Naylor Community Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in
Bibles to Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear,
O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These
commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on
your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the
road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your
hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your
houses and on your gates.
-- as we
discussed last week, we are starting a new sermon series on the Nicene Creed – this
year marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 325
AD, where the foundations of this creed were discussed and affirmed by the
bishops of the early church
-- this
creed is the universal, accepted statement of faith by all Christians – it is
accepted by the western churches, to include the Roman Catholic Church and the
various Protestant churches, and by the eastern churches – the orthodox
churches of Greece and Russia and areas east of Turkey
-- and that
is an amazing statement to make – although there are theological differences
between the western and eastern churches and between the Catholics and the
Protestant churches on various subjects – all of us agree that the Nicene Creed
succinctly and correctly outlines what is the basis of our faith as Christians
– whether we are Catholics, Protestants, or Eastern Orthodox
-- in other
words, we all agree that belief in the tenets of this creed define whether you
are a true believer of Christ or not and whether your church or denomination
are within the fold of the faith
-- every
true Christian – from North America to South America – across Europe and Asia
and the other continents – all agree that the Nicene Creed is the true and
valid statement of our faith – and this has been the case for 1700 years
-- the
Nicene Creed has been in its current form since 489 AD, with the only
difference between the western and eastern churches being two words which were
added in 489 AD, which the eastern church did not agree with but which does not
change the basic statement of faith and which we’ll talk about later
-- the
point is that this creed defines for us who is a Christian and who is not based
on immutable – unchanging – facts about the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit and their relationship to us
II. Giving Credibility to Creeds
-- let’s
begin this sermon series by talking about creeds – what are they and what do
they mean
-- so, what
is a creed? – how do we define that term?
-- a creed
is simply a formal statement of beliefs – a set of beliefs or goals or
standards that guide someone’s actions or faith
-- a
concise, written statement of beliefs that outlines what a particular community
or faith group believes in and uses to direct their theology, their worship,
and their activities
-- it is
the foundation on which that church or that Christian life is built
-- usually,
as in the case of the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, these statements of faith
are written to clarify what is true and what is not true in order to push back
against false teachings or heresies in the church
-- in the
case of the Nicene Creed, it was specifically written to counter a heresy being
taught by a Bishop named Arius – he taught that Christ was not God from the
beginning, but that Jesus was created by God the Father and exalted because of
His obedience to the Father – this heresy is called Arianism, and the Council
of Nicaea was originally called together to discuss this false teaching and to
develop a statement of faith for the church that outlined what was true and
biblical and what was not
-- so, the
creeds became the standard by which teachings and teachers could be measured –
if what was being taught did not line up with the statement of faith in the
creeds, then that teaching was condemned as a false teaching
-- now with
that said – even though I have told you that the entire Christian world accepts
the tenets of the Nicene Creed as true and foundational statement of faith –
you need to know that there are a lot of churches and denominations in our area
who go to great lengths to say that they do not accept creeds – the Southern
Baptist Church is one of those
-- as Chuck Warnock, a Southern
Baptist pastor and blogger put it, "Baptists don’t believe in creeds. We give no cred to the creed. When it comes to the Apostles’ or the Nicene
or any other creed, we just say, ‘No.’"
