15 beginning at verse 1 finishing at verse 20 and then honing in on 3 & 4 1 Corinthians 15 verse 1, Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which you also 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 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, 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 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 and 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. Amen.
Opening Prayer
Well, let's pray. God, we rejoice that we can gather again for worship this evening, that we can now engage in the preaching of your word. We do pray that you'd help us, help again preacher and hearer, might this be an exercise in worship that is done to your glory. We do pray that we would be well instructed from on high concerning the truth of Holy Scripture, that we might glory in our great God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well,
Introduction
just to work through a couple of the things going on here, just some observations prior to honing in on 3 and 4, we want to talk about the Gospel's content and definition here on a night where we observe the Lord's Supper.
The Gospel's Primacy
First, I want you to note by way of introduction, the Gospel's primacy is set forth here by the Apostle Paul at the beginning of verse 3. for I delivered to you first of all that which I also received. Now the language there might seem to convey, unless you have a different translation that says otherwise, but the language of for I delivered to you first of all might seem to convey a chronological order to the proclamation of what will follow by the Apostle Paul, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The point being made though is not that this message was the first chronologically, but More importantly, that this was of the foremost, this was chief, this was of the highest importance. We could read this, for I delivered to you as of first importance that which I also received.
The message that Paul is giving is foremost. It had already been delivered to them, and it is of the utmost and of the foremost importance. In fact, That language is assumed in verses 1-2. Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, and in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you. unless you believe in vain.
You see how Paul mounts word upon word to highlight the importance and to underscore that marvel that any would want to depart from so glorious a message. This gospel was declared, it was preached, it was received. The Corinthians stand in it. It's the message, it's the truth by which they are saved.
And so when he writes, for I deliver to you as of first importance, or first of all, that which you also received, we're to get that this message that will follow, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, is of the highest importance. This word is also used in 1 Timothy 1.15. The Greek word there translated, first of all, understood perhaps as foremost or the highest importance. In 1 Timothy 1, this is the passage that we read and preached from at the hospital this evening.
In 1 Timothy 1, verse 15, we read this. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world, sinners to save, of whom I am chief. See that word chief. Paul calls himself the chief sinner, the foremost of sinners, the first of all sinners, if you will.
The word is used in a positive context here with respect to the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is of the highest importance.
The Gospel's Revelational Origin
We also notice, again by way of introduction, the Gospel's revelational origin. Notice the language of the text, 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. The gospel has a revelational origin. It is not declared by general revelation.
By casting our eyes upon the stars and the sun and the moon and the trees and the grass and the flowers, we don't arrive at a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We arrive at the knowledge of God. He has set forth his glory in the firmament of the heavens when we cast our eyes upon creation. It declares a sermon, if you will, that there is a God in high heaven who has created all things, who gives men life, breath, and all things.
However, in special revelation, the Holy Writ, the Bible, the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, therein do we have the gospel declared. It is according to the scriptures. And from the vantage point of the Corinthians, this was the Old Testament scriptures. Reject any notion or any preacher that would say to you, Christ is absent in the Old Testament.
He's everywhere in the Old Testament. And in fact, if we were to summarize the Bible, Old Testament Christ promised to come, New Testament, the promised Christ has come. The Old Testament is full of our Lord Jesus Christ. And from his own lips, he says, the law, the prophets, and the Psalms all spoke concerning me.
And in the Old Testament, as Paul would write to his son in the faith, Timothy, from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus the Lord. The gospel is of revelational origin, that is the revelation that we have in the Bible, our Old and New Testaments.
The Gospel's Eyewitness Attestation
And thirdly, by way of introduction, notice the gospel's eyewitness attestation. the gospel's eyewitness attestation. After we read, and he was buried and he rose again the third day according to the scriptures, we see this repeated language, and that he was seen, and that he was seen, and that he was seen. Notice he was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve, seen by over 500 brethren at once. 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." This language that he was seen, I don't think is just given for the sake of the breadth of the information. Paul's making a point here that why would you reject the resurrected Christ when he was seen, when he was seen, when he was seen, when he was seen by a great number of people. In fact, we need to appreciate this about the gospel of Jesus Christ, that the truth has nothing to hide. You see, Christianity isn't born out of some crazy young teenager in the desert pulling gold tablets out of the sand.
Christianity doesn't come from a madman in a cave receiving a so-called revelation from the angel Gabriel. You see, these religions started by one single individual. Isn't it convenient that we have your own word, your own eyewitness attestation? Of course, we have God's declaration in the Bible as the ultimate witness to the veracity of these things that did occur.
