These were the words that I gave to the youth of First Baptist Church this evening. I had a great time, and really appreciate the opportunity.
Thank you so much for having me tonight. I am honored to speak to you guys. Damaris asked me to speak about the first article of the Apostle’s Creed. I have the awesome privilege to speak to you tonight about God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth. The thing is, we could talk about this for the rest of our lives and still not get to the bottom of such a beautiful truth to completely grasp it, but I have about 20 minutes so I am going to pray for us and we are going to get right to it.
Heavenly Father as we study the Biblical truth found in this ancient, scripture-saturated creed, I pray that you would study our hearts. As we search the scriptures, search our hearts. As we open Your word, open our ears and our hearts. God I ask that You would guide my tongue as I teach for the next 20 minuets or so, that Your truth and Your truth alone would take root in theses students. I ask that they would be hearers and doers of the word, and that they would bear much fruit for Your Kingdom and Your Glory. I thank You for First Baptist Church in Taylor, and I ask You to abundantly bless this church and ministry and her leaders. Thank You for Pastor Damaris, protect him and his wife as they travel and bring them back safely. We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
I believe in God the Father Almighty; Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the virgin, Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hades (some read Hell).
On the third day He rose again, from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “[W]ithout faith it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.”
That first article of the creed, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth” is foundational to our Christian faith. Everything we believe to be true is built on this truth.
It is obvious right? If you don’t believe in God, you cannot be a Christian. To be a Christian starts with believing in God. But this begs the question, who is God? Which God? If you just look at the world, you will see they have many gods. But who is the true God, and what is He like? It is a legitimate question. This first article of the Apostle’s Creed gives us a most basic answer to that question. God is the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.
Do you know that the most controversial verse in the whole Bible is Genesis 1:1. People may not think about that as the most controversial verse, but think about it for a moment. If Genesis 1:1 is true, then this God who created everything and everyone, must be in charge. He must. He makes the rules. He has the first word, and because it is all His and He will have the last word.
This does not sit will with people who are proud and who don’t want anyone to tell them what they must believe and how they must live. We sinful, proud, independent humans don’t want someone else to define for us what is good and what is evil. We don’t want someone else to define for us what is true, good, and beautiful, and what is not. We all want to be the judge.
But if Genesis 1:1 is true, and it is, then it is this Creator of Heaven and Earth who gets to define what is true, good, and beautiful; who is ultimately and supremely in control of all things. He is God, we are not. He is sovereign which means He governs all things, and this makes some people angry. It even made some angels angry.
The creed drives the point by adding, “Almighty”. In Job 11:7, Job is asked, “Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?” And the answer is no. God is infinite, there is no limit.
One way that helps me to think about His limitlessness is to imagine myself in the middle of a waterfall. I am in the middle of this fast, flowing water, and when I look down, there is no bottom. And when I look up there is no top. I look to my left and to my right but there is no edge—no end. God does not have a beginning, and He has no end. Who can find out the limit of His might?
He is almighty. He is supremely sovereign over all things. Jesus tell us that not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father (Mt. 10:29), and that God is involved in what we would look at as the insignificant details. Like a good accountant that keeps track of every penny, God numbers and knows every hair on your heads (Mt. 10:30).
And this may surprise you but Proverbs 16:33 even teaches us that what we see as one of the most random events, casting lots or rolling dice, is governed by this Almighty God. “The lot is cast into the lap,” says the proverb, “but its every decision is from the Lord.”
Jesus, sleeping in the back of a boat on a stormy sea, is woken up by His disciples who are terrified, and He rebukes the wind and says to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” and they obeyed. God walks on water. Gravity and the laws of physics obey Him. Job 36:32 says, “He fills His hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark.” And even death itself is too weak to hold down the Almighty God and it bows to the King of kings and Lord of lords.
All of that is true, and yet God is not just some supreme Pharaoh who rules and dictates in cold, emotionless ways. No, the first article of our creed also teaches us that He is the Father. Think about what that means then.
You see, God (who is the Maker not the made) was Father before He created anything. Father, Son, and Spirit. From before all time, He was and is Father.
If God is Father, that means there is a Son. If God is Father, there is a relationship, and that means there is Love.
This is incredible but it gets even better. God isn’t just someone else’s Father. Or someone else’s Love. He has chosen you and adopted you and now He is your Father and your Love, and He is good. In spite of your nagging, ugly sinfulness He has loved you. And we know this, because He sent His only begotten Son to pay our penalty of sin and to defeat Death and the Devil.
I teach my 3 little boys (ages 4, 3, and 1) that the whole story of the Bible is about how God sent His Son to kill the dragon and get the girl. This is the story of redemption. God sends the Hero, to kill the dragon and save His Bride.
You are young men and women today, and no doubt there are some of you who have already experienced plenty of tragedy, but the longer you live on this planet the more tragedy and loss you will suffer. Though the hard times will surely come, as long as you remember that God is your Almighty Father, the Creator, and there is nothing outside of His control, that will be an anchor to your soul.
When the flood comes, when the trials come, when the fire comes, when you lose it all, when everything falls apart, when the people you love let you down, and they will, you can still trust your Father. You can still rejoice, because God, the limitless Almighty is your Father.
Live long enough and your faith will be tested and proven. And when that time comes you will either shrivel up like the seed that fell in shallow soil, or you will weather the storm and bear fruit.
In closing, read: Romans 8:18-39.
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us. For calling us. For adopting us. You paid a precious price to call us Your children and we are humbled and grateful. Father, we confess that it is sometimes hard for us to see and to remember that You are the Creator, the Almighty, the Sovereign God who governs all things. When things aren’t going the way that our little minds think things should go, we are tempted to forget that You are good, and that whether You are giving or taking, You are working all things for our good. Father we ask that You would not let us forget who You are and what You are like. When we are afraid, remind us to trust You completely. In Your precious Son’s name we pray. Amen.
Or here…