I BELIEVE --- GOD THE SON --- IDENTITY & BIRTH

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his [glory], the [glory] of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14

“And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”

Romans 1:6

This is second message in our summer sermon series on the Apostles Creed. Last week, on Father’s Day we looked at the reason the Apostles Creed came to be. This creed was used to state what the early believers believed. In fact, the word, “creed” comes from “credo” which means “I believe.” I hope by the end of our series that you will have created your own “CREDO”! Do you remember that the early church used this creed as their baptismal confession? If you wanted to join the church—way back in the second century—you needed to proclaim your faith in the TRINITY: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Whenever I sit down and create the yearly preaching calendar, it is an understatement to say it’s a light and happen event. It’s a huge responsibility for me as your pastor to pray about what need to look throughout the year. As I sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit on what to do for the summer, I kept thinking about what we believe as a church. What do we believe and how did the church decide on that? As I studied the Apostle’s Creed, I also saw that it was dubbed the Believer’s Creed. I like that. As we go line by line, maybe you will discover what you believe, too.

Join we me and repeating the Apostles Creed:

Apostles’ Creed

1. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;

2. and in Jesus Christ, His only (begotten) Son, our Lord;

3. who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,

4. suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried;

He descended into hell;

5. the third day he rose again from the dead;

6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

7. from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost,

9. the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,

10. the forgiveness of sins,

11. the resurrection of the body,

12. and the life everlasting. Amen.[i]

Let us pray. “Our Lord and our God, we come today to seek Your Living Word. Help us to see the wonderful things in Your Words of life and love. Help us to embrace these truths and learn to live by them. Amen”

We have two New Testament readings today. The first comes from the opening chapter of John and the second from the opening chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Let us listen for God’s Word about His one and only Son.

John 1:1-4

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his [glory], the [glory] of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.[ii]

Romans 1:1-7

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6 And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.[iii]

PART ONE: God The Father

The Apostles’ Creed goes way back. First written down in 140 AD and is till here 1,880 years later! What in the world keeps a document around that long? Let’s take a look!

I find it fitting that the first line of the CREED is: I believe in GOD, THE FATHER Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth! In this first line we are saying that God is our parent—our FATHER.

Last weekend was Father’s Day and families and friends gathered around our nation to celebrate Fathers. Just last week I was at an event where 8 men were gathered. We talked about our dads. Of the 8 of us, one had a really great dad who taught him everything. On the way home from another meeting on that day, my wife called. We have a car with a speaker phone and there were 3 guys in the car. My wife asked how our first meeting went. I shared just a little about our statistics: 1/8 of us had a really great dad. My wife’s reply was simple, “I wish all of you guys had a dad like mine. My dad is my hero.” One of the guys said, “I wish I did, too.”

I happen to be married to a woman whose father is her hero and who’s become my hero, too. I’ve known Andy for 47 years. I’ve never seen him lose his temper—although he does get worked up over politics. I’ve never seen him throw anything or hit anything. Here’s what really impresses me about her dad. For 47 years, I’ve listened to my wife talk to her dad on the phone. This is always the opening phrase: “Hello, Daddy oh!” Do you know what he calls my almost 65-year-old wife? He calls her “Baby doll” or “Baby” or “Sweetheart.” Whenever we visit, Andy, always kisses his daughter on her forehead as he calls her, “Baby doll.” Jac really meant it when she told the 3 of us in my car that day, “I wish everyone had a dad like mine.”

It made me stop and think. You know what? WE really DO. If we believe in God, then we have the same heavenly Father. And just like the first line in the creed says, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth…” In this first line we are saying, “I believe God is my father.”

Continuing on: God, the Father Almighty…is the maker of heaven and earth. Do you know what “almighty” means? OUR FATHER HAS ABSOLUTE POWER OVERALL. Our heavenly father has absolute power over all and is the maker of heaven and earth.

Here’s your first “So What?” for the creed: We are standing by our favorite river, lake, ocean spot, waterfall or whatever body of water you love. Do you have it in your mind? It’s time for you to be baptized. You are in a white robe. Your family, friends and church family are there with you. You wade out into the water, and you proclaim part one of the Trinitarian creed: “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth” and the pastor dunks you under the water for the first time. What we are saying is that we believe God is our parent, our Father, and that our father has absolute power over everything that our Father has ever created.

PART TWO: God the Son --- Jesus The Christ ---

Now we move on to Part two. The late and beloved scholar of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), W. E. Garrison, declared there were two high tides in the Christian year: the night of the nativity, and the morning of the resurrection. While they are real events in time, they are also timeless, mysterious, and symbolic. No one can fully comprehend what happened in Bethlehem any more than one can understand what happened in Jerusalem. If one can accept history and common observation, these events shaped one’s comprehension of life and continue to have a transforming potency.[iv]

Part two is about the second figure of the Trinity: JESUS. As you can see, lines 2-7 belong to Jesus. The essential message is about Christmas and Easter: Emmanuel, God is with us; and the risen, living Christ! Part two of The Apostles’ Creed now takes us through Christmas, Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter as it unfolds the truth of Jesus.

