1 Corinthians 15:14-20 Thankful for the Murder of Christ – audio

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Text: 1 Corinthians 15:14-20

Introduction

This morning we studied how Stephen accused his listeners of being betrayers and murderers of Jesus Christ. I am very thankful that these things did happen!

Paul taught the Corinthians that Jesus had to die to rise again; if Christ had not risen, we would not have any hope of eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:14-20).

Thus, God gave us a gift that cannot be described (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Body

I. God gave us Jesus Christ.

A. God loved us so much that He gave us His only begotten Son (John 3:16).

B. The gift of Jesus Christ results in our justification from sin (Romans 5:16-18).

C. God’s gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

II. God gave us grace.

A. Grace is God’s gift for salvation, but must be accompanied by faith (Ephesians 2:8).

B. God gives us faith through study of His Word, another precious gift (Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

III. God gives us everything.

A. God gives us every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).

B. It was God’s will to bring us forth by the word of truth (James 1:18). His Son and Word are truth (John 14:6; 17:17).

Conclusion

As Joseph’s brothers intended harm for him but God for good (Genesis 50:20), so did the people harm Christ for evil but God meant it for good. I am thankful that Christ died for my sins and that through Him I can find salvation and everlasting life (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

“Gratitude…goes beyond the ‘mine’ and ‘thine’ and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.”—Henri J. M. Nouwen

“It is delightfully easy to thank God for the grace we ourselves have received, but it requires great grace to thank God always for the grace given to others.”—James Smith