The Heart of the Gospel - 1 Corinthians 15:1-8

How's that John? Is that better? Yeah, thank you worship team. Thank you church for singing. I know that last song was probably new to a lot of you the praise the Lord that is what we believe this morning. I did encourage you to turn in your Bibles to the book of 1st Corinthians and 1st Corinthians. We're going to be looking at chapter 15 and no we have not gone through 1 through 14, but I think that we can dive in here towards the end of this letter that Paul wrote Under the inspiration Holy Spirit. I think that we can be blessed and I've been reflecting a lot recently. On the nature of our faith. I've been reflecting a lot recently on how does our faith impact the life that we live. How does how did the truth that we Proclaim? Change the actions the words the thoughts that make up the whole of our existence. How how does the gospel do that? And I realized it had a lot of times it can be really easy for us as price Falls as those who say the gospel matters. It can be easy for us to let ourselves get distracted. It can be easy to lose sight of what we actually believe so I like that song. That's why I value that that statement of our faith this morning. What I want us to do as we look at 1st Corinthians chapter 15, and we'll start in verse 1. What I want us to do is I want us to get back to the heart of the Gospel want us to get back to what is essential. And so we're going to do that this morning In this passage. Would you pray with me first?

Lord God

it is difficult. These days for your people.

to focus on the gospel There are so many things God that would pull us away. So many theological discussions that would distract us so many political discussions that would distract us. How many world events in and concerns and fears and worries that would turn our eyes from Christ? God I pray that we would be people set on fire by the gospel.

Lord I pray to that's for those who hear these words this morning.

Who do not believe your gospel? Got that your spirit would bring new life. This year Spirit would revive resurrect and empower. faith in the simple truth Of what you did for us in Christ? Lord I pray that you would use

weakness today I pray God that you would use your words. For Your Glory we ask in Jesus name amen. The church we look at 1st Corinthians chapter 15 and just a little bit of background here in 1st Corinthians Paul who was one of the missionaries who went out in the early church and was with sharing the gospel. He would go from town to town and he would preach the gospel and those who believe the gospel would be gathered together into little fellowships called the Iglesia the called out ones and it's believed me some way or another we get from ekklesia to church. I won't go into the etymology of it but none the less they form churches and so you said go out and make disciples and wherever disciples are made. They naturally gather together into churches and again soon as he went through his begin to write letters to various churches that it started up and end the book of 1st. Corinthians is one of these letters Paul would spend some time in the city and he would preach the gospel and people would believe but there was this time where they had to Can I grow up in their face? There were a lot of things that weren't clear in their faith in Sao Paulo. Right? And you say okay. Let's clarify this. Let's fix this. Let's address this problem. Let's talk about this belief. That's what 1st. Corinthians is Paul addressing some some problems and reinforcing the gospel message that he had proclaimed to naturally pick up in in in 1st Corinthians 15. We see Paul saying to the Corinthians after he's just got done telling them. Okay, this is wrong. This is wrong. This is wrong. This is wrong. You need to fix this work on this. This is needs attention in 1st Corinthians 15. He brings them back to the heart of the Gospel. He brings them back and he says, all right. Let's take all this other stuff away. Let's just say what is the gospel in this morning? I want to say to us in the midst of everything this wrong in the midst of everything that's broken in the midst of all of the confusion the fear and the doubt in the the unrest Get back to the gospel. So what is the gospel? Would you read with me and 1st Corinthians 15 starting at verse 1. Now I would remind you Brothers of the Gospel I preach to you which you received in which you stand and by which you are being saved. If you hold fast to the word I preach to you unless you believed in vain delivered to you. As of first importance what I also received the Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures and that he appeared to cephas then to the twelve then he appeared to more than 500 Brothers at one time. Most of whom are still alive though some of falling asleep. Then he appeared to James been to all the apostles last of all as to one untimely born he appeared also to me. 1st Corinthians chapter 15 Falls laid out this case for here's what we need to work on and then uses but let's stop for a moment. I want to remind you. What is the gospel so search this morning? That's where I can look at. What is the gospel? However, there's a danger that comes in by saying what if possible it's the same danger that that famous football coach face when he held up a football in the locker room, and he said gentlemen, this is the football you would expect that professional football players would know what the object was that he was holding and that was his point to Austin the fundamentals are assumed. And too often what is assumed is forgotten? And he we got to get back to the fundamentals and we need to understand if you've been a Christ follower all of your life. Right, if you if you grew up going to church if you grew up and you made a profession of Faith at VBS when you were six and you were a part of Sunday school and you did all of those other things and you've been in the church for a long time, it can be tempting. To view the gospel is nothing more than that fundamental that you can just assume. It can be tempting to say well, I don't really need the gospel. And that's for people that don't know Jesus. That's for people that need to get saved. I want I want to speak to you this morning if that's you. The gospel is for you. Not. Just then now. the gospel is for everyone believer unbeliever some of your sitting here though, and you're like I was drugged here.

