CHRIST'S BURIAL
"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached 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 preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and THAT HE WAS BURIED, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" - 1 Cor 15:1-4

Devotion 1 of 14

INTRODUCTION
  The Gospel of Christ is delivered to men! Thus it is written, "I delivered  unto you first of all . . . that Christ died for our sins . . . was buried and . . . rose again."  This is the message given to men in order that they may be saved. Every individual that hears the Gospel must do something with it. They must receive it, believe it, respond to it, and keep it in memory! This is a message with heavenly priority! It is never in order to place it in the background, and it is always righteous to place it in the foreground! 
 
   If ever there was a time when emphasizing the Gospel was in order, it is in our time. A conspiracy against the Gospel of Christ has been promoted by the prince of darkness. Everything from novelties to supposed social issues have upstaged the Gospel--not to mention religious music and entertainment. This is a tragic situation with which few have come to grips. I am persuaded heaven views this circumstance with great sobriety and concern. An obscured Gospel  produces a spiritual environment characterized by "a form of godliness" that "denies the power thereof" (2 Tim 3:5).

  The Corinthians were in much the same situation. They had allowed personal interests and showcase religion to overtake their assembly. The sins of division (1 Cor 3:3), inconsiderateness (1 Cor 11:21ff), covetousness (1 Cor 6:4ff),  fornication (1 Cor 5:1ff), and competition (1 Cor 12:21ff) had permeated their  gatherings. Their conduct around the table of the Lord was so contemptible that God had stricken some of their number with illness. Some had even died under
the chastening hand of the Lord because of their contempt for His table (1 Cor 11:29ff). As serious as their condition was, it appears that Paul stood virtually alone in his concern for that faltering church.

  Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Paul takes the Corinthians back to the Gospel. They had forgotten the glorious message, and stood in need of a reminder of its indispensability and power. The adversary had successfully turned their eyes inward instead of upward. The Apostle does not give them a routine or discipline to correct their wayward behavior. Rather, he again proclaims the Gospel to them. He speaks to their hearts to arrest their downward plummet.

  It is confounding how very few religious leaders appeal to the Gospel to correct the digression of professed believers. If progress is not being made in the faith, the modern "clergyman" will accommodate the "church program" to the disinterested people. Others will schedule some form of religious entertainment to rally the people. The man of God will shine the jewel of redemption! "Times have changed," we are told, "which means our strategies must change." However, saying such things do not make them so. The Gospel of Christ is global not provincial. Its applicability spans all ages, and is not confined to certain historical period. When preached insightfully and with power, it still addresses the real needs of humanity.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in Jesus' name, give me grace to detect and avoid any teaching that minimizes the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

-- TOMORROW: IN DEFENSE OF BURIAL --