MASENO UNIVERSITY CHRISTIAN UNION
Foundation of Christian Faith
Preached by Martin Mwathi — Maseno University Christian Union
Sermon Overview
## The Unshakeable Foundation of Christian Faith
Drawing a powerful analogy to the Titanic, a ship once deemed unsinkable but ultimately brought down by a hidden flaw below the waterline, Pastor Martin Mwathi challenged the Maseno University Christian Union to examine the true foundation of their faith. While many in Kenya identify as Christian, he posed a critical question: "When your faith is questioned, when suffering comes, when someone asks you how do you know that Christianity is true, what is underneath your faith? What is your faith built upon?"
He asserted that 1 Corinthians chapter 15 provides the answer, taking us back to the cross, the resurrection, and Christ as the solid foundation. The Christian faith, he declared, is founded on the gospel, revealed in the scriptures, centered on Christ's death and resurrection, and confirmed by the reality of the risen Christ.
### Christ: The Heart of the Gospel We Stand Upon (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, reminds the Corinthians of the gospel he preached, which they received, in which they stand, and by which they are being saved. Pastor Mwathi highlighted that salvation has three tenses:
* **We were saved (Justification):** Made right with God through Christ's death on the cross.
* **We are being saved (Sanctification):** Being made more like Christ daily, growing in love for God and hatred for sin.
* **We will be saved (Glorification):** Rescued from the very presence of sin in the future.
This gospel, he explained, is not a human invention but a divine plan. Its content is foundational: Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; He was buried; and He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures. The phrase "according to the Scriptures" is crucial, signifying that these events were not accidental but divinely predicted and fulfilled.
Pastor Mwathi expounded on how the Old Testament meticulously prophesied Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection:
* **Suffering and Bearing Sins:** Isaiah 53:5-6 predicted the Messiah would suffer for our transgressions and bear our iniquities.
* **Burial with the Rich:** Isaiah 53:9 foretold His burial with the rich, fulfilled in Matthew 27 with Joseph of Arimathea's tomb.
* **Not Remaining in the Grave:** Psalm 16:10 declared that God would not abandon His Holy One to the grave, a prophecy fulfilled by Christ's resurrection, as Peter preached in Acts 2.
* **Mockery and Rejection:** Psalm 22 described the Messiah being mocked and ridiculed, which Jesus experienced on the cross.
* **Intense Suffering and Garment Division:** Psalm 22 detailed the Messiah's intense suffering, even down to the division of His garments (Psalm 22:18) and His cry of abandonment (Psalm 22:1, echoed by Jesus in Matthew 15:34).
These fulfillments demonstrate that the gospel was not an emergency plan, but God's predetermined design. The Bible, as God's authoritative and divinely inspired Word, is a consistent narrative of God's rescue of humanity through Jesus Christ. It is the most historically accepted document, and though not every story is explicitly about Jesus, it all points to Him.
### The Resurrection: The Proof of the Faith We Hold (1 Corinthians 15:5-19)
The resurrection of Jesus is not mere wishful thinking but a historical reality. Paul provides compelling evidence through numerous eyewitness accounts:
* **Cephas (Peter):** Jesus appeared to Peter.
* **The Twelve Apostles:** He appeared to the apostles.
* **Over 500 Brothers at Once:** A large group of people saw Him, many of whom were still alive when Paul wrote this letter, able to testify.
* **James:** His brother, who was initially a non-believer, encountered the risen Christ.
* **All the Apostles:** A collective appearance.
* **Paul Himself:** His dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus was a personal encounter with the risen Christ.
Beyond external witness, the resurrection's power is evident in the **transformed lives** of those who encountered Him. Peter, who denied Jesus, became a bold preacher. James, a skeptic, became a leader in the early church. Paul, a persecutor, became the greatest apostle. This internal evidence of changed hearts and lives, even to the point of martyrdom for many apostles, powerfully attests to the reality of the risen Christ.
Pastor Mwathi then explored the dire consequences if Christ had not been raised:
* **Our preaching would be empty.**
* **Our faith would be empty.**
* **The apostles would be false witnesses.**
* **We would still be in our sins.**
* **Those who died in Christ would have perished.**
* **We would be pitied above all people, with hope only for this life.**
However, the glorious truth is that **Christ HAS been raised from the dead!** Because of this reality:
* Our preaching has substance.
