WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:04.540 Now let's take our Bibles and turn to 1 Corinthians 00:00:04.540 --> 00:00:07.679 chapter 15 as we return to this epistle that 00:00:07.679 --> 00:00:11.460 we have been studying together. 1 Corinthians 00:00:11.460 --> 00:00:17.260 chapter 15. In this chapter, the Apostle Paul 00:00:17.260 --> 00:00:20.660 takes up a new question that had been asked him. 00:00:21.280 --> 00:00:24.460 You'll recall that through the book beginning 00:00:24.460 --> 00:00:31.070 with chapter 7, Paul answers specific questions 00:00:31.070 --> 00:00:33.450 that have been asked him concerning the Christian 00:00:33.450 --> 00:00:38.210 life or doctrine. And in chapter 15, he comes 00:00:38.210 --> 00:00:40.810 to the important subject of the doctrine of the 00:00:40.810 --> 00:00:44.289 resurrection. There were people at Corinth who 00:00:44.289 --> 00:00:47.969 were teaching that those who had died were dead 00:00:47.969 --> 00:00:50.789 and that there was no future resurrection coming 00:00:50.789 --> 00:00:53.689 for them. Of course, that was much different 00:00:53.689 --> 00:00:55.409 than Paul had taught them and that the Word of 00:00:55.409 --> 00:00:58.399 God taught. And so he writes in this chapter 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:01.179 to refute that notion that those who have died 00:01:01.179 --> 00:01:03.539 are just dead and that there is no resurrection. 00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:07.219 This morning we're going to look together at 00:01:07.219 --> 00:01:10.439 the first 11 verses of chapter 15. You follow 00:01:10.439 --> 00:01:14.540 along in your Bible as I read. Now, brothers, 00:01:14.659 --> 00:01:17.319 I want to remind you of the gospel I preached 00:01:17.319 --> 00:01:21.079 to you, which you received and on which you have 00:01:21.079 --> 00:01:26.390 taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, 00:01:26.549 --> 00:01:29.409 if you hold firmly to the word I preached to 00:01:29.409 --> 00:01:33.549 you, otherwise you have believed in vain. For 00:01:33.549 --> 00:01:37.890 what I received I passed on to you as of first 00:01:37.890 --> 00:01:42.170 importance, that Christ died for our sins according 00:01:42.170 --> 00:01:46.230 to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he 00:01:46.230 --> 00:01:48.650 was raised on the third day according to the 00:01:48.650 --> 00:01:53.019 scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter. then 00:01:53.019 --> 00:01:56.140 to the twelve. After that he appeared to more 00:01:56.140 --> 00:01:58.799 than five hundred of the brothers at the same 00:01:58.799 --> 00:02:01.560 time, most of whom are still living, though some 00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:05.019 have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, 00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:08.699 then to all the apostles, and last of all he 00:02:08.699 --> 00:02:12.919 appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:17.099 For I am the least of the apostles, and do not 00:02:17.099 --> 00:02:20.400 even deserve to be called an apostle. because 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:24.439 I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace 00:02:24.439 --> 00:02:28.340 of God, I am what I am, and his grace to me was 00:02:28.340 --> 00:02:32.580 not without effect. No, I worked harder than 00:02:32.580 --> 00:02:36.080 all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:40.020 that was with me. Whether then it was I or they, 00:02:40.280 --> 00:02:44.280 this is what we preach, and this is what you 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:48.539 believe. Paul is calling them back to the doctrine 00:02:48.539 --> 00:02:50.919 that he had delivered to them when he first visited 00:02:50.919 --> 00:02:53.039 there and led them to faith in Jesus Christ. 00:02:54.020 --> 00:02:57.659 He was not there a long time. He was there long 00:02:57.659 --> 00:03:00.360 enough to impart to them the fundamental truths 00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:03.659 of the faith. And now they were in danger of 00:03:03.659 --> 00:03:05.780 wavering on this doctrine of the resurrection. 00:03:06.340 --> 00:03:09.900 And so he writes in this epistle to warn them 00:03:09.900 --> 00:03:13.939 about that kind of wavering. It is impossible... 00:03:14.460 --> 00:03:17.159 to separate the future resurrection of believers 00:03:17.159 --> 00:03:20.460 from the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:22.639 And that is really Paul's argument as he gets 00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:26.520 later into the chapter here. Those who deny the 00:03:26.520 --> 00:03:29.080 future resurrection of those who trusted Christ 00:03:29.080 --> 00:03:34.219 must also deny that Jesus Christ rose from the 00:03:34.219 --> 00:03:37.819 dead. If they believe he rose, then they must 00:03:37.819 --> 00:03:40.800 also believe that future resurrection awaits 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:45.740 those who have trusted the Lord Jesus. Chronologically, 00:03:45.900 --> 00:03:48.680 this may well be the first written account of 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:52.180 Christ's resurrection. We have, of course, the 00:03:52.180 --> 00:03:55.080 account of Matthew and Mark and Luke and John 00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:57.800 as our Bible is put together, but chronologically, 00:03:57.879 --> 00:03:59.780 this may well have been the very first account 00:03:59.780 --> 00:04:02.560 written down in God's Word of the resurrection 00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:06.219 of the Lord Jesus Christ. A lot of the narrative 00:04:06.219 --> 00:04:08.319 is missing here, of course, but the truth of 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:12.770 His resurrection is nonetheless present. A gospel 00:04:12.770 --> 00:04:14.830 which does not include the death and resurrection 00:04:14.830 --> 00:04:18.889 of Christ is no gospel at all. Now in this text 00:04:18.889 --> 00:04:22.589 that's before us, we have two words that seem 00:04:22.589 --> 00:04:27.269 to be hovering frequently in the text. These 00:04:27.269 --> 00:04:29.910 are two of the favorite words of the apostle. 