Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

• Read 1 Corinthians 15 in its entirety (It’ll be worth it!). How would you summarize the connection between chapter 14 and 15? Is Paul addressing an entirely new subject or is there some connection that has been hinted at in the Sunday morning sermons?
• Look at vv. 1-2. Why would Paul need to remind the Corinthians of the gospel? (Verses 13-19 may be helpful in answering that question) Why is it significant that even in light of this, Paul still addresses the Corinthians as brothers?
• What is the four-fold description of the gospel Paul lays out in this passage? What is significant about the fact that the gospel Paul is reminding them of is the same gospel he preached to them? What was their response to the gospel when he preached it to them?
• What is the Corinthians current relationship to the gospel Paul describes in this passage? What does it mean that the Corinthians are currently standing in the gospel? How can Paul describe the Corinthians as currently being saved by the gospel, even though they already received the gospel?
• What is the condition Paul applies to all the truths he has laid out in this passage? Does this mean someone can lose their salvation? Then what does this mean? What does the final phrase (“unless you believed in vain”) indicate about what Paul believed about those who would fail to hold fast to the word he preached to them?
• The Sermon Study equipping class notes are available online for anyone wanting to dig deeper. Please review this week's notes to help study this passage. Click here for the notes.

Prayerfully Meditate

• How would you define the gospel? How does 15:3-4 define the gospel? According to 15:1-2 what does a salvific response to the gospel look like? What is the believer’s current relationship to the gospel?
• Does the gospel ever change? Why is this a good thing? What does that tell us about any change made to the gospel?
• According to this verse, is it necessary for a believer to persevere to the end in order to be finally saved? What other passages of Scripture also speak to this issue? How does this truth relate to the doctrine of eternal security?
• What does it tell us about someone if they walk away from the faith? Was their faith genuine or was it “in vain”?