In this sermon, Pastor Jeffrey Johnson explores the theme of resurrection, rooted in 1 Corinthians 15, and its foundational significance to Christian faith. He begins with a compelling question: how much would we give for eternal life? Drawing on both the example of baseball star Ted Williams, who had his body preserved in the hope of future revival, and the recent passing of a church member, Brother Wallace, Pastor Johnson emphasizes our universal desire to escape death. Yet, he explains, while people invest everything in worldly attempts to prolong life, they often overlook the true promise of eternal life found in Christ's resurrection.

Pastor Johnson walks through Paul’s teaching to the Corinthians, explaining how the resurrection is central to the gospel. He details the catastrophic consequences if the resurrection were denied: the Christian faith would be futile, the Bible’s integrity would collapse, and the hope of salvation would vanish. The resurrection is not just an abstract hope; it is the guarantee of forgiveness, transformation, and ultimate victory over sin and death. Using illustrations from Scripture, he emphasizes that Christ’s resurrection is both a promise and a prototype for believers’ future resurrection. The certainty of this hope, he urges, calls believers to surrender everything to God with trust and joy, just as one would trade temporary riches for eternal treasure.

As he concludes, Pastor Johnson challenges listeners, both those in the faith and those uncertain, to consider what they are willing to give up to follow Christ wholeheartedly. He recalls the words of a young church member, Molly, whose profound faith and willingness to entrust everything to God captures the heart of discipleship. In a closing call, he urges everyone to anchor their lives in the resurrection, embracing full surrender to God’s love and sovereignty as the path to everlasting life and true freedom from fear.

In this sermon, Pastor Jeffrey Johnson shares a heartwarming and powerful story about his son Britton’s baseball team, which was the worst in the league. The story focuses on a player named Wally, who struggled all season but in the final game, against all odds, hit a crucial ball that helped his team win. Wally’s triumph serves as a metaphor for the Apostle Paul’s transformation from Saul, a persecutor of Christians, to Paul, a “super-apostle.” Just as Wally was the least likely to succeed on the team, Saul was the least likely to become an apostle.

Pastor Johnson emphasizes that Paul's conversion is a story of grace—God’s unmerited favor. Paul acknowledges in 1 Corinthians 15:8-10 that he was the least of the apostles, unworthy of his role because of his persecution of the church. However, it was by God's grace that he was saved and became fruitful in ministry. Similarly, the sermon highlights that we, like Wally and Saul, are unworthy of salvation but are saved by grace alone. Just as Wally cleared the bases without skill, and Paul achieved great things despite his past, believers are called and saved not because of their merits but by God’s grace. The message concludes by reminding the congregation that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace, no matter their past or current circumstances.

This powerful sermon offers hope and encouragement, showing that God’s grace can transform anyone, making them spiritually fruitful despite their past mistakes or unworthiness.

In Jeffrey Johnson's sermon "The Fundamentals," he emphasizes the core, essential truths of the Christian gospel that cannot be compromised. He begins by referencing 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, where Paul reminds the Corinthians of the gospel message: Christ's death, burial, and resurrection according to the Scriptures. Johnson stresses that Christianity is not just about being a good person or vaguely believing in Jesus, but involves specific, non-negotiable beliefs. These include Christ's incarnation, sinlessness, death, burial, and resurrection.

The sermon addresses the issue the Corinthian church faced, which was influenced by Gnostic thinking that downplayed the physical body, focusing only on the spiritual. This led some Corinthians to deny the resurrection of the dead, which Johnson points out is a fundamental error. He argues that if Christians deny the bodily resurrection, they deny the gospel itself, because Christ’s resurrection is the foundation of Christian hope.

Johnson further explains that faith in the gospel is not just a one-time event but an ongoing commitment. Believing in the essentials of the gospel—Christ's death and resurrection—saves initially and continues to sustain the believer. He emphasizes that faith is not something we generate ourselves but comes from hearing the Word of God. Johnson highlights the importance of maintaining this faith and warns that failing to do so renders one’s belief vain. True faith in Christ is the only way to salvation, and it is faith in the power of the gospel, not in human wisdom or strength, that gives life and hope.

The sermon concludes by reminding listeners that faith is not about self-confidence or human effort but trusting fully in Christ’s work on the cross and His resurrection. This is how believers are saved and stand in grace—through the power of Christ, not their own.