00:04:30.490 --> 00:04:34.490 The one word is the word gospel, which he uses 00:04:34.490 --> 00:04:38.529 at least twice. In the first two verses he uses 00:04:38.529 --> 00:04:41.189 it, I remind you of the gospel I preach to you. 00:04:41.720 --> 00:04:45.759 He says, by this gospel you are saved. And then 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:48.000 the word grace, which is used at least three 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:51.459 times. In verse 10, by the grace of God, I am 00:04:51.459 --> 00:04:55.120 what I am. And his grace to me was not without 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:58.019 effect. And then he says, yet not I, but the 00:04:58.019 --> 00:05:02.699 grace of God that was with me. Of the 100 times, 00:05:03.060 --> 00:05:07.480 rather of the 155 times that the word grace is 00:05:07.480 --> 00:05:11.269 used in the New Testament. 100 of those times, 00:05:11.290 --> 00:05:16.470 it comes from the pen of the Apostle Paul. When 00:05:16.470 --> 00:05:20.730 you put together gospel and grace, you find that 00:05:20.730 --> 00:05:24.629 Paul used both of those words more than all of 00:05:24.629 --> 00:05:26.810 the other writers of the New Testament combined. 00:05:28.810 --> 00:05:33.370 And so gospel and grace are two words that Paul 00:05:33.370 --> 00:05:37.800 loved to use to preach and to write about. In 00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:39.959 the first eight verses of our text, he speaks 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:44.100 about the gospel of Christ. And then verse 8 00:05:44.100 --> 00:05:48.920 through 11, he speaks of the grace of God. Now 00:05:48.920 --> 00:05:50.680 let's think together first this morning about 00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:54.680 the gospel of Christ. As I have said, one cannot 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:58.319 separate the good news about Jesus Christ from 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:02.639 the historical record of his death, burial, and 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:06.379 resurrection. There are those today in theological 00:06:06.379 --> 00:06:09.399 circles who try to take the word gospel and to 00:06:09.399 --> 00:06:12.600 give it a brand new meaning, apart from Christ's 00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:16.300 death and resurrection. They call it gospel of 00:06:16.300 --> 00:06:20.339 liberation, and they mix with it Marxist economic 00:06:20.339 --> 00:06:24.379 theory. There are others who call it the social 00:06:24.379 --> 00:06:26.959 gospel, and they take the word gospel and apply 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:30.279 it just to social work. But neither of those 00:06:30.279 --> 00:06:33.540 are truly good news, which is what the word gospel 00:06:33.540 --> 00:06:37.540 means. For there is no real good news in the 00:06:37.540 --> 00:06:40.660 world apart from the saving work of Jesus Christ, 00:06:40.939 --> 00:06:44.000 and the record of the Bible tells us about that. 00:06:44.060 --> 00:06:48.100 It is his death, his burial, and his resurrection. 00:06:49.699 --> 00:06:52.519 I want you to notice exactly how Paul phrases 00:06:52.519 --> 00:06:57.720 this. First he says, I received. What I received 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:00.399 I passed on to you as of first importance that 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:05.779 Christ died for our sins. Each of those five 00:07:05.779 --> 00:07:09.100 words in that sentence are very significant. 00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:14.060 Christ died for our sins. The anointed one of 00:07:14.060 --> 00:07:17.839 God. The one that had been looked for throughout 00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:21.899 the entire Old Testament. The coming deliverer. 00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:25.220 The one who would reign and be king. The Messiah. 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:29.560 The Christ. It is this one who died for our sins. 00:07:30.500 --> 00:07:36.379 It says the Christ died for our sins. He did 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:40.120 not live for our sins. He had to die for our 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:43.519 sins. The good example of his life is important. 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:48.279 The sinlessness of it was essential. But it is 00:07:48.279 --> 00:07:51.680 not his life that saves us from our sins. It 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:57.240 was his death that saved us. Death was the condemnation 00:07:57.240 --> 00:08:01.160 of God upon sin. God said the soul that sins 00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:06.839 shall die. The Lord Jesus Christ paid that penalty. 00:08:07.060 --> 00:08:11.959 Christ died for our sins. And then even that 00:08:11.959 --> 00:08:15.399 preposition for is significant because it means 00:08:15.399 --> 00:08:19.959 that he died on behalf of our sins. It places 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:24.939 him in the position of the substitute. The one 00:08:24.939 --> 00:08:27.420 who takes the place of, the one who deserves 00:08:27.420 --> 00:08:32.580 the penalty. Christ died for, on behalf of, our 00:08:32.580 --> 00:08:41.039 sins. That personal word is so important. It's 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:43.299 not that Jesus died for the sins of the whole 00:08:43.299 --> 00:08:46.139 world, though that is true, but that he died 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:51.139 for our sins, for your sins, and for mine. Then 00:08:51.139 --> 00:08:54.500 when he came, he dealt with. us in the point 00:08:54.500 --> 00:08:56.519 of our greatest need, the point of our sins. 00:08:57.120 --> 00:09:01.120 Christ died for our sins. It was our sins that 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:05.039 had separated between us and our God. And so 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:08.240 he came to meet us at the greatest point, the 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:10.519 most urgent point of our needs, the point of 00:09:10.519 --> 00:09:15.539 our sins. Christ died for our sins. And then 00:09:15.539 --> 00:09:19.799 it says he was buried. I have wondered why that 00:09:19.799 --> 00:09:23.639 particular thought is included. It seems to be 00:09:23.639 --> 00:09:26.500 so that there is no doubt that he died, for there 00:09:26.500 --> 00:09:28.620 were some who questioned, and there are still 00:09:28.620 --> 00:09:32.720 some today who question that Jesus died. Some 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:35.740 say that he simply passed out, or he swooned, 00:09:35.740 --> 00:09:38.059 then came back to consciousness in the grave 00:09:38.059 --> 00:09:41.240 and got himself out, and thus it was purported 00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:44.299 that he died and rose from the dead. But the 00:09:44.299 --> 00:09:47.059 Bible says that he died and that he was buried. 