I have no desire to be here or you're sitting here in your saying I don't really believe all this but for the sake of and then you insert a name there my mom my grandma whatever I'm doing this. Some of your saying what's the gospel have to do with me? I don't believe this mumbo jumbo. At the gospels for you. The gospels for you, if you're if you're sitting here and you've never heard it before the gospel is for you. Welcome to the best day of your life. Because the gospel is God's plan of reconciling all that is broken like the passage that I read to start. Our service said the gospel is everything to him and Christ to unite everything in Christ to fix all the broken. That's the gospel. It's for cradle-to-grave Saints. It's four Rebels. It's for persecutors Paul goes on in this passage. We won't look at it that you can later or when it I get boring. He goes on later to say this is why I was one untimely born. This is why Jesus appeared to me last cuz I was persecuting the church. The gospel was for Paul a persecutor the gospels for those who believe it and those who don't everybody needs to hear the gospel. Look at verse 1 now. I would remind you Brothers of the Gospel. I preached to you which you received and what you saying. I would remind you Brothers. Why do you remind somebody of something? I have three kids. I'll tell you why you remind people something.

Because Humanity seems to be perpetually forgetting things that we ought to remember.

I won't mention any of my children by name to avoid embarrassing them guys pray for your pastors kids one of the toughest things in life. She grew up in the church where your dad is the pastor cuz guess where he gets all of his illustrations from Pastor Mentor friend of mine who I learned a great deal of him Ministry from he had a deal worked out with his kids. He had two daughters. And his deal with every time I use you as an illustration in the sermon. I have to buy you a new pair of shoes. I am not making that promise to my kids. I can't afford it. However, I have to remind my kids of things from time to time like daily. You do your chores to clean your room. wipe your nose Clear the table right at parents. You know what I'm talking about. You have to remind your kids to things and you ever find yourself saying. How many times do I have to tell you this?

I have a feeling Paul's about at that point when he gets to 15 cuz he's dealt with a lot of problems with the Corinthian. Alright, alright. Alright, let me just remind you of the Gospel write the Gospel is for everyone. We need to be reminded of it. We need to be told of it. We need to be soaking in it. We need to have it continually in front of us because it is our only hope. And we can forget it for stew.

