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well good morning welcome to free race Baptist Church on this Lord's day nice to have all of you with us and especially a warm welcome to a few visitors I know are amongst us this morning as well a special welcome to you just in terms of announcements just a couple of things um in regards to our uh our email and telephone list if you have not seen or you've not written your email or your telephone into the list that's been taken away from the back but if you could see Isaac as well as we're trying to put a photo with with each name as well so if you've not had your photo taken either see Carla Niels or Isaac again because we'd like to get that printed pretty soon so we believe we have almost everyone but if you have not had an opportunity to uh to put your name in there please speak to them today and also have your photo taken other announcements it's nice to have a cam with us this morning Kirkland Washington has loaned him back to us so he's preaching for us today Pastor Butler this is his last uh this has been his last week on holidays so the Lord willing he will be back in the Pulpit uh next Sunday that he will be uh he is he's still on vacation uh and uh and they're they're visiting uh some uh Church a local church uh just uh some some fellowship that he's had with with some of the local churches uh today there's a newsletter uh the newsletter has just come out for this uh this month and uh so make sure you pick up one of those as well as the situation oh by the way I might just say in the newsletter I hope you take the time especially the children to read the uh the sponsorship program that we are doing as a church with the the children through word indeed as well as Catherine shook has done a nice display up in the fellowship hall take the time to go up and look at that look at that we've had some correspondence from the children as well so it's kind of children in the church writing to Children uh that we're sponsoring as as a church and uh shows does a write-up of some of the children that were sponsoring it's five or six kids so each month there's a kind of a special feature of of those children but all the children are in the bulletin board up in the fellowship hall and the last thing is there's a new book booklet that came out from Rebecca Hamilton this is on the situation in Myanmar it's for children it's a it's a picture book of the situation going on in Myanmar which we as a church have prayed for uh last time they sent us two copies this time is only one copy it is the second book that they produced beautiful pictures done by the students in China that they're the artists just young people there's a picture of them teenagers that are very good with uh with the pen and they've done some beautiful artwork so the ideas this book would get loaned out you take it as a family for the week bring it back the next week and we'll just keep it at the back beside the beside the offering box and and uh material at the back feel free to pick it up and then return it I believe that's it for announcements if you could turn we'll begin worship this morning turn to Psalm 146. psalm 146. psalm 146. praise the Lord praise the Lord O My Soul while I live I will praise the Lord I will sing praises to my God while I have my being do not put your trust in princes nor in a son of man in whom there is no help his Spirit departs he returns to the Earth to his Earth in that very day his plans perish happy is he who has the god of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God who made Heaven and Earth the sea and all that is in them who keeps truth forever who executes Justice for the oppressed who gives food to the hungry the Lord gives freedom to the Prisoners the Lord opens the eyes of the blind the Lord raises those who are bowed down the lord loves the righteous the Lord Watches Over The Strangers he relieves the fatherless and Widow but the Way of the Wicked he Turns Upside Down the Lord shall reign forever your God o Zion to all generation Generations praise the Lord amen well please turn with me in response to that to Psalm 99 hymn number 99 be as in boy in 999 B I'll ask you to please stand [Music] let's see this morning [Music] thank you sister [Music] always foreign [Music] do you know with those Aries [Music] thank you let's go to God in prayer and ask his Blessing to be upon our time of worship this morning let's pray our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father we come before your holy presence with awe and respect of the great God with whom we have to deal with this day with Lord as we drove in this day and we saw the beauty of creation all around us we praise you father our hearts are lifted heavenward when we consider that you are the god of Creation in the space of six days you made all that we see and always very good thank you Father that even though this world is cursed yet father it still be speaks of of of your greatness your goodness your your majesty your your awesomeness in in the beauty all around us how we praise you father even this time of year as as Autumn sets in and and the Harvest is about to be or is being taken up father you're the God who allows these things you you give to us the goodness of the land uh day after day week after week and year after year for these things we give you our grateful thanks father but even more than the creation even more than our daily sustenance father we thank you for your son the Lord Jesus Christ the the the the one whom you sent uh to this earth to to die for Sinners such as us we praise you father that you uh in in time past uh you you you you sent the Lord Jesus Christ two thousand years ago to live as a perfect as a perfect man a God man upon this Earth to die as a as a perfect sacrifice uh that he might uh that he might die for our sins that his blood will be spilled so we might enter into that that New and Living Way through your son the Lord Jesus Christ thank you for his resurrection for that down payment that father all who are in Christ shall look forward to that glorious Resurrection when we close our eyes on this Earth and we will open them in heaven and see the glories of of heaven and and the throne room and see the Angels worshiping worshiping the father and father we would be able to participate in that Worship in heaven cause us this day Lord to to to to to enter into our worship this is but a down payment of what we will enjoy for all of eternity is the worship of the of the Thrice holy God Lord we pray your blessing be upon the word of God this day cause it to be a word that would not return to you void we pray Lord that you would bless it cause it to be like an arrow to each person's heart who gathers here this day those who know Christ that it might be for edification and for the building up uh for making us more into the image of your son the Lord Jesus Christ and for those father perhaps are strangers to Grace that they would they would find that that word of God sent by the spirit of God and they would penetrate their heart and cause them to Simply look and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and and and and Trust in in that uh that propitiation of your son the Lord Jesus Christ that great gift of Salvation so may this be the day of salvation not just here but all over this Earth father we pray that you'd make thousands of Hearts your own that they might enter in and be worshipers of the of the the one and only true God uh next Sunday and the Sundays thereafter father we thank you for the Privileges ours to gather here thank you for the peace that we enjoy as a local church we thank you that our pastors will be able to enjoy some time off and we trust Lord that that his time has been blessed of you and rest and relaxation and we pray that as he comes back and prepares this this coming week to be back in the Pulpit the