00:09:48.460 --> 00:09:52.440 The burial was proof. of his actual historical 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:57.320 death. He was buried for three days. His body 00:09:57.320 --> 00:10:01.019 was cold in the grave, wrapped in burial cloth. 00:10:02.200 --> 00:10:05.919 Spices were upon it. Even the disciples did not 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:07.899 expect that he would rise from the dead and were 00:10:07.899 --> 00:10:10.820 surprised when that word came. He was buried. 00:10:11.059 --> 00:10:14.820 But then it goes on to say he was also raised 00:10:14.820 --> 00:10:17.919 on the third day. That, of course, was according 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:21.070 as he had promised it would be. Without the resurrection, 00:10:21.389 --> 00:10:24.409 the death of Christ is of no effect. Paul makes 00:10:24.409 --> 00:10:27.429 that clear later in the very chapter. He says, 00:10:27.429 --> 00:10:30.509 if Christ is dead only, then our faith is in 00:10:30.509 --> 00:10:35.049 vain. We have no living hope if Christ only died, 00:10:35.289 --> 00:10:38.129 but the truth of the good news is that Christ 00:10:38.129 --> 00:10:41.509 died, was buried, and rose again. Now, there 00:10:41.509 --> 00:10:44.090 are two prepositional phrases that are very significant 00:10:44.090 --> 00:10:48.450 in that whole text there. First, it is that Christ 00:10:48.450 --> 00:10:54.529 died. For our sins. He dealt with our sins. And 00:10:54.529 --> 00:10:56.470 the second prepositional phrase that's significant 00:10:56.470 --> 00:10:59.529 is the one that says, according to the scriptures. 00:11:00.590 --> 00:11:03.389 Because his death, burial, and resurrection were 00:11:03.389 --> 00:11:07.610 all spoken of in the Old Testament. Both in words 00:11:07.610 --> 00:11:13.110 of prophecy and in types or in pictures. The 00:11:13.110 --> 00:11:15.929 death of Christ was spoken of. His resurrection 00:11:15.929 --> 00:11:20.340 is spoken of. Even the three days. is suggested 00:11:20.340 --> 00:11:23.460 in the fact that Jonah was in the belly of the 00:11:23.460 --> 00:11:27.279 fish for three days and three nights. And so 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:30.279 every aspect of his saving work was spoken of 00:11:30.279 --> 00:11:32.919 in the Old Testament. It was all according to 00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:35.940 the Scriptures. It had to be that way for it 00:11:35.940 --> 00:11:41.019 to be effective. That's the record of the gospel. 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:45.379 Consider the responsibility of the gospel. That 00:11:45.379 --> 00:11:48.700 is what Paul sensed so heavily. For instance, 00:11:48.759 --> 00:11:51.980 in verse 1 he says, I want to remind you of the 00:11:51.980 --> 00:11:56.580 gospel I preached to you. In verse 2 he says, 00:11:56.620 --> 00:11:59.240 by this gospel you are saved if you hold firmly 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:04.220 to the word I preached to you. Earlier in this 00:12:04.220 --> 00:12:06.299 book, in chapter 8, and maybe it would be good 00:12:06.299 --> 00:12:08.960 for us to go back and just review, or rather 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:16.580 chapter 9, what Paul said concerning this. Beginning 00:12:16.580 --> 00:12:21.200 in verse 19, he says, Though I am free and belong 00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:25.600 to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:29.820 to win as many as possible. He says, To the Jews 00:12:29.820 --> 00:12:33.480 I became like a Jew to win the Jews. To those 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:36.559 under the law I became like one under the law, 00:12:36.659 --> 00:12:39.940 though I myself am not under the law, so as to 00:12:39.940 --> 00:12:42.899 win those under the law. To those not having 00:12:42.899 --> 00:12:45.960 the law I became like one. not having the law, 00:12:46.179 --> 00:12:49.159 though I am not free from God's law, but am under 00:12:49.159 --> 00:12:52.639 Christ's law, so as to win those not having the 00:12:52.639 --> 00:12:56.080 law. He says, To the weak I became weak to win 00:12:56.080 --> 00:12:59.279 the weak. I have become all things to all men, 00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:04.120 so that I by all means might save some. I do 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:07.720 all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may 00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:10.860 share in its blessings. What is Paul saying? 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:15.019 He is simply underscoring his commitment. his 00:13:15.019 --> 00:13:18.899 sense of responsibility for the gospel. He said, 00:13:18.940 --> 00:13:21.820 I am willing to accommodate my lifestyle so that 00:13:21.820 --> 00:13:24.240 I can build bridges in the lives of other people. 00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:27.659 He is not saying that he compromised his doctrine. 00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:31.320 He is not saying that he lived a sinful lifestyle 00:13:31.320 --> 00:13:34.720 in order to appeal to those who were living sinful 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:38.720 lifestyles. But he is saying, so far as was possible, 00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:42.320 he put away every barrier that he could between 00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:45.200 himself and other people. whether they were Jews 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:48.879 or pagans or whoever, so that by all means he 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:52.000 might win some of them to faith in Jesus Christ. 