First Things First!

1 Cor. 15:3-8-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 remain 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.

Of First Importance-The Gospel (that Christ died for our sins, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day) is the most important thing to know and to believe, the rest of the Bible hinges on the Gospel.

Romans 10:9-that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved

Acts 4:12-Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

If anyone preaches any other thing than the gospel, run as fast away from that church as you can!

To many feel good, get rich, be healthy sermons and not enough…We are sinners, deserving Hell, but instead received Grace and Mercy!

1-That Christ-Not Buddha, Mohammed, not some rock star, not some movie star, not some athlete but Christ, the gospel centers around Christ.

2-That Christ Died-One quarter of the each of the Gospel accounts deal with the death of Jesus.

He wasn’t just passed out from all the pain, He died!

3-That Christ Died For-“In the place of!”

His teaching do not save us. His miracles do not save us, His ability to raise the dead doesn’t even save us, Him dying on the cross for our sins, Him taking upon Himself, our sins, that’s what saves us!

4-That Christ Died For Our Sins-He bore our sins, that’s why there was darkness for three hours, that’s why He cried out, “My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me?”

God was pour out His wrath upon Him!

He Took Your Hell That You Might Have His Heaven.

He Was Buried-It was a public execution, it was carried out by Roman soldiers, who job it was to infect as much pain and suffering as humanly possible upon a person, and they would not take down any person that was not dead from the cross! Then he was laid in a tomb and a stone was rolled into place to cover the entrance!

He Rose Again- When you buy something at a store, the clerk accepts your money and gives you a receipt confirming that the bill was paid in full. If there is ever a dispute about whether the payment was made, all you have to do is produce your receipt.

The resurrection is our “receipt” from God the Father that He accepted His Son’s payment for sin on the cross

Peter Larson said, “The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: a virgin’s womb and an empty tomb.

He Was Seen-Peter….The one who had denied Him, then the rest of the disciples, who had deserted Him and then over five hundred others and some of them where still alive, and by James (It had been estimated that 25 years had past from the time of the resurrection, to the time Paul had written this!)

Paul says, “He was seen by me!”

Paul is saying, “If all these witness don’t convince you that Jesus is alive, then ask me, because I saw Him, and He spoke to me!”