Belief: What We Believe

 Week 1

Statement: “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” Text: Acts 17:22-28; Genesis 1:1-2
Big Idea of the Message: God is the creator and ruler of all existence; meaning, He deserves our complete and undivided worship.

Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

1. “The word ‘creed’ comes from the Latin word credo, meaning ‘I believe.’It was called ‘Apostles’ not because the apostles themselves wrote it (although some people may have thought this), but because the Creed was believed to be an accurate summary of what the apostles taught. The Creed was useful in several ways: The Creed was a public statement of faith, a standardized way in which new people could confess their faith in Jesus Christ. The Creed anchored Christian faith to a tradition, to make it difficult for people or churches to be led astray by strange doctrines. The Creed was a preaching and teaching tool, giving an outline for further

discipleship. The Creed was memorized through frequent repetition, which helped the many believers who could not read. The Creed provided a doctrinal basis for different churches to accept one another, and to reject those who did not accept the basic truths. The Bible itself contains brief creed-like statements (1 Corinthians 8:6; 15:3-4; 1 Timothy 3:16). The early church leaders also wrote short creeds, perhaps as baptism ceremonies. These eventually were recited by congregations in their worship services,” (Michael Morrison, “The Apostles’ Creed,” Grace Communion International Website, <https://www.gci.org/history/apostles>, accessed March 23, 2016).

2. 
   This second worship song is a looser version of the Apostles’ Creed by Hillsong called “This I Believe.” It is easy to teach to a congregation if you want to consider incorporating it into your worship service over the next few weeks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtUNQpu2b7Q.

3. “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible,” (Hebrews 11:3, NASB). “We should teach without any qualification that God created the universe and everything in it. It wasn't always here. It didn't spontaneously emerge from a big bang alone, however God did it. God did it. That's clear, and everybody who believes the Word should preach that,” (John Piper, “What Should We Teach About Creation?” Desiring God Website, <http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what- should-we-teach-about-creation>, accessed March 23, 2016).

4. In a culture where many people have broken family histories, imagining God as Father may be difficult. Psalm 103: 8-13 is one of many passages that describes God’s character as a good father who loves His children well: “The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him,” (NLT). In the Acts 17:24-28 passage noted above, Paul expounds upon the good heart of God in making the world for the purpose of our having a close relationship with Him, even as one of His children (vv.27-28).

5. Genesis1:2 describes the Spirit of God“ hovering over the surface of the waters” when the creation story begins (NIV). The same word for hovering comes from “the same root for brooding protectively over a nest or incubating the eggs,” another illustration of God’s tender, parental care (John H. Walton, The NIV Application Commentary: Genesis, 78).

6. Blow up a balloon, and mark two“X”mark son it with a permanent marker. Place the marks a short distance away from each other. “The Big Bang theory argues that the universe is in a constant state of expansion. They’ve seen this phenomenon in action. As time goes on, the universe is growing farther and farther apart.” Blow up the balloon some more, showing how as the balloon gets bigger, the “X” marks get farther apart. “This theory also says that if you were to rewind the universe’s clock, you’d get to a point in time where the entire universe were at a point of singularity.” During this point, release the air out of the balloon. “There was a point when nothing, became all we see before us. People who defend the existence of God, argue that the only way ‘nothing’ can create ‘something’ is if there is a Creator.” Next, talk about how this relates to the first verse in Genesis. If God really did create our universe, He deserves our worship. See an explanation of this argument here: https://youtu.be/6CulBuMCLg0

7. “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.” – Jim Carrey Application: So often we run to things of this world to solve our problems instead of turning to the one who created us in the first place.

8. As were flecton this text, and the above illustrations that reveal and describe God’s creation, does it compel us to worship God? Or, have we found ourselves worshiping the creation (money, fame, success) rather than the Creator?