First Importance!
Easter Resurrection Sunday • Sermon • Submitted
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· 13 viewsThe Gospel is not something we celebrate within the walls of the "church" building, but something we LIVE and PROCLAIM to those around us. It (the Gospel) is something that is received, passed on, and entrusted to others. Can you call yourself a disciple of His on this Resurrection Sunday? Do you need to repent of your sins and trust the Savior? Are you walking in holiness?
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1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
On Resurrection Sunday, let’s look together at this “first importance” that Paul mentions to the Corinthian church.
Take a look at verse 3-4
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
We are going to spend today looking at the first importance of Christ’s death, His burial, and His resurrection.
Let’s start by looking at His death.
His Death
His Death
His Death
His Death
I like questions. So let’s ask some questions that we’ll answer Biblically. If you brought your Bibles today, feel free to reference these verses on your own and mark it up using a pen or pencil.
Why did He need to die?
Why did He need to die?
In verse 3 Paul tells us that Jesus died for our sins.
In your Bible you’ll most likely see some reference notes next to “died for our sins.”
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
So according to , it was to take away the sins of the world.
According to , it was to rescue us, according to God’s will.
According to , He is a representation of the high priest, who not only offers us the sacrifice, but IS the sacrifice!
Yeah, but why?
Let’s briefly do an Old Testament study to set up some background:
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
Gen. 2:
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Here in Genesis, we see the very first sacrifice made by God for humans.
The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Gen. 4:
Jesus was known as the Lamb of God.
Remember ?
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
The sacrifice of the lamb was a must in the OT:
In the morning and evening
On the Sabbath
During the Feast of the New Moon
During the Feast of Trumpets
During the Feast of Tabernacles
During the Feast of Pentecost
And during the Passover...
Before we move on, listen to
But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, O God.’ ”
First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, O God.’ ”
First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Jesus died, for to pay the penalty for sin.
What kind of death was it?
What kind of death was it?
Jesus’ death on the Roman cross was horrendous!
The cross is central to the Christian faith!
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1 Cor. 1:23
It’s a stumbling block to the Jews!
If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
According to Jewish law, on who hangs on a tree, a cross, is under God’s curse!
Which Jesus was; He was cursed on behalf of you and me!
It is foolishness to the Gentile.
To the Gentile, the one who was crucified was shamed, their family was shamed. The word “cross” wasn’t spoken, it was a dirty word. Those in the first century would have NEVER worn the cross as jewerly, adorned their clothing, bodies, and candy with it.
The cross was a sign of defeat, torture, and agony.
The cross was meant to be a painful slow death.
They didn’t just slap you up on the cross, first the guilty person was stripped naked and humiliated before people.
Then they were beaten. Many people didn’t make it past this the beating was so severe.
Then, as a sign of more shame, they were forced to carry their own cross, had huge nails driven through their body to secure them to the cross, and were hoisted up, with the cross sliding into position, jarring their already damaged body.
This kind of death sent a message to the people. “Don’t mess with us!”
It was not the first century equivalent of the death sentence today with the needle.
They wanted you to suffer, for it to take a long time. The ACLU would have screamed bloody murder!
Is it necessary that I believe this?
Is it necessary that I believe this?
Listen to the words of the high priest Caiaphas:
Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.
Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.
John 18:
He had no idea that what he was saying was what God intended and desired for man.
Is it necessary?
Well Paul says “it’s of first importance!”
tells us:
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
John’s gospel gives us more evidence. We love chapter 3, especially 16-21; but what about verse 14-15?
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
In order for my sins to be forgiven, I must believe that the gift of God was Jesus Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sins.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
His Burial
His Burial
Why did He need to be buried?
Why did He need to be buried?
To be buried is to be dead.
This signifies the finality of death.
Jesus really died.
His life had expired.
But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
His death was witnessed by many:
Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.
Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.
Matt. 27:
Matt. 27:56
His death gave evidence that the sacrifice had been made.
The Bible teaches that the life is in the blood.
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.
it is a chronic leprous disease in the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He shall not shut him up, for he is unclean.
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.
What was the significance of the tomb?
What was the significance of the tomb?
The grave could represent hopelessness. There’s nothing else He could do for them.
It could represent finality. His ministry was now over.
And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
It could represent power of the prevailing forces against what Jesus taught. The Jews win!
The stone weighed some 2 tons, there was a heavily trained contingent of Roman soldiers, and it was sealed, only to be opened under penalty of death.
Or a borrowed tomb/grave could represent something that is temporary.
Can we really know He was actually in there?
Can we really know He was actually in there?
His Resurrection
His Resurrection
Is this important?
Is this important?
It’s important because of the permanence of it. The verb tenses of the two previous verbs, “died,” “buried,” carry with them the idea that they happened without completion, or repetition. The third verb, “raised,” is in a different sense which means permanent.
It proves He is God. How many people to do you know of who’ve risen from the dead? CS Lewis famously quoted that Jesus can’t be a good person and NOT God. Since He said He was God, He either is, or He isn’t.
It’s important because it fulfills scripture.
What does it mean for me today?
What does it mean for me today?
If true, it means my faith in Him grounded and vice versa.
Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I die every day—I mean that, brothers—just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
2. Since He rose from the dead, we have hope in being alive in Christ when we die.
3. He is reigning, will return and will righteously judge all men.
4. The Gospel is what it says it is: the only way to God
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
You’re not good enough. You are not a good person.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Your family doesn’t have enough credits.
The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.
The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.
Your church membership and baptism aren’t going to help you.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.
Our Resurrection hope MUST BE in a risen Savior; one who was with God in the beginning, was sent for the very purpose of living a perfect life, and one who died in your place that we may have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
These Bible verses teach that we are not okay, but condemned. The only way out is through repentance of sins, believing and receiving Christ, and following Him as Lord.
Have you done this?
I want to challenge you to respond to the Gospel during our closing hymn; The Way of Cross Leads Home.
Listen to the first stanza:
“I must needs go home by the way of the cross, there’s NO OTHER WAY BUT THIS; I shall ne’er get sight of the gates of light, If the way of the cross I miss.”
Friends, there’s no other way and you’ll never see the gates of light if you miss it. Repent and come to Christ today.