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Good morning to everyone. You 
can turn in your Bibles with me to 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. We're 
going to read from verse 1 to verse 22. Our focus will be verses 
1 through 4. As you're turning there, if someone 
were to ask you, what is the gospel? There's a number of places 
you could go to, no doubt, in the Holy Scriptures. But I would 
submit that one of the better places to go that captures The 
essence and the content of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is found 
in verses 3 and 4 of 1 Corinthians 15, a proto-creed, if you will, 
in the Christian Church, in a wonderful rehearsal of what our Savior 
did for His people. So this is the Word of God, beginning 
at 1 Corinthians 15, verse 1. Moreover, brethren, I declare 
to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received 
and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold 
fast that word which I preached to you. unless you believed in 
vain. For I delivered to you first 
of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins 
according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that 
He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He 
was seen by Cephas, then by the Twelve. After that, He was seen 
by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater 
part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After 
that, he was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last 
of all, he was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, 
who am not worthy 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 toward me was not 
in vain. But I labored more abundantly 
than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with 
me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach, and 
so you believe. Now if Christ is preached that 
he has been raised from the dead, how does some among you say that 
there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection 
of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, 
then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, 
and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified 
of God that he raised up Christ, whom he did not raise up, if 
in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, 
then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your 
faith is futile. You are still in your sins. Then 
also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in 
this life only we have hope in Christ, We are of all men the 
most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from 
the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen 
asleep. For since by man came death, 
by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all 
die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. Amen. Well, let's 
pray. God, we thank you for this time 
together in the preaching of your word. We rejoice in your 
goodness towards us and giving us this revelation of the Lord 
Jesus Christ who came into this world, sinners to save. We do 
pray that you'd help us in this act of worship, be with your 
people by your spirit, encouraging them in their faith. And Lord 
God, we pray this morning that by your spirit and through the 
preaching of the word that sinners in Damning unbelief who came 
in these doors this morning would leave singing the praises of 
our glorious Christ. And it's in his name that we 
pray. Amen. Well, what a wonderful passage 
that we have here in 1 Corinthians 15, and it's a wonderful passage, 
but in another sense it's a very grievous passage to read, because 
there were some who were being stolen away unto the idea that 
there is no resurrection of the dead. In fact, the very occasion 
of the writing of this portion of 1 Corinthians is found in 
verse 12. Now, if Christ is preached that 
he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that 
there is no resurrection of the dead? This was going on in the 
Corinthian church, and so the Apostle Paul comes with this 
wonderful and heavy corrective in order to argue for the very 
certain truth that Christ is risen from the dead, and therefore 
there is a resurrection for those who believe in his name. The 
very vital nature of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is brought forth 
here by the Apostle Paul. And in this bringing forth, we 
have a wonderful description or a wonderful definition of 
the gospel of Jesus Christ. Chris Ostom, on this passage, 
Paul uses great earnestness. For not of morals was his discourse 
henceforth, nor about one man's being a fornicator, another covetous, 
and another having his head covered, but about the very sum of all 
good things." That's what we have in this passage, the very 
sum of all good things. What is the gospel of Jesus Christ? It is herein contained. And in 
looking at verses 1 through 4, we're simply going to notice 
two things. Those two things are, first, 
the necessity of the gospel, and secondly, the essential content 
of the gospel. So let's look first then at the 
necessity of the gospel, and we're going to break this down 
into five things, but not take too long in doing so. So the 
necessity of the gospel is seen first in a sanctified reminding. As Christians, we need reminding. As the hymn says, we're prone 
to wander, we're prone to leave the God that we love. And the 
apostle, among others, the apostle though knew all too well of the 
necessity for a sanctified reminding. And this, not only is this something 
that's needful, but it's something that's glorious as well. As we 
read the Psalms in our Bibles, we very often find a rehearsal 
of the redemptive victories of God. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, 
for he is good, for his mercies endure forever, and then a rehearsal 
of what God had done for his people. But we see this sanctified 
reminding that brings forth the necessity of the gospel, and 
we see it first because we are prone to forget. Christians are 
prone to forget, and C.H. Spurgeon captured this well. 