00:13:53.580 --> 00:13:57.740 Why did Paul take that attitude? Because he sensed 00:13:57.740 --> 00:14:03.059 a great responsibility. He sensed a heavy indebtedness 00:14:03.059 --> 00:14:05.980 on his part to get the gospel to every creature, 00:14:06.059 --> 00:14:10.059 to every person on the face of the earth. In 00:14:10.059 --> 00:14:17.580 Romans he said, I am debtor to all men. He says 00:14:17.580 --> 00:14:20.100 furthermore in our text in 1 Corinthians chapter 00:14:20.100 --> 00:14:28.840 15, For what I received I passed on to you as 00:14:28.840 --> 00:14:34.120 of first importance. In other words, he felt 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:37.220 that there was no greater priority or import 00:14:37.220 --> 00:14:41.480 in his life than the priority of passing on what 00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:46.700 he had received. That's simply a great way to 00:14:46.700 --> 00:14:49.820 say what a witness is. It's one who passes on 00:14:49.820 --> 00:14:53.019 what he has received. One does not have to have 00:14:53.019 --> 00:14:57.299 a theological education or be through an evangelism 00:14:57.299 --> 00:15:01.679 training course to be a witness. I would not 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:06.899 demean those. They can be important. But a person 00:15:06.899 --> 00:15:09.379 can be a witness the moment he's saved because 00:15:09.379 --> 00:15:13.279 all it means is to pass on what one has received. 00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:18.399 Paul saw that as a priority. As we face 1982, 00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:22.240 I'd like to suggest that all of us set that as 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:25.740 a priority too. In fact, it would be a marvelous 00:15:25.740 --> 00:15:29.039 priority for each of us if we were determined 00:15:29.039 --> 00:15:33.139 by the grace of God that during this year we 00:15:33.139 --> 00:15:38.340 would seek to win one person to faith in Jesus 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:42.460 Christ and then to see that one person begin 00:15:42.460 --> 00:15:46.019 to grow by discipling him. Wouldn't that be great? 00:15:47.700 --> 00:15:50.080 What a blessing it would be to our own lives. 00:15:50.179 --> 00:15:53.740 Paul said, I want to give the gospel out so that 00:15:53.740 --> 00:15:57.500 I may share in its blessing. If you want to share 00:15:57.500 --> 00:16:01.299 in blessing, one of the greatest ways is to give 00:16:01.299 --> 00:16:04.019 the gospel to people. It brings such a joy to 00:16:04.019 --> 00:16:06.620 the life. This last week we had over a hundred 00:16:06.620 --> 00:16:10.220 young people who came from the Campus Crusade 00:16:10.220 --> 00:16:12.600 Conference here in town, and they went out calling 00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:15.080 in our neighborhood. as representatives of our 00:16:15.080 --> 00:16:18.740 church. They won four people to Christ. And I 00:16:18.740 --> 00:16:20.539 was sitting in the office in there doing some 00:16:20.539 --> 00:16:22.720 work as they were coming back reporting out here 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:24.659 in the lobby area. And I tell you, they were 00:16:24.659 --> 00:16:28.440 excited. It was a thrill to be able to hear the 00:16:28.440 --> 00:16:30.179 excitement of these young people as they came 00:16:30.179 --> 00:16:32.080 back and reported about the opportunities they 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:34.639 had to share their faith and those who had won 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:37.600 others to Christ to see the exuberance, the blessing. 00:16:39.080 --> 00:16:41.559 You see, when we share the gospel, it's a blessing 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:43.639 to the person we share with. It's also a blessing 00:16:43.639 --> 00:16:48.019 to us. It brings joy and happiness to us. And 00:16:48.019 --> 00:16:50.700 so, during this year, I hope that each of us 00:16:50.700 --> 00:16:56.019 will set as a goal before God that we might see 00:16:56.019 --> 00:16:58.279 another person come to faith in Jesus Christ. 00:16:58.480 --> 00:17:01.299 Now, right now, in your mind, you may be able 00:17:01.299 --> 00:17:05.359 to zero in on somebody that you work with or 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:08.019 who's in your family or that neighbor next door. 00:17:09.339 --> 00:17:14.099 You're going to focus on in your witness. I'm 00:17:14.099 --> 00:17:16.440 not suggesting that you go home this afternoon 00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:18.900 and ring your neighbor's door and grab him by 00:17:18.900 --> 00:17:21.740 the lapels and say, buddy, I have set you as 00:17:21.740 --> 00:17:24.019 my goal this year, and you're going to get saved 00:17:24.019 --> 00:17:28.380 this year, so help me by the grace of God. I'm 00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:30.359 not suggesting you do that. That would not be 00:17:30.359 --> 00:17:33.759 very effective. What I am saying is that in your 00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:36.519 mind, in your heart, you begin to pray for that 00:17:36.519 --> 00:17:38.180 person next door. And you know what will happen? 00:17:39.279 --> 00:17:42.460 The burden you have for that person, that couple, 00:17:42.539 --> 00:17:45.779 that family will grow. And then God will begin 00:17:45.779 --> 00:17:48.160 giving you opportunities to share your faith. 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:51.759 It may be only a word or two or a sentence at 00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:55.920 a time, but God will open doors. And then there 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:59.779 will be a time when he will ask you, or when 00:17:59.779 --> 00:18:01.640 the door will be so wide open that you can't 00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:04.539 help but fall into it and give the gospel to 00:18:04.539 --> 00:18:10.420 him. Is that... a priority with you? Do you sense 00:18:10.420 --> 00:18:12.960 the responsibility that Paul did? You say, well, 00:18:12.980 --> 00:18:17.500 he was an apostle. It doesn't mean that we don't 00:18:17.500 --> 00:18:21.279 have responsibility as much as he did. We have 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:24.920 that responsibility. I'm glad that we talk in 00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:27.039 our church a great deal about the multitudes 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:30.259 around the world and the lost in lands who've 00:18:30.259 --> 00:18:33.779 never heard the gospel, but let's never get our 00:18:33.779 --> 00:18:35.740 eyes off the fact, folks, that there are lost 00:18:35.740 --> 00:18:40.039 people all around us. And they need us. And they 00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:42.400 need the gospel that we're talking about this 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:46.799 morning. Paul then refers to their response to 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:52.220 the gospel. He says in the first place, verse 00:18:52.220 --> 00:18:57.140 1, which you have received. What does he mean 00:18:57.140 --> 00:19:00.019 by that? Well, he simply means that they took 00:19:00.019 --> 00:19:03.920 it. That's what received means. He doesn't say 00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:06.140 that they worked for their salvation. He says, 00:19:06.140 --> 00:19:09.920 I preached you the gospel. and you received it. 00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:12.740 And in verse 11, he says it a different way. 00:19:13.079 --> 00:19:15.440 This is what we preach, and this is what you 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:19.299 believed. What does it mean to receive Christ? 