Jesus Is Better
Sermon Notes
Intro
Today we’re continuing our teaching series called Saturate, which is about learning how to live as instruments of grace. It’s about helping us to discover what it looks like to live as instruments of grace in our everyday relationships and city. Some of the concepts we’re teaching in this series come from a small group study guide written by Jeff Vanderstelt, and last week we talked about what is the church? We talked about how the church isn’t a building, it’s a people. It’s a group of people gathered not by race, ethnicity, or any other affinity except for the grace of Jesus. We’ve been saved and gathered by the grace of Jesus, but also sent by Jesus to live in our cities as everyday ministers, for the transformation of the world. The church isn’t a building, it’s a people. We don’t go to church; we are the church.
Now this week we’re talking about how Jesus is the better savior! Jesus is the better savior for your life, for my life, for the lives of the people we’re trying to reach in our city. I mean both skeptics and believers have things they want to be saved from. It’s things we want to change about our lives, but we’ve been powerless to change. What are some of those things for you?...What are some of the things you wish you could change about your life, but you’ve been powerless to do so?...Do you wish you weren’t so angry, so quick to erupt like a volcano?...Do you wish you weren’t so habitual, so addicted to certain things you know aren’t good for your life?...Do you wish you weren’t such a people pleaser, trying to gain people’s approval or feeling like you’re letting them down?...What are some things you’ve been powerless to change, things you want to be saved from?...Today we’re talking about how Jesus is the better savior, so let’s turn to 1stCorinthians 15 and get into it. You’ll find 1st Corinthians in last quarter part of your bible; we’ll be in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. Title of today’s message is Jesus is better, and the big idea is to rely on Jesus, instead of trying to be Jesus...Rely on Jesus, instead of trying to be Jesus!
Context:
Here’s your context. 1st Corinthians was written by the Apostle Paul who’s one of the strongest Christian leaders in history. He writes this letter to address issues Christians are facing in Corinth, and to teach them how to walk faithfully with Jesus. In our study of Ch. 15 we’ll learn what the gospel is, and 3 things about Jesus. We’ll learn #1 Jesus did it better, #2 Jesus does it better, #3 Jesus will make it better. Overall, we’ll learn Jesus is a better savior. Let’s check it out.
The Word:
1st Corinthians 15:1-4 states, “Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” Notice Paul’s talking about the gospel here. He says he wants to make it ‘clear’ for us. So, what’s the gospel? Paul’s about to teach us there’s 3 main parts to the gospel, and here’s the first.
Vs. 3, “For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ...” There’s the 1st part of the gospel...
#1 The gospel is about Jesus = Paul says the gospel is about Jesus. In the original Greek the word gospel means joyful news, and historically it was used to announce life changing events like a nation crowning a king or winning a war against an army. It was considered joyful good news for the people. The reason Jesus is such good news is because he came to be more than just another religious teacher, he came to be our savior! It’s what makes Christianity so different from all other religions, because in other religions you get a teacher not a savior. Buddhists have Gautama Buddha, Muslims have Muhammad, atheists have Richard Dawkins, and they’re all teachers teaching different versions of the same thing. They’re teaching there’s things you need to do, to escape this hurting world and have joy. Buddhists say follow the 8th Fold Path, Muslims the 5 Pillars of Truth, Dawkins says get rid of your God delusion. They’re all essentially teaching it’s up to you to save yourself, which we already established doesn’t work because there’s some things you can’t save yourself from. Christianity’s the only faith that teaches it isn’t about what you do, it’s about relying on what Jesus has done. It’s about relying on Jesus who proved he’s a far better savior than us when he defeated humanity’s greatest enemy which is death. The gospel is about relying on Jesus as your savior. It’s about relying on Jesus, instead of trying to be Jesus.
Again vs. 3, “For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ, died for our sins according to the Scriptures,” There’s the 2nd part of the gospel.