He's preaching here, he's touching upon the point that we can very 
often be found in a coldness and a languor as it pertains 
to reflections upon the glories of Christ. And Spurgeon preached 
these words, he whom we should make the abiding tenant of our 
memories is but a visitor therein. The cross where one would think 
that memory would linger, and unmindfulness would be an unknown 
intruder, is desecrated by the feat of forgetfulness. Does not 
your conscience say that this is true? Do you not find yourselves 
forgetful of Jesus? Some creature steals away your 
heart, and you are unmindful of him upon whom your affection 
ought to be set. Some earthly business engrosses 
your attention when you should fix your eyes steadily upon the 
cross. It is the incessant turmoil of 
the world, the constant attraction of earthly things, which takes 
away the soul from Christ. While memory too well preserves 
a poisonous weed, it suffereth the rose of Sharon to wither. 
Let us charge ourselves to bind a heavenly forget-me-not about 
our hearts, for Jesus our beloved, and whatever else let slip, let 
us hold fast to Him. That's why the Apostle Paul writes 
here, Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached 
to you, which also you received. He has to preach again the gospel 
of Jesus Christ, which isn't, of course, a bad thing, but he 
has to deliver it to a people who are forgetting the very glory 
of it. He writes again in verse 3, For 
I deliver to you first of all that which you also received. 
Christians need a constant reminder, because we are prone to forget, 
yes, but also because the very gospel of Jesus Christ is the 
lifeblood of our Christianity. And so a constant reminder, a 
constant rehearsal, a constant reflection upon the glories of 
Jesus Christ is for our nourishment as Christians. I fear that it 
could often be the case that we seek to you know, set aside 
the ABCs of Christianity, where God first began with us, where 
we first began with God, we set aside the gospel, the ABCs of 
Christianity, so that we can move on to 17 analogies of how 
to live a better life and be a better you and, you know, those 
sorts of things. But these very ABCs of Christianity 
are to grow up into words. are to grow up into sentences, 
are to grow up into grammar and comprehension and vocabulary. If we use the analogy of a school 
child, whether by a teacher or by his parents, he learns, he 
or she, learns their ABCs, And they don't stop there, but with 
the use of those ABCs, they move on to words, and the structure 
of sentences, and sentences, and paragraphs, and those sorts 
of things. This is how the constant rehearsal 
of the gospel of Jesus Christ is supposed to serve. We begin 
there, we grow in that, and unto that day where we breathe our 
last breath and go into Emmanuel's land, the very lifeblood and 
nourishment of Christianity is seen in the life, death, burial, 
and resurrection of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The necessity 
of the Gospel is also seen, secondly, in the authority of apostolic 
witness. Now, it might not be so clear, 
but it is certainly to be understood here. The authority of apostolic 
witness. Moreover, brethren, I declare 
to you the gospel which I preach to you, which you also received. 
Apostolic declaration underscores and underlines and emboldens, 
or boldens, if that's a word, the importance of the gospel 
of Jesus Christ. It bears apostolic authority, 
and the declaration comes with the weight of apostolic proclamation 
of the blessed truth. I, the Apostle Paul, declared 
to you by the very commission of the risen Lord, whom you are 
denying. Thirdly, the necessity of the 
gospel is seen in the faithful handing down of the faith. Moreover, 
brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preach to you, 
which also you received. That is a formula of the transmission 
of the truth of Christianity. The truth is declared. wherein 
the gospel is preached, and it's received by those who hear it, 
and by the power of the Holy Spirit, they're brought forth 
from the deadness of sin to life in Christ. The importance of 
the gospel is seen in this faithful handing down of the truth. We've 
noted it before. We can trace our lineage as Christians 
back to the proclamation of Jesus Christ by the Apostle Paul. You 
know, people love to engage in genealogy, the research of our 
heritage familially and, you know, genealogically. It's cool 
to trace back where we came from, the countries from which those 
whom we came from came from, if that made any sense. It's 
wonderful as well to research our Christian heritage. What 
is our profession of the blessed Christ based upon? What is or 
what was the seed that grew up into our inheritance of Christian 
faith? It is the proclamation of the 
Apostle Paul preaching to those, both Jews and Gentiles, the glories 
of Jesus Christ. The necessity of the Gospel is 
also seen in the reality that it is the very ground of our 
salvation. Look at the text here, which 
I preach to you, which also you received, and in which you stand, 
by which also you are saved. And so the necessity of the gospel 
is seen in that the gospel is the very ground and reality of 
our salvation. That is the message by which 
we are saved. At some point in your history, 
a Christian here this morning, you heard the gospel, perhaps 
you heard it over and over again, but you heard the gospel of Jesus 
Christ, that the Son of God came down from heaven, assumed our 
humanity, lived a life of perfect obedience to the law of God, 
died a cursed death in our stead, rose again the third day and 
he brings many sons to glory and all who believe on him shall 
have everlasting life. It is the very ground of our 
salvation. This is why the Apostle Paul 
says this gospel is what you stand upon and by which you are 
saved. Now how is it the case that some 
among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? And 
fifthly and lastly, under the necessity of the gospel, as we 
see it laid out in verses 1 to 3a, we see the gospel, the necessity 
of the gospel is seen in its foremost position in Christian 
proclamation. Where do we see that in the text? 