But we have apostolic authority delivered to us. We have those who have seen and their record is given in the Holy Scriptures. Christ was seen. Christ was touched.
He was handled after his resurrection, bearing witness to the fact that he did die, that he was buried, that he rose again in power and in great victory. So we see the gospel's primacy, we see its revelational origin, and we see its eyewitness attestation.
Christ: Subject of the Gospel
Now, moving then to the meat and potatoes, we want to notice two things here this evening. The subject of the gospel and the activity involving the subject. Now, hopefully that doesn't sound sort of dry. It's a glorious subject because that subject is Christ.
Notice the language, that Christ died, etc. There's a glorious subject in view, and there is glorious activity involving that glorious subject. And we want to notice first the subject, Christ. Language of verse 3, For I deliver to you, first of all, that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins.
Now, this comes as no news to you. Most of you are Christians, and if you're not Christian, you've heard of this Christ, and no doubt you've heard something of the fact that Christians claim, rightly, from the authority of the Word of God, that he died for the sins of his people. So reviewing this subject as the subject of the gospel being Christ isn't revolutionary. But bear with me, because what we are to do as Christians, especially in observing the Lord's Supper, is that we are to marvel in the subject who died.
We're to marvel in Christ, the one who gave himself, the one who most certainly died upon Calvary's cross. The language is Christ died. It is of the highest importance to know this Christ of whom it is said he died, was buried, and rose again. I mentioned this morning that hopefully it's none of our cases that we think the gospel to be of a remedial thing or an introductory thing to the Christian faith.
And then we move on to the higher things of enlightened intelligence. The gospel is to be studied, as I mentioned, from our first breath as a Christian to our last breath as a Christian. And it will be gospel glories that we sing into eternity. We are to always come back to a solid reflection upon this one who died.
And you've heard this before. There's a question that has been asked in the Bible that's probably the most important question that has ever been asked. And it's Christ himself who asks it. Who do men say that I am?
You've heard this from Pastor Butler and you've heard this from me. This hopefully bears repeating and bears a continual discovery until we enter Emmanuel's land. Christ asks that question, who do men say that I am? If you're here this morning and you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ, that's the most important question that you're ever going to be asked.
And it's hopefully a question that you'll answer in the right, in the affirming position being brought forth by God's grace. Who do men say that Christ is? Remember, hopefully we appreciate this as Christians, that we reject any notion of a Christ that is not the biblical notion of a Christ. Fully God, fully man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and men.
When we identify, when we reflect upon who died upon Calvary's cross as we proclaim the Lord's death till he comes in the Lord's Supper later this evening, We are to marvel in the one who died upon Calvary's cross. We're not to engage in rote religious exercise. We are to engage in an element of worship, but with joy-filled hearts, with hearts filled with solemnity and focus and reflection upon so great a one who died. Who is it who died?
It is the Christ. And there are some instances in the Holy Scripture, and I'm thinking specifically of two, that help us to answer properly who this Christ is. There's an instance in John chapter 8 where Christ declares to unbelieving religious leaders, if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins. It's a very striking and cutting statement by the Lord Jesus Christ, isn't it?
If you do not believe that I am, he's using that name of God, that Exodus 3 name, that Isaac name of Yahweh, the Lord, the God, the King of Israel. If you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins. You see, we entertain no notion of Christ that does not assert that He is God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father. It's another instance that we have in our Bibles as well in 1 John. in 1 John and in 2 John, where John pronounces sort of an anathema, if you will, but he makes a statement with regards to anyone who rejects that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, he says they are antichrist, they have not learned from God, they do not have God.
Those who believe and confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh are of God. You see, Christ is truly God and true man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man. And isn't a reflection on that first article, that Christ is truly God, doesn't that cause you to marvel reflecting upon the fact that he died upon Calvary's cross? Hopefully, as we sit still and as we listen, hopefully attentively and without a movement and without much expression to the preacher up at the pulpit, we hear about and reflect upon this Christ who came down from the height of glory to our lower shame? causes us to marvel.
So when we take of the supper, it's not a rote exercise, we solemnly reflect upon the fact that Christ died and we're to proclaim that death and yet we ought to at the same time be filled with joy of joys that the one who gave himself is the creator of all things. I want to listen to this statement from Alexander of Alexandria. This was the Athanasius before Athanasius. Athanasius was a secretary of sorts to this man, and he was perhaps a larger figure going into the Council of Nicaea in 325.