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:23.019 It means to believe on him unto salvation. What 00:19:23.019 --> 00:19:24.980 does it mean to believe on Christ? It means to 00:19:24.980 --> 00:19:28.079 receive him into one's life. The two words really 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:30.940 are synonymous or complementary in Scripture. 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:35.160 John 1 .12 says the same thing. As many as received 00:19:35.160 --> 00:19:41.789 him. As many as believed on his name. To believe 00:19:41.789 --> 00:19:44.789 is to receive him into one's life as Savior and 00:19:44.789 --> 00:19:48.289 as Lord. To receive him means to believe and 00:19:48.289 --> 00:19:52.069 to commit the keeping of one's soul to him, to 00:19:52.069 --> 00:19:55.609 him alone. That was their response to the gospel. 00:19:55.710 --> 00:19:58.009 They received it. And then he says something 00:19:58.009 --> 00:20:00.509 else interesting there in that same verse, verse 00:20:00.509 --> 00:20:04.549 1. He says, which you received and on which you 00:20:04.549 --> 00:20:09.190 have taken your stand. He says, Corinthians, 00:20:09.309 --> 00:20:13.369 don't ever be forgetful of the fact that you 00:20:13.369 --> 00:20:16.630 there in that city have taken a stand for the 00:20:16.630 --> 00:20:21.589 gospel. There are pagans and there are religious 00:20:21.589 --> 00:20:24.970 Jews around you who observe you and who are witnessing 00:20:24.970 --> 00:20:28.150 you. They watch your life. You have taken your 00:20:28.150 --> 00:20:34.400 stand on the gospel. And the subtle and perhaps 00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:37.960 not so subtle suggestion is, because you have 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:41.700 taken a public stand on this gospel, then don't 00:20:41.700 --> 00:20:44.880 be easily removed from it by this false teaching 00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:49.099 that you are hearing. And then he speaks of the 00:20:49.099 --> 00:20:52.400 result of the gospel. He says the result of the 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:55.579 gospel is that they are being saved, verse 2. 00:20:55.839 --> 00:21:02.539 By this gospel, he says, you are saved. There's 00:21:02.539 --> 00:21:06.720 nothing wrong with the word saved. It is a Bible 00:21:06.720 --> 00:21:10.319 word, and it expresses a beautiful truth. To 00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:15.099 be saved means to be rescued, or it means to 00:21:15.099 --> 00:21:20.299 be delivered. It means to be taken from a place 00:21:20.299 --> 00:21:26.200 of peril and brought to a place of safety. When 00:21:26.200 --> 00:21:30.019 a person trusts the gospel, Christ's death, burial, 00:21:30.099 --> 00:21:34.670 and resurrection for his sins. He is delivered 00:21:34.670 --> 00:21:39.809 from God's condemnation. He is brought to the 00:21:39.809 --> 00:21:44.349 point of safety. He is rescued. That's what it 00:21:44.349 --> 00:21:47.410 means. But I want you to notice what else Paul 00:21:47.410 --> 00:21:52.730 says. By this gospel you are saved if you hold 00:21:52.730 --> 00:21:56.809 firmly or if you keep in mind or keep in your 00:21:56.809 --> 00:22:01.289 memory the word I preached to you. otherwise 00:22:01.289 --> 00:22:05.069 you have believed in vain. Now there are some 00:22:05.069 --> 00:22:06.710 who look at that and they say, well, Paul is 00:22:06.710 --> 00:22:09.750 saying here that if you don't keep on hanging 00:22:09.750 --> 00:22:13.289 on and believing, then you're going to lose your 00:22:13.289 --> 00:22:17.069 salvation. I'd like to say to you that is not 00:22:17.069 --> 00:22:19.529 what Paul is saying in these verses, in this 00:22:19.529 --> 00:22:24.549 verse. What is he saying then? Well, by the word 00:22:24.549 --> 00:22:28.829 if, Paul is not doubting that they are saved. 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:34.759 He is not doubting that they are saved. But he 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:39.819 is warning them. He says, if you do move from 00:22:39.819 --> 00:22:43.980 the gospel delivered you, or if we may use the 00:22:43.980 --> 00:22:48.960 word apostatize, if you fall away from the gospel 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:52.920 that I have preached to you, then it is evidence 00:22:52.920 --> 00:22:55.940 of the fact that you have believed in vain, that 00:22:55.940 --> 00:23:00.900 your faith was not a genuine faith. I think we 00:23:00.900 --> 00:23:02.680 can prove that that's the interpretation because 00:23:02.680 --> 00:23:07.019 this idea of holding firmly is used elsewhere 00:23:07.019 --> 00:23:09.819 in the New Testament. Turn back to Luke chapter 00:23:09.819 --> 00:23:15.900 8 for a moment. And we see this word illustrated. 