Introductory Considerations
1. What is it that you believe? If someone you work with or live near was to ask this, how would you respond. If I to ask you to come forward and share with church, what would you say.
2. One of hardest things is to explain what we believe as Christians. Somehow many thoughts enter mind and we fumble around trying to put some form or order to those thoughts.
3. Problem in early church. In order to explain what they believed they needed to formulate a statement of belief.
a. To determine what one needs to believe if one is to be a Christian.
b. To teach new converts to the faith.
c. To provide a statement of shared beliefs to be used in worship.
4. And so the early church, over time, formulated the Apostles Creed. In 4th century used by Rome. Today used by all but Orthodox church, as a summary of what it is we believe.
Teaching
1. Today we begin to take a look at the Apostles Creed.
2. I ask not that we look at it as an old statement that we sometimes read together in church - perhaps recite with little thought or meaning, but that we look at it in a few personal, important ways:
a. - Do I believe what this creed says? Not because it is infallible but because it reflects what Bible teaches.
b. To learn it and know it so we can share with others what we believe. (1Pet 3:15)
c. To consider how our beliefs affect how we look at the world and at our life - for to believe something is to be more than just believing it in our mind.
3. To believe means:
a. To give assent to certain ideas, facts, or beliefs.
b. Must include trust or confidence. Greek word for "believe" means to trust.
i. In passage from Exodus, Moses believes in God. (vs. 12)
ii. But there is a problem - people had made golden calf. In response in 33:3 God said "I will not go with you"
iii. This troubles Moses and so he asks 2 things
iv. vs. 15, "If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here". I need your presence. I have confidence in you, I trust in you, I need you.
v. Also asks God to teach "me your ways" in verse 13. I need to have my mind taught or renewed to know your
ways so that I can know you and you way of doing things so I might continue to find favour with you.
c. To believe means to be committed to and to obey.
a. Moses wants to know God’s pattern of doing things so He will follow God’s pattern rather than conform to pattern of world as we talked about last week. He wants to obey God.
b. To please God.
4. And so do you believe in God? Your yes will do you no God unless you can say yes to this:
- I place my confidence in Him, I trust Him
- I think not as world thinks but as a child of God thinks
- I am committed to living for Him, I belong to Him not myself
- I am obeying Him, seeking to obey Him to please Him and bring Him glory
5. Today we consider the statement "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth".
6. Do you belive this?
7. We begin by saying that we believe in God - we believe there is a God and we will identify Him more as we go along.
a. We know there is a God because creation reveals Him (Rom 1:20)
b. We believe there must be God from logic - cause and effect, if creation is here someone must have created it.
c. And we know there is God from His word.
8. We believe God is our Father.
a. Not saying He is male because God is Spirit.
b. He has a special relationship to us and that is one of a Father - as Father, perfect Father - He brings us into being, he watches over us and protects us. (Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 26 - 2nd part).
c. As father He is our authority - He rules over us and the world
d. Whose Father is He?
i. In Old Testament thought of as Father of all - since He created all.
ii. In New Testament as father of those who believe in Him John 20:17 Jesus said, ’I am returning to my Father and
your Father, to my God and your God.’"
iii. We are adopted as children when we receive Him as our heavenly father.
9. We believe that God is almighty - all powerful - there is no pone or nothing more powerful than Him - there is nothing that He cannot do.
10. We believe that this heavenly father is the one who created heaven and earth. (Isa 44:24; Heb 11:3)
11. I went thru this rather quickly because we need to consider what difference these things mean to us. How we look at things in contrast to the prevailing world view.
12. We believe there is a God who is above us and yet comes to us. World says there is no God - unless man himself is God
a. Means world lives for self. Man most important- we exalt man and his achievements.
b. God’s pattern that we live for Him - seek to please and honour as Moses wanted to.
13. We have a God who is almighty and yet is our Father.
a. This brings meaning to all things (HC 27)
b. Means that when things happen to us, we look at them differently - even storms in world - due to weather patterns? - or work of God? Flooding in west coast of USA.
c. And so when we look at weather or situations, we say "what is God showing us?"
i. Reminding us of His power when we forget it or disciplining us for our sinful ways.
ii. Aids - world - fails to see relationship between sin of homosexuality/drug use and the disease. We see it as God’s
judgement on sineven though we still care for and help.
iii. World pattern sees no such connection.
14. When we become sick and have problems, world feels helpless and sees no hope.
a. We remember that God is working out purpose and can rest in Him. (Pss 91)
15. We look at creation as God’s creation with a purpose.
a. World sees evolution - treats a theory (not proven) as fact. That man comes from apes, that we are here by chance.
b. We know we are special - the culmination of creation.
c. We both believe creation important, but world says that creation is to be worshipped because that is were we come from, worship man and his achievements.
d. We value human life more. We know we are given dominion over earth. (Gen 1:28)
e. Creation made for us not us for creation
16. How do you look at these things - could be many more? Do you see self as special created for a special purpose? Aare you and everything in life a product of chance?.
17. Renew your mind to know in all things that God is at work and live each day to seek to know how and why. Live out your faith in Godly ways of thinking.
18 Like Moses be willing to go ahead because you know that His presence is with you.