And he writes this with regards to marveling in the subject. Christ, the one who died, was buried and rose again. Who compelled God to come down to earth to take flesh of the holy virgin, to be wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, to be nourished with milk, to be baptized in the Jordan, to be mocked of the people, to be nailed to the tree, to be buried in the bosom of the earth, and the third day to rise again from the dead. in the cause of redemption to give life for life, blood for blood, to undergo death for death. For Christ, by dying, hath discharged the debt of death to which man was obnoxious.
Oh, the new and ineffable mystery! The judge was judged. He who absolves from sin was bound. He was mocked who once framed the world.
He was stretched upon the cross who stretched out the heavens. He was fed with gall who gave the manna to be bred. He died who gives life. He was given up to the tomb who raises the dead.
The powers were astonished. The angels wondered. The elements trembled. The whole created universe was shaken.
The earth quaked, and its foundations rocked. The sun fled away, the elements were subverted, the light of day receded, because they could not bear to look upon their crucified Lord." Listen to the weight of that. You know, would the church ever and always rehearse and proclaim this truth with so glorious a reflection and such a beautiful detail? You know what, one of the things that you see is a consistency from the time of the early church to the reformers and through Spurgeon and hopefully to our modern day, but perhaps it's not as prevalent.
There is a marveling always embedded and intertwined amongst theological articulation. What I mean by that is our doctrine of Christ, our doctrine of the Trinity, but specifically in view, our doctrine of Christ. It's never just some dry and some high ivory tower doctrine articulated by stoic beard strokers thrown upon the populace. it's always intermingled with this sort of language talking about the greater and the lower, the high and lofty, and the low and in the midst of ignominy. In other words, this sort of language that the one who fixed the stars in place was fixed in place upon a tree.
The one between whose divine arms galaxies roll. That same one stretched his human arms upon Calvary's cross. The judge is judged. He who absolves from sin was bound.
He who was mocked was once the one who framed the world. That sort of language. Tonight as we take the Lord's Supper, as we study this subject Christ, we need to reflect with that sort of reflection. The one who we remember in the taking of bread and in the taking of wine is the one who fixed the stars in place, and yet taking our humanity was fixed in place upon Calvary's cross for the redemption of a multitude which no man can number.
Glorious gospel. This subject, Christ, he is God, he is man, yet he is one Christ, the only mediator between God and man. And isn't that the answer that's given to that question by the disciples? Who do men say that I am?
The answer first is given that men say, unbelievers say, Elijah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, one of the prophets, that sort of thing, all of which were obviously incorrect, and Jesus directs the gaze and the question to his own disciples, but who do you say that I am? The prototypical Christians throughout the ages, Peter answers, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God, that's who died. That's who died, maker of stars, the holder of the universe, the one between whose arms galaxies roll. He took upon himself humanity to die for guilty sinners.
Activity Involving the Subject
Secondly, we want to observe the activity involving the subject, and this is threefold, and is seen in 1 Corinthians 15, and it's seen in the language that Christ died for our sins, verse 3, according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures. Three things that we find here in the activity involving this glorious subject, Christ. First, that Christ died. Second, that Christ was buried.
And third, that Christ rose again. So first, Christ died. You know, this is that sort of time where we've done it already. Some of the language that the old boys would use in the early church, chrysostom is one that comes to mind.
Not that we should ever not be paying attention in church, hopefully that's never the case. But there are times where they're writing to their audiences and they say things like this, I entreat you and rouse yourselves when they're about to say something that is very important to pay attention to. Attend, I entreat you, and rouse yourselves. What does that mean, kids?
First of all, attend. That simply means pay attention. Pay attention to what I'm about to say or what I'm about to write. And then he pleads, rouse yourselves.
That means wake yourselves up. Pinch a leg, slap a face. Just with diligence pay attention to what's going on. Christ died.
What do we take from this? What ought we to take from this particular activity involving that glorious subject Christ? Well, we want to observe, of course, and reflect as Christians always do, and hopefully always do, that the death of Christ is vital to the proper understanding of the gospel. You see, death, burial, and resurrection are in this complex of words. that Paul is using to counter these other people who are saying things that are incorrect.
I would assert that, in part, when we read here that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that is in part to counter what we read 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. You see, the Scriptures, divine revelation inspired by God, inspired, inerrant, and infallible, is set against what some others are saying. Are you gonna listen to these some others who say, or are you going to listen to the Holy Scriptures which declare Christ died?