Notice what we see in verse 3. For I delivered to you first 
of all that which you also received. The language being utilized here 
in first of all doesn't mean that the Corinthians were the 
first to hear the gospel message. It's not a chronological statement 
because we know that the Corinthians were not the first. to hear the 
Gospel message, nor were they the first to hear the Gospel 
message from the Apostle Paul. So what does it mean? It bears 
the weight of, I delivered to you of first importance, of chief 
importance of primacy of place, the gospel of Jesus Christ. He's 
setting before them what is the chief, what is the utmost, what 
is the primary article of the Christian faith, the very doing, 
dying and rising again of the Son of God. Not only do we see 
the importance of it in its foremost position in Christian proclamation 
because of its own merits, its own content, its own glory, but 
the truths that are in back of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the 
very doctrine of God, the one who is most holy, most wise, 
most loving, forgiving transgression, iniquity, and sin. What's in 
back of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the very decree of God that 
this God, according to the counsel of His most holy will, in His 
timing, brings forth sinners from everlasting damnation to 
everlasting life, from the deadness of sin to life in Christ. And 
it is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the very reason for the incarnation 
of the Son of God. Why did the Son of God come into 
this lower shame? He came for the very doing and 
dying and rising again that He victoriously engages in for the 
salvation of His people. So secondly, that brings us now 
to the essential content of the Gospel. Notice what we see here. We see a threefold articulation 
of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse three, for I delivered 
to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ 
died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was 
buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the 
scriptures. Those two verses are the gospel. So remember, as we noted at the 
outset, if someone was to ask you, what is the gospel? The 
answer is not what we do. The answer is not what we feel. The answer is the very perfect 
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. That he died for our sins according 
to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose 
again the third day. according to the Scriptures. 
That is the blessed gospel of Jesus Christ, our Savior. And 
so, breaking this down, let's notice first His death. The language 
is, I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, 
that Christ died. The death of our Lord Jesus Christ 
is obviously central to the Christian faith. What a blessed thing we 
have in His death, in His crucifixion. And I want to note this. I've 
noted this before. because this brings forth, I 
believe, the weight of his death and crucifixion. Some of you 
will remember this quote from Melito of Sardis. He's the one 
who said, marveling in the Lord Jesus Christ, that the one who 
fixed the stars in place is fixed in place upon a tree. He also 
said, with regards to the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, that 
it is a terrible thing to tell, And it's a terrible thing not 
to tell. And so when we see in the Bible 
that Christ died, I want that, if you will, to ring in our ears. 
