jesus first appeared to Peter, the top disciple (Mk 1:16; Jn 1:40,41). When Jesus called him, he left everything and followed (Mk 1:18; 10:28). He followed Jesus until he made a confession of faith, “You are the Christ” (Mk 8:29). At the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter
denied him three times before a little girl and despaired. He was a man of passion and loved his life more than Jesus. He reached his human limitation. He could not see the power of Jesus beyond the crucified Jesus. He needed the resurrection faith. There on the shore of the Sea of Galilee Peter met the Risen Jesus again (Jn 21:12). After meeting the Risen Jesus personally, he was changed into a new man, a courageous man of faith. He became a witness of the resurrection as a matter of life
and death (1Pe 1:3,4). When the Sanhedrin threatened him not to preach the gospel, he said boldly, “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” He said again, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Ac. 5:29) He was bold enough to challenge the religious authorities. The resurrection of Jesus changed him to participate in Jesus’ suffering and he was martyred for the sake of gospel in Rome later. Without the resurrection of Jesus how could he give his life? Only the power of resurrection enabled him to die for Jesus.
The Risen Jesus also appeared to the Twelve disciples. Then he appeared to more than 500 brethren at the same time. Can you imagine that more than 500 brothers saw Jesus? They were elated to meet the Risen Jesus. Then he appeared to James, one of his disciples. James was a man who used to seek higher seat in Jesus’ Messianic kingdom (Mt 20:20,21; Mk 10:35). He used his mother to campaign the best position in Jesus’ cabinet. But when he met the Risen Jesus, his inner desires were changed. After this, he witnessed to Jesus’ resurrection through his martyrdom (Ac 12:2).
Paul spent 4 verses to explain his changed life. Paul introduced himself as the one abnormally born. Was he born prematurely? He meant that his conversion was not normal but very special. He met Jesus in an unusual circumstance. He was a promising young lawyer well trained under Gamaliel, a teacher of law. So Paul was well-versed in the philosophies and in the Jewish Law. In his zeal, he persecuted the church of Jesus Christ. He approved the stoning of Saint Stephen. But on the way to Damascus, he was met by the Risen Jesus. At the light of the glory of Jesus, his eyes were blinded for three days. On the basis of this experience he claimed that he was one of the apostles. When Paul tried to fix himself up to be a great man and be happy, he only became a murderer. But when he met the Risen Jesus Christ, he was completely changed into a new man, a spiritual man. Paul lived out his life as a forgiven sinner and faithful witness to the resurrection of Jesus. From that time on, he lived only by the grace of God. He said in verses 9,10, “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. 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 was abundantly happy, always saying, “But by the grace of God I am what I am.” In time of success and failure he always remembered the grace of Jesus. In that way he relied on Jesus. He became a humble servant of Jesus during his mission life. In order to become a fruitful servant of God, we must remember who we were before we met Jesus. We were undeserving sinners. Only by the grace of God we were chosen as God’s servants to feed campus flocks. Because of the grace of God he worked hard to pioneer many churches and he became the most prolific missionary in the gospel history. How can we meet the Risen Jesus? We must believe in our hearts that Jesus died for our sins and rose again on the third day. Then God can change each one of us into a new man or a new woman. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. At this time, may God help you to believe the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. When you do so, may God forgive all your sins and give you a living hope in the kingdom of God. Let’s read the key verse 3-4.