Are you going to listen to apostolic exhortation and declaration such like Peter's who said, or John in 1 John, we have handled the word of life, we have seen him, we have touched him, we've cast our eyes upon this glorious Jesus. His incarnate self, His crucified self, His buried and resurrected self, we've cast our eyes upon Him. He came to us on that first Sabbath, on that resurrection Sunday. He ate broiled fish and honeycomb with us, and we touched Him, we saw Him, we talked to Him.
He even gave us a Bible study. That sort of certainty and surety and veracity and truth concerning the gospel is in contrast to these other, some among you, saying that there is no resurrection of the dead. The death of Christ is vital to the proper understanding of the gospel. And when we say that, what we mean is that not only the historical truthfulness, the historical veracity, but also the theological weight and meaning of that historical death.
Christ died, and notice that the text says, for our sins. It's not just a rehearsal in the historical, though it is a rehearsal in certain history, Christ died, but it is a rehearsal of the glorious attending theology that comes with that statement, Christ died. It was for our sins. And brethren, hopefully the super abounding weight of that import is never lost on Christians as our hair gets whitened by the sunlight of heaven.
So many years come between our conversion and our departure to go home with Christ, and hopefully these sorts of glorious things never get lost on us. That Christ died for our sins, a rehearsal of your life, is a rehearsal of sins, a rehearsal of transgressions against the Holy God prior to your conversion, prior to amazing grace coming to you in that state of sin. in that state of total depravity and total inability, when you did the desires of your father, the devil, when you woke up in your bed devising wickedness. But as well, after amazing grace has come to you in that period of sanctification leading up to that great day, we stumble, we sin. We have that remaining corruption.
We ought to do as Spurgeon instructs, peruse the diaries of our memories for there the witnesses of our guilt have faithfully recorded their names and fly fast to the words of scripture, Christ died for our sins. Glorious truth. As we take the bread and as we take the wine, we don't just chew and drink and swallow. we're doing those things, but there is something beyond that that we're to mount up to, and that's reflecting upon this, Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. It was atonement.
It was substitutionary. It was sacrificial. It was propitiatory. It was expiatory.
Those words never bounce off your brains as You know, Chinese coming to someone who doesn't know Chinese. These are glorious Christian theological words. It was atonement. It was substitutionary.
Christ died for our sins. He died in our stead, in our room, in the place of his people. We need to gain an appreciation for the language of Scripture in simple language such as Christ died for us. It's not just some ambiguous gift.
It's not just some surface level gift that Christ died for us as in an example or some other thing, but that Christ died in the room of and in the stead of and in the place of his people. This is the weight of a theology, the weight of a truth that ought to knock our knees to a weariness, whereupon we drop to our knees and on our face before God and worship a thrice holy King of Heaven. Because Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, and it was after such a manner that it was in our place. We had sinned.
We had sinned, not this Christ, not this God, not this very God and very man, yet one Christ. We sinned. And the sinless one. went in our room and in our stead to Golgotha's gibbet in order to give himself for us and for our sins. It was substitutionary.
It was sacrificial. It was propitiatory. There's a word that hopefully never causes your eyes to roll. I know that's a statement I use a lot.
Hopefully this never causes your eyes to roll. And I imagine for a Christian, it doesn't. But that means that Christ bore our wrath, a wrath that was due his people. in our stead. He became a curse for us, is the language of Galatians 3.13.
He bore in his own body our sins upon the trees, the language of the Apostle Peter, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness. It was propitiatory. Christ bore the wrath that was due us in our stead, that wrath that was due all who believe in his name. Never tire of propitiatory and know the meaning.
Expiatory. Christ bears the guilt, the guilt of sin. You've heard this before too. When we say that Christ bore the guilt, we're not talking about the psychological weight of having violated the law of God.
Christ does deal with that guilt, Christ does deal with that weight by His Spirit and the knowledge of Himself and salvation and the sanctification and all those sorts of things. But the moral and the legal culpability for our having violated the law of God, Christ bears that upon Calvary's cross. We all were guilty, for all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. Christ bore the guilt of his people upon Calvary's cross.
When we take and eat and when we take and drink, we reflect upon so glorious a transaction, Christ bearing the guilt of his people. And he does deal with that weight, weighs upon the Christian for having violated the law of God, doesn't he? You see, when Spurgeon says, Peru's the diary of your memory, for there the witnesses of your guilt have recorded their names faithfully. That doesn't mean that we are to be daily hounded by the sins that we have committed.
We are to feel bad. There is to be a grieving that we have violated God's law. But remember that we have ever and always held out before us the blood of Jesus Christ as that which cleanses us from all iniquity. We fly quickly in repentance to the reality that Christ atones for sin.