By which you were being safe talking about the gospel by which you are being saved. If you hold fast to the word I preach to you unless you believed in vain. Why do we need to be reminded of the Gospel? Because it's entirely possible to lose the gospel. Now some of your sitting here you have no problem with what he just said some of your sitting here and you are lifelong Southern Baptist. You say wait, wait time out. Did he just say you can lose your salvation? No, I do not. But it is possible to lose the gospel. It is not possible to lose your salvation. I am convinced of this the gospel always saves those who believe not because of the strength of their belief. But because of the power of God in Christ. However, it is entirely possible to believe in vain. It is entirely possible to make a verbal profession of faith and to have no spiritual reality of that. I'm not talking about salvation. I'm talking about the gospel. It is possible for the church to lose the gospel. As a matter of fact, if you look at church history, that's what we see a lot of we see this movement sparked by the power of the Holy Spirit going out with power going out into all of Jerusalem Judea Samaria to the ends of the Earth. It's going it's going it's going and it runs into roadblocks. And churches that were exceedingly faithful today you go there and there's nothing left. Why? They lost the gospel. They forgot to listen to Paul when he said let me remind you Brothers of the Gospel that I preached to you. It is entirely possible. We don't like to think about this. It is entirely possible Red Hills. Is entirely possible for there to be a day to come when this Fellowship no longer exists because we lost the gospel. If we are not careful to remind ourselves of it, if we are not careful to walk in at to live in it to sleep it drink it eat it breathe it we can lose the gospel and what God be a powerful influence in our region what God intends to be a powerful influence in our community pointing others to the hope of Christ. Could be no more. If we forget the gospel. It's possible. It's possible. But heaven forbid that that be the case for us. Heaven forbid that we begin to proclaim a false gospel. Heaven forbid that that be our story.

To keep that to keep on track. We must keep the gospel in the position of first importance. Excuse me. That's what Paul says. He says unless you believed in vain. It's possible that you believed in vain. If you forgotten the gospel, but let me remind you before I delivered you as a first importance what I also received right as of first importance. What is most important to Paul? Right. He just got done talking about all sorts of things. He talked about spiritual gifts. He talked about Holiness in the church. He's talked about all of these things going on in the Corinthian Church, and now he brings them back and he says, all right, all that stuff matters but of first importance Is the gospel this is this is what you cannot get wrong and stay at church. This is what you cannot get wrong and continue to Proclaim any sort of hopeful message. This is what you cannot get gone get rid of if you are going to be what Christ intended you to be. This is what you must hold on to this is first in portents how many of you have a perspective on the in times? How many of you would love to share that with us?

Tough luck not opening the floor to that. Because you can get the end times wrong meaning disagree with me on it. You can get the end times wrong. And still keep the gospel.

How many of you have an opinion about creation? Older the younger is theistic evolution. You don't get to talk about that either. Some of those things aren't important. But you can get that wrong and keep the gospel. You can get that wrong and go to heaven you can get the end times wrong. You can get the beginning wrong and you can still free. Hope in Christ.

But if you lose the gospel. There's nothing left. There's nothing left if you lose the gospel. This is my pulse is this is of first importance and this is why we need to be reminded of it because when we start building our systems of thought when we start building our practice of Faith it's easy for us to kind of get things out of whack recently. I was I was putting together a piece of furniture. Very much like what you would get from Ikea. All right, and you know how Ikea does right there? They they build Furniture that's designed to be put together with nothing more than a hammer and a screwdriver and like a thousand hours of staring at the directions and that's how Furniture works for my Kia. So I knew that I was kind of off base when I said all right. Somebody will get me a saw.

I had run into a problem when I'm taking something. This will stick a screwdriver and a hammer and I'm pulling out of Saw. Somewhere. I got off track. Because I'm using something that was never intended to be used that way on something that was never intended to be put together that way that's what can happen in the church if we get things out of line, all that happened look, okay, just so you guys don't question my capability as a carpenter. All that happened was one little piece one little piece that instead of having it like this long. It was this long. All right, so it's not my fault. They should have been the instructions said really important. Make sure you push this all the way in before you glue it.

Search I don't want to be like Ikea instructions. The gospel is a first important get it, right. Are you going to have serious problems down the down the line trying to assemble of faith? That works get the gospel, right? Don't lose the gospel or you lose any sort of cohesion down the road. All right. Have I convinced you yet? We need the gospel. What is it?

