In this second part of the “I Believe in Jesus” message, Interim Pastor Bill Johnston continued to look at the Apostles’ Creed and the statement “I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who . . . 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 into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.”
Click here to go to Part 1 of the “I Believe in Jesus” message.
CREED: I BELIEVE IN JESUS (Part 2)
Message by Bill Johnston – March 4, 2018
“I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who . . . 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 into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.”
WHAT THE CREED SAYS ABOUT JESUS
4. Jesus “… suffered under Pontius Pilate …”
WORD: Submissive
VERSE: Luke 22:41-42 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
THOUGHT: To embrace God’s will requires surrendering our own.
APPLICATION: Following Jesus is not a guarantee that suffering will never be a part of your life experience
5. Jesus “… was crucified, died, and was buried …”
WORD: Substitute
VERSE: Isaiah 53:4-5 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
THOUGHT: Jesus’ death “for” can rightly be called the unfair exchange
APPLICATION: Embrace the significance and the implications of what Jesus did for you
6. “He descended to the dead …”
WORD: Liberator
VERSE: Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
THOUGHT: Where was Jesus between death on Friday afternoon and resurrection on Sunday morning?
APPLICATION: No one is outside of the reach of God’s redeeming love!
7. “On the third day He rose again …”
WORD: Victor
VERSE: Romans 6:9 Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.
THOUGHT: “Three days” means whole or parts of three separate days
APPLICATION: “He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
8. “He ascended into heaven …”
WORD: Exalted One
VERSE: Philippians 2:9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names…
THOUGHT: All of the “divine privileges” Jesus gave up (Philippians 2:7) to become God in the flesh were restored to him when he returned to the right hand of his Father.
APPLICATION: On a scale of 1-10, where would you place yourself in relation to Jesus being exalted (made most important) in your life?
9. “[He] is seated at the right hand of the Father”
WORD: Honoured One
VERSE: Colossians 3:1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
THOUGHT: The “right hand” is a place of honour, power and authority
APPLICATION: Is Jesus honoured in the way you live your life? What would that look like?
10. “… and will come again to judge the living and the dead.”
WORD: The Just One
VERSE: John 5:30 I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.
THOUGHT: Jesus’ judgment is just and right. It is based on how we actually live our lives compared with how he expects us to live our lives
APPLICATION: Believing in the justice and mercy of God brings great freedom and relief from anxiety and fear.
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits 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 Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.
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