00:23:18.099 --> 00:23:24.019 Luke chapter 8, beginning in verse 11. What we 00:23:24.019 --> 00:23:27.200 have here is the explanation of the parable of 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:31.849 the soils. We're not going to take time to read 00:23:31.849 --> 00:23:34.529 that parable, but we'll simply read the interpretation 00:23:34.529 --> 00:23:38.650 of it. The words of our Lord, verse 11, Luke 00:23:38.650 --> 00:23:43.470 8. This is the meaning of the parable. The seed 00:23:43.470 --> 00:23:48.950 is the word of God. Those along the path are 00:23:48.950 --> 00:23:53.069 the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and 00:23:53.069 --> 00:23:56.509 takes away the word from their hearts so that 00:23:56.509 --> 00:24:00.220 they cannot believe and be saved. What Jesus 00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:03.940 is saying is, as the Word of God is sown, as 00:24:03.940 --> 00:24:06.599 the gospel is preached and people receive it 00:24:06.599 --> 00:24:09.259 into their hearts and their minds, there are 00:24:09.259 --> 00:24:13.839 some whose hearts are like the pathway here where 00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:18.079 the seed falls. The seed can't take root in it. 00:24:18.119 --> 00:24:21.079 It's heavily traveled. And the devil comes and 00:24:21.079 --> 00:24:23.819 he takes away that seed from their hearts. He 00:24:23.819 --> 00:24:27.480 steals it so that they cannot believe and be 00:24:27.480 --> 00:24:31.039 saved. He says, then that which falls on the 00:24:31.039 --> 00:24:34.539 rock are the ones who receive the word with joy 00:24:34.539 --> 00:24:39.740 when they hear it, but they have no root. They 00:24:39.740 --> 00:24:42.740 believe for a while, but in the time of testing, 00:24:42.940 --> 00:24:47.099 they fall away. That's how some other people 00:24:47.099 --> 00:24:50.359 respond to the gospel. There seems to be immediate 00:24:50.359 --> 00:24:54.599 conversion. Oh, there's joy, there's excitement, 00:24:55.059 --> 00:24:59.009 and it lasts about two weeks. And then it's gone 00:24:59.009 --> 00:25:03.950 completely. And he says, the seed that fell among 00:25:03.950 --> 00:25:07.930 thorns stands for those who hear, but as they 00:25:07.930 --> 00:25:11.130 go on their way, they are choked by life's worries, 00:25:11.250 --> 00:25:15.970 riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature. 00:25:16.410 --> 00:25:20.970 Now verse 15. But the seed on good soil stands 00:25:20.970 --> 00:25:25.670 for those with a noble and good heart who hear 00:25:25.670 --> 00:25:31.720 the word. retain it, and by persevering, produce 00:25:31.720 --> 00:25:36.279 a crop. Now the word retain there is exactly 00:25:36.279 --> 00:25:39.519 the same Greek word as the word that we've looked 00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:42.519 at in 1 Corinthians 15, 2, where it says, hold 00:25:42.519 --> 00:25:47.960 firmly. This last classification of the seed 00:25:47.960 --> 00:25:51.519 on the good soil refers to those who genuinely 00:25:51.519 --> 00:25:56.119 believe, who hear the word, and take it in deeply 00:25:56.119 --> 00:26:00.460 into their lives. It takes root in them, and 00:26:00.460 --> 00:26:04.140 then it produces fruit. And that's what Paul 00:26:04.140 --> 00:26:07.440 is saying. He says if there is not fruit produced 00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:11.819 in your life, then it means that you have never 00:26:11.819 --> 00:26:16.940 truly been saved. Paul says the result of the 00:26:16.940 --> 00:26:21.339 gospel being believed in the life is that a person 00:26:21.339 --> 00:26:23.279 is being saved. And by the way, that's in the 00:26:23.279 --> 00:26:27.349 present tense. He says, you are being saved. 00:26:28.109 --> 00:26:31.430 In other words, the gospel is continuing to make 00:26:31.430 --> 00:26:36.210 an impact in your life. When you give a testimony, 00:26:36.430 --> 00:26:40.289 it's not, well, I was saved 40 years ago on a 00:26:40.289 --> 00:26:43.730 certain night. Implication, and there hasn't 00:26:43.730 --> 00:26:49.230 been a change in my life since. What he's saying 00:26:49.230 --> 00:26:51.690 is that when a person is genuinely saved, the 00:26:51.690 --> 00:26:55.019 gospel continues to produce fruit. and changes, 00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:58.500 transformation. It continues to make an impact 00:26:58.500 --> 00:27:03.259 throughout the life. Else you have believed in 00:27:03.259 --> 00:27:10.480 vain, he says. In this land of ours, a person 00:27:10.480 --> 00:27:12.819 can turn on the radio nearly any time of the 00:27:12.819 --> 00:27:17.579 day and hear the gospel. Many have been raised 00:27:17.579 --> 00:27:20.500 in churches, while though maybe formal or... 00:27:24.019 --> 00:27:26.740 ritualistic, nonetheless talk about Christ's 00:27:26.740 --> 00:27:29.579 death, burial, and resurrection, which is the 00:27:29.579 --> 00:27:31.740 essence of the gospel, the historical record 00:27:31.740 --> 00:27:36.099 of it. And somehow they grow up with these words 00:27:36.099 --> 00:27:40.039 and these thoughts and these ideas about the 00:27:40.039 --> 00:27:44.059 gospel and Christianity and the Bible, and it's 00:27:44.059 --> 00:27:48.579 almost a cultural conversion instead of a personal 00:27:48.579 --> 00:27:52.299 conversion. And that is something to be feared. 00:27:54.829 --> 00:27:57.210 That one should grow up with just the idea of 00:27:57.210 --> 00:28:00.109 the gospel, using the language with essentially 00:28:00.109 --> 00:28:04.650 the right quote -unquote lifestyle, and never 00:28:04.650 --> 00:28:08.650 make a personal commitment to believe on Jesus 00:28:08.650 --> 00:28:11.390 Christ and to receive him as Lord in the life. 00:28:14.210 --> 00:28:16.329 Maybe that describes you today. I don't know. 00:28:17.529 --> 00:28:21.490 If it does, then your greatest need, the most 00:28:21.490 --> 00:28:24.049 urgent thing before you today, is to make a personal 00:28:24.049 --> 00:28:27.299 commitment commitment to Jesus Christ by faith 00:28:27.299 --> 00:28:30.660 and to receive this gospel that we're talking 00:28:30.660 --> 00:28:34.119 about and the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation 00:28:34.119 --> 00:28:38.720 of your soul. We need to move ahead to the last 00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:42.299 few verses of our text in which Paul emphasizes 00:28:42.299 --> 00:28:44.960 the second of his favorite words, and this is 00:28:44.960 --> 00:28:51.599 the word grace. After recounting the appearances 00:28:51.599 --> 00:28:56.650 of the Lord Jesus, proving, of course, that he 00:28:56.650 --> 00:28:59.869 rose from the dead. He comes to verse 8 when 00:28:59.869 --> 00:29:04.809 he says, And last of all, he appeared to me also 00:29:04.809 --> 00:29:12.329 as to one who was aborted. That's literally the 00:29:12.329 --> 00:29:17.630 translation. Or as one who was miscarried. What 00:29:17.630 --> 00:29:20.769 does he mean here? Well, Paul is speaking here 00:29:20.769 --> 00:29:24.500 about his salvation experience. And though he 00:29:24.500 --> 00:29:28.099 doesn't use the word grace in this verse, we 00:29:28.099 --> 00:29:31.579 certainly can include this as a part of the last 00:29:31.579 --> 00:29:35.099 half of our text because salvation is by grace. 