We need the gospel. But what is it? This is something that I am entirely and and more completely than ever before convicted on that if we cannot articulate the gospel. There is a decent chance that we don't believe the gospel so church. I do not want you to leave here today without being able to articulate the gospel. What is of first importance according to Paul in according to God? This is what it is this Friday liver to you as of first importance, but I also received that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures on that last phrase for just a second in accordance with the scriptures. That's part of the gospel. Paul says I want to remind you about the gospel. I preach the gospel I preach to you is that Christ died according to the scriptures and he goes on to repeat that he rose again according to the scriptures? Why is Paul hammering home in accordance with the scriptures? Because that's the foundation of our faith. Without the revelation of God to Man known as the Bible. We would not know the gospel without the gospel. Jesus is just an itinerant crackpot running around and telling people what to do and how to think without the Bible without the word of God without the scripture. We don't have the gospel because and when Paul says the scriptures you I want to be clear. He's he's talking about the Old Testament, you know that part of your Bible that you'd like pretend doesn't exist. He's talking about the Old Testament he sings this is the point of the Old Testament to point us to Christ. the gospel is first and foremost according to the scriptures and there's been a lot of talk recently about we need to unhitch the gospel from the Old Testament brothers and sisters you can't You cannot without the word of God. There is no gospel of Christ. The whole point of the Old Testament is this Jesus is coming from Genesis all the way through to Revelation. Jesus is coming Jesus came. Jesus is coming back. That's the message of the scripture. And yeah it it's a complex book. Yeah, there's a lot going on in there. But that is at its Essence what it's about impulsive. This is what it's pointing us to that. It's pointing us to the gospel. Jesus lived. Jesus died Jesus rose again. Jesus live Jesus died just really getting one passage in the Old Testament. I can point us to that talks about all this Isaiah 53 turn there with me. Don I don't think I have this on the screen sorry, if you guys want to actually check to see what I'm saying is actually right you'll have to turn in real Bibles.

Oriental look of look it up on your phone.

Isaiah chapter 53 keeping in mind that this is written hundreds of years before Jesus was born hundreds of years before he started preaching hundreds of years before he was crucified hundreds of years before his followers would say he rose from the dead hundreds of years. Isaiah 53 Who is believe what he's heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a young plant in like a root out of dry ground. He had no form or Majesty that we should look at him. No beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by Men A Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief. And as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him. Not surely. He has borne our griefs and has carried our sorrows yet. We esteemed him stricken Smitten by God and Afflicted but he was wounded for our transgressions and he was crushed for our iniquities upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace and with his stripes we are healed all we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way and the lord has laid on him the iniquity of us. All he was oppressed and he was afflicted yet. He opened not his mouth like a land that is led to the slaughter in like a sheep that before its shearers is silent. So he opened Not his mouth by oppression and judgment. He was taken away and asked for his generation who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living stricken for the transgression of my people. They made his grave with the wicked in with a rich man in his death. Although he had done no violence and there was no deceit in his mouth yet. It was the will of the Lord to crush him. He has put him to grief when his soul makes an offering for Guilt. He shall see his offspring he shall prolong his days and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand out of the anguish of his soul. He shall see and be satisfied by his knowledge. Shall the righteous one my servants make mini to be accounted righteous and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the mini and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors yet. He bore the sin of Minnie and makes intercession for the transgressors. Who's that about?