Lord you give to him that strength uh that he that he stands in need of we pray that he would be that he would be built up in his Most Holy Faith and the Lord you would encourage his heart and cause him to to rejoin us once again Lord willing next Sunday with uh with all that that requires to be a Shepherd of the flock we thank you for him we pray your blessing upon him Lord we pray for cam this day as well we thank you for his uh his desire and heart to serve you and we thank you Lord for the for having blessed us with this uh with this man of God we thank you Lord for his abilities and we just pray Lord that you would be pleased to take those abilities and and that they might be used this day here in this place we know Lord that is not just giving a simple talk to of the word of God but it needs to be associated with the spirit of God as well so we pray you'd make him Mighty in the spirit and cause the word of God to to come forth from from his lips To Us by your gracious Holy Spirit hedge him in and hedge Us in as a church we do pray Lord we pray your bless you upon all the churches that we pray for regularly we thank you for each of them we pray Lord that you'd bless those men who stand in pulpits uh this day we pray that they would that they would know that that help and aid from the spirit on high and the Lord they would preach the word with with Clarity and revelant reverence uh and may it be relevant to to the needs of their congregations as well we thank you for each each man we pray your blessing to be upon those local churches and and as what we pray for ourselves we pray for them as well Lord we do ask your blessing to be upon the the persecuted church as well we know Lord that it not all not all is as we enjoy here in Canada we pray Lord that you would be pleased to bless those who are being persecuted cause them to lay hold of you to trust in you and we pray Lord that in due time you would relieve them of their of their difficulties and cause them to have the mind of Christ even in difficult circumstances and may they be able to give an answer in defense of the faith as they stand before they're persecutors and and those in authority over them we pray they would be gracious but yet father we pray they would also hold the truth and we pray for families of these individuals as well who are left behind and we pray Lord that you would just cause them to to trust you and to be to be to to acknowledge Lord that you are working all things according to your perfect counsel we do pray Lord for the needs of our own congregation there are many those who are suffering those who are those who are undergoing treatments of various kinds we pray Lord for each one that you would bless them cause them to be trusting in you we pray Lord that you would be pleased to bless the means as well as that are applied to them we pray Lord that in all things that they would give give honor and give glory to you we pray that uh that you would be pleased to to bless them spiritually bless them physically mentally just in every way and cause them to know that that that abiding truth that you are there that you are the Good Shepherd uh through the through through the through the Dark Shadows through those valleys we pray Lord that you just encourage them and cause them to be to be lifted up on on the on the wings of our prayers for them and our thoughts and and attention to them so Lord would you just ask your blessing upon all these things cause us to with one mind and one single Focus to to worship the true and living God this day here in this place we thank you Lord that you promised that where two or three are gathered together you will Tabernacle amongst them and so Lord we we do just thank you and praise you for your presence amongst us forgive us of our sins even this day father cleanses afresh and that precious blood of your son the Lord Jesus Christ and bless our time together maybe what may you be worshiped and honored we pray these things in Jesus precious name amen but please turn with me your hymn books to the second hymn as we continue worship to uh 429 429 and I'll ask you to once again please stand [Music] Frozen foreign [Music] Spirit of his presence [Music] of the story foreign [Music] and please turn with me your Bibles to Matthew Matthew chapter 8 Matthew chapter 8 will begin at verse 14 we'll go to the end of the chapter beginning of verse 14 of Matthew 8. now when Jesus had come into Peter's house he saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever so he touched her hand and the fever left her and she arose and served them one evening had come they brought to him many who were demon-possessed and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying he himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses and when Jesus saw great multitudes about him he gave a command to depart to the other side then a certain scribe came and said to him teacher I will follow you wherever you go and Jesus said to him foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head then another of his disciples said to him Lord let me first go and bury my father but Jesus said to him follow me and let the dead bury their own dead now when he got in now when he got into a boat his disciples followed him and suddenly a great Tempest arose on the sea so the boat was covered with the waves but he was asleep then his disciples came to him and awoke him saying Lord save us we are perishing but he said to them why are you fearful oh you of little faith then he arose and rebuked the winds and the Sea and there was a great calm so the men marveled saying who can this be that even the winds and the Sea obey him when he had come to the other side to the country of the garage scenes there met him two demon-possessed men coming out of the tombs exceedingly Fierce so that no one could pass that way and suddenly they cried out saying what have we to do with you Jesus you Son of God have you come here to torment us before the time now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding so the demons begged him sane if you cast this out permit us to go away into the herd of swine and he said to them go so when they had come out they went into the herd of swine and suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the Steep Place into the sea and perished in the water then those who kept them fled and they went away into the City and told everything including what had happened to the demon-possessed men and behold the whole city came out to meet Jesus and when they saw him They begged him to depart from their region amen thus is the Lord's reading I would just make a comment um but I'm gonna have to break into chapter nine because it's a very different response to the Lord Jesus we see what these what these men did on on this on this side of the of the of the water they uh They begged the Lord Jesus to depart from their region there's one of two responses we either will have nothing to do with Jesus or we will Embrace Jesus there's no Middle Road because if we look at verse 8 of chapter nine just looking looking forward to next week we have well first of all verse one so we got into a boat the Lord Jesus got into a boat crossed over and came to his own city which was Capernaum and so what was the response of the people of Capernaum quite the opposite of these uh these people on the other side of the on the other side of the of the lake verse 8. now when the multitudes saw it that was uh his his miracles they marveled and glorified God who had given them who had given such power to men so they glorified God yet we have here men who wanted nothing to do with the Lord Jesus and that's the two responses and so I would encourage any that do not have not laid hold of the Lord Jesus Christ don't have the response of these uh uh georgesians or however we pronounce that that group of people in the far off country