Sermons found for the topic Apostles' Creed

The Triumphant Christ - I Peter 3:18-22

This is the hardest passage in the New Testament. That’s what my Greek professor said when we were studying I Peter in seminary. I recall him saying that there are so many possible views about these verses that More

The Strangest Part of the Creed: He Descended into Hell - I Peter 3:18-19

What happened to Jesus between his death and resurrection? We know his body was buried, but what about his spirit? Where was he and what was he doing between his death at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and his resurrection somet More

You Are What You Believe: Why the Apostles’ Creed Matters - Romans 1:16

This sermon gives the history of how the Apostles’ Creed came about and explains the importance it has in the Christian church throughout history aa well as in our individual lives. The Apostles’ Creed is a declaration of faith recognized by all branches of true Christianity. For 2,000 years the Apostles’ Creed has served as a succinct statement of the irreducible minimum of the Christian faith. It is the common heritage of the true Christian church. It offers a broad survey of Christian doctrine, that focuses all on God as the object of the faith, and what he has done for believers. In this declaration of beliefs, the God of the Christian church is sharply distinguished from the gods of other religions by what he has done for his believers. The authority of these statements of belief embodied in the Apostles’ Creed lies entirely on the Word, that is the Bible, and not on any personal or private interpretations. It follows then that a person who professes to be a Christian must therefore subscribe or believe in everything stated in this creed, at the very least, as a start of what the Christian must believe. The Creed reminds us that truth is not optional. There are boundaries to the Christian faith. Not everything is negotiable. Some things must be believed if you are to call yourself a Christian. You can choose to live outside those boundaries, but if you do, you aren’t a Christian and you shouldn’t call yourself one. More

Always Springtime in Heaven: I Believe in Life Everlasting - II Corinthians 5:8

This is the final message in the series on the Apostles' Creed. When we started in January, there was snow on the ground. We end on a hot summer Sunday in July. Our church theme this year is "Back to Basics," and our More

God Has a Big Family—Part 1 "I Believe in the Holy Catholic Church" - Matthew 16:18

Jesus said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18 ESV).The Apostles' Creed says, "I believe in the holy catholic church." People say, "I like Jesus, but I don't ca More

God's Scapegoat: "Buried" - Leviticus 16

"I believe in Jesus Christ ¼ who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried." The Apostles' CreedThis is a sermon based on a word that doesn't seem necessary. We know Jesus died. We know he ros More

The Positive Power of Forgiveness: "I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins" - Psalm 130:3-4

If you know a bit about church history, you know that before Martin Luther became the father of the Protestant Reformation, he was a Catholic priest. As part of his training, he spent years studying Greek, Hebrew, Lat More

The Hardest Doctrine to Believe: "The Resurrection of the Body" - I Corinthians 15

Thirteen years ago I traveled to Russia with John and Helen Sergey. For 17 days we traveled from Leningrad to Moscow to the Volga River. While we were in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), I met Art DeKruyter, the foundi More

Who's in Charge Here? "I Believe in God the Father Almighty" - Various

All week long I've been thinking about the phrase "Father Almighty" and trying to decide what it really means. It's a fascinating question because the Apostles' Creed compresses the entire nature of God into just two More

The Incomparable Christ: "Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord" - Philippians 2:9-11

Who is Jesus Christ? Of all the questions that might be posed to modern men and women, none is more important than this. It is no exaggeration to say that this is the central question of history and the most important More

What Do These Stones Mean? - Joshua 4

He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?' tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground'" (Joshua 4:21-22).Rocks aren't hard to f More

The Day God Died: "Crucified, Died" - Hebrews 9-10

The Apostles' Creed contains four phrases that refer to the death of Jesus Christ:Crucified,Died,Buried,Descended into Hell.If you think about it, this seems redundant, especially in a Creed where the entire Christian More

A Friend in High Places: "He Ascended into Heaven and Sits at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty" - Various

This is one of the most remarkable statements in the Apostles' Creed and it is also one of the most neglected areas of Christian doctrine. Even though we (along with all Christians) believe in the ascension of Christ, More

The Up and Coming Christ: "He Will Come Again to Judge the Living and the Dead" - John 14:1-3; II Peter 3:3-10

You never know where you will find spiritual truth. A few days ago I received a letter from Mary Jo Lynch. Thirty-five years ago, she lived with her husband Dudley in my hometown of Russellville, Alabama. Dudley Lynch More

God Has a Big Family—Part 2 "I Believe in the Holy Catholic Church" - Ephesians 4:1-6

"I believe in the holy catholic church." The Apostles' CreedLet's begin at the most basic point. What does the word "church" mean? In the New Testament the word "church" translates the Greek word ekklesia, which itsel More

All One Body We: "The Communion of Saints" - Hebrews 12:1

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Hebr More

Christ B.C. Part IV: Born of a Virgin - Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23

Christmas is an amazing time of year. Yesterday I ran across a statement that sums it up: "Isn't it amazing that a baby born in a stable 2,000 years ago can cause traffic jams this week?" I am thankful for this sea More