#2 The gospel is about Jesus dying for our sins = The gospel is about Jesus dying for our sins. The Greek word Paul uses is huper, which means on behalf of or in place of, and that’s what the gospel is about. It’s about how Jesus stood in our place on the cross to take the punishment we deserved to die for our sins. Humanity’s core issue is sin, it’s that we live for ourselves and not for God. We’re so self-centered it causes us to argue, lie, gossip, slander, hurt others, take more than we need, and the list goes on. Sin is what’s killing you, me, our relationships, our world. If you think you aren’t a part of the problem, you just proved you’re a part of the problem with your own self-righteous pride. Sin is the reason our world is so messed up and why we need a savior. We need Jesus to save us from the punishment we deserve for our sins, and to transform our hearts away from sin. We want free will, but we’re so destructive with our free will that God either has to save us or send us to eternal hell so the destruction of sin doesn’t last forever. If God lets sin last forever, then heaven won’t be any different than our world is now. If God lets sin last forever, then heaven won’t be heaven it’ll be hell. So, either Jesus pays for our sins now, or we pay for our sins later in hell, but either way sin has to be dealt with. The good news of the gospel is Jesus came to save us from hell and transform us into being more like him. It really is a brilliant plan, because Jesus could’ve given us another religious list to follow like every other religious leader, but we would’ve failed that list too! So instead of being given a list of 10 steps to a better you, you’re given a better savior who came to do what your will power couldn’t do. He came to live a perfect life, give up his life for your life, and transform you into being more Christ-like. He’s a much better savior than you. So rely on Jesus, instead of trying to be Jesus!
Again vs. 3, “For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ, died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...”There’s the 3rd part of the gospel.
#3 The gospel is about Jesus rising from the dead = It’s about Jesus rising from the dead. This is critical to the gospel being good news because the resurrection assures us there’s life after death. It assures us that Jesus really can take us to a better place after we die. If we follow Jesus, he’ll not only forgive us of our sins, but he’ll also give us an eternally better life with him. It’s what everybody wants including skeptics. Everybody wants a better life than the life we’re living. I never met anybody who’s said, “I’m really hoping to have a miserable life...” Nobody says they want to live a miserable life. We want to live a better life than the one we’re living. It’s why we love superhero movies so much! We love Star Wars, End games, all the Marvel spinoffs because they’re telling stories our hearts can connect with. It’s stories about being saved from evil and our suffering world. I had somebody recently tell me they even love it when villains like Thanos win, because it’s a realistic picture of life and how evil sometimes wins a few battles. The good news of the gospel is we’ll lose a few battles but not the war. The good news of the gospel is Jesus is a real superhero savior that guaranteed our victory through his resurrection. He guaranteed the best really is yet to come, for those who rely on him. So, rely on Jesus, instead of trying to be Jesus! The gospel is about #1 Jesus, #2 him dying for our sins, and #3 him rising again to prove it’s all true. To prove he really can forgive our sins and give us an eternally joyful life with him. But there’s so much more to the gospel than this, which we read in vs 1-2.
Again vs. 1-2 states, “Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand 2 and by which you are being saved...” Notice Paul says we received, stand, and are continually being saved by the gospel, meaning the gospel has past, present, and future implications. It means we don’t ever outgrow our need for the gospel. We don’t just need the gospel for salvation, we need it for everyday life and transformation. One of our codes here at City Awakening is the gospel is more than a way to eternal life, the gospel IS our life! We need to rely on the gospel, rely on Jesus for everyday life and transformation. There are 3 things we’re learning here about Jesus. We’re learning...
#1 Jesus Did It Better = We’re learning Jesus did it better, past tense. When Paul says we’ve received the gospel it’s in the past tense, meaning we’re saved not because of what we do, it’s because of what Jesus already did. We’re already saved, forgiven, loved, accepted by Jesus because he’s already lived a perfect life for us, and died on the cross instead of us. He already lived a more holy, perfect, better life than us which makes him a far better savior than us. Jesus allows us to rest in his perfection instead of soaking in the guilt of our imperfections. Have you been trying to outperform Jesus in holiness, thinking you can earn God’s love and acceptance with your good deeds and religious activities? Remember Jesus already walked in holiness better than you...Have you been trying to be the savior of your life in overcoming sin, beating yourself up with guilt over a particular sin, or feeling God loves you less when you sin? Remember Jesus already resisted sin better than you, and he already paid for that sin when he died for you! Have you been trying to be the savior for others, your weary from trying to fix everybody’s problems? Remember Jesus already proved he has the power to fix their problems better than you...You can rest your weary soul in his perfection, remembering he already lived a more holy, perfect, better life than you. Rest your weary soul remembering Jesus did it better because he’s a better savior. Jesus is a far better savior than you. So, rely on Jesus, instead of trying to be Jesus.
