God – Father And Creator Series

God – Father and Creator

Series: CREED: Truths that Unite

Brad Bailey - January 17, 2021

Intro...

Another big welcome to each of you. I’m excited today to continue our new series entitled Creed: Truths that Unite. As I introduced last week, we are going to begin engaging the central truths captured in the Apostles Creed.

The Apostles Creed is the oldest known and most widely accepted Christian creed. It is called the Apostles’ Creed because it reflects what the apostles taught. It summarizes the central truths of the Scriptures which the apostles affirmed. It serves as the common heritage of the Christian church...being recognized by all branches of Christian tradition - Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox.

It’s brevity allowed it to be memorized and shared...and allows us to easily enjoy declaring it together.

So each week, we are going to have different members lead us in the creed... to which we can say aloud by following the words we will put up.

And today I welcome Cory Hogoboam, one of our Life Group leaders.[1]

[Creed read. See Note 1]

As I shared last week... each of these brief statements declare a huge spiritual truth.

For some of us, these statements are really familiar... they’ve been a part of what we have come to understand and believe over many years. In fact... they may have become beliefs that we have learned to say without much thought... beliefs that we now tend to have pass through our minds in a quick and shallow fashion... like the common phrases that we say in passing...without much meaningful connection to what we are saying or what we mean.

We can walk by someone who shares an apartment building or work building...and say...“Hey...How ya doing?” The truth is that if they actually stopped...turned around and began to actually tell you how they are doing...you’d be freaking out. Because you were just saying a rote phrase. You didn’t really mean anything by it. And that can happen to stating these beliefs.

So this is an opportunity to stop and take in the meaning afresh... so that our words can enjoy the weight and power that such truth can bring to our minds and souls

And for some... you may still be exploring such beliefs...and these weeks in which we consider each of these core foundations is an opportunity to really consider the central truths of the Christian faith.

As I noted last week... truth exists outside of us... it’s bigger than us.

Truth is something we must discern... but truth is ultimately bigger than ourselves. Truth does not ultimately revolve around us.... but we revolve around it.

When we declare that we believe such truth...we do not mean that it becomes true... but that we are personally recognizing it and orienting our lives accordingly.

(This is why I suggest it is more akin to gravity... which is a part of the material world which we can come to understand...but it existed long before we understood. It didn’t become true when we understood it... it was a truth that we recognized and oriented our lives around. Gravity does not come with an explanation because it exists in itself. )

When we say we believe... it is not about coming to some mere academic affirmation. The Latin word Credo, which is translated here as "I believe," involves more than our brain. A better translation is really "I put my trust in..." which is why this is actually about what forms our very lives.

This week we are launching into the Creed itself and it's opening phrase,

“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.”

We couldn’t begin with a more enormous truth. And I want to invite us to not miss hearing this in the power of it’s own direct potency...before we let our minds react and expand upon it.

“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.”

The succinct nature of these words holds its own unique power. They don’t attempt to qualify themselves... or unpack secondary questions... no matter how valuable those might be.

It’s not that secondary matters are not significant...but we need to stare right into the clear and central truth. It is belief in a God...whom we exist in relationship to...as Father Almighty...and Creator of heaven and earth.

It is the most foundational belief.... that of God... but not simply of some undefined entity that could vaguely be identified as a god...but rather that we believe in one true God that can be known in two primary ways... as Creator and Father. Both ways acknowledge the relational nature of God....as Father and Creator. God is a God who reaches out and calls us into relationship with himself.

When we say “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.”... we are saying that the source and center of all existence is fundamentally relational...and we exist in relationship to God.