on the other side of the lake don't have their response which was to have nothing to do with Jesus we may be here physically in the building but are we here spiritually as are our hearts here we do do we desire the things of Christ do we desire to embrace the things of Christ or are we holding them at arm's length let's be of the the men of Capernaum when the multitude saw it they marveled and glorified God who had given such power to men that's the response that the Lord Jesus is looking for this day from his people well let's pray our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father we do praise you that you are the god of Miracles the Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth uh performing many miracles of which we've read here this morning and yet father there were those who saw such Miracles and wanted nothing to do with the Lord Jesus Christ how we praise you the Lord Jesus Christ is lovely that he is he is all together lovely he is he is he is the one that to whom we would go where else would we go but to the to the Lord Jesus Christ cause us Lord this day to be like those people of Capernaum that would glorify God that would glorify the Lord Jesus Christ from the scriptures as they are preached to us now in a few minutes we pray Lord that you'd be pleased to give to us your spirit may we truly uh glory in the in in the fact that we get to worship you through hearing the opening up of the word of God bless her bless our brother cam as he brings that word may he be full of the spirit and may your spirit presence himself here in our midst this day we do pray in Jesus precious name amen well please turn with me in your hymn books for the final hand before we go to the preaching and that is hymn number 170 170 I'll ask you to please stand foreign [Music] this is Glory this is [Music] there fore [Music] through here [Music] the same reason Praise Him [Music] good morning to everyone the answer to your question is yes Tracy and I still do attend this church I've been gone the last the last three weeks to help fill the pulpit in Kirkland Washington and just just an update with regards to that for those who don't know it was back on August 19th that Eric lindblad died a 49 year old member of that church he was the the brother of Stefan lindblad one of the pastors of the church and the son of Don lynnblad also another one of the pastors of that church and so the Deacon felt it wise that the pastors took the month of September off in order to uh in order to obviously be able to grieve and and recover and and that sort of a thing so they they had asked me to to fill the pulpit down there the last three Sundays it worked out in God's Providence we had Rick Horst come up here to preach for us while our pastor was off on on vacation and that allowed for me to be able to go down there uh to to help them out so God In His Kind Providence was able to do that the uh the church is doing uh as well as it uh can and and Don and Stefan are obviously significantly affected by this even last Sunday um still grieving of course but Eric was a Christian um and so in the midst of grief there is much hope and much joy in Christ who is the Hope for both those alive and those dead in Christ so uh we Rejoice along with them and we also sorrow along with them and they are very appreciative of our prayers and they remain in prayer for for us as well so if you have any other questions afterwards you can feel feel free to ask me well let's turn in our Bibles then to the book of First Corinthians First Corinthians in chapter 15 we're going to look this morning at the indispensable glory of the Gospel and in fact we're going to look at First Corinthians 15 1-22 both morning and evening this morning we'll look at verses one to four and this evening we'll look at verses 5 to 22 but I'm going to read the entirety of that portion so First Corinthians 15 beginning in verse 1 and finishing at verse 22 this is the word of the Triune God 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 500 Brethren at once of whom the greater part remained 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 preached and so you believed 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 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 worship and specifically in this act of worship the preaching of your word we do pray now during this time you would help us to understand and glory in your truth we pray that we would receive it as it is the word of God that we would lay hold of it and that we would seek to praise the god To Whom It points and to rejoice in the Christ To Whom It points and we do pray that as we do this our savior the Lord Jesus Christ would be exalted upon the Praises of his people here we ask Lord God that by your grace and For Your Glory you would save Sinners that you would strengthen your Saints and that all things done here would be done to your glory and honor and we pray in the name of Jesus Christ Our Savior amen well this first uh this first letter of Paul to the church at Corinth was designed to to bring an end to certain issues and certain errors that pervaded the particular context of the Corinthians and in fact this is the last error dealt with in this book but it is the most important error that is dealt with and in each of these errors that are dealt with by Paul in this particular epistle the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is planted before the Corinthians that they might find that they might find proper grounding in Jesus Christ and the gospel of our blessed God In this passage we have that very Gospel of Salvation set forth we have the importance of it we have the very content of it we have the certainty of it as well and we therefore have the great hope of it set forth now the occasion or the reason for or the writing of First Corinthians 15 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 so this is the grave error that is being dealt with here in the Corinthian Church or to the Corinthians by the Apostle Paul there were some that were denying the resurrection of the dead and in so doing then they were in essence denying the very resurrection of Jesus Christ himself who is the first fruits of all those who die in him and so it is a grave error so the Apostle Paul addresses this grave error with the very gospel itself and the Very hope of that gospel so we're simply going to look at two things this morning first the importance of the gospel and secondly the content of the gospel and just a little because we're going to be dealing with the term gospel as we look at first the importance of the Gospel just a spoiler alert that the content of the Gospel is the doing the dying and the rising again of the Son of God Jesus Christ so the importance of the Gospel then first off is seen in wholesome repetition notice the language here moreover Brethren verse 1 I declare the gospel which I preached to you so the Apostle Paul has to come along and write in a an epistle reiterating that which was already preached beforehand now this is this is good and proper and necessary for two reasons and the first is because man is very forgetful even even Man in Christ is very forgetful we need the gospel often preached because we can very often have thoughts intrude things intrude responsibilities intrude and even our remaining corruption intrude upon our thoughts and Reflections in such a way that the gospel can sometimes be the furthest things the furthest thing from our minds uh especially or or even leading to the fact of apostasy from that from that very gospel or a departure from the very hope of that gospel denying an essential truth of it of course Christians can never truly and properly apostasize apostatize but those who are in and around the gospels declaration those who traffic in the things of Christ and yet are outside of him are in very danger of even becoming