* Our faith has a solid foundation.
* The apostles' testimony is trustworthy.
* Our sins can be forgiven.
* Death is not the end; it is conquered.
* Our hope extends beyond the grave, promising eternal glory and resurrected bodies.
The cross deals with the problem of sin, but the resurrection declares victory over death. It gives us forgiveness and hope beyond the grave.
### Living on the Solid Rock
Pastor Mwathi concluded with three vital calls to action:
1. **Commit to Christ as Your Sole Foundation:** Build your life, identity, and hope on Christ's death and resurrection, not on family background, friends, beauty, money, abilities, or even church attendance. When storms come, only Christ will keep you standing. Trust Him through suffering, uncertainties, temptations, and even death, knowing His love and sovereignty.
2. **Read and Obey the Scriptures:** Since the resurrection happened "according to the Scriptures," we can fully trust God's Word. It is not enough to merely hear; we must be doers of the Word (James 1:22). Let the Scriptures be the supreme authority in your life, shaping your worldview, relationships, and actions.
3. **Hold Fast to Christ in All Circumstances:** Like Paul, who endured immense suffering but held firmly to Christ, we are encouraged to persevere. Our journey is towards an eternal home, and our hope in the risen Christ empowers us to face life's hardships with unwavering faith.
### Key Takeaways
- Build your life on Christ alone, whose death and resurrection form the unshakeable foundation of our faith, rather than on fleeting worldly achievements, relationships, or personal abilities.
- Embrace the core truths of the Gospel: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day, all in precise fulfillment of the Scriptures.
- Trust and obey the Scriptures as God's authoritative and divinely inspired Word, allowing it to shape every aspect of your life, knowing its prophecies concerning Christ prove its reliability.
- Find enduring hope and ultimate victory in the risen Christ, understanding that His resurrection validates our faith, ensures forgiveness of sins, and guarantees life beyond death.
- Stand firm in your faith amidst suffering, temptations, and challenges, remembering that Christ has conquered death and that our hope in Him empowers us to persevere until our eternal home.
Drawing a powerful analogy to the Titanic, a ship once deemed unsinkable but ultimately brought down by a hidden flaw below the waterline, Pastor Martin Mwathi challenged the Maseno University Christian Union to examine the true foundation of their faith. While many in Kenya identify as Christian, he posed a critical question: "When your faith is questioned, when suffering comes, when someone asks you how do you know that Christianity is true, what is underneath your faith? What is your faith built upon?"
He asserted that 1 Corinthians chapter 15 provides the answer, taking us back to the cross, the resurrection, and Christ as the solid foundation. The Christian faith, he declared, is founded on the gospel, revealed in the scriptures, centered on Christ's death and resurrection, and confirmed by the reality of the risen Christ.
### Christ: The Heart of the Gospel We Stand Upon (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, reminds the Corinthians of the gospel he preached, which they received, in which they stand, and by which they are being saved. Pastor Mwathi highlighted that salvation has three tenses:
* **We were saved (Justification):** Made right with God through Christ's death on the cross.
* **We are being saved (Sanctification):** Being made more like Christ daily, growing in love for God and hatred for sin.
* **We will be saved (Glorification):** Rescued from the very presence of sin in the future.
This gospel, he explained, is not a human invention but a divine plan. Its content is foundational: Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; He was buried; and He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures. The phrase "according to the Scriptures" is crucial, signifying that these events were not accidental but divinely predicted and fulfilled.
Pastor Mwathi expounded on how the Old Testament meticulously prophesied Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection:
* **Suffering and Bearing Sins:** Isaiah 53:5-6 predicted the Messiah would suffer for our transgressions and bear our iniquities.
* **Burial with the Rich:** Isaiah 53:9 foretold His burial with the rich, fulfilled in Matthew 27 with Joseph of Arimathea's tomb.
* **Not Remaining in the Grave:** Psalm 16:10 declared that God would not abandon His Holy One to the grave, a prophecy fulfilled by Christ's resurrection, as Peter preached in Acts 2.