We don't atone for sin. Christ did it upon Calvary's cross. And in him, we have the forgiveness of sins. We have all these blessed things wrapped up in Christ died.
Christ Was Buried
Notice as well, Christ was buried. The language of the text says that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried. This is an oft-neglected aspect of the gospel and the narrative concerning Christ. I think it's easy for us, and it's not necessarily wrong, to summarize the gospel quickly as the death and resurrection of Christ.
In fact, Paul himself does that in Romans 4.25. He was delivered up because of our offenses. He was raised for our justification, death and resurrection. It's not as if Paul was consciously, while he's penning that, eliminating the righteous life of Christ and pulling out the burial there and just throwing in death and resurrection.
The burial is an oft-neglected aspect of the gospel and the narrative concerning Christ, but an important one. It was announced by Christ. Christ announced His burial. You can turn with me to the book of Matthew, Matthew chapter 12.
Flipping your fingers in the Bible now will hopefully help you sometimes, the smallest physical activity in an evening, help us to stay alert. In Matthew 12, verse 40, remember we're going to back up to verse 39. The scribes and Pharisees are asking for a sign. Remember the Jews seek after signs.
We see in verse 39, but he answered and said to them, an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. You see, Christ announces his own burial. We see time and again, Christ announcing his death and resurrection.
In fact, I believe it's three times in the gospel of Matthew, at least by explicit declaration that he says the son of man must go to be delivered up by wicked hands to be crucified, but he will rise again the third day. Here we have Christ announcing that he will be buried. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. That language, some people have asked throughout history and even within the context of our own church, why the language is three days and three nights since there were only really two nights after the crucifixion before Christ was raised.
It's an idiomatic convention to speak of you know, the course of three days. So just because it was two nights that occurred, it was really three night days. There were three days that transpired from the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ until his resurrection. But getting back to the burial, it was announced by the Lord Jesus Christ, and it testifies to at least three things.
What do we gain? What appreciation can we gain by the text saying Christ was buried according to the scriptures? Well, it testifies again to at least three things. And the first is this, the sinless innocence or the sinless perfection of Christ. testifies to that reality.
How do we know that? Well, we read it at the outset of worship in Isaiah 53. Notice in Isaiah 53, and they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death, because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. You see the connection there between, well, first off, the reality of the text, that it's true.
When Paul writes, he was buried according to the scriptures. not the only place, but one of the places where the scriptures, the Old Testament foretold of the burial. And they made his grave. with the wicked, but with the rich at his death, and notice it speaks with regards to his innocence, his sinless perfection. Because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. The Apostle Peter picks this up in his epistle with respect to servants' conduct towards masters, when we are not to revile when we are reviled, and we are not to counter when we are offended, but rather to commit ourselves to him who judges righteously. the sinless perfection or the innocence of Jesus Christ is testified to with respect to the burial.
Secondly, under what does it testify to? It testifies to at least three things. It confirms the certainty of death asserting the price of redemption paid. Christ was buried and that testifies to the fact that he truly did die. that the price of redemption was paid by his death.
He really did do what he was sent to do. The Apostle Paul encapsulates it as his obedience unto cross death in Philippians chapter 2. He was obedient unto his cross death. He had an obedience unto cross death vocation, a job to do and he did so perfectly and it's punctuated and testified to the fact that he was buried.
Thirdly, It sets the stage, His burial does, it sets the stage for the glorious resurrection. It sets the stage for the glorious resurrection. The grave does not hold Him, but He would emerge victoriously by the Spirit with much assurance, with much power, with much victory. It sets the stage for that glorious event, the King of Kings being raised. in glory, and we'll get to that now.
Never forsake or never forget about the burial of Jesus Christ. Perhaps you mean it when you say the death and resurrection of Christ, but give it some airtime because it testifies to the perfection of the work of our Savior. He really did die, and he would be raised from the dead.
Christ Rose Again
Thirdly, and lastly, then, under the activity involving the subject, Christ rose again. Notice back in 1 Corinthians 15, if you're not there already, you can flip back there. 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. He rose again.
Those words, brethren, I mean, they're glorious. I say that a lot because it's sometimes a preacher with not the largest vocabulary has to come back to a word. But the use of that word repetitively is also because of the absence of any other adjectives that can adequately explain the glory that is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's glorious.
Glorious. You see, that is our hope. the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If he remained in the grave and saw corruption, then we are of all men the most pitiable. If he remained in that grave and saw corruption and nothing occurred after but was just ashes to ashes, then we're hopeless.