further away by a denial of the Blessed things that the doctrine of the Gospel contains and so Nessa necessary repetition is a thing that Christians need to engage in that preachers need to engage in and the second thing is why we need this wholesome repetition is because of the Blessed content of what's being repeated it is our very life blood it is the breath that we breathe as Christians that is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and so it is right that the Apostle Paul writes moreover Brethren I declare to the to you the gospel which I had already preached to you beforehand we need to hear this every Lord's Day we need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ the champion of our Salvation we need to hear of this blessed one and his blessed work every time we gather because it is the very lifeblood of the Christian faith it is also the importance of the Gospel is also seen in Apostolic confirmation so why is the gospel so important it's because it's repeated as it ought to be and secondly because it comes with Apostolic confirmation the Apostle Paul is engaging in Apostolic declaration in the early church the Apostles of course had a very a very strong Authority a very divinely granted authority to and for the churches and so the importance of the Gospel is seen in the fact that the Apostle Paul not only repeats it but that he repeats it as an apostle ordained by God for the good of the church and ultimately for the glory of God and thirdly the importance of the Gospel gospel is seen here with regards to the manner of the transmission of Truth and what do I mean by that there's something very peculiar or particular in the language of Declaration and reception notice the language moreover Brethren I declare to you the gospel which I preach to you which also you received and God's blessed condescension to proclaim the truth and God's blessed condescension to save people by his truth and for his glory God has engaged in declaration and reception throughout the rolling ages that men and women boys and girls brought forth by Grace might behold the glories of the Triune God and the glories of the Gospel notice if you back up to First Corinthians 11 for a moment Paul repeatedly uses the language of declaration and reception and sometimes Deliverance as far as delivering the truth there's an instance of that one in First Corinthians 11 2 now I Praise You Brethren that you remember me in all things and keep the Traditions just as I delivered them to you and then in that same chapter First Corinthians 11 verse 23 for I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you as he's rehearsing the institution of the Lord's supper he's speaking with regards to the language of reception of divine truth and then the Declaration or the Deliverance of it to particular recipients and this is something that we ought to reflect upon because we are the Blessed yet undeserved recipients of apostolic declaration God has deemed it well that 2 000 years removed from this particular occasion we are are the recipients of the Declaration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for Christians here this morning this is something that we and we rejoice in that God has so used this Deliverance of Truth this delivering of Truth this declaration and reception this model or scheme of Declaration and reception by Spirit wrought men throughout the ages that we might behold with eyes of Faith the undivided Trinity and the Christ whom the father sent to save sinners from their sins what a blessed thing we have in the transmission of the truth throughout the ages I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you which also you received praise God that by his grace we have received the Gospel of Jesus Christ because outside of Amazing Grace we are we were antithetical to that gospel we were in opposition to it we were enemies of the truth and enemies of God yet he and his free and immutable Good Will and pleasure brought us forth from the darkness of Darkness of sin to life and light in Jesus Christ that we might receive the declared truth as often as you're able to throughout your days and weeks you ought to Rejoice with great rejoicing on the fact that God has caused you to receive the truth and you ought to pray for the continual Declaration of that truth throughout the Nations so something that we ought to pray for as Christians as we go about our prayer lives is that God would empower the Declaration of his truth throughout the world and that by his grace multitudes of newly redeemed tongues would receive that truth and glory in it so the importance of the Gospel is seen in those three things repetition Apostolic confirmation and the transmission of truth but it's also seen in the fact of it being the ground of Salvation notice the language continues which also you received and in which you stand by which also you are saved so the importance of the Gospel is seen in the very fact that it the gospel is the ground of our salvation the doing and the dying and the rising again of the Incarnate Son of God is the only ground of our Salvation it is not by Deeds of righteousness which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit and that by virtue of the finished and complete and perfect work of Jesus Christ Alone not by Deeds of righteousness which we have done now turn to the Book of Romans for me in our scriptures we have one single word that is very often the most glorious word in all of the Bible I might be exaggerating but bear with me as I as we move along this particular thought if you turn to Romans 3 for a moment speaking about the fact of the Gospel being the ground of our salvation and that ground not being our righteousnesses so-called which are even as filthy rags in the sight of God who is most holy most righteous notice in Romans 3 beginning at verse 19. now we know that whatever the law says it says to those who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God therefore by the Deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin and then the most glorious word in the scriptures very often verse 21 b-u-t and the Clause that follows but now do you read your scriptures you'll often come across this transitional contrast word of contrast if you will where a particular truth is stated that is very often very sobering very solemn very grave very condemning and then a phrase follows it that is very uplifting very hope-filled and joy-filled and that's what we have here but now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed being witnessed by the law and the prophets even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe and so the Blessed fact or the importance of the Gospel is seen in the Blessed fact that the gospel is the very ground of our Salvation finding our way back to First Corinthians 15 the importance of the Gospel is seen lastly in its Primacy of place in Christian Proclamation what do we mean by that Primacy simply means the first of all other things it's position its highness or its loftiness of position in Christian Proclamation the gospel is Prime in Christian Proclamation and the Apostle Paul brings that out verse 3 for I deliver to you first of all that which I also received now you might read that if you have it in the the King James or the new King James or other versions that word it similarly you might think well that just simply means that the Apostle Paul spoke chronologically first to the Corinthian Church but that's not the case of course if we follow the book of Acts in the ministry of the Apostle Paul it wasn't to Corinth that he first of all uh delivered the gospel this language actually means I delivered to you of first importance that which I also received so the Apostle Paul reiterates this glorious this glorious reality of the reception of divine truth its Proclamation and the reception on the part of recipients