Thank you all for joining me for another posting of the Weekend Sermon. I really enjoy being able to post these messages, and I hope that they are of some benefit to those who read them. I hope that this day finds you all well.
A good friend of mine has been ill for the past few days, and I would like to ask you to please pray for him. He told me that he is doing some better, but he isn't well yet.
I've decided to look for a new job. I would ask that you please pray for me in regards to this.
Also, as we go to pray this week, let us remember to pray about all of the terrible diseases that are affecting our world right now. I am especially concerned about the Zika virus. Let us pray that this disease does not spread the way that the health experts say that it will.
Let us pray for peace in this troubled world. Remember to pray for Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
So many people around the world still need to hear the message that Jesus loves them and has come to forgive them of their sins. Please pray for the nations of Comoros, Mali, North Korea and Brunei that the message of Jesus might reach many people.
We have been in our study of the Apostles' Creed for a few weeks now. Last week, we finished the section of the Creed that concerns God the Father. This week, we will begin the section that concerns the doctrine of God the Son who is Jesus Christ. This section of the Creed begins with the statement, "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord."
Our faith is all wrapped up around the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is vital that we have a proper understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done. Being a Christian means following in the footsteps of Jesus. The religion of Christianity is all about following Jesus.
Because of the centrality of the person of Jesus to the Christian faith, the question of who Jesus is has been at the forefront of controversy. Even when Jesus was ministering here on earth, people were asking who He was. Just as in our current times, people had varying ideas of who Jesus is.
Mark chapter 8 and Matthew 16 record the time when Jesus asked His disciples what the people thought about Him. Some of the people thought that Jesus was a great teacher or one of the prophets who had returned to bring a message from God. As we know, the religious leaders of Jesus' day thought that He was a false teacher, and they wanted to get rid of Him.
Then, Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter stated, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God."
In the early part of church history, the doctrine of who Jesus was and is was quite contentious. Some groups stated that Jesus was not really a man, He only appeared to have a body. Others thought that Jesus was a man who was adopted to be the Son of God at His baptism or at His resurrection. Others stated that Jesus was the Son of God, but that He was not the same as God. He was inferior or subordinate to the Father.
As a result of numerous church councils, the orthodox doctrine of the person of Jesus Christ was worked out and detailed in the Nicene and Chalcedonian Creeds. As the Scripture clearly reveals, and we have seen this in our recent study of John, Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity, the Eternal Son of the Father who took upon Himself human flesh. He came into this world to show us the proper way to live. He came to bear our sins in His body on the cross. He came to set us free from sin and the consequences of sin. Praise be to God, Christ has accomplished the work.
The debate about who Jesus is and what He came to do is in full force today. Even those who claim to be Jesus' followers in the church are telling forth unorthodox doctrines of who Jesus is. Many today do not view Jesus as God. Even in many churches, Jesus is viewed as only a good moral teacher. Jesus, and what He did on the cross, is diminished. Many even deny that Jesus rose bodily from the grave.
Jesus' question that He asked of His followers those many years ago still rings out today. Who do you say that I am? It is a question that everyone must answer personally. Is Jesus just a man who taught good things? Was He just a deluded person who millions mistakenly follow? Is Jesus God come in the flesh?
The way that you answer that question is of eternal importance. The Bible, and Jesus Himself, make it clear that Jesus is God the Son and the Son of God. You must decide. Will you believe what Jesus has said about Himself? Will you accept Jesus as the Lord of your life and all that that entails? The choice is yours. What will you do with Jesus?
Next week, we will explore more of what the Creed has to say about Jesus. We will be especially concerned with the doctrine of the Virgin birth. On Monday, I will post more Scriptures for memorization. I will have a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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