Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introduction

\\ We have now come to the final part of a sermon series in which I have explored with you a statement of Christian beliefs and experience written by Brian McLaren called /The Jesus Creed/.

\\ It is, and always has been, my conviction that it is a best practice for us, as a community of faith, to identify our theological starting-points.

I believe that this is important because those to whom we will attempt to share the gospel, and invite into our community, will want to know what are our beliefs.

While the post-modern tendency is to argue that everything is relative — in other words, /intellectually negotiable/ — in actual fact, we each implicitly assume foundational certainties from which we proceed to engage our world.

\\ For example, you would be unable to step out of the house each morning unless you were certain there was enough oxygen to breath, sunshine for warmth, food for sustenance, and basic social rules to which everyone adhered.

If you were not certain of such foundations for your life, then each moment of each day would be a futile exercise in /adapting to changing conditions/.

This is not intellectual word-play, but *a practical fact of reality*!

\\ Quite possibly the most important foundation for our life relates to our beliefs regarding the existence of God.

Our Ministry Team has adopted /The Jesus Creed/ in order to make public our community's starting-points for this foundation.

Thus, this statement represents our answer to the question of God's existence and our responses to that answer.

This statement is not meant to dictate what we as a congregation believe /specifically/, but to indicate the types of beliefs we hold /generally/.

\\ We refer to "starting-points" because we accept that there is so much more to discover about God than what we presently know, but this statement is a pretty good reflection of where we have chosen to start.

It thus becomes a tool to use for explaining our faith in Jesus and a way to invite others to explore with us what Jesus means to us and can mean to them.

\\ We have, thus far, identified the importance of Jesus' miracles for demonstrating his power — a man with such power must know things worth knowing.

We have also identified the importance of Jesus' teaching — it turns out that what Jesus knows and teaches makes possible a full and abundant life.

We have also discovered that belonging to a community of faith is the most appropriate vehicle for maturing in our faith.

Let us today, finally, consider what it means to /know/ Jesus.

!

The Jesus Creed

{{{"

/*We have confidence in Jesus*, /

/Who healed the sick, the blind, and the paralyzed./

/And even raised the dead./

\\ /He cast out evil powers and /

/Confronted corrupt leaders./

/He cleansed the temple./

/He favoured the poor./

/He turned water into wine, /

/Walked on water, calmed storms./

\\ /He died for the sins of the world, /

/Rose from the dead, and ascended to the Father, /

/Sent the Holy Spirit./

\\ /*We have confidence in Jesus*, /

/Who taught in word and example, /

/Sign and wonder./

/He preached parables of the kingdom of God /

/On hillsides, from boats, in the temple, in homes, /

/At banquets and parties, along the road, on beaches, in towns, /

/By day and by night./

\\ /He taught the way of love for God and neighbour, /

/For stranger and enemy, for outcast and alien./

\\ /*We have confidence in Jesus*, /

/Who called disciples, led them, /

/Gave them new names and new purpose /

/And sent them out to preach good news./

/He washed their feet as a servant./

/He walked with them, ate with them, /

/Called them friends, /

/Rebuked them, encouraged them, /

/Promised to leave and then return, /

/And promised to be with them always./

\\ /He taught them to pray./

/He rose early to pray, stole away to desolate places, /

/Fasted and faced agonizing temptations, /

/Wept in a garden, /

/And prayed, "Not my will but your will be done"./

/He rejoiced, he sang, he feasted, he wept./

\\ /*We have confidence in Jesus*, /

/So we follow him, learn his ways, /

/Seek to obey his teaching and live by his example./

/We walk with him, walk in him, abide in him, /

/As a branch in a vine./

\\ /We have not seen him, but we love him./

/His words are to us words of life eternal, /

/And to know him is to know the true and living God./

/We do not see him now, but we have confidence in Jesus./

\\ /Amen./

}}}

!! Getting To Know Jesus

\\ Before we discuss the meaning of the final section of this creed, let us look at a conversation between Jesus and his disciples which will introduce some of the ideas to be discussed this morning.

Let us read together from John 14:1-14.

\\ {{@Cue Read passage aloud from Bible at hand.}}

\\ All that this creed has discussed so far reminds us, as does [[verse 1|bible:Jn 14:1]], that the one who believes in the God revealled by Jesus has had their eyes opened to perceive the reality of the world in which we live — and let me tell you, 'it's not a pretty picture'!

Such knowledge may trouble our hearts, as we begin to perceive the consequences of our sin and the sin of others.

The fact is that this world is in a fallen state, cut-off from its Creator, and heading for destruction.

However, as Jesus reminds his disciples in this passage from /The Gospel of John/ — and through them, reminds us — believing in God brings peace into our lives, despite the chaos around us (John 14:27).

\\ This peace comes from knowing that we are headed for an eternal paradise; enjoyed partially now, but soon to be realised fully [[(:2-3)|bible: Jn 14:2-3]].

Everything that happens to us now is for our eternal good (Romans 8:28): "Brothers, what we do in life, echoes in eternity" (spoken by the character General Maximus in the 2000 Ridley Scott file /Gladiator/).

\\ We might balk at the idea of an eternal paradise (Acts 17:32), but the fact that Jesus died and came back to life proves that, in fact, a supernatural and spiritual reality exists all around us.

If Jesus wants to talk as if there is a life after death, then he is the one person who would actually know of its eternal existence since he went there and came back to describe it to us!

\\ Jesus reminded his disciples that, "you know the way to the place where I am going" (John 14:4), meaning that they knew the spiritual reality of which he spoke.

They, however, stated that they didn't really understand what he meant [[(:5)|bible:Jn 14:5]].

It is odd that he believed they did know the way, but they didn't feel as if they did.

How often we feel as if we really don't know the way, when in fact the answer has always been plain to us (Romans 1:18-20)!

\\ To explain to them, Jesus declared that he is the way into that reality, the way to enter into a relationship with God: "No one comes to the Father except through me" [[(:6)|bible:Jn 14:6]].

This answer reveals a tension inherent to the Christian faith, as his answer highlighted that it's not just an issue of whether or not we can get to heaven, but of how we can also live that eternal life right now.

In order to have a relationship with God, whether in the future or right now, Jesus is the way.

\\ Jesus is the way to the Father because he and the Father are one and the same being: one being, three persons.

For the disciples, then, everything they needed to know about God could be seen in Jesus [[(:7,|bible:Jn 14:7]] [[9-11)|bible:Jn 14:9-11]].

They had first-hand experience of his miracles, his teaching, and were nurtured by him in community.

But where does that leave us?

!! The Meaning of the Creed

\\ Perhaps the answer to that question can be found by looking at the first paragraph of the fourth and final section of /The Jesus Creed/:

{{{"

/*We have confidence in Jesus*,/

/So we follow him, learn his ways, /

/Seek to obey his teaching and live by his example.

/

/We walk with him, walk in him, abide in him, /

/As a branch in a vine.

/

}}}

As we read the biblical passages which describe Jesus' life and teaching, we are intrigued and inspired to take him and his teachings seriously.

We seek to learn as much about him as we can, to emulate his lifestyle, and even to promote his cause.

\\ However, this remains at the level of intellectual assent.

If this level were sufficient, then people around us would no longer smoke, take drugs, or drive while tired.