That's a gospel in the Old Testament. There's coming one Isaiah says to the people of God. He says wait just wait, there's coming a messiah. There's coming a redeemer. There's coming and anointed one this coming one who will take away your sin. You will reject him. He will die will be buried in a rich man's grave. But he will be alive again. His days will be prolonged. He shall make intercession for those. He makes righteous. Jesus died Jesus was buried Jesus rose again. Isaiah 53 we need the Old Testament to show us this was not some random happening. This was not the disciple simply making sense of a bad day. This was God's plan from before the foundation of the world and he told us it was coming and he shows us in the Old Testament. This is what is going to happen. Jesus is going to live Jesus is going to die. Jesus is goji. Berry. Jesus is going to rise from the dead. That's just one passage. The old testament's full prophecies about Jesus. According to the scriptures. The gospel is according to the scriptures. We need to understand our Bible and maybe that's the application point for you this morning. Maybe you gotten so familiar with the gospel Bishop. I don't have to read the Bible. You even assume the gospel so much that you like I get it Genesis Exodus, etc, etc. Right cuz we always stop reading it at Exodus. We need the Bible. We need to know it because we need the gospel. We need to be pointed to Christ. So process this is the first importance according to the scriptures. What is according to the scriptures that Christ died? Right. What does it take to have a death? Alliance And it's the passage doesn't clearly State this but it's assumed right if this guy's dying had to be living. Jesus was alive. Jesus came in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. It was really popular like a hundred years ago in Liberal biblical scholarship. So those who don't acknowledge the lordship of Jesus, but are still studying the Bible which seems to me to be a fruitless exercise, but that's beside the point. It was very popular stable. Jesus never really existed. Right. We just have this condensation of thought that's attributed to this mythical figure of Jesus. You know, what's interesting some of the best articles proving the historical existence of Jesus were written by atheist. seriously Because even those who would reject his claim to Divinity even those who would reject his gospel have to admit Jesus lived. Have to admit based on historical evidence. Not just the Bible but on documents from those who were against him from documents from the Jewish and Roman perspective. Jesus existed he live right but that's not nowadays. That's not even controversial to say that everybody acknowledges that Jesus lives. So when Paul assumes the existence of Christ, we need to understand he didn't just live. He didn't just exist. He existed as the Messiah. He didn't just come and Float through life and make no demands on us. His mere life is mere existence. Is a challenge to us today? Because Christ is not just come and teach not just a good teacher.

He is the very revelation of God himself. Show us the father. You've seen me. You don't have to see anything else. Reveal God to us Jesus. Okay, I did is that enough for you? Jesus is the perfect representation of God. He is the perfect Incarnation Emmanuel God With Us. The second member of the Trinity Jesus Christ God himself revealing God to us and that is the problem. That's where we can lose the gospel. If the gospel is merely a mental acknowledgement of the fact that Jesus existed is far short of the biblical gospel. The biblical gospel is not just did Jesus exist. It's that he existed as a messiah who fulfill the Prophecies of God and his existence as the king of kings and Lord of lords Bears a significance. Weight of authority in the life of those who follow him intellectual acknowledgement of Jesus living is not enough the stumbling block of the gospel for the Jews was that Jesus was their Messiah. They said no, he's not the stumbling block. The Greeks was it this one man could somehow reconcile us to the got to God and yet is Chrysler's we say yes to both. He's the Fulfillment of Prophecy. He's the one who can reconcile us to God his life mattered. His life changed everything by revealing God to us and calling us and challenging us with what it means to truly live. As God intended Christ live in accordance with the scriptures Christ died in accordance with what it says. They're not just that he died but there was a particular purpose for his death. for our sins Christ died for our sins. What does that mean?

it means did it work for your sin?

Jesus would not have had to die. Why did Jesus die not because he send me know that we read the Bible wait we get it's in deserve punishment. What does God say is the punishment for sin is death the wages of sin is death. Death is what sin create how many of you would want to raise your hand this morning? Say I've never sent.

Yeah, I didn't think so. We've all sinned we all deserve to die Christ. Never send he didn't die for his own sins Christ died for our sins. The death that we deserve is the death that he died. This is huge Christ died for our sins. He takes our place God is righteous. God is holy. God is just and he says if you trespass if you transgress my will if you go against the way I say as your creator you ought to live the penalty of that is death. And Jesus steps between us and the judge Jesus steps between us and God's Wrath and says, I'll take that even though I don't deserve it. That is incredible. I mean you guys are familiar with the name Chuck Colson. How many of you know him from prison fellowship? How many of you know him is Richard Nixon's hatchet, man?

