Category Archives: Apostles’ Creed
I Believe in the Holy Ghost; John 14, 15, & 16
Text: Various passages form John 14-16 8/24/08 p.m.
Thesis: Having the Holy Spirit in you is better than having Jesus walk beside you.
Intro: Tonight we tackle this phrase from the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in the Holy Ghost.”
One option is the go a mile wide and an inch deep laying out a systematic theology of the Holy Spirit from the entire bible.
The 2nd option is to go a mile deep and an inch wide by camping out on one verse or passage.
This morning I finished our series on the importance of the family and next Sunday I will start the gospel of John.
The gospel of John will give me the opportunity to go at times a mile deep and an inch wide so I’ll wait for those opportunities.
The middle ground tonight for your sanity and benefit is to look at the “Holy Spirit” passages in John 14, 15, and 16.
The idea that will guide us as we work through this passage is this: Having the Holy Spirit in you is better than having Jesus walk beside you.
I’m taking this directly from the words of Christ in John 16:7 that David read for us earlier.
There Jesus said, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”
The advantages of the Holy Spirit
I) The Holy Spirit is the Helper (14:15-24)
a) The very name and work of the Spirit display our spiritual inability. We need a helper or advocate.
i) Our sinful condition screams for outside assistance.
ii) Let me make this point clear from 1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
iii) Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit we cannot be saved because on our own we do not personally appreciate all that salvation is in Jesus Christ.
iv) We can know the true story of Jesus and all the details.
v) But apart from the Spirit’s work of regeneration we do not see the excellencies of Christ’s work nor do we give our lives over to Christ and his righteousness.
vi) Those who are spiritually dead (Eph 2:1) and able to accomplish nothing good (John 15:5) are those who need the spiritual help of the Holy Spirit.
vii) And those who have been born again need that Holy Spirit forever. It is not enough just to have the Holy Spirit start to work on us we must have the Holy Spirit take up permanent dwelling inside of us.
viii) Think of King Saul’s loss of the Holy Spirit and King David’s fear of losing the Holy Spirit.
ix) The blessed new covenant promise is that the Holy Spirit will be with us forever.
x) If the natural person cannot appreciate anything spiritual it is not surprising that the unbelieving world cannot receive the Holy Spirit.
xi) Read verses 16&17
b) We see Christ only when the Spirit makes it possible
i) As far as the world is concerned, the fundamental purpose for the existence of the Holy Spirit is to make Jesus known.
ii) The primary reason the Holy Spirit dwells in the life of a believer is to mediate the very real presence of Jesus Christ in the person of that believer.
iii) Conviction, gifting, guiding, and praying are all secondary to the Spirit’s work of making the presence of Christ real in your life.
iv) In fact, conviction, gifting, guiding, and praying are all byproducts of Christ’s presence in the life of the believer through the power of the Spirit.
v) Jesus said in verse 17, “you known him (the Spirit), for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
vi) “Will be in you” is a reference to Pentecost when after Christ’s ascension the Holy Spirit is poured out on all believers.
vii) In verse 18 Jesus promises that he will not leave his disciples as orphans. As I’ve mentioned before this is not a reference to Jesus’ second coming but a reference to the sending of the Spirit.
viii) Jesus promises to come to the disciples and then in verse 19 he again makes the distinction between the world not seeing and the disciples seeing.
ix) The world’s inability to see Jesus and the disciples’ ability to see Jesus are not because the disciples have special see into heaven goggles.
x) The reason is because the disciples will be given the Holy Spirit who will make the life and presence of Jesus a reality in the lives of the disciples.
xi) Christ will rise; Christ will live and so will his disciples. After Christ’s resurrection and ascension he will send the Spirit who will brings life and the real presence of God.
xii) Verse 20, “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”
xiii) “That day” is the day of the Spirit’s coming into the life of the disciples at Pentecost and “that day” is the day of the Spirit’s coming into you life when you are born again.
xiv) The Holy Spirit is helper because his presence in man makes possible what is impossible with man.
xv) He awakens the dead to love Christ and the Spirit brings the actual presence of Christ into the life of a believer.
xvi) 1 John 3:24 And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
xvii) 1 John 4:13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
II) The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (14:25-31)
a) We delight in truth only when the Spirit teaches us
i) The Father sends the Holy Spirit to us because of the love and grace of the Father.
ii) The Father knows we need to be spiritual woken and the Father knows we need to presence of Christ so the Spirit is sent in the name of Christ.
iii) The Spirit is not sent on his on authority. He Spirit is sent on the authority of Christ.
iv) Since this is the Spirit’s authority base it is no surprise that the Spirit teaches all things spiritual and necessary for a godly life.
v) For the purpose of godliness and the recording of Scripture the Holy Spirit will bring to their remembrance all that I have said to you.
vi) For the purpose of godliness the Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance all that Jesus has said in Scripture.
vii) The Spirit of truth points to Jesus who is truth. The Spirit of truth brings Scripture to our minds for discipline, instruction, and guidance so that we will walk in truth.
viii) It is here that we must be careful. The Holy Spirit is sent by the Father in the name of the Jesus for the purpose of teaching God’s people all the truth about Christ.
ix) I say we must be careful because we Baptists tend to minor on the Holy Spirit to our harm while other denomination tend to major on the Holy Spirit their harm.
x) The healthy doctrine is the doctrine that puts the Spirit in the front of the life of the believer for the purpose of bringing the presence of Christ to that believer.
xi) The Spirit is not there first to bring gifts but to bring Christ who is truth.
xii) In this glorious capacity the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth.
III) The Holy Spirit is the Witness (15:26-27)
a) The Holy Spirit bears witness to Christ
i) This builds on what we saw about the Spirit being the Spirit of truth.
ii) So we should expect the Spirit to be again referred to as the Spirit of truth and this he is in verse 26.
iii) But what is interesting in John 15:26 compared to John 14:26 is that in John 14:26 it is the Father who is sending the Spirit in the name of Christ.
iv) In John 15:26 it is Jesus who is sending the Spirit from the Father.
v) This highlights the idea of divine submission. The Son is submissive to the Father and the Spirit is submissive to both the Father and the Son.
vi) Is submission negative, sinful, or only a part of the fall? May it never be!
vii) Verse 26 also tells us that the Spirit proceeds from the father.
viii) Jesus is making it clear that the Spirit is divine. Because the Spirit is sent by the father and son does not mean he is not God.
ix) The fact that the Spirit proceeds out of the Father is a bold statement reaffirming statement for the disciples and us concerning the value and power of the Holy Spirit in us.
x) And it is in us that the Holy Spirit bears witness about Christ. The Spirit doesn’t do his own thing.
xi) The Spirit only does the Jesus thing. That means he displays to us and in us the glorious nature of Jesus Christ who is our atonement, righteousness, and hope.
xii) Practically this means that if there is ever Holy Spirit hype without Jesus hype then it’s not Holy Spirit hype no matter what you see or hear.
xiii) Exalting the gifts while ignoring or putting the gift Giver in a corner is down right blasphemy not to mention a clear contradiction of the purpose for Jesus sending the Spirit.
xiv) It is the Spirit who bears witness to Jesus and it is the Spirit in us that leads us to bear witness to Jesus.
xv) True evangelism is a product of the Spirit’s presence in the life of a believer by which we use Scripture to bring the person and work of Christ to bear on the lives of others.
xvi) That means to be an effect evangelist we have to be pursuing Christ by seeking the Spirit’s guidance through Scripture.
xvii) The Spirit works in us as we memorize Scripture and the Spirit increases our wonder and awe over all that Christ is.
xviii) This increase of Christ in us by the Spirit’s power through the truth of Scripture makes us effective witnesses to Christ.
xix) Because THE witness of Christ is in us we become effective witnesses to Christ.