* **Mockery and Rejection:** Psalm 22 described the Messiah being mocked and ridiculed, which Jesus experienced on the cross.
* **Intense Suffering and Garment Division:** Psalm 22 detailed the Messiah's intense suffering, even down to the division of His garments (Psalm 22:18) and His cry of abandonment (Psalm 22:1, echoed by Jesus in Matthew 15:34).
These fulfillments demonstrate that the gospel was not an emergency plan, but God's predetermined design. The Bible, as God's authoritative and divinely inspired Word, is a consistent narrative of God's rescue of humanity through Jesus Christ. It is the most historically accepted document, and though not every story is explicitly about Jesus, it all points to Him.
### The Resurrection: The Proof of the Faith We Hold (1 Corinthians 15:5-19)
The resurrection of Jesus is not mere wishful thinking but a historical reality. Paul provides compelling evidence through numerous eyewitness accounts:
* **Cephas (Peter):** Jesus appeared to Peter.
* **The Twelve Apostles:** He appeared to the apostles.
* **Over 500 Brothers at Once:** A large group of people saw Him, many of whom were still alive when Paul wrote this letter, able to testify.
* **James:** His brother, who was initially a non-believer, encountered the risen Christ.
* **All the Apostles:** A collective appearance.
* **Paul Himself:** His dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus was a personal encounter with the risen Christ.
Beyond external witness, the resurrection's power is evident in the **transformed lives** of those who encountered Him. Peter, who denied Jesus, became a bold preacher. James, a skeptic, became a leader in the early church. Paul, a persecutor, became the greatest apostle. This internal evidence of changed hearts and lives, even to the point of martyrdom for many apostles, powerfully attests to the reality of the risen Christ.
Pastor Mwathi then explored the dire consequences if Christ had not been raised:
* **Our preaching would be empty.**
* **Our faith would be empty.**
* **The apostles would be false witnesses.**
* **We would still be in our sins.**
* **Those who died in Christ would have perished.**
* **We would be pitied above all people, with hope only for this life.**
However, the glorious truth is that **Christ HAS been raised from the dead!** Because of this reality:
* Our preaching has substance.
* Our faith has a solid foundation.
* The apostles' testimony is trustworthy.
* Our sins can be forgiven.
* Death is not the end; it is conquered.
* Our hope extends beyond the grave, promising eternal glory and resurrected bodies.
The cross deals with the problem of sin, but the resurrection declares victory over death. It gives us forgiveness and hope beyond the grave.
### Living on the Solid Rock
Pastor Mwathi concluded with three vital calls to action:
1. **Commit to Christ as Your Sole Foundation:** Build your life, identity, and hope on Christ's death and resurrection, not on family background, friends, beauty, money, abilities, or even church attendance. When storms come, only Christ will keep you standing. Trust Him through suffering, uncertainties, temptations, and even death, knowing His love and sovereignty.
2. **Read and Obey the Scriptures:** Since the resurrection happened "according to the Scriptures," we can fully trust God's Word. It is not enough to merely hear; we must be doers of the Word (James 1:22). Let the Scriptures be the supreme authority in your life, shaping your worldview, relationships, and actions.
3. **Hold Fast to Christ in All Circumstances:** Like Paul, who endured immense suffering but held firmly to Christ, we are encouraged to persevere. Our journey is towards an eternal home, and our hope in the risen Christ empowers us to face life's hardships with unwavering faith.
### Key Takeaways
- Build your life on Christ alone, whose death and resurrection form the unshakeable foundation of our faith, rather than on fleeting worldly achievements, relationships, or personal abilities.
- Embrace the core truths of the Gospel: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day, all in precise fulfillment of the Scriptures.
- Trust and obey the Scriptures as God's authoritative and divinely inspired Word, allowing it to shape every aspect of your life, knowing its prophecies concerning Christ prove its reliability.
- Find enduring hope and ultimate victory in the risen Christ, understanding that His resurrection validates our faith, ensures forgiveness of sins, and guarantees life beyond death.
- Stand firm in your faith amidst suffering, temptations, and challenges, remembering that Christ has conquered death and that our hope in Him empowers us to persevere until our eternal home.
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