Chuck Colson is one of the most fascinating testimonies in recent memory in my mind. Incredible. Here's a guy here's a guy who's so dedicated to politics did he said I would run over my own grandmother for Richard Nixon. He was cleaning up messes. That's what he did. He was the guy who went in after Richard Nixon and cleaned up messes. That was what he did and he didn't care what laws he broke. He didn't care who was damaged or hurt by his actions. He did not care. Well, we all know how that turned out. Well some of you don't because you know history and all that but there's this big Scandal called Watergate and a bunch of really powerful people. Got in trouble for it. And Richard Nixon himself resigned in disgrace. Colson was at the heart of all that he was covering it up. He gets he goes to prison while he's there. Somebody gives him a copy of a book called Mere Christianity by a guy named CS Lewis. And when he begins to read it, he begins to see so much of himself the arrogance. Did that the pride that would say I don't need anyone else. I've got this and he realizes what kind of arrogance do I have. I'm sitting in a prison cell. I have no reason for this inflated view of myself and God began to chip away at Chuck colson's hard until he came to faith in Christ confess Jesus as Lord and was changed. But what's really really really cool about his story is something I did not know until this week. Chuck Colson was in prison sentence for actions illegal actions that he had undertaken in the course of trying to cover up a mess. He's in prison gives his heart to cry starts get meeting in a Bible study in a prayer group. One of the members of that Bible study and prayer group not in the prison, but outside the prison. Is a senator named Harold Hughes senator from Iowa? I think it was only a single term. I don't think he served very long. And opponents of Richard Nixon across the aisle completely politically as devout as divided as possible get a Christ follower.

He offered to serve the rest of Chuck Colson prison term for him. He said if I could I would I would go to prison instead of you.

He was serious. If I could take the rest of your prison sentence, I would so that you could get out. You see that? That's what Jesus does that's what the fact that Christ dying for our sins does it gives us this example is this example of sacrifice and it leads us to that kind of humility ourselves this political opponent now a brother in Christ because Christ died for our sins because Christ unites all things in himself Christ died. He died for our sins so that we can give up ourselves for the sake of others. Christ died according to the scriptures for our sins, but Christ did not stay dead. Christ was buried and he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. He was very like Isaiah 53 said in a rich man's tomb. But like Isaiah 53 said he rose again. And that is good news Christ. Alive Now is the best possible news. Write it if that would if the gospel is Paul stop there. He said look Jesus died for you.

That's not the gospel. Jesus death is not the gospel. Not the whole of it anyways. Because the the death of Jesus Paid the penalty for our sin it reconciles us to God for those who believe. But the resurrection of Jesus is what gives us hope the resurrection of Jesus is that which points us Beyond this life and says there's more to come there's more to come. This is what's next. Here's what God is doing. Here's the plan of God from before the foundation of the World Unite all things in him. This is what God is doing. Resurrection is Hope Paul go so far it later in 1st Corinthians. He goes so far to say that if Christ has not been raised in our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. The resurrection is the Keystone of the Gospel. We need to understand Jesus lived. We need to understand Jesus died, but we need two more than anything else. This is the first importance of the first importance Jesus rose again. And that empty tomb is at the heart of Our Gospel the fact that Jesus body could not be produced. You know how easy it would have been to squash Christianity if the resurrection didn't happen. Did you know how badly the Jewish leaders there in Jerusalem wanted to put an end to this Christian faith. They advocated for Jesus to be killed. That's how much they wanted to put it into it. Do you think they would have stopped at anything if they could point to the body and say look he didn't rise again like his disciples are saying there's the body. They couldn't do it. But neither could they say as they tried to say they could not say believably while the disciples stole the body and they're lying to you about him being resurrected. Why could that not have been the proper explanation? We go back to Chuck Colson. One of my favorite quotes from him Chuck Colson says, I know the resurrection is a fact and Watergate proved it to me Watergate was the Scandal he was involved in Watergate proved it to me how because 12 men testified that they had seen Jesus raised from the dead and then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years never once denying it every single one of them was beat and tortured stoned or put in prison or kill.