It's a terrible thing to tell. That is because it is the Son 
of God, the very Creator of all things, the very Upholder of 
all things by the Word of His power, who condescended to our 
lower shame, our lower existence, assuming our nature without sin, 
who goes to the cross, and the path to the cross was a terrible 
one, hated by his countrymen, reviled by his own people, being 
sought after to be murdered and cast down to the earth by wicked 
hands. He's spit upon, he's bruised, 
he's beaten, he's nailed to a cross, and he's He's hung upon it. It's 
a terrible thing to tell. And yet, it's a terrible thing 
not to tell. Why? Because it is the very salvation 
of the sons of men. To not tell of the gospel of 
Jesus Christ, to not tell of the death upon that Roman gibbet 
of execution, is to avoid, is to miss, the very lifeblood of 
Christianity. That the Son of God incarnated 
went to the cross that he might bring many sons and daughters 
to glory. What a glorious thing we have 
in the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was an obedient cross 
death as Pastor Butler has been preaching in Philippians 2. What 
was the purpose of the incarnation? That the Son of God would assume 
the form of a bondservant coming in the likeness of men and being 
found in appearance as a man he humbled himself and became 
obedient even unto the cross death. The Lord Jesus Christ, 
in obedience to his mission, comes and gives his life notice 
for a particular reason, that Christ died for our sins. And so it is the blessed Christian 
reflection to think upon the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
A terrible thing to tell, yes, but a terrible thing not to tell, 
and a terrible thing not to reflect upon. The salvation wrought by 
Jesus Christ upon Calvary's cross. What a glorious thing we have 
in the death of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And notice 
as well, listen to these words, first from Cyril of Jerusalem 
and then from Augustine. This is Cyril of Jerusalem, because 
note, that the death of our Lord Jesus Christ is not simply a 
historical event that took place, but there is blessed salvation 
that is linked to it. It's not just Christ died, it's 
Christ died for our sins. Adam received the sentence Cyril 
preached. Cursed is the ground in thy labors. Thorns and thistles shall it 
bring forth to thee. For this cause Jesus assumes 
the thorns that he may cancel the sentence. You think about 
that for a moment. There was a sentence resting 
upon us. There was a wrath and a condemnation 
abiding upon us. We have all sinned and we have 
fallen short of the glory of God, and yet Jesus assumes the 
thorns that we may not, that he may cancel the sentence against 
us. Augustine wrote, he suffered 
what we deserved, that we might receive what he merited. Christians, it's okay for you 
this morning to smile. Maybe not because I'm up here 
preaching, but because the gospel is so glorious. Smiling is not 
against the regular principle of worship. You can smile that 
Jesus Christ died for your sins. That Jesus Christ bore the curse. That Jesus Christ took upon himself 
the sentence that was against us. Turn to 1 Peter for a moment. A couple passages that speak 
gloriously to the work of Jesus Christ in dying for our sins. Notice in 1 Peter 2, and this 
is simply in the context of exhorting servants to be submissive, and 
notice in verse 21 of 1 Peter 2. For to this you were called, 
that is, suffering for the cause of Christ, because Christ also 
suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow 
his steps, who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, 
who, when he was reviled, did not revile in return, When he 
suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him 
who judges righteously." Now notice, "...who himself bore 
our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to 
sins, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed." 
The Apostle Peter here brings forth Isaiah 53 into the foreground 
and is calling upon Christians to reflect upon the fact that 
Jesus Christ bore our sins in his own body on the tree. By his stripes we are healed. 
What a blessed thing we have in this gospel content that Christ 
died for our sins. And notice as well, secondly, 
He was buried. The burial of our Lord Jesus 
Christ doesn't get a whole lot of airtime, I don't think, in 
Christian preaching, at least as much as it should. the significance 
of the burial of Jesus Christ, what do we have in that blessed 
truth? Because it's rehearsed in this 
proto-creed as the very definition and content of the gospel. Christ 
died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was 
buried. According to the scriptures and 
so there's something important about the burial of our Lord 
Jesus Christ the first thing I believe we have in his burial 
is a Testification to that is a bearing witness to a testification 
to the reality of his death He was buried because he really 
did die upon Calvary's cross against the Muslims who would 
deny his death, or in the very least, his resurrection, but 
who would deny his death, against other God-haters who would deny 
that he really did die upon Calvary's cross. He was buried, and that 
is a bearing witness to the reality of his death, and so then, the 