#2 Jesus Does It Better = Jesus did it better, but he also does it better. Paul said we received, but he also says we’re standing and continually being saved by the gospel, which is present and future tense. In other words, our need for Jesus isn’t just a past reality, it’s a present, future, ongoing reality. Jesus didn’t die for our sins only to leave us helplessly trying to figure out life on our own. Instead, he empowers us with his Spirit to live an entirely new life with him. The gospel is the good news about what Jesus has done for us in the past, but it’s also about what Jesus is continuing to do in the present and future. Have you been stuck in a pattern of habitual sin? Have you been feeling like that pattern can’t ever be broken in your life? Have you been feeling you can’t ever have new desires, new behaviors, a new life? Don’t try changing your life without Jesus, instead accept that he’s a better savior than you, and ask him to help change your heart. Ask him to reveal what needs to change in your life, and to walk with you as you make those changes. Jesus is willing to walk with you both now and forever.
Jesus rose from the dead, he’s still alive, and his Holy Spirit’s still working in our lives today. His life-giving power can break into your present weakness, and help you overcome sin. His life-giving power can help comfort and pick you up when you’re feeling down. His life-giving power can help transform your heart and relationships. His life-giving power can help guide you in your daily life. Isaiah 30:21, “Whether you turn to the right or the left your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way! Walk in it!’” Because Jesus is alive, we can finally live the life he created us to live. So don’t just rely on him for your past, rely on him for your present and future. The alternative is to walk this life without him, which won’t turn out well because there’s things you can’t win on your own. But Jesus did it better, Jesus does it better, because Jesus is a better savior than you. So, rely on Jesus, instead of trying to be Jesus.
#3 Jesus Will Make It Better = Jesus did it better, Jesus does it better, and Jesus will make it better. When Jesus rose from the grave, he put death to death! He came out of the tomb and put death in a tomb! He made death look like a nap! Jesus made death look like a nap, and if he has the power to remove the sting of death, then he has the power to remove the curse of sin and make this world far better than we could’ve ever hoped or dreamed. A time is coming when he’ll return and do just that. When he returns, he’ll make it all better by removing the curse of sin and death forever. Revelation 21:4 states, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” This means cancer will be gone! Brain tumors gone! Covid 19? Gone! Sickness, death, grieving at funerals, gone! Crying from depression, gone!...Struggles with sin, gone! Temptation, gone! It’ll all be gone because Jesus is coming back to make all things better. He’s coming back so that all who believe in him can enjoy an eternally perfect life, in an eternally perfect world, with our eternally perfect savior. Have you been living with fears, worries, insecurities about your future? Have you been trying to find security in other things? Jesus is the only one who has the power to secure your future. He’s the only one who can make sure everything turns out better in the end. Put your trust in him, and your eternal life and future will be safe in his hands. He’ll give you a new, perfect, better future, because Jesus did it better, does it better, and will make it better!
The Big Idea:
So here’s the big idea. It’s to rely on Jesus, instead of trying to be Jesus...Rely on Jesus, instead of trying to be Jesus. There’s no better savior than Jesus. Your spouse, your kids, your career, education, athletics...none of it will save and change your life like Jesus. We’ve tried it all, chased it all, been duped by it all thinking other things can save and satisfy us better than Jesus but it never does. Jesus is a better savior. You need Jesus for what you’ve done, for what you’re doing, and for what you will do. You need Jesus to save and sustain you. You and I both need a better savior than ourselves, and Jesus is that better savior!
We need to remember this as we seek to live as instruments of grace in our city. We need to remember our job isn’t to be Jesus in the city, it’s to rely on Jesus as we live in the city. It’s to rely on Jesus in our everyday lives so his life changing power will work in us and help transform other people’s lives through us. Jesus has the power to raise the dead to life, which means he has the power to change your life and the life of your friends. He doesn’t just want to make your life better, he also wants to make their lives better, transforming us and our world into being more wonderful like him. So, let’s live as instruments of grace in our city. Let’s rely on Jesus in our everyday lives as everyday ministers. Let’s rely on Jesus because he did it better, does it better, and will make it all better. Let’s rely on Jesus because Jesus is better! Let’s pray.