IV) The Holy Spirit is the Advocate (16:5-11)
a) The Holy Spirit convicts the world
i) Conviction here is not mainly to feel sorry for some sin against man or God.
ii) Conviction here is mainly to have one’s wrongs exposed. Let me show you this from Ephesians 5:11-13
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,
iii) Exposed and convict are the same words in the original.
iv) The world’s sin of unbelief is exposed.
v) The unrighteousness of man is exposed when Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father vindicated and proved innocent.
vi) Man wrongly condemned the innocent. The Spirit rightly condemns the guilty.
vii) The power of the Spirit shows the defeat of Satan. The one who stood against God has been judged and cast down.
viii) It is in this context that the judicial side of the name paraklete or advocate comes through.
ix) The Holy Spirit is the prosecuting attorney for all those who do not belong to God. He brings the evidence that convicts them. He exposes the sins of the world.
x) But for the Christian the Holy Spirit is an advocate. He is a helper. The Holy Spirit brings the real presence of Christ into the life of the believer making that believer innocent.
xi) This is precisely why a person must be born again to see the kingdom of God (John 3:7).
xii) A person must be cleansed by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit that comes only through the gospel.
xiii) And a person must be renewed by the Holy Spirit to not just be clean but to be alive for and in Christ (Titus 3:5)
xiv) Titus 3:4-6 says
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
xv) For the unbelieving unreceiving world the Spirit is a prosecutor who convicts.
xvi) But for us the Spirit is our helper, our advocate, and the one who brings the atoning presence of Christ to us.
V) Lastly and by way of summary, the Holy Spirit is the Guide (16:12-15)
a) He is the Spirit of truth who will make plain all that Christ intended and fill all that is lacking in the knowledge of the apostles.
b) He will guide you into all the truth thus inspiring the New Testament books and protecting the canon of Scripture from error.
c) He will not speak on his own authority but is himself sent by God to fulfill the works of God.
d) The Spirit will predict the future; things that are to come.
e) In all things the Spirit will glorify Jesus because the Spirit is always and only Christ centered.
f) And the Spirit’s work on this earth is to take what is Christ’s and declare it to those that belong to Christ.
g) There is so much for us who have been given the Spirit. The Spirit will take what is Christ’s and declare it to us.
h) And all that the has is Christ’s. All that the Father has is given to the Son and declared to us through the Spirit.
i) Are we listening? By that I mean are we memorizing Scripture and meditating on Scripture?
j) Do we know the help of the Spirit to open blind eyes and breathes life into dry bones? Do we pray for it in our church, family, and community?
k) Do we not just know the truth concerning Christ but do we delight in all that Christ by the power of the Spirit through Scripture?
l) Have you heard the Spirit witness to you concerning the glory and magnificence of Christ?
m) In your blood guilt is the Spirit your advocate making Christ real to your stained conscience?
n) Does the Spirit guide you through the word? Do you care or even want to be led to Christ.
o) Let’s pray that God pours out His Holy Spirit on us.
Understanding the Ascension; the Apostles’ Creed
Text: Various 8/3/08 p.m.
Thesis: Jesus’ ascension and return are displays of his supremacy.
Intro: Tonight we look at this phrase from the Apostles’ Creed, I believe Jesus “ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”
We’ll tackle these three truths. First, after Jesus’ resurrection and 40 days of teaching he went to be in the very presence of God.
Second, Jesus sits in the seat of honor and authority in the presence of God. He sits at the Father’s right hand.
And third, Jesus is coming back to judge the living and the dead.
That is admittedly a great deal of soul satisfying truth so what I intend to do for each of these is give the biblical testimony and personal application for each.
Read the Apostles’ Creed
I) Jesus ascended into heaven
a) The biblical testimony is that heaven is a place
i) Here’s a little trivia. Who is Yuri Gagarin?
ii) Gagarin is the first man to enter space. Yuri Gagarin was a Russian cosmonaut. It is reported that he said to ground control, “I don’t see God up here.”
iii) But it appears this is not the case. The statement seems to have come from a speech by Nikita Khrushchev concerning anti-religious propaganda in which Khrushchev said, “Gagarin flew into space, but didn’t see any God there.”[1]
iv) Is heaven a place where we could go if we flew far enough and fast enough in a rocket ship?
v) Luke 24:50-51 (Acts 1:9-11)
vi) From this passage and Acts 1:9-11 it is right to affirm heaven as a place and it is appropriate to talk about heaven being above us.
vii) Revelation 21:2 tells us that the New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven from God.
viii) Since heaven is a place where is it?
b) The bible tells us that there is an unseen spiritual world or realm all around us
i) Read 2 Kings 6:15-17
ii) Angels and demons are potentially all around us yet we cannot see them unless they are revealed to us.
iii) They influence this physical world while being themselves spiritual.
iv) Scripture testifies that the physical and the spiritual are related to each other and influence each other. These are not two disconnected or incompatible realms.
v) Before Stephen died Acts 7:55&56 tell us,
But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
vi) Was Stephen transported to heaven? I think it is better to say that Stephen was allowed to see what was there all the time.
vii) Heaven is certainly a spiritual place but it is definitely a place.
viii) Jesus said in John 14:2-3
In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
ix) There is work being done on this place, Jesus is currently working in this place, and one day Jesus will return and take us to this place.
x) After the resurrection of Christ and his 40 day ministry on this earth he ascended into heaven.
xi) His real person in a real body went to a real place. Is the God-man different from us in his humanity; in his person?
xii) Yes, he is no longer subject to pain, temptation, sadness, or decay.
xiii) Is Jesus’ body different from our bodies?
xiv) Yes, he’s able to stand among a group of men who were inside a locked room (John 20:26). Yet he ate bread and fish (John 21:13-15).
xv) His body is different from ours but his body being different from ours’ doesn’t make it not real.
xvi) Is heaven a real place? Absolutely. We’ve already read about eye witness accounts of heaven as well as the biblical testimony that heaven is where Jesus is right now.
c) The personal application of the ascension is hope
i) Our church-wide memory verse, Colossians 1:13-20, tells us in verse 17 that Jesus “is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.”
ii) 1 Corinthians 15:20 says
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
iii) What happened to Christ, what he has become, and where he has gone is true for every believer.
iv) 1 John 3:2-3 says
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
v) Jesus’ ascension, the testimony that he has a different body free from pain, temptation, sadness, or decay is true also for everyone who is in Christ.
vi) We will be like him and we will be with him and this is true for all of eternity.
vii) What is different about Christ’s ascension and our state at his return is Christ’s seat of honor in heaven.