by grace to the glory of God but also the Primacy of place of the Gospel in Christian Proclamation I deliver to you of first importance that which I also received so you can see we have a colon after received it's not in the original language but it's helpful for for us uh in our barbaric English to to read here with regards to what is that which is of Primacy of place in Christian Proclamation what is it that is of first importance in Christian Proclamation and it follows what comes after the colon after which I also received which brings us then well actually before we get there we want to note the the importance of the Gospel in Christian Proclamation a little bit more you know it's important because of the very content of it but it's also important because of what rests in back of it so if the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is and it is and we'll see that in a moment the doing the dying and the rising again of the Incarnate Son of God what is behind that but the very doctrine of God itself the one and only living and true God Father Son and Holy Spirit because it is the second of the Triune God the Son of God who comes into our lower shame to assume our Humanity to redeem us and to recover us the doctrine of God is in back of it because he is most holy he is most wise he is most loving forgiving iniquity transgression and sin in back of it also is the very Eternal decree of God for the manifestation of his glory that one and only living and true true God freely and immutably uh foreordained whatsoever comes to pass and that whatsoever comes to pass is centered around the doing and the dying and the rising again of Jesus Christ do you know that the very decree of God and let's move beyond that to what we studied this morning the external works of God creation and Providence that creation and Providence serve this that we're about to read the doing and the dying and the rising again of Jesus Christ why did God create why does God providentially uphold and sustain all things that he has created so that we might glory and worship him in the Redemption of uh in the Redemption of Sinners by virtue of the perfect work of Jesus Christ what do this what what is the purpose of the Stars what is the purpose of the the rolling spheres what is the purpose of galaxies spinning in their orbits what is the purpose of all things that are it is for the manifestation of the glory of God's eternal power wisdom and goodness peculiar peculiarly it's a hard word to say and pointedly resting upon the perfect work of Jesus Christ in Redeeming the elect sons of men from out of sin depravity death and hell and bringing them to Glory through his perfect work and so we move on then now to the content of the gospel and that's contained in verse 3B and verse 4. the content of the Gospel if we were to speak with regards to what is contained or what we're contemplating in a reflection upon the gospel it is the Excellence of the person of Christ and the surpassing Merit of his work the Gospel of Jesus Christ speaks to us volumes about the Excellence of the person of Christ and the surpassing Merit of his work the doing the dying the rising again of the Son of God is a summing up phrase that is helpful in Gospel Reflection and so we do well to explore each of those blessed works because they're laid before us here what is the definition of the Gospel the definition it the definition of the Gospel is simply verse 3B 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 so if anyone were to ask you what is the gospel you Christians you Christians often very often talk about the gospel what what does that mean the answer is verse 3B and four 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 it contains a two-fold thing that we'll look at as we move along but historical veracity that is the very certain truth that these things took place the death burial and resurrection of the Son of God incarnate Jesus Christ and secondly theological or salvific realities connected to that it was for our sins and so what is the gospel it is this you know very often there the gospel can be confused or the gospel the definition of the Gospel can be muddied a little bit or a lot you know there's a there's a famous phrase which I think we we need to jettison from our Christian vocabularies or speeches that preach the gospel and when possible use words that might sound cute in in pseudo-christian discourse but it makes no sense because you can only use words to preach the gospel we are to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel as the Apostle Paul says we are to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ but to preach the gospel we need to bring with our mouths preachers need to bring with our mouths Christians need to bring with our mouths the Declaration that Jesus Christ died for the sins of his people according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures the gospel is not about us though we are the blessed and undeserved beneficiaries of gospel riches the gospel is solely and exclusively about Jesus Christ the son of God incarnate who came into this lower world of shame to redeem guilty sinners so in this study of the content of the Gospel we want to consider first the grand subject of the Glorious gospel and that's simply Christ notice the language of the text is for I deliver to you first of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins that Christ was buried that Christ rose again and so a reflection upon the content of the Gospel ought to see a reflection first upon who is it that died who is it that was buried and who is it that rose again because Brethren we're called to we're called as Christians to Marvel in Christ we're called as Christians to Marvel in the gospel and part of that marveling means for us to reflect upon who it is who is the Blessed subject of the gospel and that's Christ so who is this Christ we know as Christians if you're if you're here and you're not a Christian well hopefully you'll learn a little bit this morning about who this Christ is the first thing we observe when we come to a study of the Excellence of the person of Christ is that he is very an eternal God and as we move along In this passage it is an absolutely marvelous and incomprehensible thing to dwell upon the fact that this one who is God died and was buried and was risen again the third day you see that's our our minds as we read along in passages like these are are to move in glorying to these blessed propositions that are set before us so that our minds might Mount up to a worship of Father Son and Holy Spirit Christ this Christ as Paul is declaring the gospel yet again is very an eternal God and this is a truth so essential and glorious to confess and a truth so terrible to deny so terrible to deny what does Jesus Christ himself say if you do not believe that I am you will die in your sins not simply that I exist uh though there is something with respect to that statement I exist that's wrapped up in the Theology of God but not simply that I exist but the I am there is to point us back to Exodus 3 14 to point us back to Isaiah 10 Who upholds The Exodus Declaration of the one and only living and true God who reveals himself to his people as I am so Christ says if you do not believe that I am you will die in your sins Jesus Christ is very and eternal God regarding the seriousness of denying this truth Cyril of Alexandria says that anybody who denies the deity of Christ and he's speaking specifically of false teachers who bear a more Grievous judgment anyone who denies the deity of Christ and teaches otherwise is spewing forth the Venom of the blood defiled dragon it's a very very terrible thing to deny the deity of Jesus Christ now this phrase might not be something that you start with when the Jehovah's Witnesses come and knock on your door and you open the door and you just