-- and, as
I mentioned last week, I have seen participants at the Walk to Emmaus or
Chrysalis retreats refuse to say the Apostles’ Creed, which is recited as part
of an early morning devotional service
-- and, as best as I can understand
it, this is the reason why they take such a hard stance against creeds and
against reciting them in their churches – it all goes back to the foundation of
the Reformation movement by Luther in 1517 – as Luther pushed back against
non-biblical teachings in the Roman Catholic Church, he stood on the doctrine
of Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone – the statement that the Bible is the
supreme and final authority in all matters of faith, doctrine, and Christian
living – and he called out the Catholic Church for introducing doctrines and
teachings that were contrary to the Scriptures
-- we agree with the doctrine of
Sola Scriptura – absolutely – without a doubt – the Bible is the supreme and
final authority for our faiths – we stand on the Bible as the written word of
God – and we affirm the truths that God reveals to us in His scriptures – that
is foundational – that is something that all Protestant churches would agree
with
-- so, the Baptists reject creeds
like the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed because they are not found in the
Bible – we can’t turn to a particular book or chapter or set of verses and find
either the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed – they’re not in there in that
form
-- and, since they’re not written
in the Bible, the Baptists cry out, “Sola Scriptura – we reject these creeds
and will not recite them or use them in our worship services”
-- however, they miss the point –
they are right – these creeds are not Scripture – but they synopsize and
summarize for us Scriptural truths – the foundational elements of our faith –
they put together for us all the statements of faith and belief in one concise
document – it basically summarizes the truth of Scripture into a small saying
that someone can memorize and keep with them always
-- and that’s another reason why
these creeds were written – remember that most people in the early days of the
church were illiterate – they could not read or write – and there was limited
access to the Scriptures – so, most people didn’t have a Bible of their own –
and, even if they did, they wouldn’t have been able to read it
-- but these creeds were simple and
short sayings that the people could learn and use as the basis of their faith –
these statements were just short summaries of the truth that everyone could
carry with them
-- and if they happened on someone
preaching to them and heard someone like Arius making the statement that Jesus
was created, they could remember the creed and say, “That’s not right” – that’s
the purpose of the creed – and that’s why, for 1700 years, the entire Christian
community from east to west has affirmed the tenets and truth of the Nicene
Creed
-- and I’ll tell you this – even
though Baptists may not say the creed – there is nothing in that creed that
they disagree with – they believe just as we do – and the truths about the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds are something
that we all agree with and believe in – whether we recite these creeds in our
churches or not
III. Biblical Creeds -- An Example
-- before
we dive into our study of the different foundational truths in the Nicene Creed,
I wanted to take a moment and look at several other creeds and statements of
faith that we do find in the Bible and that predate both the Apostles’ and the
Nicene Creeds
-- one of
the earliest statements of faith on record is from Deuteronomy chapter 6 – look
back at this passage with me – verse 4-5
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear,
O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
-- this is what is known as the
Shema – it is Israel’s basic creed – their foundational statement of faith –
dating all the way back to the days of Moses and still recited today during the
Jewish morning prayers – we even read of Jesus saying the Shema in the New
Testament
-- how do
we know this is a creed? – remember, I told you that the major purposes of a
creed or statement of faith are:
1. to define who you are -- in other words, who
does this creed apply to?
2. to outline what you believe -- to give the
basic foundations of your faith
3. to direct how you will live and the things
that you will do because of the truths in the creed
-- we see
all three of those purposes met here in the Shema
-- first,
it defines who they are -- "Hear O Israel" -- this is the statement
of belief for the nation of Israel -- this is what makes them a nation -- this
is what binds them together as a people -- this statement of faith is hinged
around the belief that God had called Abraham to come out of the nation of Ur
so that God could establish a great nation through him that would bless the
whole world
-- when
this creed starts off with, "Hear O Israel," what it's saying is,
"if you claim to be an Israelite -- if you want to live in Israel -- then
you have to agree to this statement of faith"
--
secondly, it outlines what they believe -- "Hear O Israel, the LORD our
God, the LORD is one."
-- the
Hebrew word that we translate as "LORD" -- all in capital letters --
in this verse is the divine name of God -- "Yahweh"
-- there
are other names in the Old Testament used for God such as Elohim and Adonai --
but the reason Yahweh is used in this creed is because this is the name that
God gave Moses at the burning bush when Moses asked Him what His name was --
this is the name by which God is known to the nation of Israel
-- He gave
this name to them alone and it signified the divine relationship that
-- next,
this creed makes it clear that He is God alone -- it says, "The LORD is
one" or "The LORD alone" -- this stood in vast contrast to all
of the other nations around them -- no other nation had just one God
-- all of
the other nations -- the Egyptians -- the Canaanites -- the Edomites -- all of
them worshiped a plurality of gods -- they worshiped many different gods
-- but,
here, Israel is making it known in this creed that they worship one God -- the
true God -- the only God -- He is God alone -- and all of the other gods that
the nations worship are nothing more than idols or false representations
-- only
-- finally,
it implies a resolution of action -- while this statement does not say,
"this is what you will do if you believe that the LORD is our God and the
LORD is one," it does imply that this belief requires a change in thought,
deed, and action
-- verse 5 outlines
the actions that an Israelite will do if they affirm the truth of that the Lord
our God is One – they will love the LORD their God with all their heart and
with all their soul and with all their strength" -- and then the passage
goes on to reiterate all of the commands of God given to the nation of Israel
to separate them from the world and to make them holy in God's eyes
--
basically, when an Israelite stood up and recited this creed – the Shema -- in
their worship, "Hear O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one"
-- he was, in essence, also saying, "and because I believe this to be true,
I will love Him with all my heart and soul and strength"
-- verse 6-9
Deuteronomy 6:6 These
commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on
your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the
road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your
hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your
houses and on your gates.
