I believe in the Father

Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church

Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our

podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast,

you can have an encounter with Jesus that'll

change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring

message from our preaching team. Thank you, Nathan.

Welcome to church today. We are we're beginning

our sermon series on the Apostles Creed called

essentials So what I want you to do is I want

you to put your hand on your right shoulder And

I want you to move it down to your hip your opposite

hip great you've buckled up You're ready to go

Because yeah, we're gonna get into believing

in God today, so we need to we need to buckle

up all right, let's pray And I invite you just

to hold out your hands. God we just invite you

here, we say come Holy Spirit. We just pray Lord

that your word would speak to us today. That

you would come and gently correct us Lord Jesus

through your word. That you would gently comfort

us. That we would see and grasp and understand

your goodness, your grace and who you are today.

Come Holy Spirit. Amen. If you've got notes or

note taking, this is the sermon where you should

break it out so you can follow where we're going.

Last year, I was talking to the kids at bedtime

and I asked Judah, Judah, do you love God? And

he said, yes, dad, because he's a good firstborn

son. And then I asked Olive if she loved God.

And she said, no. Which, if you know, Ollie,

well, it would not surprise you at all. And I

said, that's OK, sweet pea, why not? And she

said, well, I can't see God. Like, where is God?

And I thought that was a great question, because

kids can be so honest and wise at times. Because

I think for for many people this is the core

tension that we have with the whole idea of believing

in God You know I was a teenager in the heart

of the new atheist movement Richard Dawkins all

those People who and they were preaching a worldview

that that all there is is what you can touch

See smell measure predictably and the belief

in something greater Something transcendent was

kind of a bit far -fetched and probably should

be ridiculed And so I got called Jesus Boy in

high school. High school was a great time. But

I think things are different now. Like if you

pick a friend in your mind, pick a friend. Any

friend. You got a friend in your mind? If you

sat this friend down over coffee and you said,

asked a lot of curious questions about their

views on the universe, you know, is there a God

or some kind of other force out there? Is there

a source of meaning? Does the universe have a

plan for them? I think most people today would

actually say yes. There are things that have

happened in my life, there's some sense of this

otherness, transcendence in this world, there

have been these really weird coincidences that

leads me to believe that there is something more,

there's something else, there's something out

there in just pure naturalist world, more than

you can just, than only what you can just touch,

feel, smell, see or measure. They know something

is there but the question is where? And most

people don't hold to that pure atheism or they

did at one time and realize that you just can't

actually reduce a world of wonder and life and

of to only that which you can measure Most people

do not hold that there is no reason There is

no meaning there is no purpose Most people don't

think we are just an unhappy cosmic accident

And maybe that tension is something that you

feel here today. I believe in something, something

bigger, something other, something I would even

call God, something I might even call the Christian

God, but I don't know where that God is. Meaning

I believe in something, but I don't know what

that something is like. You know, Ollie is, as

a kid, can name what, because kids can name what

adults sometimes struggle to name. Ollie only

knows people that she can see, that she can talk

to. Though she only knows those people where

she knows where they belong and where they are

and who they belong to Church school grandma's

house kids only seem to understand people in

the context of relationship What is God like?

Where is he? And the question we all want to

know if he's there how can I know him? Now I

think this is the core of the human problem And

we can understand this. Most people can understand

it. Most people can diagnose this. This is what

Francis Schaeffer, who was a Christian philosopher

said, man or woman beginning with himself can

define the philosophical problem of existence,

but he cannot generate from himself the answer

to the problem. That we exist as we do in the

universe we exist in is a philosophical problem.

right Think about this way if you're on a walk

and you found an object lying on the path And

you picked it up and you looked at it and you

could see that it was all well put together And

you can see that it's been designed in its makeup.

It's been expertly and meticulously designed

and put together But you had no idea what on

earth it was for its existence would be a problem

for you Now in the past maybe you would have

gone to ask someone in face -to -face in real

life. I found this thing. What is it? But now

probably today you save yourself the embarrassment

of not knowing everything in the world and you

ask Chad GBT What is this thing that I found

on the side of the road? you know sometimes I

go into my dad's shed and I pick up a tool and

I'll get it and I'm like I have no idea what

highly specific situation Would require this

exact thing, right? It exists. It's carefully

designed. It's expertly crafted sometimes and

yet What it exists for is a problem that I don't

have the answer to I have to go and ask someone

else and What Francis Schafer here is saying

is saying that women and men can understand that

there is a problem with existence There's a problem

why we think about our own death We love we cannot

survive without meaning Do you know in the concentration

camps the people who had a source of meaning?

lived and those who didn't gave up. They couldn't

survive. Read Man's Search for Meaning, Victor

Frankel. That the universe can be understood

by us, that we have language, and that we seek

after a purpose for our days. We can define this

problem of existence. We know that existence

is a miracle and must be for something, but we

cannot find within ourselves an answer for it.