It's the argument of the Apostle Paul in this very text. 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. You see that your faith rests in a Christ actually and really raised from the dead.
I say actually and really because there are the godless opponents of Christianity that assert that the resurrection is just a a warm and fuzzy sort of allegory or metaphor for us grasping on to something spiritual to grasp on to. It really wasn't historical. There really wasn't any resurrection of the dead. Paul would anathematize those peoples.
Those who are bringing another gospel, they are to be devoted to destruction. It's a hopeless gospel that does not assert the true, the real in history resurrection of Jesus Christ. Again, with theological meaning for our justification and for other things, those things which we'll rehearse right now. What is seen in this rose again asserted is first a testament to the perfection of his saving work, indicating fatherly reward.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a testament to the perfection of His saving work, indicating fatherly reward. After Paul writes of Christ's obedience unto cross-death vocation, he writes, therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name. The resurrection and the exaltation, the ascension of Jesus Christ, Christ did what he was sent to do, he did so gloriously, he did so perfectly, and the Father rewarded him for it. You read Hebrews 1 to 4, 1 to 5 on your own time as well, it speaks the same things as Philippians 2, 5 to 11.
That upon the heels of the completion of the perfection of his saving work, Christ is rewarded in the resurrection and the exaltation therefore God also has highly exalted him for that perfect obedience unto cross-death vocation Christ or kids Christ when kids when we say vocation it means job In a in a simple definition work to do work that is done Christ had work to do it was obedience unto cross-death By virtue of his victory in that and perfection in that, he is raised from the dead as a testament to that beautiful and complete and perfect work. Secondly, the resurrection bears witness to our justification. It bears witness to our justification. Paul writes again in Romans 4.25 that he was delivered up, he was crucified, because of our offenses, and he was raised because of or for our justification.
Now you've heard it before from Pastor Butler and perhaps from myself as well that that for our justification doesn't mean that the resurrection itself is that which justifies us, but rather that the resurrection, to use the language of John Gill, is a testification to the truthfulness of our justification and our salvation. In other words, the resurrection is the victory stamp upon the reality that we are justified by grace through faith in Christ, that he has saved us, that we are justified before the sight of God, not by virtue of our deeds of righteousness, but by virtue of the deeds and the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ rendered in our place, received by faith alone. It bears witness to our justification. And lastly, under the resurrection, it confirms Christ as judge.
The Bible speaks to that, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that this truth, that Christ rose again, according to the scriptures, is that Christ is judge. You know, this is a joy to believers. It ought to be a joy to believers. We stand not before some arbitrary and some wicked judge with respect to the last and great things, but we stand before our Christ as our judge, our advocate.
Our substitute declares, you know, enter into your rest, not by virtue of our works and by virtue of our deeds, but by virtue of the judge's works and the judge's deeds. We hear those words, enter into your rest. That's our judge. I turn to Acts 10 for a moment because there is joy for the Christian in the reality of Christ as judge, but there is terror, terror, for the unbeliever.
Notice the language in Acts chapter 10. Speaking or picking up in verse 40. So Acts 10 and verse 40. Speaking of Christ, him God raised up on the third day and showed him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with him after he arose from the dead.
And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is he who was ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. You see, that ought to strike terror into the hearts of the unbeliever. If you're here tonight and you're an unbeliever, child, adult, Christ is judge. And if you've rejected him, you've rejected him up to this point, I'll have no Christ.
Oh, I might entertain some church. I might entertain coming in and sitting in the pews and taking in some preaching, but I have not yet closed with Christ. Christ will be your judge on a great and fearful day. You'll say, depart from me, I never knew you.
Depart from me into the lake of fire reserved for the devil and his angels. Why have you not believed in so glorious a judge, so glorious a savior, so glorious a Christ who died, was buried and rose again? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved is the simple clarion call of the gospel. God is holy, you have sinned against him.
The Savior Christ came to die and rise again for sinners. Believe on him and you shall have everlasting life. By grace, rest upon Christ alone. You want to see him as judge and friend on that great day, who will say to you, enter your rest by virtue of my work.
You do not want him to say the only alternative, which is depart from me. rest on this glorious Christ. This is the language of Melito before we close. This is the language of Melito of Sardis on the resurrection of Christ. Talk about proclaiming the glories and the beauties of the risen Christ in a way that's hopefully sweet to the mind and sweet to the ears to hear.