II) Jesus sits at the Father’s right hand
a) The bible testifies that Jesus’ seat is a seat of honor and authority
i) Jesus prayed in John 17:5,
Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed
ii) Jesus was longing for the honor and authority that are rightfully is as creator of all things.
iii) You see when Jesus came to this earth, when the incarnation happened, there was a humbling that happened as well.
iv) Not that Jesus was prideful and needed to be knocked down a notch or two.
v) The great God willing took on human flesh. This was a humbling thing to do for the creator of all human flesh.
vi) This was a humbling thing to do for the One who didn’t need to take on flesh (Philippians 2:6&7).
vii) Jesus longed for, prayed for, died for, and ascended to the glorious position which he rightfully held from eternity past.
viii) Peter testified to the right hand of the Father being a place of honor when he said in Acts 2:32&33
This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
ix) The right hand of God is a place of exaltation. It is the highest honor to sit at the right hand of God.
x) James and John knew this so they asked Jesus to sit at his right and left hands in his coming glory and all the disciples got ticked off because they didn’t ask first (Mark 10:37).
xi) That Jesus has a name that is above every name is displayed by the fact that he has a seat of honor that is above every seat of honor (Philippians 2:9)
xii) Read Ephesians 1:16-23
xiii) Jesus’ seat is a seat of honor over every name and Jesus’ seat is a seat of authority or power.
xiv) At the right hand of God Jesus is above all rule and authority and dominion and power.
xv) Jesus is the unstoppable unbeatable King of kings and Lord of Lords. His position at the right hand of God proves his power (1 Peter 3:22).
b) The personal application of Christ’s seat at the Father’s right hand is purification and authority
i) Hebrews 1:3& 4 says
[The Son] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
ii) After making purification for sins, Jesus sat down at the right and of the Majesty on high.
iii) Jesus is done purifying your sins. It’s not that now you have to do your part. The purification for your sins is finished (John 19:30).
iv) How do you know your sins are forgiven? It is neither first nor foremost because you feel forgiven.
v) We know we are forgiven of the most grievous or respectable of sins because Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father.
vi) I am completely and eternally forgiven. How do I know? Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father.
vii) I am also now in a position of authority.
viii) Ephesians 2:4-5 says
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
ix) We have joined to Christ so we share in his honor and authority.
x) 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 says
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
xi) Because we have been given power and authority in Christ we stand up for what is true.
xii) We battle “against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12)
xiii) Those Christians who are going after souls and standing against what is false are those Christians who are enjoying the blessings of Christ’s seat of authority at God’s right hand.
xiv) This is for all of us right now.
xv) And in the age to come, Revelation 2:26-27 says
The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.
xvi) This pushes us into the realm of Jesus’ 2nd coming
III) Jesus will return to this earth to judge
a) The biblical testimony is that Jesus is coming again
i) We saw that in John 14:3 where Jesus said if I go prepare a place for you I will come back again.
ii) Jesus said in Matthew 25:31&32
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
iii) Jesus will come and he will come in glory
iv) At the ascension in Acts 1:11 the angel said,
“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
v) Jesus went up in glory and he will return in glory. I believe the cloud that Jesus was taken up into was the cloud of God’s glory.
vi) It wasn’t just a grouping of water vapor but the shining of God’s eternal and glorious perfection.
vii) Concerning his 2nd coming Jesus said in Matthew 24:30&31
Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
b) The personal application of Jesus’ second coming is hope
i) Read 1st Peter 1:3-7
ii) Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ God causes us to be born again to a living hope.
iii) Where Jesus has now ascended, the place of the inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, is the very presence of God.
iv) He is in heaven. This inheritance, being made like Christ and being with Christ, is the promise of God kept in heaven. Jesus is now kept in heaven.
v) Through the gift of faith we are being guarded for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
vi) God gives us faith in Christ to keep us in Christ while we wait for the coming of Christ which is our salvation.
vii) This is our hope. In this we rejoice even when life stinks, even when we are grieved by various trials.
viii) The craving to see and be with Christ. The desire for eternal salvation drives us to endure even the testing of our faith.
ix) At the coming of Christ there will be praise and glory and honor not to us but to Christ.
x) Hope in God. He who neither slumbers nor sleeps watches over you.
xi) In his love God sent his Son. The son was kept by God through the requirements of the law, the temptations to sin, the pain of torture, the agony of separation, and even death.
xii) The Son was raised to new life, ascended to heaven, he sits at God’s right hand, and he will return to judge.
xiii) The work of salvation is done and complete. The firstfruits of righteousness and new life are real.
xiv) The first fruit is Jesus.
xv) Hope in God. He will formed you in your mother’s womb. Has lovingly chosen and called you. You are his child and he will keep you through the temptations of life and he will give you the perfect righteousness of Christ.
xvi) He will see you through death and bring you into his glorious presence.
xvii) Even in trial we have reason to hope. Even in death we will not despair. We will hope in God and truth in Christ.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gagarin accessed 7/31/08
I Believe in Jesus Christ, the atonement; 1st Peter 3:18-22
Text: 1st Peter 3:18-22 6/22/08 p.m.
Thesis: The cross proves it is better to suffer for what is right.
Intro: Tonight we tackle the phrases, “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead.
We will tackle these difficult phrases by tackling a difficult passage. Our passage is 1 Peter 3:18-22.
The first verse is simple, encouraging, and edifying. The following verses are complex, encouraging, and edifying.
Read 1 Peter 3:17-22
I) Christ suffered and died because of sins
a) Some claim that nothing good can come from wrongful punishment.
i) When the righteous suffer it is a senseless evil. Generally that means, “when I suffer it is a senseless evil.” But we couch that claim in pious theological terms.
ii) But verse 17 blows the idea that nothing good can come from wrongful suffering out of the water.
iii) It is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will than for doing evil.
iv) It is more beautiful in the sight of God for you to suffer though you have done nothing wrong than it is for you to suffer for your own sins.
v) Why is that? Because Jesus has suffered for your sins.
vi) Verse 18 says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.”
vii) If there was ANY wrongful suffering it was the suffering that Jesus endured when he died on the cross.
viii) He did not deserve to suffer but it was God’s will. It’s was God’s glorious plan to bring about your redemption and mine by the death of Jesus Christ.
ix) The righteous One, the sinless One, the perfect One, the obedient One would suffer and died for the unrighteous, the sinful, the wicked, the disobedient.
x) When you feel the depth of your sin it is not meant to discourage you or push you away from Christ.
xi) When we feel the depth of our sin it is meant to encourage us to run to Christ. The righteous Christ died for the unrighteous me.
xii) It is precisely because I am so filled with sin that Jesus died. And it is precisely because Jesus is so filled with righteousness and joy that I am filled with righteousness and joy.
xiii) So obviously the cross, the death of Jesus Christ, has everything to do with sin.
xiv) Some would claim that the cross was a mistake due to the people’s misunderstandings about Jesus.
xv) Some would claim that the cross was Jesus setting a good example for all of us to follow.
xvi) And then the bible tells us that Jesus suffered once for sins. This is an unrepeatable all-powerful deed committed by Christ for you and for me.
xvii) Jesus’ sufferings do not continue. Jesus cannot be crucified again either because of unbelief or because of the Lord’s Supper.
xviii) Jesus suffered and died one time 2000 years ago for sins. When Jesus said on the cross, “it is finished” that is exactly what he meant (John 19:30).
xix) There will be no more suffering for sins. There will be no more punishment for the sins of God’s people.
xx) All the unrighteous who come to Christ will find perfect forgiveness and freedom from the fear of death.
xxi) Jesus will in fact bring us to God. You see the ultimate aim of the cross was not to make us morally pure.
xxii) The ultimate aim of the cross was to cleanse you so that you could enjoy the riches of God’s presence both now and eternally.
xxiii) A person who sees Jesus as only a ticket out of hell is a person who demeans the intention of God in the cross and a person who sees Jesus as a ticket out of hell is a person who makes escape from hell a more glorious thing than enjoying the presence of God.
