Acts 13:34
"Now as concerning that, he raised him from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David."
So when did Christ become the only begotten Son? At His resurrection! See, and this is why we're stressing, at least we hope we are, that salvation can be through no other way but through Christ’s death, burial and resurrection coupled with the revelation of the Lord's Covenant meal His Last Supper. Now turn to I Corinthians 15 again. For most of us this is over and over and over, but this is still the plainest portion of Scripture to reveal this Gospel of the Grace of God. This is where every lost and unbelieving person has to come. There is no redemption or salvation outside of the revelation of this death, burial and resurrection and our ascension in Him spiritually.
Now you know that raises a lot of eyebrows. We had someone just the other morning say that their pastor (boy, I’d hate to be in his shoes) had said that after all, Christianity isn’t the only approach to God, there are many. Well, we’ve got news for him. He’s going to suddenly be shocked when he gets into eternity unless he has a change in the meantime because there IS ONLY ONE WAY. And another person said and had the same kind of a situation and the pastor had more or less said the same thing. And so he says on his way out, "Well, what do you do with John 14 verse 6? "I am the way the truth and the life, no man comes unto the Father but by me." And you know what that preacher said, "Well, that doesn’t mean what it says." Well, that’s a cop out, see? A blatant lie and just plain ignorance or a blind guide leading the blind. That is exactly what Matthew chapter 22 and verse 5 calls "making light of Christ's Gospel". Lets take a look at it:
Matthew 22:1-4, 5 "And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king (God the Father), which made a marriage for his son (Christ Jesus), and sent forth his servants to call them (Israel) that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come (they refused His offers). Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage (this is seen in Acts no less then six times).
But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise (this speaks of both Israel and the Gentiles who ignore His Gospel which He gave to Paul His chosen Apostle, or messenger.)."
It DOES mean what it says. There IS only one way and there is no other religion on earth that can make that claim, because Christianity is the only one that teaches resurrection from the dead and Eternal Life. The others don’t mention it. Christianity alone teaches a resurrection from the dead. Not just a matter of dying and going to heaven but there is coming a resurrection day. Christianity alone stands on that premise. And that’s why Paul writes in the 11th chapter the Lord's last supper and then in the 15th chapter of Corinthians, in which there is more teaching on resurrection than all the rest of this Book put together and probably more than all the other religious books in the world.
And what’s the whole vortex of it? That if Christ be not raised from the dead then you are yet in your sin. And we’ve had some examples. Scientists especially and we’ve got one man in particular and he’s going to recognize it as soon as we share it. He said, "You know for the longest time I went to church and I had no problem with Christ’s crucifixion, that He died and that He shed His blood and that He was buried. But as a scientist I couldn’t accept the resurrection. But by that I saw that I was nothing more than a church member. But when I suddenly saw how that you constantly emphasized the resurrection, the Lord opened my heart and I could believe it. That yes, Christ was raised from the dead. And that’s where our Salvation lies."
We’ve probably got multitudes of church members who believe like this man did, that Christ died the horrible death of the crucifixion but would not accept the resurrection. Without it, they’re lost. Alright, now look at I Corinthians and this is why the resurrection is at the core of our belief system. Remember now, this is all coming from "this day have I begotten thee." What day? The day He was raised from the dead.
I Corinthians 15:1-2
"Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel (not a gospel – but rather This Gospel of salvation) which I preached to you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand; (as a believer, positionally we have to first receive before we can ever truly believe. Now the next verse and plainer English could never be written.) By which (that is this Gospel) you are saved (or redeemed), if you keep in memory what I preached to you unless you have believed in vain." Now here is Paul’s Gospel!
1Corinthians 11:23-32
“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread (the New Testament symbol of the Lambs body): And when he had given thanks, he brake it (for our spiritual reunion in Him), and said, Take, eat: this is my body (as the pascha Lamb), which is broken (through which we are healed or conjoined to Him) for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament (the promised New an Eternal Covenant) in my blood (the power of an Endless Life, for life is in the blood): this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come (He be re-birthed in us). Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup (the garden cup to which He said never the less not My will but They Will be done) of the Lord, unworthily (by making light of Christ and His witness and His witnesses), shall be guilty (remain in their sin as a lawless or wicked one) of the body and blood of the Lord (an enemy of the cross and blood of Christ as they trample them under foot). But let a man examine himself (this is the purpose of being placed by God in the first estate under the tutorship of the Holy Spirit), and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily (in a wicked manor), eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged (self examination), we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
and then he says.
I Corinthians 15:3a
"For I delivered to you first of all (because he was the one to whom this whole concept was revealed) that which I also received,…"
In other words, as we just said he even had to first receive it then he could say, the God of Glory appeared to this raging persecutor of those followers of Jesus of Nazareth - and converted him there outside Jerusalem and Damascus - took him into the desert and unloaded on him all of these new concepts (Grace working within us) of salvation by trusting, in His faith alone in the death, burial and resurrection. You see Jesus had to go before us all as our fore runner or as our chief leader. This was unknown before. Alright, now look what he said.
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