But he arose from the dead. and mounted up to the heights of heaven. When the Lord had clothed himself with humanity and had suffered for the sake of the sufferer and had been bound for the sake of the imprisoned, imprisoned and had been judged for the sake of the condemned and buried for the sake of the one who was buried, he rose up from the dead and cried aloud with this voice, who is he who contends with me? Let him stand in opposition to me. I set the condemned man free.
I gave the dead man life. I raised up the one who had been entombed. Who is my opponent? I, he says, am the Christ.
I am the one who destroyed death and triumphed over the enemy and trampled Hades underfoot and bound the strong one and carried off man to the heights of heaven. I, he says, am the Christ. Acts 10 43 continues to him that is to Christ all the prophets witness that through his name Whoever believes in him will receive remission of sins Might that be everyone tonight in this room? Whoever believes in him will receive remission of sins you don't want to be found on that great day before the judge dead in your sins and having the weight of the condemnation due for your sins upon you, to bear the wrath of God in eternity.
Absence not from God, the absence of all the goodness, and all the love, and all the kindness, and all of the mercy, and all the grace of God. You don't want to be found in your sins, you want to be found in Christ. In this risen one. In this one who died.
In this one who was buried. In this one who rose again.
Application
Brethren, in closing, very quickly, Four quick things, and I say four, but it won't take long. We need to make much of the gospel. Hopefully that's a simple conclusion, a simple application. We need to make much of the gospel.
If it is as of first importance, if it is foremost, if it is chief, we need to make much of the gospel. We are to study the gospel. This thing that is foremost ought to be studied by his people. We're to study this glorious gospel of the blessed God and We are to be hope-filled.
Remember, all hope is lost if there is no dead, buried, and resurrected Christ. But Paul says, but now Christ is risen. And we're to be hope-filled, not somber, miserable people walking around kicking cans with our heads down. Don't get me wrong, life's miseries and trials and afflictions can come upon you.
As Christians, we are to be hope-filled, and let that hope, might that hope, well up within us and cause us to be those who march forward with encouragement and hope of hopes unto that great day. Lastly, we are to marvel as we observe the Lord's Supper in this one who died, in this one who was buried, and in this one who rose again. Very God, very man, one Christ, upon Calvary's cross for the sins of his people. Saints rejoice in him, take the supper, Proclaiming his death till he comes again unbeliever close with this Christ believe on him alone for salvation find bliss of bliss joy of joys Enter into Emmanuel's land singing the praises of so great of Christ.
Closing Prayer
Let's pray God we thank you for your time in your word. We rejoice in our your revelation to the sons of men. We thank you for what it declares to us. We pray that you would help us to lay hold of our Christ without wavering, with great joy and encouragement, that we would now with joy and in solemnity approach the Lord's Supper with a great care and respect.
We thank you for the truth of the gospel, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ for our sins, according to the scriptures and We pray that you'd continue with us now. We pray that all that is done, this worship, this preaching, prayers, the singing of hymns, and now the observance of the Lord's Supper would be unto the praise of Father, Son, and Spirit. We pray in Christ's name, amen.
Lord's Supper Observance
Well, you can turn in your Bibles with me to 1 Corinthians 11, 1 Corinthians chapter 11. As we have heard the preaching of the word concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, we now give our attention to the observance of the Lord's Supper, which proclaims the Lord's death till he comes, which is carried out in remembrance of our great Christ and which God uses to grow and strengthen his people by his spirit in their walk with him. The first Corinthians 11, as you know, verses 17 through to verse 34, deal with the Lord's Supper. Specifically in view is malconduct, bad conduct.
I don't even know if that's a word, malconduct, but bad conduct. at the Lord's Supper, something that should never occur among Christ's people, and yet of course was, and no doubt certainly would continue, does continue, but conduct at the Lord's Supper is to be exemplary, not because we're so awesome and polished, but because of the Christ that we just discussed. I shouldn't call that discussion, the Christ that was hopefully just preached. Because of that Christ, our conduct at the Lord's Supper is to be in accord with the Holy Word of God. I'm going to read the beginning portion, 17 to 22, and then 27 and following.
Now, in giving these instructions, this is 1 Corinthians 11, 17, I do not praise you since you come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore, when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper.
For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others, and one is hungry and the other is drunk. What? Do you not have houses to eat and drink in, or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you?
Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you. Skipping to verse 27. Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself. not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord that we may not be condemned with the world. Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.
Amen. Well, hopefully tonight we've gathered together not for the worse, but for the better. Our conduct is such that we as believers will take the bread and take the wine. Remember that this is an ordinance for believers only.