reality of the bearing of the curse. If he really did die, 
then he really did bear the curse that was due to his people. the 
curse that was due for us having sinned, and having sinned flamboyantly 
against the God of heaven and earth. He was buried as a bearing 
witness to the truthfulness of his death, and so then, therefore, 
the blessed truthfulness of the bearing of the curse. Secondly, 
it was a fulfillment of prophecy, including the Savior's own. Christ prophesied His own burial, 
just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly 
of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and 
three nights in the belly of the earth. He prophesied His 
own burial. It is a fulfillment of this blessed 
part of the complex of gospel truth. And thirdly, it is a declaration 
of the reversal of the curse of Adam. Listen to Henry on this 
particular point, Matthew Henry. In the Garden of Eden, death 
and the grave first received their power. And now in a garden, 
They are conquered, disarmed, and triumphed over. In a garden, 
Christ began his passion, and from a garden he would rise and 
begin his exaltation. He would go on to write, come 
and see a burial that conquered the grave and buried it, a burial 
that beautified the grave and softened it for all believers. The burial that once testified 
to our return to dust now testifies to our union with the risen Lord. Remember that the work of the 
Lord Jesus Christ is not disconnected from the history and the theology 
connected to Adam. Christ is the second or last 
Adam. The first Adam plunges humanity 
into sin and the consequences for sin by his fall. And the curse comes upon him, 
from dust you came and to dust you will return. Christ goes 
into the dust, but he raises victoriously from the grave. the tomb from that blessed sepulcher. Christ raises again, but we're 
not there yet. The burial of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Notice in 1 Corinthians 15, if 
you're still there, notice in beginning at verse 46. He's already 
been elaborating upon, the Apostle Paul has, the connection to Adam. Adam juxtaposed with Christ, 
Christ as the one who brings life after Adam had brought death. And notice in verse 46 of 1 Corinthians 
15, however, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and 
afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, 
made of dust. The second man is the Lord from 
heaven. As was the man of dust, so also 
are those who are made of dust. And as is the heavenly man, so 
also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image 
of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly 
man. And so this burial, among many 
other glorious things, highlights the truthfulness that the curse 
of Adam will not be victorious for those who are in Christ, 
but the second Adam being victorious in bearing the curse, this burial 
will lead inevitably unto the blessed reality of the resurrection, 
the third day. And so there is much significance 
to this burial. He took our nature, Owen wrote, 
John Owen, our infirmities, yet without sin, that he might die. And this death, this returning 
to dust, he bore not as one merely dying, but as one made a curse 
for us. And Thomas Goodwin, he was laid 
in the grave, not for his own sake, but for ours, that we might 
know he bore not only the guilt of sin, but its consequence, 
corruption and descent into the earth. And so very often, we 
speak of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
that's glorious, and that's fine. There are many creeds that leave 
out the burial, not for any theological reason, but just because it so 
happened to develop, and it's biblically literate in its presentation. Christ died, and Christ rose 
again the third day. Excuse me. But obviously, death, 
burial follows death, and in order for one to rise, one must 
be buried. So the burial is assumed when 
we say the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, but 
the burial ought often to be reflected upon as theologically 
rich in a presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that 
brings us then to the fact that he rose again the third day, 
the blessed language of the passage, and that he was buried and that 
he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. And brethren, 
this language is glorious. That smile that I talked about 
as we move from death to burial to resurrection ought to progressively 
get wider and the curves of your lips ought to approach closer 
to your eyes as you reflect upon the resurrection of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. What a glorious thing that our 
eyes of faith can behold, that this one put to death upon Calvary's 
cross, a terrible thing to tell, a terrible thing not to tell, 
was buried in the earth and yet emerged victorious on the third 
day, just as he had promised. We see in the resurrection first 
the demonstration and vindication of having perfectly completed 
the work He came to do. It punctuates that He really 
did obey His Father, that it really was the case that His 
meat was to do the will of Him who sent Him. He promised that 
he would go to Jerusalem by the hands of wicked men, would be 
put to death and crucified, and yet be raised the third day. 