xxiv) Jesus suffered and died because your sin and my sin separate us from God and demand our punishment.
xxv) The infinitely valuable sacrifice of Jesus Christ was for sins so that we would be restored to God.
xxvi) We have offended God and God must deal with our sin if there will be any restoration.
xxvii) And this is precisely what he has done.
b) God willed it and Pontius Pilate ordered it
i) The Creed says, “Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate”
ii) Jesus was put to death in the flesh
iii) Acts 2:23 says, “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”
iv) This was God’s determined plan. And remember, foreknowledge is never God looking ahead, realizing what could happen, and based on that realization making His plans.
v) Foreknowledge is the very assurance of God that His definite plan will happen.
vi) The definite plan and foreknowledge of God are double promises that the crucifixion and death of Christ will happen by the hands of sinful men.
vii) Pilate will deliver him over to be crucified, Jesus will die, and Jesus will be buried for three days.
viii) This is God’s plan and God will make sure that what He foresees will become reality.
ix) Is God sovereign? Absolutely. Is man responsible? Absolutely.
x) Jesus suffered because of sins. Jesus died because of sins. Jesus was buried because of sins, and Jesus rose on the third day victorious over sins.
xi) I will hopefully alleviate some of your concerns here by telling you that the Apostles’ Creed is wrong and the Bible is right.
xii) What God’s plan was that Jesus would, “be put to death in the flesh” and would be “made alive by the Spirit.”
xiii) “In the spirit” is a justifiable translation. This is a difficult passage. The prepositions are actually the same in the Greek so in the flesh and in the spirit is not wrong but translating that way is not helpful.
xiv) Being made alive in the spirit makes it sound like in some sense at Jesus’ death he ceased to be alive in the spirit than later that changed.
xv) It’s better to understand the last phrase of verse 18 as a reference to the resurrection. He was put to death in the flesh but after three days Jesus’ body was made alive by the power of the Holy Spirit.
xvi) And it is by the power of the Spirit that Jesus, verse 19, “went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison.”
xvii) Let’s work for
II) A proper understanding of Jesus’ death and resurrection
a) Upon his death Jesus did not go to hell
i) Benny Hinn claims this happened but Jesus himself tells us otherwise.
ii) On the cross, only moments before death, Jesus told the believing thief, “today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). And Paradise is not hell.
iii) We’ve already seen that Jesus understood his suffering to be finished on the cross” (John 19:30).
iv) That Jesus would have to go and suffer in hell for three days contradicts the very words of Jesus.
v) So where was Jesus for those three days? I believe Jesus, I think he was in paradise. I believe he was in the very presence of God.
vi) So what about this phrase in 1 Peter 3:19, “he proclaimed to the spirits in prison”?
vii) First, let me be clear we’re talking about a post resurrection event.
viii) Jesus has been made alive by the Spirit and then this proclamation takes place.
ix) Second, we need to determine who the audience is.
x) Obviously the audience who hears Jesus is made up of those spirits in prison but that is still too vague.
xi) Let’s look at verse 20 (read it).
xii) We’re talking about those who were disobedient during the time of Noah.
xiii) While the ark is being prepared sin is abounding and the people are loving sin and not God.
xiv) Last week we saw from Genesis 8 that the flood did not change the fact that man’s heart is evil from his youth (Gen 8:21).
xv) But what drove God to the point of destroying all living creatures with the flood? Go back to Genesis 6:1-8.
xvi) Angels were disobeying the boundaries of God, marrying women, procreating, and the Nephilim were born.
xvii) This was one of the more bold transgressions of the wickedness of man and the evil intention of his heart.
xviii) So God punished mankind with the flood but do not think the angels went unpunished.
xix) Turn to 2 Peter 2:4-7
xx) Notice the footnote on the word hell in verse 4. Follow that down. It says “in the Greek, ‘Tartarus’.”
xxi) It’s not the run of the mill word of hell like Gehenna. This is a place where angels are kept in chains, some manuscripts say pits, and these fallen angels are there waiting for judgment.
xxii) Now turn to the book of Jude and we’ll read verses 5&6.
xxiii) The disobedient angels who were sleeping with humans were bound with chains and are waiting for the day of final judgment.
xxiv) It is precisely to these angels that Jesus upon his resurrection from the dead goes and makes proclamation.
xxv) It’s the proclamation of final victory.
xxvi) Ephesians 4:8 says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives.” This is a reference to Jesus’ ascension, clearly after his resurrection, and the fact that he is showing forth his victory over those bound as his prisoners.
xxvii) We could look at other passages like Colossian 2:15 but I want to draw particular attention to Revelation 20.
xxviii) If you’ve been doing your daily bible reading this week you may now exactly what I’m talking about.
xxix) Read Revelation 20:1-3
xxx) Notice that Satan will be bound with chains and thrown into a pit. The concepts are identical to the 2 Peter and Jude passages.
xxxi) Revelation 20 verse 7 says, “And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison.”
xxxii) This prison in Revelation 20:7 is the same place as the prison of 1 Peter 3:19.
xxxiii) Prison is where the disobedient spirits are kept until the day when God releases them for judgment.
xxxiv) It is to these spirits that Jesus went by the Spirit and proclaimed his ultimate victory over sin and death.
xxxv) We now need to ask, What does this have to do with the salvation of people, particularly me, and what does this have to do with Noah?
III) The judgment of one group means salvation for another group
a) The water that saved Noah was the water that killed the disobedient
i) The cross which brings us eternal life and victory over sin and death brings eternal punishment and defeat to everyone who rebels against God
ii) The end of 1 Peter 3:20 reminds us that only 8 people were brought safely through the water.
iii) Only 8 people out of all mankind on the face of the entire earth. What does that mean for us?
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13&14)
iv) How few? 8
v) What God used to destroy the sinful, namely water, God used to safely deliver righteous Noah.
b) Baptism does the same thing
i) Read verse 21
ii) The waters of baptism are waters of condemnation. When you go under those waters you are saying about yourself and God is saying about you what was said about those during the days of Noah.
iii) Every intention of my heart is evil. I deserve death because of my rebellion against God.
iv) You see, baptism is not a matter of removing dirt from your flesh.
v) Baptism is a statement of faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
vi) In baptism we say, “Father, join me to the death of Christ. Make his death for sins a death for my sins.
vii) Make his burial the burial of the old sinful Paul whose every intention was evil. And raise up a new Paul.
viii) By the power of the Spirit raise up a new Paul who is totally forgiven and saved to the uttermost.”
ix) Join me to the Jesus who, verse 22, “has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and power having been subjected to him.”
x) Join me to Jesus who came, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose again from the dead that he might bring us to God.
xi) Jesus has paid for my sin. Jesus has removed my rebel heart. Jesus who is right now in the presence of Almighty God brings me into the presence of Almighty God.
xii) Clean water on dirty flesh doesn’t save me. Baptism, the rejection of the old sinful self and faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ is what saves me.
xiii) So let’s all take out your copy of the Apostles’ Creed and a pen. Now mark through the phrase “he descended into hell.”
xiv) That’s the easy thing. Now the hard thing.
xv) Through faith in Christ let’s live in and enjoy the grace of God that is ours in Christ.
xvi) When we suffer for doing good it’s for the benefit of others.
xvii) This life is not about me any longer. This life, however many days God will give, is all about living for others so that they will see the glory of Jesus Christ and his powerful gospel in my life.
xviii) Jesus died for your good. Go and live for the good of others.
