1 Corinthians 15:1-8
This past summer, we decided to do something that we haven’t done in a while. We decided to NOT “treat” our backyard grass. With our daughter’s wedding and final college tuition payments, we just didn’t have the money. An interesting thing happened. Both grass and weeds began to grow together. Over time, if you looked closely, you could see which was which. Maybe next year we’ll fertilize our lawn again, but for now, we are going to leave it the way it is. We’re expecting the natural grass to have more of an impact on our backyard lawn over time.
This is in essence what Paul was alluding to here in our text. From the beginning of time, every church has been filled with both believers and unbelievers. Some of the unbelievers are moving in a direction toward belief, and some are simply pretending to be Christians. Over time, the cream will rise to the top. What is authentic will prove itself. The Gospel has THAT KIND OF POWER. It always “exposes” genuine from imposter.
The Corinthians were really struggling as we have shown over our sermon series. Many of them had come to saving faith in Jesus, but they were struggling to “live out” that faith on a regular basis. They needed to be constantly reminded of their confession of faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. They needed to hear the Gospel over and over again.
Years ago, I was talking with my brother when he first took over as the lead pastor of a church in Raleigh, North Carolina. He told me something that was stunning to me: “John, most of my deacons aren’t even Christians.” I could NOT believe what he was saying. I questioned the validity of such a statement, and he began to explain to me some of the things that these men believed. He was right. I was horrified. What happened? Cultural Christianity. Many of those men were focused on religion without a relationship with Jesus. The Apostle Paul wanted to make sure that the Corinthians did not make the same mistake. He wanted to make sure that they truly understood and valued the Gospel.
The Gospel must be spoken often in our church. The Gospel must be spoken often in your life. The Gospel is what gives us hope and freedom. The Gospel means “good news,” and it’s the best news because it is what gives us purpose for this life and a home in heaven with God someday. The Gospel is that God the Son came to this earth to dwell among men, he lived a sinless life, he died in your and my place on The Cross for our sins, he was buried for three days, and HE ROSE AGAIN FROM THE GRAVE CONQUERING SIN, DEATH, HELL, AND THE DEVIL! NOTHING is more important than this amazing and life-changing good news!
Paul even reminded the Corinthians that after Jesus rose again from the grave, he proved it all by appearing to Peter, the twelve disciples, James, Paul, and over 500 other people. The Resurrection is undeniable! It happened. Over the years, I have met people, even becoming good friends with some, who believe much of the Bible, but they deny the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Sadly, these friends of mine are still “lost in their sins.” Until God illuminates their minds and opens their eyes, they have not been forgiven of their sins. Why is that? It’s because without the Resurrection, Jesus was just another “good man.” That’s just it: Jesus is more than a “good man”; HE IS GOD IN THE FLESH!
Ultimately, the Gospel is what “divides.” Just like in the beginning of this devotional, every church has people in it who are not saved from their sins. It’s the Gospel that determines where a person truly stands with God. Then, for those who do believe, we need to be reminded all the time of its importance so that we will both live God-honoring lives and share this same hope that changed our lives with others who need it. At Emmanuel, we say it again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again. I think you get the point!
This is in essence what Paul was alluding to here in our text. From the beginning of time, every church has been filled with both believers and unbelievers. Some of the unbelievers are moving in a direction toward belief, and some are simply pretending to be Christians. Over time, the cream will rise to the top. What is authentic will prove itself. The Gospel has THAT KIND OF POWER. It always “exposes” genuine from imposter.
The Corinthians were really struggling as we have shown over our sermon series. Many of them had come to saving faith in Jesus, but they were struggling to “live out” that faith on a regular basis. They needed to be constantly reminded of their confession of faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. They needed to hear the Gospel over and over again.
Years ago, I was talking with my brother when he first took over as the lead pastor of a church in Raleigh, North Carolina. He told me something that was stunning to me: “John, most of my deacons aren’t even Christians.” I could NOT believe what he was saying. I questioned the validity of such a statement, and he began to explain to me some of the things that these men believed. He was right. I was horrified. What happened? Cultural Christianity. Many of those men were focused on religion without a relationship with Jesus. The Apostle Paul wanted to make sure that the Corinthians did not make the same mistake. He wanted to make sure that they truly understood and valued the Gospel.
The Gospel must be spoken often in our church. The Gospel must be spoken often in your life. The Gospel is what gives us hope and freedom. The Gospel means “good news,” and it’s the best news because it is what gives us purpose for this life and a home in heaven with God someday. The Gospel is that God the Son came to this earth to dwell among men, he lived a sinless life, he died in your and my place on The Cross for our sins, he was buried for three days, and HE ROSE AGAIN FROM THE GRAVE CONQUERING SIN, DEATH, HELL, AND THE DEVIL! NOTHING is more important than this amazing and life-changing good news!
Paul even reminded the Corinthians that after Jesus rose again from the grave, he proved it all by appearing to Peter, the twelve disciples, James, Paul, and over 500 other people. The Resurrection is undeniable! It happened. Over the years, I have met people, even becoming good friends with some, who believe much of the Bible, but they deny the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Sadly, these friends of mine are still “lost in their sins.” Until God illuminates their minds and opens their eyes, they have not been forgiven of their sins. Why is that? It’s because without the Resurrection, Jesus was just another “good man.” That’s just it: Jesus is more than a “good man”; HE IS GOD IN THE FLESH!
Ultimately, the Gospel is what “divides.” Just like in the beginning of this devotional, every church has people in it who are not saved from their sins. It’s the Gospel that determines where a person truly stands with God. Then, for those who do believe, we need to be reminded all the time of its importance so that we will both live God-honoring lives and share this same hope that changed our lives with others who need it. At Emmanuel, we say it again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again. I think you get the point!
Posted in Devotional