THE APOSTLES CREED SERIES (WEEK 1/8: CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH) SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

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1 THE APOSTLES CREED SERIES (WEEK 1/8: CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH) SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS CONNECT: As people in your life debate the shape of marriage in Australia, how can your words be full of salt and grace to them? WARM-UP Question 1. Read the Apostles Creed together (see over page). What most stands out for you in it? 2. Why do you think it is important to know what we believe and why we believe it? 3. How was the creed used to both correct false teaching and help disciple Christians? I BELIEVE What are we saying when we declare I believe? How is this more than just agreeing to the facts? Read Romans 10:9. How does this verse pick up on some of the aspects of what it means to believe? 6. How is there also a corporate/community dynamic to us believing the creed? Why is this important for the transmission of the faith across generations? (Think about: what does it safeguard) 7. How do some of the authors of the Bible use creedal statements or songs in their writing? Can you think of some specific examples read two or three together. IN GOD, THE FATHER ALMIGHTY 8. In what way is it significant that Christianity believes in only one God, but in three persons? 9. Read Matthew 6:9-13. What is the significance of Jesus teaching us to pray Our Father? How intimate is this? What does it mean for those who have had difficult relationships with earthly dads? 10. Read 1 John 1: How are we made into adopted children? As adopted children, what are the benefits? How is this glorious news? CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH 11. How does believing in God as creator (and you therefore as part of creation), change how you live? 12. How is our view of God as Creator (along with the goodness of creation) different to other worldviews? 13. Why do Christians have more cause than any to both revel in creation and seek to overcome the brokenness in our world? How does our work of rebuilding point to our ultimate future? 14. How can what you believe be more of a response to the wonder and glory of God? APPLY (to this week): Start each day with the Apostles Creed and try to let it sink in. PRAY: Gracious God we thank you that because of your grace, that we can call you Father! Thank you that you are the creator of all and that we have the privilege of being your children. Please help us to grow in our trust in you and obedience of your ways. In Jesus Name, Amen. For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU

2 THE APOSTLES CREED SERIES (WEEK 1/8: CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH) GOING DEEPER RESOURCES & SUGGESTIONS Each week we provide additional resources that help to go deeper with whatever series we re currently focusing on as a church. Resources could include recommended books, articles, online sermons, courses, or videos. These are optional extras! Please don t feel under pressure to look at every resource, but consider what could be useful to. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; 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. Talks & Audio The Apostles Creed: Getting a Vocabulary for Faith by Redeemer (NY): (Payment Required) This I Believe Series by the Anglican Church of Noosa: Genesis Series from St Bart s Anglican Church (2015): Video postles Creed Introduction: The Apostles Creed Spoken by the Village Church Books & Articles "What Christians Ought to Believe: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine through the Apostles' Creed" by Michael Bird. "What We Believe: Understanding and Confessing the Apostles' Creed" by R C Sproul. "I Believe: Exploring the Apostles' Creed" by Alister McGrath. Apostles Creed Article on Wikipedia For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU

3 Talk 1/8 (The Apostles Creed Series): 08/10/17 Creator of Heaven and Earth by the Rev d Adam Lowe Bible Passage: Genesis 1 and Colossians 1:15-20 At St Bart s, as we explore the Bible together each Sunday and in our small groups, we typically do that by moving through various books or sections of the Bible. This year, we ve spent time exploring Matthew s Gospel, Joshua, Habakkuk, and 1 Peter. However, occasionally, we take the opportunity to consider theological topics, with the Bible in hand of course, in order that we would be clearer about what we believe, why we believe it, and what the implications are for our lives. And so it s with that in mind, that we re commencing a series on the Apostles Creed. Creedal statements act as a concise way to crystallise and summarise what we believe. Creeds are NEVER intended to replace the Bible, but point to the truths within the Scriptures. And so, throughout the history of the church, creeds have played an important role in: not only preparing people for baptism; not only providing clarity in the context of heresy and controversy, in effect setting out the boundaries of what we believe, but also to help those who do follow Jesus, to keep on sticking with the truth. As we say the creeds individually - we re publicly declaring what we believe, As we say the creeds corporately - we re reminded of what what believe together, As we say the creeds privately - the truth is driven deeper into our hearts. And of course this is not a new thing.!2