And that is a demonstration and a vindication of his victory 
over death, victory over hell, victory over the grave. and the 
devil. It's a demonstration that he 
completed the work he came to do. It is clear evidence, secondly, 
that our justification is real and that sin was truly paid for. The Savior remains in the grave. Well, the Savior, of course, 
couldn't have remained in the grave. But a Messiah who remains 
in the grave and is not raised again is not one who can bring 
many sons to glory. That's why the Apostle Paul writes 
what he writes in verses 12 to 19. It's a wonderful movement 
from the necessity of the gospel to the certainty of the gospel 
in verses three, to the work of the gospel from nine through 
to verse 11. And then we have this logic of 
the gospel from verses 12 to 19. A Messiah who remains in the 
grave brings no hope. A Messiah who remains in the 
grave brings no faith that is, or brings a faith, a believing 
that is vanity and is emptiness. It is hopeless, yet Christ has 
risen. What wonderful language we have 
in this word that starts verse 20, this but now. You see, because 
the implication is brought in verse 19, if in this life only, 
a Messiah who hasn't emerged from the grave, if in this life 
only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable, 
and then one of the most glorious transitions in Holy Scripture, 
but now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the first 
fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Pastor Butler read from 
Psalm 19, when the Apostle, or excuse me, Psalm 16, when the 
Apostle is writing here and he was, and he rose again the third 
day according to the scriptures, that's one of the chief passages 
that no doubt would have been in his mind. It's on the lips 
of the Apostle Peter in the book of Acts, but turn with me further 
back in the Bible to the book of Genesis in Genesis chapter 
one. If the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ is proclaimed and promised in the Old Testament, where do we find it? And there 
are multiple places that we could go, but having noted Psalm 16, 
having had it read at the outset of worship, let's notice one 
that perhaps commonly is not referred to, but one that touches 
upon the language that Paul uses. Notice in Genesis 1, this is 
the creation account. Genesis 1, verse 11. Then God 
said, let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, 
and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, 
whose seed is in itself on the earth. And it was so. And the 
earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed, according 
to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in 
itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good, 
and note, So the evening and the morning were the third day. The revelation of the original 
creation anticipates the blessed reality of the new creation. That on the third day, the first 
fruits of those who have fallen asleep would rise. That on the 
third day, the first fruits of all those who would be resurrected, 
Christians throughout the ages, That first fruits rises again. How do we know that this isn't 
just a coincidence of language? Because one might think that, 
okay, so it says the third day there, big deal. It's just a 
coincidence. It's a number. Well, turn to 
the Gospel of John for a moment. Our first answer should be, well, 
it's the Holy Scripture, and God doesn't do things according 
to coincidence. But notice in the book of John, 
in John chapter 12, Pastor Butler noted this in its connection 
to the crucifixion and resurrection when he was preaching through 
it. Notice in John 12 at verse 23. John 12, 23, but Jesus answered 
them saying, the hour has come that the son of man should be 
glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, 
unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it 
remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much 
grain. You see the connection there 
to the first creation and the new creation that Jesus brings 
in his death and resurrection. On the third day, the herbs and 
the trees that bear fruits raised up out of the ground. And on 
the third day in the new creation, the Lord Jesus Christ raises 
from out of the ground, from out of the tomb, having victory 
over death, over the grave, and over the devil. Notice the language 
again at verse 20 with regards to this connection. But now Christ 
is risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those 
who have fallen asleep. What a blessed thing we have 
in our Holy Scriptures. It's not a disconnected piece 
of literature. It's not just this haphazard 
slapping together of documents into 66 books. But it's the mind 
and will of God, through the superintending of human authors 
throughout the ages, bringing to bear the message of the Christ, 
who would come into this world, sinners to save. And from the 
outset of Genesis, we have that blessed truth anticipated, proclaimed, 
in seed form, And it grows up into the blessed truth that in 
the fullness of the times, God sends forth his son, born of 
a woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under the 
law. What a blessed reality we have in the life, in the death, 
and in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. John Owen 
wrote, that true seed, who by falling into the ground in death 
brought forth a harvest of many sons to glory." What can we take 
from this passage? In conclusion, one of the things 
that we ought to note is the certainty of the resurrection, 
and so the certainty of our salvation. We didn't spend time on the meat 
and potatoes of the historical authenticity and scriptural authenticity 
of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. But note that in 
closing, this is the life, death and resurrection, the life, death, 
burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is first, according 
to the scriptures. So our certainty, our confidence 
as Christians is grounded in the inerrant, infallible and 
inspired authoritative word of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 
Christ really did come in the incarnation. He really did live 
a perfect life of obedience to the law of God in the place of 
all who believe in his name. He really did die upon Calvary's 
cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for all who believe in him. He 
really was buried. He really did rise again the 
third day, and he really did ascend to the right hand of the 
majesty on high, where he intercedes for his people. Isn't that a 
blessed truth that the one who conquered death, the grave, and 
the devil, currently intercedes for you on your behalf? What a blessed thing we have 
in our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. What a blessed passage 
we have that opens up the truth and the certainty. And as the 
Apostle Paul goes on to write, notice the confidence ought to 
be born as well in the fact that there were many eyewitnesses. 
