CORINTH

-Sermon Notes-

May 3, 2026

 

“Passing Heritages”(Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16/1 Peter 2:2-10/John 14:1-14)    

     My grandparents left me an inheritance; not financial, but something more valuable. One grandparent left me an inheritance of understanding the value of honesty, while others left inheritances of faith, love of people and forgiveness.  What kind of inheritance will you leave for your loved ones?

     Both the passage from the psalms and 1 Peter highlight the value of building our lives of faith on “the rock.” The Psalmist (David) and Peter often found themselves in difficult situations.  David was pursued by King Saul as a rival, then later hunted by his own son Absolum (his son wished to eliminate his father to assume the throne.)  David also found himself lamenting over his own moral failure.  In today’s passage, Peter encouraged the early church to construct their lives of faith on a “cornerstone,” which would provide a strong foundation during times of distress.   The inheritance David and Peter left for us?  Words of instruction: Build our lives on rock which will sustain our lives, not shifting sand.

     Jesus’ words from John’s gospel are part of what’s known as Jesus’ “farewell discourse.” This was the last time Jesus was alone with his disciples; just before today’s passage Jesus explained to them what was about to happen (his arrest, death and resurrection.) It is not surprising the disciples wouldn’t connect well to his words, since this is not what they expected to happen to the Messiah.  As a means of comforting and assuring the disciples, Jesus said to them “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”  Jesus went on to share more words of assurance and instruction, such as “My Father’s house has many rooms….I am going there to prepare a place for you.”  It is certainly difficult to summarize the ongoing legacy of Jesus, but we can say that part of the inheritance Jesus offers to us is security in the present and security for our future.  Security is a valuable inheritance in an insecure world filled with insecure circumstances.

     Again, each of us will leave an inheritance-we have no choice in the matter. But we can determine what kind of inheritance we will leave.  What will kind of inheritance will you leave?