It is for Christians, and it is for Christians who are living consistently with their profession of faith. That is, none of us are harboring unrepentant sins. in walking in newness of life and according to the gospel of grace we are to take If you're an unbeliever here tonight, you're not to take of the Lord's Supper this isn't some sort of insult hopefully or anything like that if you Have questions, by all means ask me afterwards, but this is an ordinance given for Christians only. Remember very quickly that there is no magic going on as we have set these things apart for a holy use in the observance of the Lord's Supper. The bread remains bread, the wine remains wine.
We take these things as emblems of our glorious Christ, His body broken, His blood shed, and by this and in this, our God strengthens us and nourishes us in our faith by His Spirit while we remember the Lord's death till He comes again. When the wine comes around, the juice is in the outer ring. So just a reminder, if you would like to take juice, it is in the outer ring. I'm gonna read this central portion as we take the bread and as we take the wine.
So if the brothers could come up and pass out the bread, you all can remain seated and we're going to sing in the Red Psalter, Psalm 130. That's Psalm 130, you can remain seated and sing. ♪ O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him ♪ ♪ O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him ♪ ♪ O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him ♪ obligatingly, for you shall stand Thou, my Lord, shouldst glory give with meekness, but yet with Thee forgiveness give, and penitent receive. Thy way, my soul, Thou is the Lord, my hope is in His word. More than Thou art, generate for more, my soul waits o'er Thy door.
O Israel, obey the Lord, the Lord saves graciously, and he shall Israel redeem from all iniquity. The text in 1st Corinthians 11 23 reads for I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which he was betrayed took bread and And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
Amen. Let us pray. God, we rejoice that we can take now the Lord's Supper. We thank you that we can partake of this bread. this emblem of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ delivered up upon Calvary's cross for the sins of his people.
We rejoice in what this represents, our blessed Savior and the giving of himself as a sacrifice for a multitude which no man can number. We pray that as we partake, we would reflect with that joy, with that solemnity on so great a Christ and so great a salvation. And we pray in Christ's name, amen. Let's take together.
You can remain seated and the brothers will come up, if you will, and pass out the wine. Again, the juice is in the outer ring. This time we're going to sing in the larger Trinity hymnal 440. 4-4-0. You can remain seated and sing. ♪ Let mercy's deep grace ♪ ♪ My sins exhaust me ♪ ♪ Great object of immortal praise ♪ ♪ Sent to thee to bring ♪ ♪ We bless thee for the glorious truth ♪ In Thee we have the righteousness, for Thine art the glory evermore.
Our Alma Mater, our nation, this we tenderly give you. ever stay, for all thy people live. Thou, thou perfect King, O King, that makest life eternal, So why the righteous stand upon our Savior's right? ♪ Gracious Lord, with humblest voice submit ♪ ♪ Our gift to paradise restore ♪ ♪ We leave the home of thee ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ Text continues, in the same manner, he also took the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes.
Amen. Let's pray. God, we rejoice now in the partaking of this wine. We thank you for what it represents, the shed blood of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We rejoice in that precious blood. shed for the salvation of a multitude which no man can number. We thank you again for our precious Christ and for that precious salvation. And we pray as we take that we would rejoice and that we would solemnly reflect upon our precious Savior. And it's in His name that we pray.
Amen. Let's take together. Well, let's all stand together and sing our final hymn this evening. It's 175.
No doubt for many of us, very familiar. Our precious man of sorrows, Jesus Christ the Lord. Let's stand and sing 175. Man of sorrows, what a day!
For the Son of God who came, Ruined sinners to reclaim, Alleluia, my Savior! ♪ Bearing shame and softly blue ♪ ♪ In my place come and disturb ♪ ♪ Seal my garden with His love ♪ ♪ Alleluia, what a Savior! ♪ ♪ Guilty but and helpless we ♪ ♪ Slawless than a prophecy ♪ can it be With a proxy to God, in this village was his fire. Now in heaven exalted high, Alleluia, blessed Savior! ♪ When he comes, our glorious King ♪ ♪ All his friends come home to pray ♪ ♪ Then anew this song we'll sing ♪ ♪ Alleluia, what a Savior God is ♪ 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. God, go with us now.
We rejoice in this Lord's Day, having been able to gather and worship our great God. We pray that you'd go with us now, having fed us by your word and strengthened us by your spirit. Lord, go with us into this week. Help us to rejoice in our Savior and to live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And we pray in his name. Amen. Please be seated. We'll have a brief time of prayer, and then when the piano's finished, you're dismissed.