“I Don’t Believe It!”
(2 Questions and an Answer)
1 Corinthians 15:14-19
Easter Sunday, March 23,
2008
“Personally, I don’t believe in God.
I believe in people and I believe in nature and
that’s enough for me.
I believe enough in myself to know that I will be
as moral as I need to be - for me- without having to
follow some other law (say, the 10 commandments).
I also believe that other people will behave in a
moral way for them because I don’t believe that people
are inherently evil.
I think everybody’s pretty decent, as a matter of
fact. And
this world, with all its ‘isms’ and faults, is still a
pretty cool place to be!”
Question #1: Why
Should Anyone Believe Anything At All?”
a.
►Because
believing is what we do…like
breathing
my computer will work, my spouse loves me (more than his/her old flame,
secretary, my sister!), my car will start,
my alarm will go off on time…ADD YOUR OWN!
A
glass of milk:
FRESH OR SOUR?
Use our senses:
trust (believe in) our taste
Use reason: trust (believe in) our ability to
judge
Test our senses: ask a friend to taste it (“Yes, it’s fresh”)
Test our reason:
Friend might say, “it’s fresh but it’s from a
different kind of cow. You’ll get used to it and learn
to like it!”
b.
►Because
we need to know which answer is the right one
What if my spouse doesn’t , my car won’t, my
alarm won’t
“I didn’t say you were ugly”
Guy’s Rule:
“If something I said …”
Causes for belief (Why DO I believe?) “I just always have.”
Reasons for belief (Why SHOULD I believe?)
“What if it’s true? What REASONS do I,
personally, have for believing one thing or another?”
Question # 2: Why should we believe the resurrection?
a.
►The
bodily resurrection of the man, Christ Jesus, is
essential to everything we expect from being Christians
1 Cor 15:3-8
For what I
received I passed on to you
as of first
importance: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,
that he was
buried, that he was raised on the third day according to
the Scriptures…
-
►The
“evidence” is overwhelming – “beyond any reasonable
(or unreasonable) doubt!”
…and that
he appeared to Peter,
and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to
more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time,
most of whom are still living…Then he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles,
and last of all he appeared to me …
Haggaman’s 12 Evidences
(acknowledged by all critics)
Jesus died – Jesus was buried – His death caused His
disciples to despair – The tomb was empty – The
disciples had experiences they thought were with the
risen Jesus – Those experiences transformed them from
doubters to bold proclaimers – The resurrection was the
early church’s central message – They preached Jesus’
resurrection in Jerusalem (where it happened) – The
church was formed, survived, and grew almost entirely on
the basis of the resurrection – Orthodox Jews who
believed made Sunday their celebration day – James
(Jesus’ brother) was converted to faith when he say the
risen Jesus – Paul changed his entire life focus based
on his experience.
►Answer:
You must believe what you know to be true!
Hitchens/Richards debate: “Do you believe the
virgin birth? Yes!
“Do you believe the resurrection? Yes! (Missed
opportunity!)
A cliff in Yosemite
(gravity)
(sometimes even when you suspect it might be true!)
A package at the airport
(terrorism)
A lump in your breast
(health indicators)
There are lots of things I believe to be true
There are lots of things I believe to be important
There are lots of things I believe to be meaningful,
helpful, useful, good, better, best.
They’re all based on what I KNOW
Recall the STATEMENT I read when I started
You must believe what you
know to be true.
What you believe impacts
your behavior.
“I
KNOW whom I have believed…”
“I
KNOW that my Redeemer lives…”
(and because He lives, I too shall live)
Invitation