Should Our Teachers Be Required to Sign the Articles of Faith? - Various

Tonight we are beginning a brand-new series of Sunday night messages. As you know, I usually take books of the Bible on a chapter-by-chapter basis on Sunday night. This series is a major departure from that pattern. More

Don't You Believe in Miracles? - 1 Kings 17:17-24

In the current issue of Dallas Connection, the alumni publication from Dallas Theological Seminary, Greg Hatteberg reflects on his wife's struggle with Multiple Sclerosis. I first met Greg and Lisa when I spoke at the More

How to Kill a New Christian - Part 2 - Romans 14:1-12

Christians have always disagreed - a lot! And it’s not a bad thing. But there is always a danger that our own personal preferences will grow so important that we no longer accept our brothers and sisters in the Lord who disagree with us. The great unifying factor for the people of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. He has broken down the wall that separated us from God and from one another. In Him we are joined together in the body of Christ. If we truly believe in Him, we can let Him deal with those who disagree with us. In the meantime, don’t forget to treat those who disagree as brothers and sisters in the Lord. More

Back to Basics - John 7:16-17

Each year at Calvary we choose a theme and a theme verse that serve as our ministry focus. We started doing that in 1991 and have continued every year since then. Sometimes we don't know until October or November what More

You Are What You Believe: Why the Apostles’ Creed Matters - Romans 1:16

This sermon gives the history of how the Apostles’ Creed came about and explains the importance it has in the Christian church throughout history aa well as in our individual lives. The Apostles’ Creed is a declaration of faith recognized by all branches of true Christianity. For 2,000 years the Apostles’ Creed has served as a succinct statement of the irreducible minimum of the Christian faith. It is the common heritage of the true Christian church. It offers a broad survey of Christian doctrine, that focuses all on God as the object of the faith, and what he has done for believers. In this declaration of beliefs, the God of the Christian church is sharply distinguished from the gods of other religions by what he has done for his believers. The authority of these statements of belief embodied in the Apostles’ Creed lies entirely on the Word, that is the Bible, and not on any personal or private interpretations. It follows then that a person who professes to be a Christian must therefore subscribe or believe in everything stated in this creed, at the very least, as a start of what the Christian must believe. The Creed reminds us that truth is not optional. There are boundaries to the Christian faith. Not everything is negotiable. Some things must be believed if you are to call yourself a Christian. You can choose to live outside those boundaries, but if you do, you aren’t a Christian and you shouldn’t call yourself one. More

The Greatest Risk You'll Ever Take: "I Believe in God" - Hebrews 11:6

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).The Bible declares God's existence. It do More

Not by Chance: "Maker of Heaven and Earth - Revelation 4:11

Evolution was in the news this week. Actually the word "evolution" was in the news. The Georgia state school superintendent has proposed taking the word "evolution" out the biology curriculum. That's not as radical as More

Why the Virgin Birth Matters: "Conceived of the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary" - Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38

Let's begin our study with two familiar verses of Scripture:"But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home a More

The Man Who Killed Jesus: "Suffered Under Pontius Pilate" - Isaiah 53

This has been a week unlike any other in my lifetime. Last Wednesday the new movie by Mel Gibson, "The Passion of the Christ," premiered around the country. For various reasons the film has stirred up enormous controv More

Seize the Day! - Various

The scene is a prep school somewhere in New England. On a beautiful fall morning the bright young men have gathered in English Literature class, fearing the worst—long, boring hours arguing about Beowulf and th More

The Truth about the Passion Movie

To me the most satisfying part of the movie has nothing to do with violence. It comes when Jesus, already badly beaten, stands before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. As the curious, uncertain Pilate begin More

Going All In: "The Third Day He Rose from the Dead" - I Corinthians 15:17-19

Dr. Billy Graham once told Time magazine, "If I were an enemy of Christianity, I would aim right at the Resurrection, because that is the heart of Christianity."The founder of the Jesus seminar, Dr. Robert Funk, offer More

When God Comes Near: "I Believe in the Holy Spirit" - John 7:37-39

"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water w More

What About Creation and Evolution? - Genesis 1:1

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." First sentences matter. Every writer knows that the very first words he puts on paper set the tone for everything else that follows. In fact most writers work More

"In the Beginning": The Most Important Verse in the Bible - Genesis 1:1

Today we are beginning a new sermon series entitled "First Things: The Amazing True Story of How the World Came to Be." Over the next few months we'll be looking in detail at the opening chapters of the Bible, Genesis More

A Man Called Pilate - Mark 15:1-15

Here is yet another man we'd all like to meet. His is the story of a man caught in a terrible dilemma. No matter how many times we read his story, it is still not fully clear what he really thought and how he really More

A Very Personal Statement of Faith - Various

Tonight I sit and stare at the blank face of my computer. It's dark outside and the boys are in bed. In the kitchen the dishwasher drones and in the bedroom I hear Marlene talking to someone on the phone—I can More