4 When you look at the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, we see the importance of creeds, or creed-like statements, in the life of God s people. So in Deuteronomy chapter 6:4-5, we find the Shema: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one Faithful Jews, across the centuries, have confessed these words daily, as a summary of what they believe. In confessing in the one true God, it distinguished Judaism against their pagan polytheistic neighbours who believed in many gods. In confessing in the LORD, it pointed to the Lord alone as the one who had created the world, had rescued their ancestors, who was at work in the world, and who called them to respond in love, and loving obedience. // In the New Testament, we can read quotations that were actually hymns or summaries of faith that were told and retold before they were written down. So when in 1 Timothy 3 we read: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. (v.16)!3 What we re reading is probably a very early statement of belief. Sometimes they were hymns. We can read similar types of statements in Philippians 2 or 1 Corinthians 15. [B] So in the most amazing of ways, we witness Scripture gathering and affirming very early statements of belief, but also creeds summarising the great truths of the Bible. We see that same type of relationship with the Apostles Creed. The reason we call it the Apostles Creed is not because the Apostles wrote it, but because it faithfully points to the teaching of the apostles to which the church was devoted. It probably had its origins in the questions asked of candidates for baptism progressively moving through the list of statements to which they would respond I believe. So in a way, that s what we re going to do over the next eight weeks That every one of us - individually and corporately - would have the opportunity, phrase-by-phrase to understand it and be invited to respond: Do you believe this? So we start with: Do you believe: in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth? So to do that, we ll first look at what it means to believe, and then more closely consider, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.!4

5 #1 I [WE] BELIEVE \\ RESPONDING TO THE GLORY OF GOD So first, what does it mean to believe? The very fact that the first words are I believe, give us a massive clue, that everything that follows is not some distant and irrelevant statement, but something which demands a response. Do you believe it? But in order to really understand what believing means, here, we must understand the context for belief and the meaning of belief. With regards to context, we ve noted that it was used for baptism candidates. Which immediately points to the individual and corporate nature of the creed. A person has had to come to the individual decision to affirm that faith; But they ve also probably been nurtured within community and now confess it publicly. We re not just saying it alone. There is also a sense - for all who do - that WE BELIEVE. That s not just a nice collective warm fuzzy - it s far more than that, for it means that we stand in continuity of a long line of people, who have upheld the truth, and have passed it on, have transmitted it, faithfully. That process is what Paul highlights in one of the great creedal statements of the NT:!5 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) [B] I m so thankful that we haven t had to sit down and write a statement of beliefs. No! We have a statement of belief, that has stood the test of time, that is faithful to the historical events surrounding Jesus life, for which people - across the centuries - have died to defend. It s very important - that the substance to that which we say I Believe, is not subject to the whims of one generation or the next, but actually something bigger than me, bigger than us. By acknowledging that the creed has a corporate dynamic, we are straight away saying that this is not something that it true for me, in a different way that is true for you, no simply: this is true. We are woven together not through shared interest, but in a shared confession. We united together - through Jesus - because it s true. In our culture, in our vocabulary, we use the word believe, in all sorts of ways.!6

6 We might say, I believe in myself, or I believe in you, in which we mean something akin to, I m fairly certain you re capable of something, or I m optimistic that you will be able to pull through. Almost like cheering someone on. But when we respond I believe to the creed, it s far more robust. I BELIEVE means that I m confident and compelled by the facts of these statements. Which means having considered evidence, weighed it up, and been convinced of its truth. But this isn t just assent to a historical statement. You can believe that Jesus lived, died, and rose, but not be a Christian. Because I BELIEVE also means taking those facts and trusting in them. It s one thing to think a ropes course it safe, it s another to trust in it. It s one thing to think that Jesus was real, it s another to trust in him. But it doesn t stop there, because I BELIEVE also means obedience. That we believe that this is true, that we trust and rely on its truth, and then we take our lives and orient them in obedience. If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)!7 This isn t mere repetition! When we say I BELIEVE, we re saying that this is: Good News about God that we know to be factual. Good News for the world in which we put our trust. Good News that compels us to live lives in obedience. In the Gospels, we see the pattern over and over again. That as people came to Jesus, and saw him for who he really was, they put their trust in him, and followed.!8