Jesus is the name that Michael the Arch Angel gave to Mary when he announced to her the Good News of her pregnancy. “…the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’”[v]

The name “Jesus” is Greek and comes from the Hebrew name for “Joshua” which means “God is Savior.” By giving him the name Jesus, this identifies Jesus as a historical person: Jesus was Mary’s son. Jesus was the son of Joseph, a carpenter. Jesus worked in His father’s carpentry business until he was thirty years old and then Jesus began His ministry of healing, of miracles and of resurrections. Jesus labored for three years as a rabbi teaching that the Kingdom of God had come. He was put to death around 30 A.D. by Pontius Pilate. After Christ’s death, His followers became known as CHRISTIANS.

Part two, line two, starts with: I believe in Jesus Christ. Here’s some trivia on the word “Christ.” “Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew word “Messiah.” Christ equals Messiah. The name “Christ” is a title, it is not Jesus’ last name. When we say “Jesus Christ,” it means “Jesus the Messiah.”

The title Christ also expresses the claim that Jesus fulfilled all three ministries that are anointed with the title in Old Testament times: a prophet (a messenger from God,) a priest (one who mediates with God for us by sacrifice) and a king. So, Jesus Christ literally means: Jesus, the Messiah, the prophet, the priest and the king. Christ is a pretty impressive title. This is what we are saying when we recite the first two line: I believe God is my father who has power over all my father has ever created. Line two: I believe that Jesus is the messiah, the Christ.

We now go on to proclaim that this Jesus Christ is God’s only Son.

John 3:16 says it best but in order to fully understand 140 AD and to fully understand John 3:16, we need to hear it in the King James Version. “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son…” And there it is, right there in line 2: And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. Begotten has long been removed in today’s version but what it meant was the Jesus was the direct reflection and reproduction of the glory of God the Father Almighty. Jesus is God’s one and only Son.

Our Lord

Legend has it that sometime in the first century, a wealthy merchant was traveling through the Mediterranean world. He was looking for the distinguished Pharisee, Paul, when he encountered Timothy. Timothy arranged a visit between the merchant and Paul. Paul, at the time, was a prisoner in Rome. Stepping inside the cell, the merchant was surprised to find a rather old man, physically frail, but whose serenity and magnetism challenged the visitor. They talked for hours. Finally, the merchant left with Paul’s blessing. Outside the prison, the merchant inquired, “What is the secret of this man’s power? I have never seen anything like it before.” Timothy replied, “Did you not guess? Paul is in love.” The merchant looked bewildered. “In love?” “Yes,” Timothy answered, “Paul is in love with Jesus Christ.” The merchant looked even more bewildered. “Is that all?” Smiling, Timothy replied, “Is that all? That, my friend, is everything.”[vi]

So What?

We now move on to proclaim that Jesus is our Lord. Christianity is a crazy thing. The Church is a crazy thing. There are all these “rule” of accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. And there’s a million debates on how you can accept Christ as your Savior but not as your Lord. I want to go to the WORD. Here is what Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”

I was 12 when I first accepted Jesus as my Savior. I believed in Jesus because I wanted to go to heaven to see my brother, Gary. For the next ten years, I learned what it means to accept Jesus as my Lord. I was 27 when I knew that. Ten years later, I felt the call to go into full-time ministry. It took me three years of battling the “What ifs” before I told my wife. What if I give up everything, we’ve worked so hard to get? What if I walk away from security? What if I’m really bad at ministry? What if we never have much of anything? Is Jesus enough? If Jesus is my Savior and my Lord can I trust His call? “FOLLOW ME, Dave, and I will make you a fisher of people.”

I know you guys. I know that some of you are struggling with God’s call on your life right now. I know that some of you are wrestling with God’s call and with your own call for your life. Here’s your “SO WHAT?” for the week: IS JESUS ENOUGH? Is God my father, and is Jesus my Savior and Lord? Is Jesus all I need? Or do you need more than Jesus? It’s the age-old wrestling match: is JESUS enough?

Let’s pray:

God the father and God the son and God the Holy Spirit---HELP us to know what we believe, increase our faith and increase our trust in YOU. God, help us. Help us to stand at the waters of our baptism, help us to understand this creed. Give us eyes to see YOU, ears to hear YOU and a heart to know YOU. Help us to follow you as you make us fishers of people. Jesus, you are enough. Amen.

The Seed Christian Fellowship

Rancho Cucamonga, California 91701

www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

June 23, 2019

Pastor Dave Peters

[i] Historic Creeds and Confessions. (1997). (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Lexham Press.

[ii] The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (Jn 1:1–18). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[iii] The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (Ro 1). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[iv] Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (pp. 200–201). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[v] The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (Lk 1:30–33). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[vi] Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (p. 225). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

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