shoot some Cyril of Alexandria at them probably not the best way to approach it there is a a place for this sort of language but certainly animated by a Christian Vigor to defend the fact that Jesus Christ is very an eternal God we engage with those who deny it with that strength of faith Jesus Christ is very an eternal God of one substance with the father and the spirit in this Divine and infinite being there are three persons or subsistences the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit and these three are of one power of one Essence one substance one power and Eternity each having the whole Divine Essence and the essence undivided Jesus Christ is the creator of all things we looked at that this morning our study in Creation in the beginning it pleased God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power wisdom and goodness to create or make the world and all things therein in the space of six days and all very good that's Jesus Christ creating all things in the space of six days and all very good remember that that picture if you will of Jesus Christ we're not to have vain imaginings of Jesus Christ what what he looks like and such and such because he uh um he according to his deity of course is invisible immense Eternal and most pure spirit there's that Vision that Isaiah is given in Isaiah chapter six as we look at who this is who died was buried and rose again there's that wonderful vision of the Lord Jesus Christ in Isaiah 6. in the year that King Uzziah died Isaiah wrote I saw the Lord high and lifted up and the train of his robe filled the temple and at that point some interpreters say that it wasn't that Isaiah saw the entirety of this visible Manus manifestation of deity this Visionary experience that he saw the entire figure of the king of glory but rather that he only was able to behold the Hem of the robe that filled the temple because of his majesty because of his glory and remember that in that scene there are angels that fly the angels have six wings with two they fly but with the other ones with two they cover their eyes for the glory of this one and with two they cover their feet because of the glory of this one that they sing eternally to holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole world is filled with his glory we read in John chapter 12 that Isaiah spoke those things when he saw Christ and wrote of him so this blessed Christ that Paul is writing about is the creator of all things is the God of all is the one who sustains All Things by the word of his power and he is secondly very man if he is very an eternal God then what we know about Christ is also that he is now very man a similar truth that is absolutely critical to our Christian confession in fact you know that in our Bibles he is Antichrist who denies that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh not some future malevolent political leader that's that's in our that's in our Christian future but in in the past heresy that existed at the time of John's writing of his Epistles he is Antichrist who denies that Jesus Christ Has Come In the Flesh a denial of the very taking on of humanity by the Son of God is a denial of the Christian faith conversely the affirmation of the uh the uh the the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ is absolutely for we should word it this way the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ is very vital to our Salvation because it is man that fell because it is man that transgressed and and uh and sweat Humanity all of his progeny into sin and transgression and depravity it was man who sinned and so we need the God man the Son of God who took to himself Humanity we need that one in order to redeem us if we do not have this one the Son of God who assumed our Humanity who assumed Humanity body and soul with a reasonable and intelligible Soul if we do not have this one we do not have salvation we confess God as very God excuse me Christ as very God and very man this is these are truths that have been uphold by I don't think we reflect upon this too much we noted it very briefly when we spoke about the transmission of Truth but brethren we have 2 000 years that have fallen before us wherein men and women have died for the affirmation that Jesus Christ is very God and very man yet one Christ the only mediator between God and Men and so we rest upon the Bloodshed labors of a multitude of saints who have died for these truths so let it never be rote and mechanical when we come in on a on a hot Lord's Day morning when we're looking forward to lunch when breakfast might still be sitting in our guts when our eyes can get heavy let us never think in a road or a mechanical thing to reflect upon the deity and the humanity of Christ because it's these things that lie behind our Salvation that undergird our salvation and it is those truths that a number of men and women have died for throughout history and we rest upon the death of a multitude of saints who have died for defending this blessed truth he is very an eternal God he took upon himself our Humanity for our Redemption and Recovery have you ever reflected upon this or should say we should often reflect upon this if you're a Christian hopefully you do that the creator of the Rolling spheres ineffably Sublime as we as we sing took upon himself our Humanity came into our our lower shame our our lower World in order to affect the Perfection of salvation the one who fixed the stars in place the one who set the galaxies in their spinning orbits the one who who upholds the planets the one who causes the the the the waves of the sea to rise by the lifting of the Winds and the one who call who calms them as we read earlier in the scripture reading the one who has unlimited power a most pure spirit without body parts and passions immense eternal this one took upon himself our Humanity to redeem us from our sins as you reflect upon your sins you reflect upon yourselves Saints prior to Amazing Grace coming to you as you reflect reflect upon yourselves even now Saints as you have remaining corruption do you reflect upon the one then in a quick movement from reflection upon your own sin to the one who came down to our lower shame to affect salvation and not just came down and condescended in some sort of Glorious form with uh you know a chariot and horses and lived in a mansion in Jerusalem as JC rile points out but came to a point where as we read this morning the foxes have their their holes and the birds have their nests but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head the creator of the universe comes down again to that lower shame to affect salvation what a blessed truth to Marvel in the grand subject of the Glorious gospel is Christ and that is the first of the Blessed points of content of our glorious gospel notice secondly the Blessed obedience and reward of the Son of God incarnate or to State it again the content of the Gospel is seen secondly in the Blessed obedience and reward of the Son of God incarnate notice the language of the text 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 maybe you've noticed or maybe you've heard or maybe you've read that this particular portion of the Apostle Paul's writing in First Corinthians 15 is very creedal you know in the history of Christianity we have a blessed deposit of Creeds Declarations of faith and this particular passage this small section reads very creedally like it is a an early Christian Creed 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 in fact many of the Creeds that would follow after the inscripturation of First Corinthians 15 would rehearse this very language because it is the content of the gospel and it's laid forth so simply for Christians to take in and remember to keep close to their hearts this glorious one died was buried and rose again the third day but let's note the Blessed obedience and