The sermon by David Green explores 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, focusing on the testimony of the church as evidence of Christ's resurrection. Paul refers to the Corinthian believers as 'brothers,' emphasizing their transformation through the gospel. The sermon highlights the church's role as a living testament to the resurrection, with baptism and the Lord's Supper serving as ordinances that symbolize Christ's death and resurrection. The speaker warns against non-saving faith, using Judas Iscariot as an example of superficial belief. Despite challenges and historical criticisms, the church's continued existence, especially in the face of persecution, underscores the truth of the resurrection. The sermon invites listeners to reflect on their faith and the transformative power of the gospel.

We're looking at the resurrection of Christ, and today we're going to look at verses 1 and 2. The testimony of the church. Testimony of the church. So 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1 & 2 it says, Now I make known to you brothers the gospel which I proclaimed as good news to you, which also you received in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I proclaim to you as good news, lest you believed for nothing." So as Paul begins this this new section here about the gospel of Christ, particularly the resurrection of Jesus, he calls witnesses. And the first witness that he calls is the testimony of the church.

Now he does not specifically mention the church in these two verses, but the church is implied. Recall that this is a letter to a church, a local visible church that existed in a particular time and a place, this one being the Church of Corinth. The very fact that these men and women had received the gospel message, that they had been miraculously changed with strong evidence of the power of the gospel, which is evidence of the resurrection of Christ. Notice how he addresses them. He writes to these people, to this church as brothers.

He recognizes them to be fellow believers. Paul himself had been changed by the power of the gospel. Remember, and we'll get to this a little bit later, as he lastly calls himself as a witness, but remember, Paul himself, he had once been a persecutor of churches. He had once been the enemy of Christ, but now he's been changed. He's a great missionary, he's an apostle, he's preacher of the gospel message that he once so despised.

And now he calls these people brothers. He recognizes them to be part of the family of God. He does this multiple times throughout this letter. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 10, I exhort you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all agree that there be no divisions among you but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. Chapter 2 verse 1, and when I came to you brothers, I did not come with superiority or word or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the witness of God.

Chapter 3 verse 1, And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to fleshly men, as to infants in Christ. Chapter 10 verse 1, he said this, For I did not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea. So time and again, even though this church, the Church of Corinth, had their flaws, even though he did sometimes have to rebuke them, he did call them brothers. And it wasn't just spiritual identity either. It was of love as well.

Chapter 15 and verse 58, Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. So my beloved brothers." And so as he opens up this section, he reminds them, what he's writing is nothing new, but this is simply the gospel which I preach to you, which also you received. This gospel that I proclaimed as good news to you. You received it, in which also you stand." The point here is that the gospel, this foundation, what he had preached. The Corinthian Church was living proof that the gospel is true.

The fact is that the church of Corinth, they were a mixture. Some of them had come from Judaism, some of them had come from paganism, but they had all come into the light and life of Christ. And all this is testimony to the power of the gospel. The fact that the Jews and Gentiles had come from their backgrounds of darkness, and now they were able to come together and be as one in Christ, as the Church of Jesus Christ, that this was evidence to the power of the resurrection. It was the gospel of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that Paul had preached to them that they had received and in which he assures that they now stand and by which they are saved, delivered from sin's power and condemnation because of this.

They, the church of Corinth, they, now, evidence, evidence, testimony of all of this that Jesus had done. And so now it is, even some 2, 000 years later. What was true then is true now. Even as it was in Corinth, so it is now. The Sovereign Grace Baptist Church exists today and stands as a testimony that Jesus rose from the grave.

Every time we meet, every year we exist, every member is a testimony to this fact. Jesus rose from the grave. He is alive. This church is a testimony to this fact. The fact that we meet is a testimony to this fact.

The ordinances are a witness to the resurrection. We are a church and as a church we have but two ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper. And so let's look at baptism. Baptism is a witness to the resurrection. Romans chapter 6.

Romans chapter six. Romans chapter six and verses three and four. It says, Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. As Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life.

Buried with him through baptism into death. We see that as the person goes into the water, down into the water, but then raised again, is brought up out of the water. Colossians out of the water. Colossians chapter 2, Colossians chapter 2 and verse 12. Having been buried with him in baptism in which you were also raised up with him through faith in the working of God who raised him from the dead.

So you see this is why baptism has to be immersion. We were buried with him and then raised again. This is why it has to be immersion. This is why it can't be the sprinkling or the pouring. It can't be the thrice immersion that some people do.

It's got to be buried in Rose again, once. Every believer needs to be, ought to be, baptized. And you need to be baptized to be a member of the church. But if all we ever talk about with baptism is church membership, then we miss out on the New Testament focus. What about Christ?

The picture. What are these passages talking about? Talking about Jesus, his burial and resurrection. But baptism is not the only church ordinance. We also have the Lord's Supper.

You say, well I thought the Lord's Supper pictured his death on the cross. And you're right, certainly it does. When we partake of the bread and the wine. Certainly a good picture of the death of our Lord on the cross. But do not forget what we read forget when we read there in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, verses 25-26, in the same way 26.

In the same way, he took the cup also after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me, for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. Comes. So we do the supper in his remembrance, remembering, recalling that that he is, that he did die, recalling that he is risen, because we do it till he come, remembering that he is alive, coming back again someday. And so the church is a testimony.

But not only in changed lives, the way we meet, the ordinances we do. But I want you to look at verse 2 of our text. He says, By which also you were saved, if You hold fast the word which I proclaim to you as good news, lest you believed for nothing." What confusion happens out of this second verse. Some people read this and they say, well, born again believer might lose his salvation, but that's not what he's teaching here. This is a warning against and about non-saving faith.