I Believe in Jesus Christ; His Birth Matthew 1:18-25
Text: Matthew 1:18-25 5/18/08 p.m.
Thesis: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary
Intro: Allow me to let another Paul introduce the sermon tonight. This is from Paul Karleen in The Handbook to Bible Study.
Perhaps the dominant lesson for us that is taught in the concept of Messiah is that God’s grace overcomes man’s depravity. Throughout the whole Old Testament there is the emphasis that God will reverse the effects of the fall through a redeemer who is prophet, priest, and king.
This is grace and the theme of the Old Testament. [But], when we think of [the] Jewish understanding then and now, we are reminded of the nation’s spiritual hardening. They wanted a king-messiah for national hopes, but did not want a sin-bearer.
The outlook is the same today: we don’t think we need a redeemer. As with the hardness in the heart of any individual, God can overcome this through His grace. And this is pictured especially in the figure of the Messiah.[1]
I believe in Jesus Messiah, his only begotten Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.
Tonight I want us to look at three titles from Matthew 1:18-25 surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ.
These three titles are crucial because they introduce the atoning work of Jesus Christ. If you miss these you will likely miss the gospel.
The Second person of the Trinity, God the Son, as revealed at his birth is the Christ, He is Jesus, and He is Emmanuel.
Read Matthew 1:18-25
I) The way Jesus came is a signal that a drastically different thing is happening
a) Through the birth of Jesus God did something even God’s people did not expect
i) Matthew shows us that even Joseph, a righteous man, had to be convinced by direct revelation from God that this was God’s doing and not funny business.
ii) Read verses 19&20
iii) When Mary began to have the pregnancy pooch Joseph didn’t go to her and quote Isaiah 7:14,
iv) “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.”
v) Joseph was a just man and being a man who wanted to uphold God’s righteous standard he was going to divorce Mary who had obviously broken her pledge to be faithful only to Joseph.
vi) The Jewish betrothal made the man and woman husband and wife though they did not live together and were not allowed to consummate the marriage.
vii) The man or woman could not bale out because they wanted to. The only way betrothal or consummated marriage could be broken was for adultery.
viii) So Mary’s pregnant, it obviously wasn’t Joseph’s, and Joseph’s compassion let him to the decision to divorce her quietly.
ix) As He was thinking about divorcing her God sent an angel to change Joseph’s direction.
x) It was not Mary’s unfaithfulness that caused this pregnancy it was the Holy Spirit who caused this conception.
xi) God in Scripture goes to great lengths to avoid any connotations that Mary and the Holy Spirit engaged in any physical act.
xii) The God who is sovereign over all things is sovereign over the womb. He doesn’t need anything from Mary. He doesn’t need anything from Joseph.
xiii) Holy God through the power of the Spirit causes the eternally begotten Son to take on flesh inside of Mary.
xiv) There is nothing sinful about the person of the Son. There is nothing sinful about the conception of the Son. There is nothing sinful about the life of the Son.
xv) He has to be born this way, as a supernatural work of God the Father. He must be the perfect One without sin so that He can stand in the place of the imperfect ones who are full of sin.
xvi) The sinless Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary has come to do a great work.
xvii) It is in the titles of Matthew 1:18-25 that we understand the great work of the King.
II) That Jesus is Messiah means we are not right with God
a) Verse 18 introduces the birth narrative with these words, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place this way.”
i) It is often thought that Jesus’ last name is Christ. My name is Paul Duncan and my last name Duncan.
ii) Jesus’ name is Jesus Christ so His last name must be Christ. But Christ is not his name Christ is his title.
iii) Christ means literally, ‘the anointed one.” In the Hebrew it’s the word Masiah also meaning “the anointed one.”
iv) In the Old Testament messiah was a person specifically sent by God to act on behalf of God and man. The anointed one brings change. He delivers God’s people.
v) God’s people were not ruling in God’s place under God’s loving authority. Things had gone wrong and deliverance was needed.
vi) Let’s look at one passage to get this image in our heads. Turn to Isaiah 59:11-60:2.
vii) The people rightly began looking for God’s anointed one who would do what God promised.
viii) Though the literal title “Messiah” is found in the Old Testament only in Daniel 9:25-26 the “anointed one” is found throughout.
ix) Also there is the connection between the great day of the Lord when God will secure deliverance for His people and a central commanding figure in that battle.
x) This figure is given the title “son of man” and that title was Christ’s favorite title when referring to himself and the work God had sent Him to do.
xi) It’s easy then to understand why the Jews were looking for a military Messiah who would bring prosperity to God’s people on the day of the Lord.
xii) The bible clearly paints that picture but national and political freedoms are not the greatest problems the Messiah must address.
xiii) The greatest problem that Messiah must address is the problem between man and God.
xiv) So when you think of Jesus as Messiah I want you to think of Jesus as God’s anointed deliverer.
xv) God’s anointed One sent to make God’s people everything God intended them to be.
xvi) The title Messiah means things are not right but God will make it right through Jesus the Christ.
III) That the Son’s name is Jesus means we have a sin problem
a) In Matthew 1:21 the angel tells Joseph, “[Mary] will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
i) Jesus’ name means literally “God saves”. It’s not that the name Jesus has some salvation connotations connected with it. The name Jesus means salvation.
ii) Now what did Jesus come to save us from? Did Jesus come to save Israel from the offspring of Ishmael and restore Israel’s national rule over the land?
iii) Did Jesus come to save us from an unfulfilled life? Did Jesus come to save us from a bad marriage, cancer, or poverty?
iv) Did Jesus come to show us how to love each other, take care of each other, and be all around nice to each other?
v) Jesus the Messiah came to save his people from their sins.
vi) Jesus came to save Paul Duncan because at the core of who I am you find a guy who hates God and left to myself I will choose sin and hell over God and righteousness every time.
vii) I don’t need to see an example of what it means to love and serve. I need an atoning sacrifice for my sins.
viii) I don’t need a boost I need to be re-born.
ix) For the gospel to be glorious we must be clear about sin. Sin is not a mistake we make because we don’t have enough information. Sin is the product of a heart that is cold and dead toward God.
x) I sin because my heart is in total opposition to God and set completely on myself.
xi) God is not central to who I am and what I want. God’s will and God’s way do not cross my mind on any given day.
xii) After Noah gets off the Ark God promises to never again flood the world or strike down every living creature.
xiii) Why did God make this promise? Is it because after the flood there is no more sin problem?
xiv) Let’s hear the answer straight from God’s mouth. “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth (Gen 9:21).
xv) The flood and starting again through Noah did not change the fact that the intention of my heart is evil from my youth.
xvi) From birth we want what God doesn’t want. We don’t want what God wants. And we deserve God’s eternal and excruciating punishment for it.
xvii) We have sinned against Almighty God!
xviii) That truth makes Jesus’ name glorious. “Mary will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
xix) Jesus will take care of my God-hatred. Jesus will take care of your God-hatred.
xx) Jesus will take care of our sin by dying on the cross. It is there on the cross that all of God’s just anger is poured out onto Jesus.
xxi) Every ounce of punishment that we deserve for every evil intention from birth was poured into the cup of God’s wrath and Jesus drank it all.
xxii) And this is exactly what Jesus came to do. Jesus came to step onto the chopping block for me and for you.
xxiii) Often the reason we do not know Jesus as glorious in our lives is because we do not embrace the reason Jesus came in the first place.
xxiv) The gospel becomes something we agree to and Jesus becomes something we accept like we’re doing poor little Jesus a favor by accepting Him.
xxv) The gospel and the church are things we add to OUR lives like piano lessons, the Lion’s club, and putting out fertilizer every spring.
xxvi) If we think about it, have the time, and if there’s nothing else better then count us in.
xxvii) Jesus didn’t come so that we could accept Him. Jesus came to make us acceptable to God.
xxviii) Jesus came to save us from our sin and the eternal hell we deserve.
xxix) 1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.”