reward of the Son of God incarnate first off he died that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures it was as Philippians 2 5-11 tells us a cross-death obedience that Christ went to the cross that the Son of God incarnate went to the cross in an act of obedience remember he performs or he perfects an act of obedience to the whole law but also a passive obedience in his death for our whole and soul righteousness and so here we have Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and it was a cross-death obedience he bore the curse that was due us in our stead in fact turned to Galatians for a moment and Galatians 3. it wasn't simply a death as we'll note in a little more detail this evening but it was a substitutionary sacrificial death in the stead of his people notice in verse 13 of Galatians 3 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us for it is written cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree you see there was a curse that was due to us by virtue of our fall in Adam and that vantage point of original sin where from all other actual transgressions do flow we deserve the curse of death and the punishment thereof we deserved Divine Justice and Punishment not only in this life but also in that which is to come but Christ comes and as the Apostle Paul here says he became a curse for us and those those three that three-letter word is carries with it so much theological weight when it has to do with Christ dying for us this word for that he died for us that he bore the curse for us it has to do with vicariousness with substitution in our place he bore the curse what a blessed truth we have in Jesus Christ dying upon calvary's cross because he bore the punishment that was due to us and now by virtue of that we have everlasting life the Forgiveness of sins and that blessed salvation that has no rival the language is immense Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us for it is written cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree this blessed death that Christ undergoes was for us and this is another thing that we are to Marvel in I had mentioned a number of a number of sermons ago or of number of months ago you're not required to remember but I do because I was the one who said it but um we are as Christians and as a Christian Church supposed to repeatedly Marvel at the cross of Jesus Christ does it mean to Marvel it means to have our minds captured at the the the the old the old fathers of the church would say attend I entreat you and Rouse yourselves were to Rouse ourselves our Christian hearts and Minds to high and lofty and focused Reflections upon things and at this point it is the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ what an amazing thing especially when we consider the one upon upon the cross who died it's the old as the old fathers would say the one who fixed the stars in place is fixed in place upon a tree it's a terrible thing to tell they would say but a terrible thing not to tell you might say well that sounds contradictory well it kind of does but no you can think about that in two senses it's a terrible thing to tell because it's the Son of God they put to death the Lord of Glory we think about the the the the the the the beatings and the spittings and the crucifixion itself and beyond that and infinitely more than that the bearing of the weight of the wrath of God it's a terrible thing to tell but it's a terrible thing not to tell why because it is the very ground of the Salvation of Christ's people it's absolutely vital to tell it's absolutely necessary to tell and it's glorious in its content the Son of God assumed our Humanity to recover us to save us to bring us into Everlasting Bliss not only did he die well actually just just on this note we'll see this evening but the connection to uh the connection to the death of Adam and the life that we have in Christ by virtue of his death Adam received the sentence cursed is the ground in thy labors thorns and thistle shall it bring forth to thee for this cause Jesus assumes the Thorns that he might cancel the sentence to blessed blessed sentence that Christ bore the Thorns that he might cancel the sentence thrust upon Adam for his violation of the law and subsequently for our violation of the law for our sin and transgression the second Adam comes to reverse the curse he was buried the text goes on to say he died that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried now this isn't just a simple statement of chronological fact or historical fact because there is much to be seen in this language was buried it is Rich with theological import first off it is a testification to the reality of his death and so the bearing of the curse Christ really did die so then he really did Bear the curse it wasn't a it wasn't a mock death or it wasn't a faux death as some haters of God as have proposed and still proposed this day that he didn't really die he really did die and so bore the curse and his very burial is testification to that is a declaration of the truthfulness of the fact that he died and that he bore the curse secondly this secondly this burial the it is the Fulfillment of Prophecy including the savior's own prophecy remember one of the things that Christ says in his dealings with the unbelieving Jews is he talks about the Jews seeking after signs and Jesus says that the only only sign I will give you is the the sign of the prophet Jonah and he goes on to say that the son of man or just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish so the son of man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth Jesus Christ himself prophesied concerning his very burial it is the stuff of testifying to his death and curse bearing and it is also the Fulfillment of Prophecy it is also a declaration of and bear with me it is a declaration of the reversal of the identic episode that is when Adam thrust Humanity into death and curse by virtue of his transgression notice Matthew Henry the Garden of Eden 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 and so the burial is a declaration of the reversal of this curse he goes 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 there's great import here not only theologically but also with respect to Hope when our brothers and sisters die in the Lord we have this Reality by virtue of the work of Christ that he softened the grave for all believers it no longer brings the Declaration of death and judgment it doesn't bring the Declaration of the victory of death over that particular individual but rather it speaks with the promised hope of the coming resurrection that there is hope in Christ who himself was raised from the grave fourthly with respect to the burial the setting it sets the stage for the resurrection from the dead Henry again thus without pomp or solemnity is the body of Jesus laid in the cold and Silent grave here lies our Surety under arrest for our debts so that if he be released his discharge will be ours here is the son of righteousness set for a while to rise again in greater glory and set no more here lies a seeming captive to death but a real conqueror over death for here lies death itself slain and the grave conquered thanks be to God who giveth us the victory so never skip by the burial of Jesus Christ because it comes with it coming coming with it is the blessedness blessedness of much truth and then he rose again the third day notice the text goes on to say and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures now we'll we'll get to the language of according to the scriptures this evening as we consider some more things from this passage but on the point of he rose again the third day this is the Vindication of having completed the work he came to do we think about the resurrection what was it for there are there are a number of things that the resurrection was for