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The 1st 2 words of the Apostles Creed are I BELIEVE. These are things that are essential for a Christian to believe.
Jesus is central to the Apostles’ Creed, just like He is central to the Bible and our faith. The creed reveals 3 titles that Jesus holds.
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Jesus is Christ – The anointed King, Priest, & Prophet
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Jesus is God’s Only Son – Unlike any other man
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Jesus is our Lord – He is the Authority
We must believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son, & our Lord.
Apostles’ Creed 2 – I believe in Jesus Christ from Redemption Church on Vimeo.
Apostles Creed 2 Jesus Christ His Only Son
Sermon notes by Chris Fluitt
Redemption Church Plano Tx
**Vid bumper
Welcome back to Redemption Church. I am Chris Fluitt and serve as Lead Pastor to this Mighty group of people. I pastor a group of people that believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They believe that they have a mission to tell the world about Jesus.
We are in the 2nd week of the Apostles’ Creed.
I want to remind you that a Creed is a formal statement of Christian beliefs. A set of beliefs or aims that guide someone’s actions.
Last week we talked about why the Creed is important but is not a substitution for the Word of God. It is really a reflection of scripture. The Scripture in your Bible holds real authority.
Creeds Connect us to other Christians in this present age and throughout time.
The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest of the written Christian creeds. It has been used in 2 main ways..
- To correct error. Over history there have been instances of believers drifting into things that are not true. The Creed helped anchor believers to true Bible teaching points.
- To teach and shape faith in believers.
Last week we looked at the first line of the Apostles’ Creed..
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
We talked about a faith that is Specific, Personal, & Powerful.
Let’s read the Apostles creed together. If you feel comfortable with what it says I invite you to read out loud with me. If there is any part of the creed that you don’t agree with you can stay silent on that point. I do not want anyone to think that you are being forced to adhere to this belief… I want you to come to faith on your own.
“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”
*All embracing, Universal
At the heart of the Creed we find Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is found in the heart of God’s Word. He needs to be found in your heart.
This section on Jesus is the longest of the sections. There is so much about Jesus Christ that is essential for Christians to believe. I could take many weeks to cover each part of this section on Christ, but I will try to cover the major theme in just one sermon.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord
Right here in the first line we see that Jesus is Christ, the Son, & our Lord.
Jesus is the Christ
Christ is not Jesus’ last name. Christ is a Title.
Christ is a Greek word. The Hebrew equivalent is the word Messiah. The Title Christ/Messiah means Anointed one.
When someone was called by God to be a King, a priest, or prophet (in some cases) they would have oil poured on them, marking them for the special purpose of God.
Messiah, Christ would be King (ruler), Priest (mediator & servant), & Prophet (mouthpiece of God).
Jesus is the Christ! He is King, Priest, & Prophet.
There is only one Christ.
Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”(NIV)
Matthew 16:14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”(NIV)
Matthew 16:15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”(NIV)
Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”(NIV)
Matthew 16:17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.(NIV)
Jesus is THE Christ. He is THE anointed one! HE IS THE ONE… Not one of many.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.(NIV)
John the Baptist asked Jesus…
Luke 7:19 “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”(NIV)
Whether you realize it or not, you are looking for that ONE thing that will complete your life.. You might be looking for a relationship, success, power, admiration, pleasure.. Jesus is the ONE you have been looking for. Do you believe it?
Jesus is the Christ
Jesus is God’s Only Son
Now this takes some explanation because there are some scriptures that say we are God’s children or sons…
John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–(NIV)
[Ephesians 4:6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.(NIV)]
So how can we be children of God yet declare Jesus to be God’s only son?
We are God’s children through a Spiritual adoption. You are born again through Faith and Baptized into the Only Son Jesus Christ. This is what Paul says in
Galatians 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,(NIV)
Galatians 3:27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.(NIV)
We become God’s children through Jesus Christ.. Through Faith in Jesus.. Baptized into Jesus and clothed in Jesus. It happens ONLY in Jesus!
We are spiritual children but Jesus is the physical son.
As the Apostles Creed declares, Jesus was conceived by God’s Holy Spirit and born of a virgin named Mary. Jesus had no earthly father. Jesus had a heavenly Father.
There is nothing else in creation like the birth of Jesus Christ – the Only Son of God.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.(NIV)
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
Jesus is God
Jesus is the physical son of God, but as we just read in John 1:18, the son is God Himself.
Jesus is not a demi God… someone lesser than God but greater than the rest of mankind – someone like Hercules the Greek fable.
Nor is Jesus represent just a part of God. Jesus is not 1/3rd of God. Jesus is Fully God!
Colossians 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,(NIV)
Colossians 2:10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.(NIV)
Jesus is FULLY GOD & FULLY MAN. This is the dual nature.
The Father that we studied last week is revealed in the flesh as Jesus the son. Jesus is the very same God who created the world in Genesis 1. This is something the apostles believed. Do you believe it?
He is the one we have been looking for..
Last I want to look at the 3rd title given to Jesus in this Apostles’ Creed.
Jesus is our Lord
Pronouns matter. We believe that Jesus is the Lord…
Philippians 2:10-11 at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
Acts 9:5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
We believe Jesus is Lord.. but pronouns matter. Jesus needs to be OUR LORD!
Jesus is our Lord
Lord is an authority. Is Jesus your authority?
When you have a King authority in your life you don’t just make all your own selfish decisions.
There is a reason that we pray in Jesus name.. We want His authority.
More people claim Jesus as their savior than claim Jesus as their Lord. Do you understand the difference? Savior Jesus gives us what we want – Rescues us from hell.. but Lord Jesus might talk to us about our life choices.
You need Jesus to be your Lord.
I want you to think about ancient Christians living under severe persecution and certain death. These Christians risked everything to call Jesus Lord… We often marvel at this and wonder if we could do the same. Let me bring you a different way of looking at it.
They looked at a future of mistreatment and abuse they didn’t want and said – No! That is not my future, Jesus is my future.
They looked at a Kingdom that was overcome with corruption and said – No! That is not my Kingdom, Jesus’s Kingdom is my Kingdom.
They looked at a tyrant egomaniac king named Caesar and claimed himself to be Lord, claimed to be God and they said – NO! You are not my King! You are not my Lord! Jesus is my Lord!
He is the one we have been looking for..
You need to take a look at your future and say no! Jesus you can hold all my tomorrows.
You need to look at your life and say no! Jesus give me brand new life.
You need to look at the tyrants that have been pushing you around… Your materialistic selfish greed, your addictions, your anger, your depression, your bitterness… You need to say No! Jesus is Lord!
You need to look in the mirror at your king… Look at yourself! Because we have been living like we are the Lord of our lives. We have been making all the decisions and wrecking our life… It’s time to say NO! Make Jesus Lord!
He is the one we have been looking for..
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
The first 2 words of the Apostles creed are “I believe.” It doesn’t say “I KNOW.”
The Bible instructs us to do both… to believe/have faith and to know or grow in understanding… Knowing has more to do with growth and development… Believing is essential in becoming saved.
There are some things we may never “KNOW.” How can you know that Jesus was born of a virgin? How can you prove that? What scientific experiment can you run to prove that so that you can say YOU KNOW..?
How can you know that? I don’t know it, but I believe it.
Maybe you have never come to a believing faith in Jesus because you are trying TO KNOW first. Knowing and believing are not the same…
Can you believe in Jesus? As Christ? As God’s only son? Can you believe Him to be Your Lord today?