IV) That the Son’s name is Emmanuel means we need God to bring us to God
a) We can do nothing to deserve or secure our own salvation
i) Read Matthew 1:23
ii) This is what makes the gospel so amazing and powerful. The issue is we have royally ticked God off by doing our own thing and simply ignoring him.
iii) The creature tells the Creator to take a hike and the problem is we can do nothing to make that right.
iv) We can’t pay Him off. We can’t appease his anger. There is no volcano into which we can throw the prettiest lady in the land or our first born so that God is appeased.
v) God is angry and only God can deal with that anger.
vi) Atoning for our sin, getting back to the God we need, is out of our hands.
vii) Jesus comes to earth, He is Emmanuel God with us, so that He can live as the perfect man, die as the perfect sacrifice, and rise again to bring new life to death-deserving sinners like you and me.
viii) Only the righteous God-man Jesus Christ could be a sacrifice sufficient for my crime.
ix) If Jesus does not come as man then he cannot represent men.
x) If Jesus is not God then he is not a sufficient sacrifice.
xi) God must deal with the problem of our sin. He must be our Messiah-deliverer. God must come to us and deal with the sin that separates us from Him.
xii) And this is exactly what Jesus did.
xiii) Have you ever realized that your sin marks you out before God for death and eternal punishment?
xiv) My sin marks me out before God for death and eternal punishment. If my sin is not put away and if I am not changed I will rightly rot in hell it doesn’t matter how many years I pastor a church.
xv) Do you realize there will be preachers, deacons, Sunday School teachers, and church members in hell because they went to church, told people about Jesus, served sacrificially, and never believed the gospel?
xvi) The gospel says that the sweetest old lady and the meanest young man all deserve hell because they are God-haters at heart.
xvii) And the gospel says that the Messiah Jesus has come to take the full penalty for our sin and restore us to God.
xviii) We could never get to God but Jesus takes us there.
xix) We could never deserve Jesus but God sent Him.
xx) We could never make ourselves right but Jesus makes us righteous.
xxi) Christ has come and he has dealt with our sins.
xxii) Trust him, rejoice in him, live for him. He is every thing we need.
xxiii) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary so that I would be saved.
[1]Karleen, P. S. (1987). The handbook to Bible study : With a guide to the Scofield study system.
I Believe In God the Father: understanding the Apostles’ Creed
Text: Revelation 4:11 6/8/08 p.m.
Thesis: God’s glory is revealed through the Son and in creation.
Intro: Tonight we look at the phrase, “I believe in God the Father, maker of heaven and earth.”
Like all the phrases in the Creed, ours tonight is simple and yet inexhaustible particularly when we’re talking about one sermon on a Members’ Meeting night.
We’ll take the phrase in four related pieces: What does it mean to believe something, what are we saying when we confess God as Father, how does Almighty God effect our lives, and what are the ramifications of believing God is the creator of heaven and earth.
We’ll use Revelation 4:11 as our home base tonight. I want the worship filled truth of this verse to guide every thought.
Read Revelation 4:1-11
I) When we believe something we consider it to be true
a) The reason we believe these statements are true is because God has revealed them to us.
i) As men and women who believe the bible we affirm that there are two sources of God-knowledge.
ii) We know things about God as a product of natural revelation and special revelation.
iii) Natural revelation is the footprint of God in creation that is unmistakable to all of humanity.
iv) Turn to Psalm 19 and let’s look at verses 1-4
v) Every day, the sun by day and the stars by night, there is a declaration to all people on the earth that there is a God and that he is glorious.
vi) Turn to Romans 1 and let’s look at verses 19&20
vii) What the natural world reveals to everyone is that there is a God who is eternally powerful and divine by his very nature.
viii) That God is divine means that he is not human. He is wholly different from us. He is God.
ix) This revelation is obvious and has been obvious from the beginning. We get this information about God, namely his divinity and power, from creation; from the things that God has made.
x) So we need to ask, is natural revelation enough to save a person? No. Salvation is by grace through faith. And the substance of this faith is not there is a glorious God who is powerful and divine.
xi) The substance of faith is the atoning work of the sinless sin-bearer Jesus Christ for all those who trust Him to provide forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life.
xii) Since natural revelation is not enough to save a person is natural revelation therefore enough to condemn a person?
xiii) Yes, remember Romans 1:20 says, “So they are without excuse.” Every person suppresses what he/she knows is true and exchanges the glory of the immortal God for a lie.
xiv) Because natural revelation cannot save there must be more. This is where special revelation comes in.
xv) Special revelation is the specific communication of God to certain people at particular times.
xvi) If natural revelation is the footprint God left behind proving he exists then special revelation is the tape recording telling us God exists and why.
xvii) Natural revelation is the proclamation that God exists. Special revelation is the proclamation, explanation, and interpretation of why God exists.
xviii) When we talk about special revelation we’re talking about the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments.
xix) All throughout the bible you have the understanding that God is speaking.
xx) In the bible there are some 928 verses which claim God is speaking.
xxi) “Thus says the Lord” was a popular way to put it.”
xxii) Hebrews 1:1 states, “long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.”
xxiii) Jesus is the very ‘word of God.’ Meaning Jesus is both the revelation of who God is (Heb 1:3) and the revelation of what God requires of man.
xxiv) As the perfect God-man Jesus’ life says two things: this is what God is truly like and this is what man is supposed to be.
xxv) Special revelation then is that communication of God that prepares for Christ, reveals Christ, and interprets Christ so that God is glorified and mankind is redeemed.
xxvi) When the Apostles’ Creed states, “I believe” this is not a prideful declaration of an explorer who accidentally stumbled onto some hidden treasure.
xxvii) “I believe” is the humble statement of a sinner saved by grace who is completely at the mercy of God to reveal His great plan of redemption through Scripture.
xxviii) “I believe” means God has revealed these necessary truths to us through Scripture and we agree with God.
xxix) So what does the Creed state concerning God?