-- every
Jew was taught the Shema – it was to become a part of them – they were to take
it into their heart – to impress it on their children – to pass it on to the
next generation – to talk about this truth and this great God and what He has
done as they sit a home or walk along the road or when they get up
-- they
were to post the Shema on their doorframes and the gates to their houses – and
they were to carry these words with them, wherever they went
-- the Jews
would take this Shema – this short scripture from here in Deuteronomy 6 and
write it on a piece of paper – and then they would put that paper in a box
called a phylactery that they would tie to their wrist or they would tie to
their forehead – so they always carried this creed and this truth and this
faith with them, wherever they went
-- the
Shema is one of the earliest creeds that we find in the Bible – but there are
many more in both the Old Testament and the New Testament
-- flip
over to 1 Corinthians 15 and we’ll finish up by looking at a creed – a statement
of faith -- for the New Testament church that we find in Paul's writings
-- look
with me at 1 Corinthians 15:1-2
1 Corinthians 15:1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want
to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which
you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly
to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
-- Paul
begins this statement of faith by reminding the Corinthians up front about what
it means -- he tells them, "this is the gospel -- this is the good news --
this is what I preached to you"
-- he says
that this message is where they have taken their stand and that they must hold firmly to these truths and not let
them go -- in other words, Paul is saying that this is their foundation -- this
is the basis of their entire faith -- without this, their faith fails -- take
away any part of this message, and their walls of faith crumble and they are
lost
-- verse 3a
1 Corinthians 15:3a For what I received I passed on to
you as of first importance
-- once again he says this is the foundation – this is of
first importance -- the basis of our faith -- everything else may be debated,
but this gospel and this statement of faith cannot be debated – it must be
accepted as true, or you are not a Christian
-- there’s
a lot of things in the church that we disagree about – it was a difference of opinion
on theological issues that led the eastern and western churches to split – and
it was difference in theological issues that led the Protestants to separate
from the Roman Catholic Church
-- and one reason why we have a lot
of different denominations and individual churches within the Protestant church
today is because we think differently over various issues and matters in the
church
-- most of these are debatable
issues – they don’t matter in terms of our eternal salvation and what Christ
did for us on the cross and in the resurrection – but they are areas where we
disagree on lesser things and so we can debate those
-- does baptism have to be by
immersion or can it be conducted in another form? – does the Bible say that God
will only accept those who are immersed? – no – that’s a debatable issue that
has caused separation among churches
-- right now, there are a lot of
churches divided over the issue and role of women in ministry – once again,
does the Bible specifically say that women can’t serve as pastors? – some
churches think so, and so they separate from those who disagree
-- but those are debatable issues –
they’re not foundational beliefs – and that is what Paul is getting at here in
verse 3
-- these truths that I have given
you are of first importance – these are non-debatable – you have to believe in
these or you can’t be a Christian – that’s what makes this a creed and a
foundational statement of faith
-- years
ago, Clay Crosse had a song out that said, "It all comes down to a Man
dying on the cross and rising from the dead" -- and that's really all that
matters
-- and
that’s what Paul is saying here -- "you can argue about many things -- but
you can't argue about this -- if you are going to be a Christian, then you have
to believe this"
-- look at verse
3 again
1 Corinthians 15:3 For what I received I passed on to
you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according
to the Scriptures
-- this is
it -- the foundation of our faith given to us in a simple creed -- in a
statement of faith that we must agree with and abide by if we are to be
Christians
-- the
early Christians may not have had the Scriptures available – they may not have
been able to read or write – but they could remember what Paul says here:
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried, and He