The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the most certain 
and most documented and most reliable report in the history 
of literature and historical reporting. Notice the language 
that we have here in verse 5, and that he was seen by Cephas, 
then by the twelve, After that, he was seen by over 500 brethren 
at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but 
some have fallen asleep. After that, he was seen by James, 
then by all the apostles, then by Paul. In other words, this 
isn't some sort of crazy fable born out of a cave in the Middle 
East by a single individual with no eyewitnesses. This isn't some 
whippersnapper in the plains of Utah saying that he found 
a golden tablet in the earth and is going to inaugurate some 
wacky religion. This is a religion born on the 
certainty of the scriptures by the will and the power and the 
mighty awesomeness of the triune God, testified to these events 
by eyewitnesses. It is certain. It is certain 
for you Christians, but notice as well, it's certain for those 
who are here in unbelief. But if you are in unbelief, the 
certainty comes with the fact that Jesus will not be your savior, 
but your judge, unless you believe in his glorious name. The resurrection 
of the Lord Jesus Christ is also a testification to, a bearing 
witness to the fact that he will judge the wicked on that great 
and final day. It's a blessed confidence for 
Christians. but a terror for you if you sit 
here in unbelief and you do not believe on the blessed Savior 
who came into this world, sinners to save. The world steals away 
your heart with its allurements. Your flesh rails against the 
truth. The devil assails you and seeks 
to steal you away so that you will not rest with the God of 
heaven and earth and the Christ whom he has sent. And the resurrection 
of Jesus Christ is a testament to the fact that he will judge 
you on that great and final day and it will be righteous and 
it will be just to cast you into the lake of fire reserved for 
the devil and his angels. But what a blessed hope, what 
blessed glory we have in the fact that he rose again the third 
day and all who look to him in faith will have everlasting life. As well, we ought to reflect 
often upon the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, what 
is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It has to do, to paraphrase Owen, 
with the excellence of the person of Christ and the virtue of his 
saving work and efficacy. We ought to pray for the transmission 
of truth. We noted very briefly that there 
is a declaration and a preaching of the truth and a reception 
of the truth. What ought that cause the Christian 
to do? To rejoice in that, but also 
to pray for it, for the furtherance of the proclamation of the gospel 
throughout the world, that we would pray for the transmission 
of truth, that the dying one, the one who died, the crucified 
one, the buried one, the one who rose again, would be proclaimed 
to a multitude of sinners throughout the earth. What a blessed message 
that we have in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christian, 
he is risen. That ought to raise our souls 
to high and lofty reflections upon So great a Savior, so great 
a God who gave us this gift of salvation. And sinner, He is 
risen. So don't have him as your judge. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and you have him as blessed Savior. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, 
we thank you for your word. We rejoice in your goodness to 
us in revealing the gospel of Jesus Christ, this blessed account, 
this blessed truth that Jesus Christ came into this world, 
sinners, to save, that he did so, that he did so perfectly, 
that it was not an atonement of maybe or perhaps, but a definite 
atonement upon Calvary's cross for a multitude of people from 
every tribe and tongue and people and nation that he was raised 
again the third day after that burial into the earth and that 
he has ascended to your right hand where he does ever live 
to intercede for his people to judge his enemies as well we 
pray that you would help us to reflect often upon our precious 
Christ that we would go from this place returning in the evening 
having reflected upon your glory your wisdom, your holiness, and 
your condescending mercy in sending forth the son of your love to 
redeem us from our sins. Do go with us now and help us 
to have such minds that do not forget, so great a gospel. And 
we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen. Well, 
let's stand and sing together. Hymn 572, the Gloria Patri. 572, 
let's stand and sing together. As it was in the beginning is 
now and ever shall be. Now to Him who is able to keep 
you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence 
of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone 
is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now 
and forever. Amen. Well, please be seated. 
We'll have a brief time of prayer. When the piano's finished, you're 
dismissed.