a number of things that are communicated by virtue of it and one of those things is that the Vindication of having completed the work he came to do he was successful he did satisfy Divine Justice he did satisfy the terms of the Covenant of redemption what the father sent him to do he did effect perfectly simply he came to save Sinners and he did so this is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world Sinners to save First Timothy 1 15 and he did that and the resurrection is proof positive that he was perfect in doing that successful in doing that satisfying all the terms of his arrangement with the father secondly it is and bear with me again with the language but I'll I'll tell you what this means the testification of the veracity of our justification and that sin was atoned for the resurrection declared that we are Justified that all those who believe in him are Justified why because there was no sentence cast upon Christ he was not guilty truly firstly and properly but he bore the guilt of his people he did not deserve wrath being holy harmless and undefiled but he bore wrath in our stead our sins being imputed to him and having endured that sacrificial substitutionary death on the other side of it as he rises from the dead it testifies to it declares the truthfulness that we have been Justified those who believe in him and that our sins are atoned for what a blessed blessed truth that we have one who has atoned for our sins and on this side of Amazing Grace we live for him and thirdly it punctuated the victory over death the grave and the devil a wonderful language that we have in verse 55 verse 54 of the same chapter so when this corruptable has put on incorruption and this Mortal has put on immortality then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written death is swallowed up in Victory O Death where is your sting o Hades where is your victory don't you love that language it's the language of conquering a language of Victory it's we we think about our own sins and realize that our sins deserve death and judgment and curse and eternal Wrath as we reflect upon those who have died in the Lord that are close to us what a blessed verse to rehearse and it very is often rehearsed at funerals at memorials death is swallowed up in Victory there is no sting of death for God's people who die in the Lord there is no victory of Hades for those God's people who die in the Lord nothing but blessed victory in this Christ who came who died who was buried and who rose again and this all of this is is connected to or the reality of his death burial and Resurrection is of course connected to lastly Redemptive blessings that accrue To Us by virtue of his perfect work notice the language backing up a bit in the text that Christ died for our sins we've rehearsed this already as we've moved along but there are Redemptive blessings Beyond imagination that accrue To Us by virtue of the death of Jesus Christ it was not just a historical death burial and Resurrection but it comes with it the weight of a substitutionary death a substitutionary burial and a glorious Resurrection in Victory and in that blessed Christ who affected that blessed salvation we have exactly that the blessings of Salvation all the blessings in the Heavenly places spiritual blessings in the Heavenly places in Christ reflect upon that every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ Our Minds cannot adequately and properly wrap around that that blessed truth that we have every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly plate we can reflect upon the fact of of our effectual calling our regeneration that we were brought forth by Amazing Grace by the very power that called creation into existence we were brought forth by the from the darkness and the deadness of sin to light and life in Christ Our uh faith and repentance our justification our sanctification our adoption our eventual glorification so many spiritual blessings that we have in Jesus Christ and it's all tied to him dying him being buried and him Rising again and he's now at the right hand of the father on high where he ever lives to make intercession for his people so in a minute and 47 seconds what do we have that we can take away from from this particular passage in the way of conclusion first off the importance of the Church of Christ the importance of the Church of Christ we talked about the transmission of Truth that transmission of Truth historically is intimately and inextricably tied to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ God has instituted the church so that he might make his salvation known to the ends of the Earth and we are the Blessed beneficiaries of the reception of Truth by those to whom it was delivered and we uh and by and then subsequently of course by virtue of their Declaration of it to us and that glorious Divine pattern of reception declaration reception has gone out through the ages and we are two thousand years removed those who have received by God's grace the Declaration of the one who died the one who was buried and the one who rose again we ought to reflect often upon the person and work of Christ that's a an application that's so easy for the preacher to make at the end of every sermon but it's an application that I think we should make at the end of every sermon is that we are to reflect as Christians often upon the person and work of Christ because the person and work of Christ is the very gospel itself and it is our life blood the very air that we breathe as Christians and lastly Sinner and unbeliever that is Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as we're going to note tonight outside of Christianity all is emptiness all is Vanity and futility Divine Justice Reigns and you will ultimately perish outside of Christ without hope if you do not believe on him you have sinned against a high and holy God you deserve infinite Justice and wrath not only in this life but in that which is to come yet there is one whom God sent the very son of his love to come into this lower world to take upon himself our Humanity to die to be buried and to rise again for guilty Sinners and the Bible says with the Perfection of authority and Glory that if you believe on this Christ you will have everlasting life what a blessed and indescribably glorious gospel we have in Jesus Christ Our Savior well let's pray Heavenly Father we thank you for your word we thank you for your truth we glory in your word to us concerning Jesus Christ the Savior we thank you that we can Avail of the knowledge of him and that we can glory in his death his burial his resurrection we rejoice in the gospel and pray that you would help us to always see it as our lifeblood as the air that we breathe is that as that doctrine that has Primacy of place in Christian declaration might we be about that as a church as Paul calls the Philippian Church to be United with one Spirit striving for the faith of the Gospel we pray that you would help us to do so we pray that by your grace you would strengthen your people here not by that same Grace by amazing and effectual Grace you would bring forth dead Sinners to life in Christ that because it is possible only with you every tongue would leave these two doors singing the praise of Father Son and Holy Spirit and it's in the name of Jesus Christ that we pray amen well you can stand and sing with me the doxology that's 5 68 in your hymn books um the doxology let's stand and sing together [Music] thank you praise his father 's holy spirit [Music] now may the God of Peace who brought up our lord Jesus from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant make you complete in every good work to do his will working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever amen oh please be seated we'll have a brief time of meditation while the piano plays and once it's finished you're dismissed