Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from 1 Cor. 15. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Perhaps the most difficult and time consuming aspect of coaching is doing the “game-planning.” I’m certain the same is true of military officers – that the preparation and battle planning takes far more time than the actual fighting.
- Game plans and military plans are written out. They may be revised, but they are presented in writing, and the writing is to be carried out exactly and precisely. Coaches still coach, and generals, captains, lieutenants, and sergeants still give verbal instruction and encouragement, but what is spoken has to be accurate in reflecting the written words of the planning. Everyone needs to be on the same page.
- The same is true for most of life. We have job descriptions that we must conform to. We have laws that we have to adhere to. Owners and supervisors still use words – usually written words, to guide and dictate how projects are to be carried out, how the work is to be done. Contracts are written and they have to be followed faithfully. Further instruction may be given verbally, but what is spoken has to conform to what is written, lest there be breach of contract.
- It is no different when it comes to the work that God is doing in the world – and His work is far more important, far more blessed, and of much greater benefit than any other human endeavors. His work is our eternal salvation – our redemption, our renewed relationship of peace and love with Him, and our sanctification, a new life of love for one another.
- So there is writing – the Holy Scripture, and there is also speaking – preaching; but it is essential that the preaching accurately reflect, simply repeat, what God has caused to be written. And there is no change, no need for change, for God is perfect, God is truthful, and God knows immediately how to plan and also how to communicate His plan.
- None of this should surprise us, or be remarkable to us. So also it should not be surprising that God instructs us to “HOLD FAST TO THE WORD.” The Apostle Paul, in the words of our text, makes clear the importance of this.
I. The Word Of God Is A Written Word, Holy Scripture, And Also Preached – But It Is Always The Same Word
A. It Is The Assurance Of God’s Forgiveness Through The Sacrificial Death Of Jesus
Text: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.”
B. It Is The Assurance Of Justification – Being Declared Righteous By God – Through The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ
Text: “and that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”
Paul makes clear the significance of the resurrection of Jesus, which we are to grasp by faith in Jesus Christ:
Rom. 4:20-25 “No unbelief made [father Abraham] waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised. That is why his faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness.’ But the words ‘it was counted to him’ were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in Him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”
C. And By This Word We Are Being Saved
Text: “I remind you, brothers, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved.”
Statement: Note that Paul reminds these early Christians of His “preaching” to them, the gospel he preached, the Word of God that he preached. Then he connects his preaching to the Scriptures – and all genuinely Christian preaching is “in accordance with the Scriptures.” All of this is so that we may have absolute certainty in regard to the blessings of God – the forgiveness of all of our sins in the death of Jesus, the shedding of His blood for us on the cross as the sacrificial Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. And also the certainty of His resurrection and what it establishes forever – that we are justified, declared righteous in the sight of God, through His resurrection, so that we may be assured that we have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” and that we have God’s eternal salvation.
Application: This is not simply a “game plan” or a “battle plan,” but cosmic reconciliation for the huge and grotesque problem of human sin and guilt that afflict us all – God reconciling Himself to us so that we might be invited to be reconciled to Him, to live in His love, His clemency and mercy, to be friends with God now and beyond our death in His heavenly kingdom. This is what the Scripture asserts, and this is what Paul preached, and this is what God commands to be preached and proclaimed to this very day. This is why Christian preaching must conform absolutely to what is written – that the Word and plan of God be carried out in accord with His will.
Transition: We recognize the importance of clarity and understanding when it comes to plans, contracts, legal agreements, codes of conduct, and other legal descriptions. And so we can understand the need for accurate and clear preaching of God’s Word and the assurances of the Gospel, especially since:
II. This Word Of God Is Received, Embraced, And Held Fast By Faith
Text: “I remind you, brothers, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the Word I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.”
A. This Is The Work Of God Within Us, Through His Word
Text: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.”
Eph. 2:8,9 “By grace you are saved through faith, and that, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
B. So Let Us Take Care That We Not Receive His Word In Vain But Hold Fast To God’s Word In Faith – For This Is Of First Importance For Each Of Us
John 3:36 “He that believes the Son has everlasting life; he that does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Statement: As you can readily see, all of this is the gracious gift of God – what He has accomplished for us in Christ Jesus, His death and resurrection for our forgiveness, justification, and reconciliation with God; and also His clear and certain Word which calls us to faith and salvation, both in writing and in preaching. These gifts continue on down to this very day, inviolate and certain – the grace of God recreating and reclaiming human beings for fellowship with God and eternal life.
Application: This is what Easter is all about – the goodness of God’s love for us which also raises us up to newness of life. Just as certain as Christ’s resurrection is, so certain also is this powerful work of God’s grace in us to this very day.
So we can celebrate a rite of Springtime, or hope to have a bit of optimism infused into our lives, or we can hear the preaching, read the written Word, know and believe the love of God and the salvation that is ours through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and be empowered for a new life of service to God and man.
Conclusion: We should also note once again the importance of the absolute consistency of the preaching with God’s Word, that everything preached within the church must be “in accordance with the Scriptures.” It is, after all, God’s Word that we are talking about – His plans, His will, His gifts, His blessings; and what He is bestowing is salvation and eternal life, things that are of eternal and utmost consequence to human beings.
So it remains important for us to hear the preaching that brings faith, salvation, and new life, not just today, but every Sunday – whenever it is being preached. This is God’s will for you, and it is our eternal salvation. The plan of God matters, and the precise implementation of that plan matters! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.