00:29:35.339 --> 00:29:38.740 He is talking about the saving grace of God in 00:29:38.740 --> 00:29:42.599 his experience. You see, Paul saw himself as 00:29:42.599 --> 00:29:48.319 not fitting in. He says, I did not walk with 00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:52.559 Jesus during his earthly ministry. I was not 00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:55.480 with the apostles in the upper room when he appeared 00:29:55.480 --> 00:29:58.539 to them after his resurrection. I don't really 00:29:58.539 --> 00:30:03.519 fit in with them. He says, here I am a Jew. I 00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:06.720 have now been saved by the grace of God, and 00:30:06.720 --> 00:30:10.180 yet I don't really fit with Israel either. Because 00:30:10.180 --> 00:30:13.980 national Israel is still in rejection and unbelief. 00:30:15.500 --> 00:30:18.380 He said, I'm like one who is abnormally born. 00:30:21.480 --> 00:30:23.980 He is speaking here of his salvation experience, 00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:26.920 and he talks about this again. If you'll turn 00:30:26.920 --> 00:30:36.180 to 1 Timothy 1, verse 16. He says, For that very 00:30:36.180 --> 00:30:39.799 reason I was shown mercy, so that in me the worst 00:30:39.799 --> 00:30:44.160 of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited 00:30:44.160 --> 00:30:48.440 patience as an example for those who would believe 00:30:48.440 --> 00:30:52.680 on him. and receive eternal life. In passing, 00:30:52.779 --> 00:30:55.859 may I point out again the tandem words there, 00:30:56.019 --> 00:31:02.519 believe and receive. Paul says, I was the chiefest, 00:31:02.519 --> 00:31:10.740 the worst of sinners, yet I was saved. There 00:31:10.740 --> 00:31:12.700 are some people who think that they are too bad 00:31:12.700 --> 00:31:16.460 to be saved. Paul says, I was the chief of sinners. 00:31:18.410 --> 00:31:22.009 There is no way that you could be too bad, too 00:31:22.009 --> 00:31:29.049 much in sin, too stained. God is able to cleanse 00:31:29.049 --> 00:31:33.069 you, to forgive you, to bring you salvation and 00:31:33.069 --> 00:31:35.750 eternal life. On the other hand, there are others 00:31:35.750 --> 00:31:39.569 who think they're too good for salvation. I tell 00:31:39.569 --> 00:31:41.549 you, if you were to match up your life, if you 00:31:41.549 --> 00:31:43.109 have that attitude, if you were to match up your 00:31:43.109 --> 00:31:45.609 life with that of Paul before his conversion, 00:31:45.910 --> 00:31:49.470 he would far surpass you. For outwardly, he was 00:31:49.470 --> 00:31:53.750 a very religious and righteous man. He was even 00:31:53.750 --> 00:31:59.009 a Pharisee. As much as he knew, he kept the law 00:31:59.009 --> 00:32:05.150 of God outwardly. You could not surpass him in 00:32:05.150 --> 00:32:08.329 your goodness, and yet Paul saw himself as a 00:32:08.329 --> 00:32:11.049 sinner. And before you can be saved, you must 00:32:11.049 --> 00:32:14.450 see yourself as a sinner too, and in need of 00:32:14.450 --> 00:32:18.930 God's salvation. Paul speaks of God's saving 00:32:18.930 --> 00:32:23.150 grace. And then he goes on in verse 9 to speak 00:32:23.150 --> 00:32:27.589 of God's calling grace. He says, I'm the least 00:32:27.589 --> 00:32:30.789 of the apostles. I do not even deserve to be 00:32:30.789 --> 00:32:33.730 called an apostle because I persecuted the church 00:32:33.730 --> 00:32:39.289 of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I 00:32:39.289 --> 00:32:42.789 am. And his grace to me was not without effect. 00:32:43.670 --> 00:32:48.019 Because Paul had been such a blasphemer, of Jesus 00:32:48.019 --> 00:32:52.700 Christ, and such a persecutor of God's people, 00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:56.799 he did not feel that he deserved the exalted 00:32:56.799 --> 00:33:01.279 office of apostle. And yet he says, by the grace 00:33:01.279 --> 00:33:05.440 of God, I am what I am. God's grace had called 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:08.940 him to serve in that office and made him fit 00:33:08.940 --> 00:33:13.000 to be what he was. And yet he had this overwhelming 00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:17.500 sense of unworthiness. Do you know that anyone 00:33:17.500 --> 00:33:21.640 who is going to serve God effectively must have 00:33:21.640 --> 00:33:25.240 that same attitude, the sense of unworthiness 00:33:25.240 --> 00:33:29.039 to do whatever he is doing? Whether it be teaching 00:33:29.039 --> 00:33:32.279 a children's Sunday school class or preaching 00:33:32.279 --> 00:33:37.200 in a church or serving in the nursery or singing 00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:41.240 in the choir, the attitude that God blesses is 00:33:41.240 --> 00:33:44.619 the attitude that says, I am not worthy to do 00:33:44.619 --> 00:33:50.880 this. That was Paul's attitude. I overheard the 00:33:50.880 --> 00:33:55.680 pastor of a church of 7 ,000 people say on one 00:33:55.680 --> 00:34:00.019 occasion, I am not worthy to stand in that pulpit 00:34:00.019 --> 00:34:04.839 and to preach to 7 ,000 people. One of the great 00:34:04.839 --> 00:34:08.619 preachers of America. Why is it that God is blessing 00:34:08.619 --> 00:34:11.639 his ministry? Because of that spirit, that humility. 00:34:12.840 --> 00:34:14.960 When we get to the point of seeing ourselves 00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:18.219 as very qualified and very worthy to do certain 00:34:18.219 --> 00:34:20.840 things, we have suddenly disqualified ourselves 00:34:20.840 --> 00:34:25.059 from effective service. Not until we are broken 00:34:25.059 --> 00:34:27.800 and humbled to the point of seeing ourselves 00:34:27.800 --> 00:34:32.380 as unworthy servants is God able to bless our 00:34:32.380 --> 00:34:38.039 ministry. Paul says it's God's calling grace 00:34:38.039 --> 00:34:43.239 that makes me fit to be in this office. And then 00:34:43.239 --> 00:34:47.960 he says, I worked harder than all of them, talking 00:34:47.960 --> 00:34:51.559 about the apostles, yet not I but the grace of 00:34:51.559 --> 00:34:55.639 God that was with me. And here he speaks of God's 00:34:55.639 --> 00:34:59.440 enabling grace. He said, God has not only by 00:34:59.440 --> 00:35:02.639 grace called me to be an apostle, but God is 00:35:02.639 --> 00:35:05.699 now enabling me to fulfill the functions of this 00:35:05.699 --> 00:35:11.400 office. He says, I have worked hard. The Bible 00:35:11.400 --> 00:35:16.340 teaches a hard work ethic, whatever we're doing. 