They would not have endured that if it weren't true Watergate embroiled 10 of the most powerful men in the world and they couldn't keep a lie straight for 3 weeks. You're telling me 12 Apostles to keep alive for 40 years. Absolutely impossible. Ain't Chuck knew what he what else you spoke.

These disciples turn from being people who were afraid people who were terrified of the Jewish religious leaders in the Roman Civil Authorities and they turned into these people who boldly Proclaim Jesus is Alive, we know it cuz we saw it and that's what that's what Paul's point is here. It's not just that you got to take pause word for this Corinthians, right? He was raised on the third day and according to the scriptures. He appeared to cephas into the 12in he appeared to more than 500 Brothers at one time. Most of them are still alive though somewhat fallen asleep. Then you appeared to James and all the apostles last of all this one untimely born he appeared also to me. Jesus rose again and hundreds of people witness that reality hundreds of people could testify Jesus Is Not Dead He's Alive. Now if one of the Apostles that said Jesus Jesus is Alive. I saw him and the other eleven one take shut up. We didn't see anything. If if one disciple said I saw Jesus he's alive in 499 others said no, he's not sit down. Shut up. We would have no reason to believe the resurrection but literally hundreds of people said Jesus is Alive hundred said the tomb is empty. But if you got one witness to something one eye witness to something it's a decent chance. What you've got is a nutcase. All right decent chance it if somebody says I saw Jesus who we just buried he was alive one person saying that probably crazy hundreds of people saying that

all of which are available for the audience here. To go and talk to you if they wanted to.

Pretty decent chance. They actually saw Jesus alive. That's the the the core of this if the gospel is that according to the scriptures Christ live Christ died and Christ rose again and hundreds of people saw it.

You got to make a decision. What are you going to do with this information? What what is going to be your response to that? It doesn't matter. What's your worldview says it doesn't matter what your culture says. People can laugh and joke about Christians all they want. But what I want to know is tell me about the empty tomb. answer me this

if Jesus race if Jesus was raised from the dead.

You've got to do something with everything that he said. You cannot be a CS Lewis said it just mildly interested in this. This is either yes or no. He didn't rise or he did rise the question from me to you is whether or not you've heard the gospel known the gospel believe the gospel four years. What are you doing about the resurrection? What are you doing about the fact that Jesus says I can reconcile all. Who come to me with God did a relationship with the creator of the universe is made available to every single person who hears the gospel and responds to its christ-follower. What are you doing with the resurrection does your life demonstrate any sort of Hope like that? Does your life represent any belief that there is only one name given among men by which we maybe save that of Christ Jesus Does Your Life represent the command of your lord. to make disciples

But if you're sitting here this morning and you're not a Christ follower, let's start with a different question. If the resurrection is true. Do you believe? Do you believe that Jesus in accordance with the scriptures lived died and lives again?

Because if you do this morning if you've been faced with thoughts that you've not had to think through before. You can't just shake that off. You can't just shrug that off. You've got to say did this or did this not happen? Do I believe the Jesus Christ rose again, or do I not believe if you answer yes that will have radical implications not just for your life now, but for eternity if you answer no that will have no implications for your life today. Keep doing what you were doing. But it will have radical implications for your eternity. You have to make a choice when you're faced with the gospel. Nestle. Paul's doing is calling us back. He's saying don't don't feel that sees these fairy castles. Don't don't go hide yourself away in an ivory Tower christ-followers. This is the gospel Jesus rose again. This is the gospel Jesus sacrificed himself for the sake of others. What are you doing with that information? If you're not a Christian you have to deal with this. You have to decide what do you believe would you play with me?