II) When we believe God is Father we are stating that there is a Son
a) You cannot be a father without offspring and Scripture clearly reveals God’s only true uncreated child to be God the Son.
i) God is Father first and foremost because Jesus is His Son. It is true that God is Father of all humanity by his free choice to create.
ii) It is true that God is Father of all the redeemed by his free choice to adopt a particular people as His own.
iii) But those are secondary matters while the Father’s relationship to the Son is the primary matter.
iv) It is because of the Son that there is creation and redemption.
v) 2 Samuel 7 records God’s promise of an everlasting kingdom to David.
vi) 2 Samuel 7:14 is a messianic prophecy applied directly to Jesus. There God promises, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son” (Heb 1:5).
vii) Psalm 2:7 which started as an enthronement Psalm for the king is actually a testimony of God concerning Jesus, “You are my son; today I have begotten you” (Heb 1:5).
viii) It is the word ‘begotten’ that has caused controversy throughout church history.
ix) If special revelation says that God the Son was begotten should it then be implied that there was a time when the Son did not exist?
x) Arius, in the 4th century believed that to beget something is to begin something. This led Arius to claim there was a time when the Son was not. This led Athanasius to respond, the council of Nicea was called, and the Nicean Creed was written.
xi) We are indebted today to the Nicean Creed for giving us the phrase “eternally begotten”.
xii) The Son has always existed as the perfect second person of the Trinity; there never was a time when God the Son was not.
xiii) Turn in your bibles to John chapter 1. Let’s read verses one and two.
xiv) God the Son has always existed as an un-created being. This is because by his very nature the Son is God who is an un-created being.
xv) God the Spirit is also an un-created being who has always existed as an uncreated being.
xvi) Hebrews 2:3 says the Son “is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature.”
xvii) For as long as God has been glorious the Son has existed as that perfect display of God’s glory.
xviii) What I want to do is spur you on to think deep and glorious thoughts about God.
xix) I want this to begin conversations between you and me and you and your brothers and sisters here at Mambrino Baptist Church.
xx) As long as God has been full of glory the Son has existed as the perfect mirror image of that glory.
xxi) How do you know the Son has always existed? Because the Father has always been glorious.
xxii) To see the Son is to see the Father (John 14:9).
xxiii) We believe in one God who exists as three persons Father, Son, and Spirit.
III) When we believe God is Almighty we are stating that there is none stronger than Him.
a) God’s power is unstoppable
i) Let’s look at Isaiah 46:8-11
ii) God has no competition. There are no other gods and there is no one who is like God.
iii) There are those who try. Satan tried to be like God but he got whipped.
iv) Every human tries to throw off God’s rule but in the end everyone who does not submit to God through Christ is cast by God’s decree into hell.
v) God marks the end from the beginning. The demons don’t do that and humanity doesn’t do that.
vi) God’s counsel, what he determines to do, will be done.
vii) What God says will happen will happen.
viii) Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
ix) Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
x) In the context of the salvation of God’s people Jesus affirmed the fact that God is the Almighty God.
xi) John 10:29&30, “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
xii) Our salvation is secure because Almighty God gives us to Jesus who redeems us and keeps us by the power of God.
xiii) When we make plans we need to always consider Almighty God.
xiv) James 4:15&16, “you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
xv) Our arrogance is thinking we are almighty and in control. This boasting is evil. God is Almighty God and in control.
xvi) So also, it is God’s choice that makes our choice possible. God brings things to pass and allows things to pass in order to accomplish His perfect will.
xvii) And since God is Almighty and in control He can be trusted with all that you are.
xviii) If God is not almighty he cannot be trusted because if he’s not almighty that means someone or something else is. If something is greater than God then God’s will would be easily perverted or stopped.
xix) Upon his death it was into the hands of the Father that Jesus committed his spirit (Luke 23:46).
xx) Jesus was able to live the life he lived and die the death he died because he knew the power of Almighty God.
xxi) As we daily confess our sinful fears while daily growing in our knowledge and fear of God He will become more and more glorious.
xxii) When we believe God is Almighty we are stating that there is none stronger than Him.
IV) When we believe God is Maker we are stating that He is the owner of everything.
a) God, the Almighty Father, reveals himself in creation
i) Let’s get back to Revelation 4:11
ii) Here is a clear affirmation that God created everything. Everything created is a product of God’s will and action.
iii) And God was not bound by some outside force to create. God did not have to create.
iv) God did not need to create. God is the Father, Son, and Spirit. What does creation offer that is better or more fulfilling than Father, Son, and Spirit?
v) God didn’t create because he was lonely or wanted some people to worship him.
vi) God didn’t create because he needed some trophy to put in his case.
vii) Turn to Acts 17 verses 24 & 25.
viii) We must stand against the arrogance of our times which claims God needs us.
ix) We must believe the truth that God requires nothing from us in order to be happy. The truth is we need everything from God.
x) So God created everything by a free choice of his own will. He was un-coerced. There was no pressure on Him or no need in Him that led Him to create.
xi) So why then did God create? God created everything to show us how glorious He is.
xii) God is worthy of glory, honor, and power because He created everything.
xiii) We have museums and car shows so that everyone can see and enjoy these beautiful pieces.
xiv) We exist in order to see and enjoy this truly glorious God.
xv) The shorter Westminster Confession is exactly right, we were created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
xvi) Jesus Christ came to show us the glory of the Father. We have the bible as a living testimony to the glory of the Father revealed perfectly in the Son.
xvii) And Jesus Christ came to restore us to God so that we can enjoy what is truly glorious.
xviii) We exist to magnify God. That’s what it means to glorify Him; show the world how big our Almighty God truly is.
xix) Live and give so that Christ is seen as your treasure. Don’t live and give so that things are seen as your treasure.
xx) And we exist to enjoy God. God must be the centripetal center of all that we are and do.
xxi) He must be what holds everything together or everything will fall a part. He only is satisfying enough to be the eternal center of all our joy.
xxii) So tonight what we need to do is confess any sinful thought that is pushing God out of the center of our lives.
xxiii) Ask yourself what is most important to me? I must ask myself what is most important to me.
xxiv) Is my wife, my family, this church, being successful, or being liked the most important thing?
xxv) Or is the gloriously strong, almighty, redeeming, and creating God the most important thing?
xxvi) May God bless us with revival. May God turn our hearts away from what is weak and sinful to what is strong and glorious.
xxvii) May God turn our hearts to Him.
Introduction to the Apostles’ Creed
Text: various 6/1/08 p.m.
Thesis: There have been and still are benefits to knowing the Apostles’ Creed.
Intro: Concerning the Apostles’ Creed Philip Schaff writes, “[The Creed] is not a logical statement of abstract doctrines, but a profession of living facts and saving truths.
It is a liturgical poem and an act of worship. Like the Lord’s Prayer, it loses none of its charm and effect by frequent use, although, by vain and thoughtless repetition, it may be made a martyr and an empty form of words.
It is intelligible and edifying to a child, and fresh and rich to the profoundest Christian scholar, who, as he advances in age delights to go back to primitive foundations and first principles.
It has the fragrance of antiquity and the inestimable weight of universal consent. It is a bond of union between all ages and sections of Christendom. It can never be superseded for popular use in church and school (vol I. pg 15).
By way of introduction, tonight I want to give you a brief history of the Apostles’ Creed, point out some of the benefits of the Creed, and do a brief overview as a conclusion.