You can go on a journey, you can leave home,

you can move abroad to find yourself, and many

people have, to discover who you are and what

your life is about, but you won't find it out

there. You can have the optimal career, the best

stuff, the smallest mortgage, and the biggest

house, and people still don't find it. You can

discipline your body and mind so that you are

like a perfectly optimized specimen. Live forever

like the millionaire biohacker Brian Johnson

who spends like two million dollars a year on

his body. Have you heard of this guy? Brian Johnson

who recently revealed he has an autoimmune disease

His perfect body is eating itself Whatever you

look for for the problem to the answer for the

answer to the problem of existence Why am I here?

Why do I exist? You never find it within yourself

You never find it within yourself. The answer

can only come from something outside the human

exists and the answer of why something exists

can only come from the one who created it. Now

today as we begin a five -week series on the

Apostles Creed we're calling it Essentials because

the Apostles Creed is the ancient belief statement

of the church. To be baptized in the early church

you had to stand, memorize and declare this statement

of faith to your church community. There's a

14th century guy called Tyrannius Rufinus. which

is the coolest name I think I have ever heard

and he writes and this is in the fourth century

about he pledged himself to this creed when he

was baptized into the church of Aqualia he writes

that the creed was not written it wasn't written

down on parchment but it was never written down

before this and but it was retained in the believer's

heart See, the Creed was the essential beliefs

of the Christian faith. It was essential for

safeguarding and protecting the integrity of

the faith against ideas that are outside of the

Apostles teaching. Raphinius, whatever you say

his name, said this, the Apostles prescribed

the Creed as a badge for distinguishing the man

who preached the truth about Christ in harmony

with their teaching. So it in a sense was the

first Christian password. How do you tell if

a traveling preacher who might invoke the name

of Christ holds to the teachings of Christ? You

ask him to quote the Creed. Is he in harmony

with the Apostles teaching about Jesus? And as

a community, we've decided to pick five lines

from the Creed so we can dwell on, we can listen

to and be challenged by the historic essentials

of our faith. And today we're starting at the

beginning. The Creed starts with, I believe in

God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and

earth. Humanity wants to know what this transcendent

other in the universe is. Who is God? What is

he like? Well the church has declared for 2 ,000

years that God is a parent. God is a parent.

God is the creator both of the natural world

and the spiritual world and God is a parent.

Isn't that incredible? God is this almighty transcendent

being above all and beyond all and God is a father.

God is transcendent and relational. God is infinite

and personal. And this is a challenge to those

of us in the Western society who believe there

is a transcendent force in the universe, because

we can understand an idea of an infinite transcendent

God, but an infinite God is unknowable by finite

creatures. But Christianity has always declared

that God is both infinite and knowable. Christianity

is always declared that not only is God knowable,

but we can know him personally and intimately

like we can know a father. Francis Schaeffer

says, man beginning with himself can define the

philosophical problem of existence, but he cannot

generate from within himself the answer to the

problem. But then, because he's kind, he goes

on to give us what he thinks the answer is. The

answer to the problem of existence. is that the

infinite personal trying God is there and that

the infinite personal trying God is not silent.

The answer to the human experience that we have

personality, meaning, morality, that we seek

after love and we feel guilt and have a conscience

that we are personal beings is there because

there is a transcendent creator God who is a

personal being. You're tracking with me. He's

there. Now let's have a let's have a big theological

sidebar. All right, you buckled up. So you're

in for this Because you probably understand infinite

you understand what that means. You probably

understand Well, I hope you understand what personal

means, right? But what does triune mean? What

that mean God is in Christian theology. God is

a Trinity. God is triune tri means three God

is three in one and this if you can see on the

screen is how it's Classically represented and

I'm also kind of triggered by it because it's

my high school logo Almost exactly So this is

what it says the father is God The son Jesus

is God the Holy Spirit is God But the father

is not the son The son is not the spirit and

the spirit is not the father And this is what

we mean when we say God is a trinity, which granted

we don't really talk that much about in church

today, because it melts your brain when you think

about it. The Father, Son and Spirit are all

distinct persons, but each are God. This is what

Peter Criff says. He says, this might melt our

brain, but it is actually the only way God could

be. The scriptures say that God is love, right?

