Hold Fast – The Resurrection
1 Cor. 15:1-10
08/31/2008
INTRODUCTION
I can remember as a kid being terrified of the water. I had almost drowned as a small child and did not recover from that fear until about 10 years later. I used to wear a life jacket and hold onto the side of the pool as tight as I could. My parents would pull on my legs trying to get me to swim and overcome my fear. My knuckles would be white as I held onto the side of that pool.
This picture is very similar to the picture Paul is presenting today as he commands us to – (v.2) “Hold fast the word which I preached to you.” We are called to have white knuckles as we hold fast to the gospel truth.
PROPOSITION
Salvation is a process not an event. As Paul states, salvation is for those who “hold fast the word which [Paul] preached” (v.2)
INTERROGATIVE QUESTION
How can a person know if they are “holding fast” to the gospel message today?
ORIENTATION
Paul teaching can reveal (3) very clear means by which one can “holds fast” to the gospel message:
1. Recognize the Gospel Message– (v. 1,3-4)
a. Christ died for our sins – (v.3)
b. He was buried – (v.4)
c. He was raised on the third day – (v.4)
2. Receive the Gospel Message – (v. 1,5-10)
a. He appeared to Peter and then the twelve (v. 5)
b. He appeared to more than 500 (v.6)
c. He appeared to James and all the apostles (v.7)
d. He appeared to Paul (v.8)
3. Remain In The Gospel Message – (v. 1-2)
a. In which also you stand (v.1)
b. Unless you believed in vain – (v. 2)
TRANSITION
Let’s begin by looking at…
I. RECOGNIZE THE GOSPEL MESSAGE – (v. 1,3-4)
(v. 1) “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you.”
OBSERVATION
Recognition Begins With Hearing
• Paul is about to elaborate on the message he had been preaching. Paul is calling on the people to receive his message and not be blind.
o See - 1 Cor. 4:3 “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
o In the first chapter of Romans Paul tells us that while the knowledge of God is available to us, humanity often suppresses that knowledge.
o See – Mt. 13 The same is true with the gospel message, this is what Jesus meant in the parable of the sower (Mt. 13). Our hearts can suppress the truth for a variety of reasons.
Hearing What
• The Resurrection:
o Christ died for our sins (v. 3)
o Christ was buried (v. 4)
o Christ was raised on the third day (v. 4)
INTERPRETATION
• There can be confusion as to what the “gospel” is. Today, we are to recognize that the gospel message is the resurrection of Christ from the dead as promised in the scriptures.
• The gospel that Paul preached and is making known is the good news of Christ’s death burial and resurrection.
ILLUSTRATION
Recently I saw an old friend. He had lost most of his hair, grew a beard and aged. I did not recognize him although I knew him very well. The gospel can be like that, we know it so well and yet do not take the time to recognize it for what it really is.
APPLICATION
• To “hold fast” firstly requires something to hold on to. That something is the resurrection of Christ from the dead!
• Paul tells us - A dead man got up and walked! This is where our faith begins and without it where hope ends.
II. RECEIVE THE GOSPEL MESSAGE – (v. 1-5,10)
“which you received” (v.1)
OBSERVATION
• Paul reminds the church in Corinth how they felt when he first preached the gospel and how well it was received.
o To receive literally means to accept. (Note: Not accepting the gospel message does not mean it is not true...)
• This does not mean they fully understood it, only that in their hearts they made a decision to receive rather than reject Paul’s teaching.
• Paul includes a list of those who witnessed the resurrection first hand to aid us in receiving this message:
i. He appeared to Peter and then the twelve (v. 5)
ii. He appeared to more than 500 (v.6)
iii. He appeared to James and all the apostles (v.7)
iv. He appeared to Paul (v.8)
• The understanding comes later by the power of the Holy Spirit, but the acceptance comes first as an act of the free will.
INTERPRETATION
• The church in Corinth by an act of their own free will received Paul’s teaching of the gospel message. They had hearts that were hungry for the truth of God’s word.
ILLUSTRATION
• Many years ago my pastor held up a 100.00 bill during a sermon and said whoever will come and receive this 100.00 bill can keep it, no strings. It was amazing, not a single person came forward, everyone thought it was a trick. Finally, a small child broke away from their parents, the temptation was to great. He ran down the isle and received the 100.00 bill. The pastor said – “That is how the gospel must be received, like a little child…” Today, like that little child Paul reminds us that we are to receive the gospel message. We are to accept Christ’s resurrection as an historical moment that occurred within time, space and matter.
APPLICATION
• Receiving the Gospel is all about the condition of the heart – Again I refer you to Mt. 13 and the parable of the sower. What kind of soil is your heart?
• Today have you truly received the gospel message? Have you taken the time to ask yourself – Am I open to the gospel of God.
• Maybe you do not fully understand the resurrection and the gospel message (if you do fill me in) but what is more important than understanding is your attitude toward God and your receptiveness to truth.
III. REMAIN IN THE GOSPEL MESSAGE – (v. 1-2)
“In which also you stand” (v.1)
OBSERVATION
• Paul applauds the church for its stamina in the pursuit of the truth of the gospel.
• Paul contrasts simply receiving the gospel message and remaining in the gospel.
o This means there are some who’s faith is genuine but who fall away.
o To those Paul says – “They believed in vain”
INTERPRETATION
• What Paul means is simply this – Salvation is not an event it’s a journey.
• A full understanding of the resurrection, the gospel message of Christ is also a journey. It is not fully understood in a moment but throughout a lifetime of standing in it.
• (See Proverbs 4:18 – “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.)
• The problem is not that God will forsake us – It’s that we lose interest and forsake Him. (Heb 13:5 – “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”)
ILLUSTRATION
• The cheetah has a disproportionate sized heart for its body mass. It is able to run at 70 mph but only for a short period of time before it must rest. If the Cheetah does not catch it’s prey almost immediately it must abandon the hunt.
• This seems to resemble many Christians. We hear the word of God, recognize what is being said, receive it and begin to run but shortly after we abandon the pursuit, exhausted and out of breath.
APPLICATION
• Have you forsaken Him today? Is your life a continuation of the journey toward salvation or have you given up the hunt?
• Is the resurrection of Christ from the dead your hope and strength?
• God has not forsaken you, God has not left you, God is not mad at you and all that God wants from you IS YOU!
• Will you remain in Him today, remain in His truth – That Christ Jesus rose from the dead that though you perish so shall you live!!!
CONCLUSION
• Salvation is not an event but a process - Holding fast in the gospel is that process lived out.
• Belief is more than cognitive thought or emotional feelings, it is action.
• Holding fast to the gospel of Christ is having those white knuckles, latching on to the hope of the resurrection when life throws you curveballs.
RESTATE MAIN POINTS
TODAY WE HAVE SEEN THAT HOLDING FAST INCLUDES
o RECOGNIZING THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
o RECEIVING THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
o REMAINING IN THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
CLOSING ILLUSTRATION
• Hebrews 12:1 tells us to "run with endurance" the race set before us. George Matheson wrote, "We commonly associate patience with lying down. We think of it as the angel that guards the couch of the invalid. Yet there is a patience that I believe to be harder -- the patience that can run. To lie down in the time of grief, to be quiet under the stroke of adverse fortune, implies a great strength; but I know of something that implies a strength greater still: it is the power to work under stress; to have a great weight at your heart and still run; to have a deep anguish in your spirit and still perform the daily tasks. It is a Christ-like thing! The hardest thing is that most of us are called to exercise our faith not in the sickbed but in the street."
• Hold Fast to the resurrection message, let it be your hope that you may remain always in His grip and under His mercy… AMEN!