was raised on the third day”
-- a short,
succinct, and true foundational statement that everyone had to believe in if
they were to call themselves a follower of Jesus
-- look at
how this short creed breaks down the doctrinal truths we find in the Bible:
-- first,
Paul makes it clear that Jesus was not just a man but that He was the Christ --
the Messiah -- the Anointed One of God who was sent to redeem the world from
the curse of Adam and to bring forgiveness of sins and eternal life
-- second,
Paul says that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures -- in other
words, man didn't make this up -- this isn't something that Paul and the other
Apostles dreamed up after the fact -- this was preordained, predestined,
prophesied in the Old Testament scriptures and fulfilled by Jesus on the cross
of Calvary
-- Paul is
saying, "The Christ came to die for our sins" -- and if you don't
believe it, look it up -- it's there in the Scriptures
-- third,
Jesus was buried and was resurrected on the third day according to the
Scriptures -- once again, Paul is making it clear -- this is not something that
we made up -- this happened and it was all part of God's plan from the very
beginning -- Jesus died and He rose to bring forgiveness of sins, to redeem our
souls, and to bring eternal life to all who would believe
-- skip
down to verse 11
1 Corinthians 15:11 Whether, then, it is I or they,
this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
-- Boom! –
there it is – Paul says, “This is the truth – this is the gospel – this is the
message that all the Apostles preach and teach – and this is what you are to
believe”
-- you
don’t have to know every little intricacy of Scripture – you don’t have to
understand the entire Old and New Testament to be saved – you only have to know
and believe in this and put your faith in Jesus as the Christ who saves us
-- that is
what Paul is saying here – and that is the reason he gave the people this creed
to learn and to know and to believe with all their heart – for in this creed,
they find the truth of the gospel and the source of eternal life through Christ
IV. Closing
-- this
week, we read in the news that the state of Texas has sent a bill to Governor
Abbott for final signature that requires the posting of the Ten Commandments in
every public elementary and secondary school in Texas
-- but let
me ask you this – why? – why did the legislators in Texas feel that the posting
of the Ten Commandments was so important that they needed a law to make it
happen? – what was the reason?
-- Supporters
argue that school kids need to see and know the Ten Commandments because they are
core to U.S. history, along with other Christian teachings – as Robert Tuttle, a
professor of Religion and Law at George Washington University, said, the intent
of posting the Ten Commandments is to tell kids, “these are things you should
read and obey”
-- in a
very real sense, then, the state of Texas is looking at the Ten Commandments as
a creed that they want all their school children to know and follow throughout
their adult lives
-- and
while we can debate the politics of posting the Ten Commandments or other
creeds in our schools, the fact remains that creeds are important – for they
teach us the foundational truths of our faith through a concise statement that
is easy to understand, to memorize, and to share with others
-- the
Nicene Creed is but one of many creeds found in Christianity, but it is
significant for the fact that it has stood the test of time and is still
accepted today by Christians around the world and on every continent
-- the
basic foundations of Christianity that we read of in this creed remain the same
today as they have throughout all recorded history
-- this is
our faith -- this is our belief -- this is our creed
-- it
defines who we are as a people -- we are Christians saved by grace and redeemed
by the blood of Christ
-- it
outlines what we believe and stand on -- Christ has come, Christ has died,
Christ has rose again
-- and it
implies an action on our part -- a resolve to not only live differently, but to
be different -- to be new creations, filled with the Holy Spirit, and empowered
to live our lives for Christ in this world as part of His Kingdom
-- that is
the purpose of a creed -- and so, for the next several weeks, we are going to
study and examine the components of the Nicene Creed so that we are familiar
with it – so that we know what it is that we believe as Christians and as the
church of Christ on earth today
-- with
that, we’ll close in prayer and look forward in anticipation to this study of
the foundational beliefs of our faith
-- let's
pray
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