We Believe

Sermon 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 February 10, 2019 Ordinary Time

We Believe

By the grace of God, I am what I am.

There are times when we are firm in what we believe, and there are times when our belief is fragile, and faltering.

Our foundational statement of who we are in God is the beginning of what we believe, how we speak it, and why we live it.

In this chapter, actually in the whole letter to the Corinthian church, Paul is making his case for the church to live and act like the church of Jesus Christ. He is especially concerned about the fundamental teachings and actions of the congregation there. Specifically, he is concerned about what is at the heart of the gospel message being conveyed.

Paul is reminding the congregation that they have received the message of the gospel. Which for Paul, the message received was much more than a text, or an email, or even a handwritten letter of information. A received message for Paul is a life changing event.

When Paul describes ‘the good news I proclaimed to you, which in turn you received’, he witnessed people recognizing a new power within them by the love of Christ in them. He witnessed himself completely transformed into a new way of living-an about face change of life and

change of motives and

change of foundational beliefs and

change of relationships with others-a radical new way of faith.

We believe the sky is blue, that roses are red, and a loved one can say, I love you.

We believe these things not just because someone told us that it is true.

We believe not just because we have said it over and over again.

We believe these things not just because it feels good to believe it.

We believe these things are true because we have experienced the blue sky, the red roses and someone saying, I love you.’

We know what it is for us to experience these things and

so it is out of our experience that we tell others.

And that is how the gospel message is passed down from generation to generation.

Out of our experience we have told the good news about Jesus and so we have come to believe.

Neibhur would call that experience revelation. Something has been revealed to us and it is remarkable to get our attention and to transform us within because of the experience.

Paul wants the church of Corinth to remember the Jesus that died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. We take this belief for granted because we have said it in the Apostle’s creed all of our life. But, these words are more than vain repetition, they are words that the church has staked its life on through the centuries. Paul makes this point here that the death and resurrection of Jesus is at the heart of the message of the gospel.

The fundamental understanding that God did indeed raise Jesus from the dead then brings the conclusion that God will indeed raise those who died in Christ as well.

This is the fundamental hope of the Christian church and is lived through the witness of those who have testified this to each generation as they grow in faith. Paul says to them, ‘God raised the Lord, and will also raise us by his power.’ (6:14)

What we believe shapes us.

It shapes how we act.

It shapes our ethics.

It shapes every way of our life.

That is why it is important to be reminded of our foundational beliefs,

what we were taught,

what we are teaching,

what we are saying is the core of our faith.

Paul states to the Corinthians the foundation of faith in Jesus is based on his death, burial, and resurrection.

This core belief is a call to action to live in a new way.

It is a call to action to live in the hope of new life given in Christ Jesus.

This new life empowers those who believe to live out the message of Jesus.

This new life gives strength and courage to act on it in all of life.

Those who went to the extreme to live the gospel message like Jesus lost their life for the sake of the poor and the sake of love. Bonhoeffer for one.

Think back to your first experience in the church.

Think back to one moment you remember about God.

Think back.

These moments shape us.

They shape our faith.

These moments whether positive or negative were foundational to our faith journey.

All of us stand as the link to how the gospel message is transmitted.

We are the mirror through which others see Jesus.

Perhaps, then the most important thing we can do as the church is to help each other articulate what the gospel message is for others to hear.

How has the message changed our lives?

How has the message shaped our decision making?

How has the message made a difference in how we treat others?

How has the message determined how we vote, or buy things, or handle our finances, or how we take of our kids, or the earth, or our pets, or…?

Has it made an impact on any of these things?

Let us be certain of our foundation of faith. Let us be assured by the words of the gospel. Let us be renewed by our core beliefs. Let us be called to action to a new way of living in this present day!

For it remains there will be times when what we believe is firm, and times it is fragile, and it is faltering…

…I am that I am but by the grace of God. Thanks be to God! Let faith, hope and love abide. Amen.