I) History of the Apostles’ Creed
a) The Apostles’ Creed was not written by the Apostles
i) The nice, neat, but not true story goes like this: The Apostles were sitting around and Peter started a conversation with this phrase, “I believe in God the Father Almighty.”
ii) Andrew or possibly John added “And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,”
iii) James the elder went on, “Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,” then on and on it went (James Orr).
iv) That sounds really good but it’s just simply not true.
b) Originally the Creed was a baptismal confession
i) Due to a particular culture’s way of expressing thought and dealing with it’s own context there are a number of slight variations but only 2 different substantially different forms of the Creed.
ii) There is the Old Roman Creed and the Received Creed. We will be following the Received Creed because its expanded form is the product of answering heresies throughout church history.
iii) The Received Form guards us against the mistakes of the past. The Received Form is really an explanation and fleshing out of the Old Roman Creed.
iv) They agree completely in content and only differ in length.
v) In its earliest form the Creed was a discipleship tool.
vi) The content would be explained to baptismal candidates and then the Creed was confessed by those candidates at their baptism.
vii) This is similar to my request of each candidate when I ask them if they are trusting in Christ alone for their salvation and then baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
viii) As early as late 2nd century this practice of explaining the core beliefs of Christianity and ensuring a persons’ agreement to those believes was happening.
ix) So bear in mind the early form of the Apostles’ Creed functioned as a guide for starting disciples on the road to obeying all that Jesus commanded.
x) That such a process existed is affirmed by Scripture. I’m not saying they were using the Apostles’ Creed but a believer was expected to affirm his/her belief in the content of the gospel.
xi) Romans 6:16 says, “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.” There is a standard.
xii) 1 Timothy 6:12 says, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witness.”
xiii) Romans 10:9 says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved.”
xiv) Throughout church history and even in our day it is necessary for a person to explain what he/she means by the words ‘Jesus is Lord’ and to what extent Jesus was raised from the dead.
xv) So the Apostles’ Creed has historically been used to affirm a baptismal candidate’s understanding and affirmation of biblical truth.
xvi) As the years progressed and controversies arose the Creed took on its standard form.
c) The ante-Nicene Fathers called the Creed ‘the rule of faith, ‘the rule of truth,’ or the regula fide
i) The Nicean Creed was written in AD 325 and dealt specifically with controversy surrounding the eternal nature of God the Son.
ii) That is another introduction for another day but to get some categories in your head you can think of the Apostles’ Creed as taking its shape to combat the spread of Gnosticism and the Nicean Creed took its shape to combat the spread of Arius’ teaching.
iii) Arius claimed that God the Son is not co-eternal with God the Father.
iv) So the ante-Nicean Fathers, those faithful men who lived after the time of the Apostles’ and before the 4th century gave considerable shape to the current Apostles’ Creed.
v) As I mentioned, the main reason the Creed began to receive greater use in the church was the encroachment of Gnosticism.
vi) Gnosticism is a very old heresy that holds to many weird and wrong teachings with one of the big ones being the belief that the material world is and has been evil since its creation.
vii) The material world was not created good and there is therefore nothing good about it.
viii) Since Jesus was created he is a much lesser being than God. But Jesus is still a pretty important guy nevertheless.
ix) For the Gnostic, salvation does not come through the redemption of the whole person body and soul by justification through faith in Christ.
x) Salvation comes by escaping the corruption of this material world through knowledge.
xi) There are little hidden pieces of knowledge that must be found and followed in order for a person to be freed from the evils of creation.
xii) Gnosticism was growing in popularity in the 2nd century and the early form of the Creed was used to refute what the Gnostics were trying to do.
xiii) And the Apostles’ Creed was used to differentiate clearly those who believed what the bible taught from those who denied what the bible taught while still trying to call themselves “Christians.”
xiv) So, you had a bare bones Creed during this day which is often referred to as the Old Roman Form.
xv) The Creed has never and should never carry more weight or authority than Scripture itself. What the Creed is meant to do is support Scripture and protect Scripture from those people who would pervert the real meaning of Scripture.
xvi) James Orr writes, “It was employed as a check on those who sought to allegorize away the Christian faith.”
xvii) The oldest written copies of the Roman Creed come from the 4th century.
xviii) A guy named Rufinius wrote his copy in Latin around AD 390 while Marcellus wrote his copy in Greek somewhere in the time frame of AD 336-341.
xix) The Received Form that we have today came into general use in the seventh or eighth century (Schaff, vol I, 21).
xx) So clearly this Creed has stood the test of time.
II) The benefits of the Apostles’ Creed
a) Some would argue, shouldn’t we just study the bible?
i) My answer to that is we are going to study the bible. I’m going to use the individual phrases of the creed as a very broad guide to the sermon for that evening.
ii) Am I preaching the Apostles’ Creed? No. Am I going to preach the bible using the phrases of the Apostles’ Creed as titles? Yes.
iii) Again to quote Schaff, “All the facts and doctrines which [the Apostles’ Creed] contains, are in entire agreement with the New Testament…The rationalistic opposition to the Apostles’ Creed and its use in the churches is therefore an indirect attack upon the New Testament itself (vol I, 20).
iv) As far as any statement accurately reflects biblical content then that statement is a useful tool.
v) But the tool should never take precedence over Scripture.
vi) The first benefit is that the Creed is biblically based.
b) The second benefit of studying the Apostles’ Creed is it grounds us in the rich heritage of the church.
i) Creedo means I believe. That’s why the Apostles’ Creed begins with the words “I believe” it’s a clear and bold statement concerning what a person believes to be true.
ii) For some reason there are veins in the church, some are denominations and some are groups inside of denominations, that have convinced themselves that they are the only ones who ever got it right.
iii) Take Landmark Baptists for example. They struggle to find a trail of Baptists that can be traced all the way back to the Apostles.
iv) They want a Baptist in every generation thus accrediting themselves and discrediting all others.
v) There is no reason to do that and I believe it’s an impossible task.
vi) What the Apostles’ Creed does is give us a connection with the past. We believe nothing new. We have found no new doctrine. We are not the smartest or the holiest.
vii) We are a part of the church throughout the ages that believes what is true about the Father, Son, and Spirit.
viii) In a day when so many people want to believe only what is hip, cool, and new. The Apostles’ Creed serves as a standard to what has always been believed.
c) The third benefit of studying the Apostles’ Creed is its rich theological content.
i) The statements that make up this Creed are simple to grasp but near impossible to exhaust.
ii) A sermon series through statements of the Creed will encourage you and stretch you at the same time.
iii) We will be looking at what the bible teaches concerning God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
iv) That means this Creed is Trinitarian in structure. All three persons of the Trinity are found inside.
v) The majority of the Creed focuses on who Jesus is, what he has done, and what he will do.
vi) But also included in the Creed is the resurrection, forgiveness of sins, the catholic (or universal) church, and eternal life.
vii) I hope each sermon will take you deeper into the mind and will of God causing you to worship him and serve him more faithfully every day.
d) The third benefit of the Creed is that it’s short.
i) I don’t want to wear you out with long exhaustive sermon series.
ii) I know you can handle it and benefit from the long and exhaustive but at times its helpful to get the big picture.
iii) The Apostles’ Creed will help define in our minds the big picture of Christianity.
iv) Let’s close with
III) A brief overview of the Apostles’ Creed
Get out your bulletin and let’s look at it together
a) I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
i) God is the author of life, the sovereign super power, and the creator of everything.
b) And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary,
i) This statement defines who Jesus has always been as the Son and who Jesus is as our savior.
ii) He is God; conceived by the Holy Ghost. And He is man; born of the virgin Mary.
c) suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead;
i) These phrases deal with the atoning work of Christ for us and his victory over sin and death.
ii) There’s a little controversy here and will deal with that too.
d) he ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
i) Jesus is the best and he’s coming back some day to prove to everyone that he is supreme over everything.
e) I believe in the Holy Ghost;
i) A necessary statement even today in our anti-supernatural natural science-dominated world.
ii) Then the concluding compilation of summary statements
f) The holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen
i) This reference to catholic carries the idea of universal or Christian church. It’s not an affirmation of the Roman Catholic church.
ii) All that being said I hope you are as excited as I am about this sermon series.
iii) What I would like to do at some point in each service that will focus on the Apostles’ Creed is for us to read it together out loud.
iv) So tonight the Apostles’ Creed will serve as our conclusion.
v) Let’s stand together and read together the Apostles’ Creed.