7 #2 FATHER ALMIGHTY \\ ONE TRIUNE GOD So, what do we believe in?, first God, the Father Almighty. So note first, that we believe in ONE God. That seems like a very politically incorrect assertion to make, but it is actually the most glorious news. For it means that the identity of God is not a mystery. What we believe is not like the greco-romans, who believed in many gods, or in pantheism in which god is in everything. No, Christianity asserts that there is only one true God, and that it is God alone who is the object of our faith. But it is also important to note that the one true God in whom we believe, is triune. That is - one God, who exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We re not going to go into that in great detail now, but what I want you to note, that actually the whole creed is structured around - affirming and celebrating - this wonderful truth.!9 So we see and read: I believe in God, Father Almighty I believe in Jesus Christ, God s Only Son I believe in the Holy Spirit. That s what Christianity distinctively believes. That s what Scripture faithfully witnesses to. // It is in God the Trinity, in whom we believe. [B] We ll unpack that more over the coming weeks, but first we note that in God we have the ultimate Father. When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he begins with Our Father. The word used for Father, Abba, has the most amazing sense of intimacy. It s means something like daddy. And so when we say I believe to this, we are saying, in the most mind-blowing of ways, that even though God is the creator of all, he is Almighty, we are told by Jesus and believe that we can approach him with a phenomenal closeness. Unlike other faiths that believe that God is impersonal, or unknowable, or completely disinterested and set apart from humanity, the creed points us to the wonderful truth revealed in the Scriptures, that the God in whom we believe calls us into relationship.!10

8 Michael Bird puts it like this: God is not a distant deity, nor an impersonal power, not a divine monad without personality or purpose. God is the one who made Christ our brother and the Holy Spirit our comforter, and adopted sons and daughters of his royal and everlasting kingdom. That s the wonderful implication. See unlike earthly fathers that will always fail in some way, our Heavenly Father will never fail us and loves us, just as his own Son. Because when we believe in him, he adopts us as his own, not as second-class children, but with Christ as our very brother. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (1 John 1:12-13)!11 #3 CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH \\ CREATOR & CREATION I believe in God, the Father Almighty, and second, creator of heaven and earth. Just try to grasp the gravity of the claim that God is the creator of heaven and earth It means that utterly everything that exists - that s what the heavens and the earth is shorthand for, everything in all totality was created by God from nothing! Which means that God is above all things, separate from all things, the origin of all things, and the designer of all things. I think often when we think about God as creator, we can end up getting very caught up with wondering how God did it all. But actually the Bible, is less interested in method and more interested in meaning. The Bible is far more concerned with the who and why of creation rather than the how; which I think makes it much more exciting to us! Because the implications are not simply one of process, but of relationship. If all things flow from him, including ourselves, then we will only possibly understand how we are to relate to creation, we will only ever begin to even understand ourselves, if we come to know the Creator.!12

9 This is tremendously unique. In pantheism, people believe that god is in everything, so they end up worshipping it. In the pagan greco-roman worldview, the physical world was lesser, so they saw it of no value. In the secular view creation has no ultimate purpose, so it can be exploited. But Christianity says no! We don t worship creation, we worship the one to whom it points! We don t reject creation, because the Creator had his hands in the dirt and drew close! We don t exploit it because if the Creator made it, it belongs to him and has a purpose! Which means that as Christians, if we BELIEVE that our God, is the creator of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen, and has entrusted us, as part of creation, to help rule over creation, it has the most amazing implications for how we relate to the world. It means that we should revel in creation more than any other. For we know it s worth and the glory to whom it points! We, more than other, should delight in the sunrise, or the songs of the bird, or the taste of food, or the sound of music. It s all part of the wonderfully created world made by our God.!13 Who placed us not as careless developers, pillaging the earth for any benefit we see fit; nor simply as park rangers, looking but not touching; but instead as loving gardeners, caring, tending, creating. Enjoying its goodness, being sustained by its fruit, and resting in its beauty, that everything in all of creation may point to the glory of God. We see that over and over again in the Psalms, we heard that in Colossians too. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16) Which means that we should also be rebuilders. For the world we live in is not as it was, nor as it will be. But we simply don t believe that the our ultimate future will be devoid of the physical world. For God created the heavens and the earth, and he will remake both anew. Which means, we should cry out at illness and the damage of the earth more than any other, seeking for people to be made well, seeking for the conservation of the earth, not because we can possibly bring it to completion, but because as we do, we point to the one who will.!14

10 CONCLUSION \\ RESPONDING TO THE WONDER OF GOD See the one in whom we believe, is not only the Lord Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth, but he s also the one, who became uncreated on the cross, so that the brokenness in our world, so that the brokenness in our lives, can be completely conquered when he returns. This I believe. When we stand and say or sing these words, we re not just reciting something meaningless. We re declaring that we stand for something. We re declaring that we belong to someone. We re declaring what is true. We re trusting in the facts. We re seeking to obey. We re responding to the incredible news of who God is, what he s done, and what is yet to come. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.!15