00:35:17.460 --> 00:35:20.920 But he says, it wasn't really my hard work, it 00:35:20.920 --> 00:35:26.159 was the grace of God that was with me. He says, 00:35:26.239 --> 00:35:31.139 God's grace was not given to me in vain. In other 00:35:31.139 --> 00:35:34.300 words, he says, God's grace in my life was not 00:35:34.300 --> 00:35:40.719 wasted. God gave me grace. I drew upon that grace, 00:35:40.760 --> 00:35:44.960 and therefore, by his grace, my life, my ministry 00:35:44.960 --> 00:35:50.519 has been effective. It may be that today, as 00:35:50.519 --> 00:35:53.719 you begin a new year, you are completely without 00:35:53.719 --> 00:35:57.820 strength to go on. And in your job, or in your 00:35:57.820 --> 00:36:00.280 commitment to your family, or in the church, 00:36:00.500 --> 00:36:03.980 in some area of your life, you feel like giving 00:36:03.980 --> 00:36:06.539 up today, and you say, I'm finished, I'm washed 00:36:06.539 --> 00:36:14.179 up. I say to you that God's grace is powerful 00:36:14.179 --> 00:36:18.940 to enable you to go on. It is not an unhealthy 00:36:18.940 --> 00:36:22.559 point for us to come to, to run out of our own 00:36:22.559 --> 00:36:26.440 strength. For it's only at that point that God's 00:36:26.440 --> 00:36:31.340 grace can carry us on. Maybe you need today to 00:36:31.340 --> 00:36:34.619 appropriate a fresh and new God's enabling grace. 00:36:36.460 --> 00:36:38.539 Paul says it doesn't make any difference whether 00:36:38.539 --> 00:36:41.900 it was me or the apostles. He says this is what 00:36:41.900 --> 00:36:44.219 we have preached to you and this is what you 00:36:44.219 --> 00:36:48.920 have believed. It is the gospel of grace, the 00:36:48.920 --> 00:36:53.559 good news of grace. And grace is good news. Recently 00:36:53.559 --> 00:36:56.519 I was chatting with a man who was explaining 00:36:56.519 --> 00:37:01.260 to me some of the rituals involved in his particular 00:37:01.260 --> 00:37:07.670 church. He was trying to tell me that he believes 00:37:07.670 --> 00:37:11.849 in the grace of God for salvation. And yet he 00:37:11.849 --> 00:37:14.769 said he went through a certain activity. I said, 00:37:14.789 --> 00:37:17.630 why do you do that? He said, because when I do 00:37:17.630 --> 00:37:22.969 that, it helps me to make up for my sins. I said, 00:37:22.989 --> 00:37:25.849 my friend, you've just explained to me that you 00:37:25.849 --> 00:37:29.329 have never known the grace of God. Because when 00:37:29.329 --> 00:37:32.449 we understand what grace is, you see, it means 00:37:32.449 --> 00:37:35.800 that I can't make up for my sins. It means that 00:37:35.800 --> 00:37:39.980 I ask forgiveness for them. And in this congregation 00:37:39.980 --> 00:37:42.699 this morning, though most of you have been here 00:37:42.699 --> 00:37:47.360 time and time again, there may be one or two 00:37:47.360 --> 00:37:51.239 or more who have grown up culturally in the Christian 00:37:51.239 --> 00:37:54.380 faith, but you have never made a personal commitment 00:37:54.380 --> 00:37:58.280 to Jesus Christ. I hope today you'll make that 00:37:58.280 --> 00:38:00.460 personal commitment that makes all the difference 00:38:00.460 --> 00:38:05.510 between life and death and heaven and hell. Let's 00:38:05.510 --> 00:38:10.949 pray together. Father, we thank you for the good 00:38:10.949 --> 00:38:16.650 news of Jesus Christ, that Christ died for our 00:38:16.650 --> 00:38:20.170 sins according to the Scriptures, that he was 00:38:20.170 --> 00:38:24.130 buried and that he rose from the dead according 00:38:24.130 --> 00:38:30.690 to the Scriptures. This morning we have preached 00:38:30.690 --> 00:38:33.670 that, and I pray that... If there be some friend 00:38:33.670 --> 00:38:35.889 who's here who's never received that message 00:38:35.889 --> 00:38:39.170 and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for the 00:38:39.170 --> 00:38:42.090 salvation of his soul, that today saving faith 00:38:42.090 --> 00:38:45.329 would go out from that heart, that one would 00:38:45.329 --> 00:38:49.909 come into the family of God by faith. Then may 00:38:49.909 --> 00:38:54.789 those of us who have trusted Jesus and who know 00:38:54.789 --> 00:39:00.670 what it means to be saved by grace, sense... 00:39:01.309 --> 00:39:04.869 afresh as we begin a new year, our indebtedness, 00:39:05.110 --> 00:39:14.150 our responsibility to declare this message. With 00:39:14.150 --> 00:39:17.429 our heads bowed and our eyes shut and as we wait 00:39:17.429 --> 00:39:19.269 upon God, I wonder if there's some friend here 00:39:19.269 --> 00:39:23.630 who would say, Pastor Call, today I am not saved. 00:39:25.210 --> 00:39:28.329 Oh, I've heard about Jesus' death and resurrection. 00:39:29.960 --> 00:39:32.280 I have used the word gospel. I've sung about 00:39:32.280 --> 00:39:39.119 it. But I'm not saved. There's been no change 00:39:39.119 --> 00:39:43.940 in my life. The faith that I thought I had was 00:39:43.940 --> 00:39:51.219 in vain. And today I want to trust Christ truly. 00:39:53.480 --> 00:39:59.460 I want to be sure of my forgiveness. I'd like 00:39:59.460 --> 00:40:02.800 to pray for you. Would you allow me to do that? 00:40:05.179 --> 00:40:07.519 Though I will not embarrass you by pointing you 00:40:07.519 --> 00:40:10.619 out or calling you by name, I would like to know 00:40:10.619 --> 00:40:12.659 for whom I'm praying, and if you will simply 00:40:12.659 --> 00:40:15.380 lift your hand and put it down, that will help 00:40:15.380 --> 00:40:20.320 me to pray more intelligently, more personally 00:40:20.320 --> 00:40:27.559 for you. Would you say I'm not saved today? But 00:40:27.559 --> 00:40:31.179 I understand what it means. Pray that I'll make 00:40:31.179 --> 00:40:44.619 the right decision. Dear Father, apparently all 00:40:44.619 --> 00:40:48.559 of us today have trusted the Lord Jesus. And 00:40:48.559 --> 00:40:51.199 we have sensed and have experienced in our lives 00:40:51.199 --> 00:40:55.579 the change that comes through genuine conversion. 00:40:57.880 --> 00:41:02.260 Together we thank you for the Word of God, for 00:41:02.260 --> 00:41:05.260 the gospel that has taken root in our lives and 00:41:05.260 --> 00:41:11.599 which is bearing fruit. We pray that that fruit 00:41:11.599 --> 00:41:18.139 will be to your glory during this year. And should 00:41:18.139 --> 00:41:24.099 you tarry until 1983, I pray that this will be 00:41:24.099 --> 00:41:26.539 the most fruitful year that any of us have ever 00:41:26.539 --> 00:41:30.760 known. in our personal witness, as well as in 00:41:30.760 --> 00:41:36.739 the ministry of our church. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:41:39.199 --> 00:41:43.500 I'd like for us to sing together a verse of what 00:41:43.500 --> 00:41:49.059 Mark is playing. What is that number, Mark? 297. 00:41:51.219 --> 00:41:51.679 297.