“I believe in Jesus Christ — who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.” The Apostles’ Creed […]
Text: Leviticus 16I remember seeing a cartoon that shows a pastor and his wife deep in conversation. The wife says, “Today let’s […]
Text: Matthew 5:8This sermon gives the history of how the Apostles’ Creed came about and explains the importance it has in the Christian church throughout history as 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.
Text: Romans 1:16Let us instead be encouraged by the opportunities of this hour. Our task to is to go “Back to Basics” so we will truly know what we believe.
Text: Jude 20Our final purpose is evangelism: we must share with those in our world, with those beyond our world, and we must care about the whole world.
Text: John 17:18Our fourth purpose is that we serve God by serving others. Jesus is our model: we must be available, grateful, and faithful.
Text: Ephesians 2:10The third purpose is discipleship. We become more like Christ when trouble teaches us to trust Him; when temptation teaches us to obey; and when trespasses teach us to forgive.
Text: Romans 8:29We were created to be loved by God; we were made to last forever; and we find our purpose by getting to know Him.
Text: Ephesians 1:4God doesn’t want just part of us; He wants all of us. In order to follow Him fully, we need discipline. And the reason we should give everything to Him is because of the Cross – He’s given everything to us.
Text: Ephesians 5:15-17One of the best ways to proclaim what God has done for us is by following Him in baptism. Since Jesus gave the command to be baptized, we must understand and obey Him if we are serious about our faith development. As we study this often-controversial topic, the question remains, “Have you taken the plunge?”
Sermon Series: Faith Factor