When you love someone love is experienced in

two ways the love you give and the love you receive

For you to know love is to know a love that is

reciprocated, right? Because to only give love

or to only receive love in a relationship is

not a loving relationship nor is it love No,

the complete love is both given and received

For God to be the completeness of love, for God

to be love, then God must both give and receive

love. And that is really hard to do if God is

one person. Because you would need, God would

need something external, someone external to

God's self to give and receive love to. And if

God needs someone outside of God's self, to give

and receive love to, then at that point, God

is neither the completeness of love, nor is God

God. You're taking notes, so you're tracking

with me. But if God is three distinct persons,

and yet one God, then God is the completeness

of love within Himself, giving and receiving

love in the community of the Father, Son, and

Spirit. God is in perfect relationship with God

get this God is in perfect relationship with

God And this is actually the only way that God

can be an infinite God can also be a personal

God Because at the heart of the trying God at

the heart of God the very heart of God is relationship

Which means that what that the answer to the

problem of existence is what? To be in a relationship

forever with this God Who is there and who is

not song? Friends, you were made to love and

be loved by God. That's what happens to your

life. That is the meaning of existence. That

is the end to which you were created. Now I want

you to take a big theological deep breath, right?

Just breathe in and out, because that's a lot.

That's a trinity, right? Schaefer says the answer

to the problem of existence is that God is infinite

and personal and triane. He's there and He's

not silent. You were made to be in a relationship

with God. But that doesn't quite answer the heart

of Olive's question. What is this God like? Here's

how we can know what this infinite personal trying

of God is like. He's told us. He has not been

silent. God has spoken. Hebrews 1, our teaching

text says, long ago God spoke many times and

in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.

Across the history of humanity God has not been

silent. God has revealed himself in many times

and in many ways. He has spoken through the prophets

from Moses to Micah and the apostle Paul would

also then argue because he jumped in from time

to time and says it's also through, God's also

spoken through the glory of creation. In Romans

1 he says God's made it obvious to humanity Forever

since the world was created people have seen

the earth and the sky Everything God made they

can see his clearly his invisible qualities these

his eternal power and divine nature Paul's really

he has no he has no no space for Gray he's like

they have no excuse For not knowing God God has

not been silent just walk out into the bush on

a dark night and look up And you'll see the evidence

for God God has spoken But then the author of

Hebrews goes on and now in these final days God

has spoken to us through his son God promised

everything to the Sun as an inheritance and through

the Sun he created the universe the Sun radiates

God's own glory and get this Expresses the very

character of God and he sustains everything by

the mighty power of his command What is God like?

God is like Jesus. The sun radiates the glory

of God. The sun expresses the very character

of God. What is this infinite personal trying

God look like? He's like Jesus. Full of compassion,

mercy and justice. Embodying love, grace and

forgiveness. Crossing the other side of the road

to care for those who are the last, the lost

and the least. Emptying himself of the infinite

to become finite, stepping into the world as

human flesh, walking a lifetime in the human

experience, pouring about healing power and setting

the oppressory and ultimately handing over his

life to die for us. This is what God is like.

This is the very character of God. Infinite personal

love in its completeness. Now a couple of years

ago, I was reading everything of Dallas Willard

that I could find, because it's so good. And

one of his lines has just burned into my brain.

I cannot get it out. We live at the mercy of

our ideas. And that is never more true than the

ideas we have about God. I think that's just

unbelievably true. Like, unbelievably true. What

do you think about God? What do you think about?

transcendent other being. Is God infinite, finite,

personal or impersonal? It's a foundation block

for everything else you believe. Everything else

you believe is at the mercy of your ideas about

God. Just like when you're building a house.

I imagine you have to ask Eric because he actually

knows. You are at the mercy of your slab. If

it's wonky, if it's not level, if it's not big

enough for what you are wanting to build on it,

it shapes and misshapes everything you attempt

to build on top of it. What you believe about

God shapes what you believe about yourself. For

example, if you believe that there is no God

and your life is a cosmic accident, then your

life has no inherent dignity, no built -in worth,

and you have to wrap around yourself meaningless

things in order to feel whole. If you believe

that there is a cosmic being or power who created

everything but is ultimately undefinable and

unknowable, you know, there might be a plan for

your life, but it's uncommunicated. Ultimately

what we're saying, maybe you're insignificant,

not worth the effort, might feel a bit unsafe,

unsure. But if you believe that the infinite

personal trying God has made you to reflect Him

and to be in relationship with Him forever, Then

no matter where who you are where you've come

from what you've experienced you are infinitely

Priceless and worth being treated as such You

may not be comfortable, but you are ultimately

and eternally safe because the creator of the

universe is there and for your good What you

believe about God is probably the most significant

thing you believe Because it shapes how you see

yourself how you see other people because other

people are made in the image of God or they're

not and how you see the world and your place

in it. It's a foundation for your life in so

many ways. You are at the mercy of it. You know,

this Apostle's Creed, this ancient declaration

of the Church begins with, I believe in God,

the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

Why start there? Because you're at the mercy

of your ideas about God. and to then move on

and declare the rest of the Creed before you

can build the rest of the building that is your

faith. You have to shore up this foundation.

Who is God? I wonder today, who or what do you

think about when you think about God? Who do

you think God is? What do you think God is like?