There are many who heard the word of the Lord, who heard the gospel message from Paul and from others, and they were saved by the power of the Holy Spirit they continued in the Word, and there was much rejoicing, but there were others who heard the word and they followed maybe for a time. Maybe even went through some motion of being baptized and joining the church but they did not continue in obedience to the word. In obedience to the word. It happened then and it happens now. The professing Christian who gives lip service to the Bible doctrine, to the church, to the Lord Himself, and then finally abandons it, rejecting it all in lifestyle, this is not a mark against the Bible.

This is not a mark against the church. This is not a mark against the gospel of Jesus Christ. But rather, this only shows that their salvation was never genuine. Take for instance Judas line. Take for instance Judas Iscariot.

He was an apostle. He was a member of the first church. He was a preacher. He was a treasure in the church. He was by all accounts doing everything right.

But he was only doing lip service to the Lord. He was only Superficial believer. He was not a genuine believer. And it all came out, the truth all came out when he betrayed Jesus there at the end. Jesus warned of such who had a useless vain faith.

And this is what Paul is telling the church of Corinth. Jesus, in his parables, he told of the sower, that some of the seeds of the gospel would fall on shallow or weedy soil. Sometimes there'd be tears that looked like wheat, but they're not. Jesus spoke of many kinds of fish being caught in the same net with the good being kept and the bad being thrown away. He warned of gates and He warned of gates and paths that seem right, but that lead to destruction.

An intellectual faith might lead a man to join a church, think highly about certain doctrines, even have a head knowledge of Jesus Christ, His Lordship, His death, His burial, His resurrection. But if that person has not received Him, then that faith is vain, it's useless. And that's what Paul is telling the church at Corinth. And so yes, there are some hypocrites in this world today. There were hypocrites then, and there are hypocrites now.

And we recognize that. These are the hardest to reach for Christ. Individuals who are individuals who are lost, but they believe that they're saved. That's not a mark against the church. That's not a mark against the church.

That's not a mark against the resurrection of Christ. Just because there are people in this world who say that they're saved and are doing terrible things in opposition of Christ, and that's been going on for 2, 000 years, That's not a mark against Christ. People bring that up all the time. They'll say, oh, well if Christianity is such a good thing, why? What about this?

What about that? And they'll bring that up all the time. The Crusades and the so-called Christians that'll blow up abortion clinics. And on and on we go. For every one or two or two dozen or group who does something terrible in the name of Christ, there are people all around this world who stand as a testimony to the truthfulness that Jesus rose from the grave.

The truthfulness that the Bible is true. Multitudes of witnesses for Christ's resurrection to be found. Men, women, entire churches who have held fast the Word of God. Even today There are churches that you and I have never heard of in Nigeria, China, North Korea, all over the Middle East, who are standing strong in the face of persecution. In the face of persecution.

And the history books don't even know the names of churches and peoples who have run the race well. Here in the United States too, There are hardships. It's not easy to serve the Lord. In the workplace, in the school, wherever it might be, but yet God's people continue. Why?

Because of Christ who died, was buried and rose again in spite of the problems. Let the devil, the world, and those who oppose might come against us. This is the testimony that he's speaking of here in this text. When he says to them, now I make known to you brothers the gospel which I proclaimed as good news to you, which also you received in which also you stand by which also you are saved if you hold fast the word which I proclaimed to you as good news, lest you believe for nothing. Over in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, this testimony was not just limited to the Church of Corinth, it was all over the known world.

World. First Thessalonians chapter 1. We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love, steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ before our God and Father, knowing brothers beloved by God your election. For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit with full assurance just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord having received the Word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit so that you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

He says in verse 8, for the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth so that we have no need to say anything. What a testimony that these believers had at Thessalonica. Same thing in Romans, Romans chapter 1 in verse 8. Romans 1 in verse 8, first I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. What a great testimony that was spoken of by from these believers.

A testimony that spoke of the lives that of the lives that have been changed. These men and women who had been saved. The testimony, as Paul wrote to Timothy, Paul wrote to Timothy, or 2 Timothy, chapter 1 and verse 5, being reminded of the unhypocritical faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. I am convinced is in you as well. And so as Paul had seen it in his own life, he saw it in the lives of others, changed lives, people, groups of people, churches, growth of Christianity all over the known world.

Men and women who met every week to worship the risen Savior and often in the face of fierce persecution. Persecution. Even today, we struggle with the flesh. We battle with our own sinfulness and wickedness. We have our own struggles in this world.

Why do we get up out of bed and come meet on a Sunday morning? It's cold outside and all those things. Perfect morning to sleep in. Not bother with any of it. But yet we do.

Why? Because we serve a risen Savior. Testimony. That Jesus rose again. John MacArthur wrote of this testimony and he said, a follower of Buddha writes of that religious leader and he said when Buddha died it was with that utter passing away in which nothing whatever remains.

Muhammad died at Medina June 8th, 632 at the age of 61. His tomb there is visited yearly by tens of thousands of Muslims. But they come to mourn his death, not to celebrate his resurrection. Yet the Church of Jesus Christ, not just on Easter Sunday, but at every service, So makes the victory of her Lord over death in the grave." Yes, yes beloved, the church, Church of Corinth gave witness to the resurrected Christ. Sovereign Grace Baptist Church gives witness to the resurrected Christ.

To the resurrected Christ. And every church who meet on the Lord's Day does the same. Every church who preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ, every church the last 2, 000 years without fail has given witness to the resurrected Christ. And so I ask you, If you're here today and you're hearing this sermon, listening online, do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for sinners, that he was buried and he rose again. Have you repented of your sins and trusted him?

Are you a witness of this truth today? May God add a blessing to the preaching of His word. Brother Barry, would you