We probably all have different answers But here's

some things that I think are common thoughts

about God deep in our hearts Maybe we think God

is mad at us Or worse disappointed Maybe we think

God's got more important people to worry about.

Maybe you think God's just really not that into

you. Maybe we're mad at God for what God did

or did not do. Maybe we're disappointed at what

we did not receive from the hand of God. We're

disappointed at what we did receive from the

hand of God. Maybe we think God is punishing

us. Maybe you think God's ashamed of you. Maybe

you feel estranged from God. We have lots of

ideas about God, and we are at the mercy of those

ideas. I want to invite you to consider today

that God has spoken his final word, his final

idea. about himself and therefore us in the person

of Jesus Christ. And what is that final word?

What did God, what did Jesus come to say? It's

the end of Hebrews 1 verse 3. When he had cleansed

Hebrews 1:3

us from our sins, he sat down at a place of honor

at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.

Today most of us sit down to do our work, but

this is in a primarily physical labor society.

When do you sit down? The job's done. What was

the job that Jesus came to do? Cleanse us of

our sin. The things we do and have done to estrange

ourselves from God. Jesus came to forgive us,

to reconcile us, to reconnect us to an infinite

person of God. Jesus came to make a way for us

to step into that perfect loving relationship

with God, the very thing that we were created

for. The cross and the resurrection of Jesus

is the final word about this God. How does God

feel about you? What does God think about you?

Will we have a definitive answer? This God in

Jesus loves you so much that he stepped into

creation. and suffered and died for you. So that

by your faith, just your faith in Him, you could

be restored to a personal relationship with the

trying God forever. Build your ideas about God,

build your life, not on what you have done or

have not done, but on what God has done on your

behalf through Jesus Christ. The job's finished.

Jesus can sit down, He can crack a cold one,

He's done. And He did it out of love for you,

not the person sitting next to you, you. And

He did it so you could be caught up in the perfect

relationship and completeness of love with the

Father, Son and Spirit forever. Do you get, for

instance, If the work's done, you can't change

it. You can't earn it. You can't lose it. Jesus

has made space for you in the very heart of God,

paid for with His life. All that's required,

all that's really essential is to declare it

and mean it. I believe. I believe in God. All

that's truly essential is faith in God through

Jesus Christ. That's all that's really essential.

Today as we ponder who God is and can I get the

keys up please? You sir. You sir, please tinkle

on the piano. Today as we ponder who is this

God and what is he like? We also have to think

about this question. And you need to think about

this question. Or I would invite you to think

about this question. What do you believe about

God? What are your ideas about him? Because I

think God wants to do some correcting today.

It's not correct in the sense of You know, being

shown that the thing. So completely. And so I

want to invite you today to consider, to consider

building your life and continuing to build your

life around the fundamental truth that has been

espoused by followers of Jesus for 2 ,000 years.

God is the almighty creator of heaven and earth.

He's infinite. And God is a father. He is personal.

God is the completeness of love. And he has expressed

his love towards you through suffering and dying

on your behalf. So you could be with him forever

to be loved by him and to love him and enjoy

him forever. Isn't that the greatest news ever?

Might be bias. God's not a punitive parent. God

is passionately and absurdly interested in you.

Do you believe that? God loves you so much that

He would be willing to die so that you could

live. And that is the foundation in which we

are to build our lives. It is Christ Jesus crucified.

God is there and He has spoken. He is there.

He's hanging on a tree that He created. And He

has spoken a word. It is finished. Friends, I

wonder if you can see that God has loved you

first. So today, as we respond, we can unbuckle

ourselves. Maybe today we just have to let go

of the ways in which we try to earn God's love

for us. Willard also said, grace is not opposed.

effort but it is opposed to earning grace is

opposed to the ways in which we try and earn

the grace right to live up to the grace that

we've been given effort is fine earning is not

maybe stop proving that trying to prove that

got to God that we are worthy and maybe Maybe

for you, you're on the fence and you want to

choose to build your life on faith in God. Maybe

for you, you've realized that your ideas about

God are misshapen and you want to invite the

Spirit today to just come and correct you, whatever

that is. I want to invite us, if you're willing

to stand. This might be a bit clumsy, but that's

fine. Stand. Just close your eyes and hold out

your hands in front of you. And if we could get

the keys up a little bit, that'd be great. I

just want to invite everyone to speak this first

line of the Creed as a prayer, a declaration.

And maybe you need to get on your knees to say

this. Maybe you need to walk around the back

of the room and pace. Maybe you need to throw

your hands in the air. But I just want you to

speak it. If you're willing, you don't have to

do this. Over and over and over again, I believe

in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven

and earth. And just say it and pray it over and

over like a bit of a chant until your prayers

flow. until you begin to confess your earning

or confess your unbelief or confess that you

need to be corrected. Thanks again for listening.

God bless you.