And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord

This morning, we continue with the Apostle’s Creed. Creeds serve the church by summarising what we believe in short, easy to remember, statements. They don’t contain all there is to know about God, instead, they highlight the things we need to know.

Creeds also help us to identify and correct erroneous teaching. They help us align our thinking with God’s word, shaping our thoughts to mirror what is taught in the Bible. The creed functions to help us understand, how we belong, know and understand, how we have hope and how we are called and equipped by God to serve Him.

We don’t preach the creed. We preach God’s Word, the Bible. The creed points us to the Bible. The creed doesn’t stand on its own, it stands under the Bible, acting like a sign—these truths are contained here, for more information, turn to—page so and so.

Creeds are belief statements. Belief calls for action, what you believe, affects your life, what you choose to do, how you live, what you value.

Last week, we looked at how we believe in God the Father Almighty. God

Last week, we looked at how we believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. God is incredibly powerful and yet also incredibly personal, God is our Father. This creed, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, is Trinitarian in form, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Today we’re looking at , the second person of the Trinity, God the Son.

Read Passage:

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

We’re going to look at the three titles given to Jesus: THE Christ, THE Son of God and Lord. Two are found in our passage, the third is used throughout the New Testament.

In our passage, Jesus and his disciples are on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee in a region called Caesarea Philippi. Jesus asks, “Who do people say that I am? What are you hearing as you’re walking around? What are people saying about me around the water coolers?”

The disciples say, “Most people figure you’re one of the prophets who have come back to life. Like John the Baptist or Elijah or someone. Clearly, they recognise something about you that’s different from most teachers and preachers.”

Then Jesus asks them. “Okay, but what about you? Who do you say that I am? When you’re having thanksgiving supper with Aunt Gertrude, and she asks you, “You keep traipsing all over the country, who are you hanging out with? What’s your answer?”

Peter, who never hesitated to speak up, answered, “You are the Christ, the son of the Living God.” In Greek translations of the Old Testament, the word Christos is used to refer to kings. Peter is declaring Jesus is THE KING.

Now, there’s a reason why Jesus asked the question where he did. Caesarea Philippi was one of the important regions in the Roman Empire. Augustus Caesar, renamed it after himself, and Herod the Great built a temple to him there. Caesarea Philippi stood as a tangible reminder of Rome’s power and rulership.

When Peter says that Jesus is the Christ—emphasis on THE, he is declaring that Jesus is the King of kings. He is proclaiming that Jesus is a greater king than the emperor, the Caesar. There, in the shadow of Rome, Jesus is proclaimed king over all!

But Jesus isn’t just king of earthly rulers. Jesus is also king over all other gods. Before Augustus Caesar renamed it after himself, the place was known as Paneas, because people worshipped the god Pan there. Pan is where we get pantheism. There were temples to other gods as well, gods from the Old Testament, Baal and others.

We see pantheism in literature, in references to mother earth, mother nature, in movies like Avatar where the characters are all connected to this life force that is in everything.

But in that place, where all kinds of gods were worshipped, Peter declares Jesus as THE Christ, the king over everything. Jesus is king over all earthly and all heavenly rulers. Jesus is the king over all the universe!

Jesus is King. He is also THE Son of the living God.

While the Old Testament refers to other people as sons of God, none were designated as THE Son of God. Jesus is the co-eternal Son of the Father. Jesus has always been, always will be. This is why John says, “In the beginning was the Word. In the beginning was Jesus. Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God.”

In contrast to all others, Jesus walked and talked with authority. This is why people thought he was Elijah or one of the great prophets—he had that incredible authority about him.

He exercised authority over earthly powers: storms obeyed him. He exercised authority over heavenly powers—the demons were terrified of him and obeyed him. He had power over death—he brought people back to life—even someone who had been dead for four days. He had power over people, when they challenged him, he left them tongue-tied.

So far the titles we’ve looked at are Jesus THE Christ, the King of all kings, Jesus THE Son of God, who has always existed and who has all authority. Now we turn to the third title, Lord.

The word Lord appears 300 times in the New Testament. But it carries a huge significance. When the Old Testament was read, out of fear of taking God’s divine name in vain, they would say, Adonai, instead of Yahweh. In our Old Testament, wherever the name Yahweh appears in the text, our English translations have the same substitution, Adonai, Lord, in uppercase letters. That’s what Adonai means, Lord.

So when the term Lord is applied to Jesus, what are we saying? We are saying that Jesus is Yahweh. Jesus is God. When Moses was at the burning bush, he asked God what his name is, as proof that God was sending him to the Israelites. God answered, “I am.” Tell them, “I am” sent you.

Does that trigger something in your mind? Ever hear Jesus use that phrase? “Didn’t Jesus say, “I am the bread of life; I am the light of the world; I am the door of the sheep; I am the resurrection and the life; I am the good shepherd; I am the way, the truth, and the life; I am the true vine.” Jesus is God.

Jesus is overwhelmingly God. Jesus is Yahweh. What was God’s message through Moses? He would save them from slavery. Jesus is The King, The Son, The Lord who saves, he saves us from bondage and slavery to sin.

Now, this leaves us with a decision. We need to either accept Jesus as Lord, as THE Son, as THE King, or reject him altogether. These are the claims he has made. There’s no sitting on the fence here.

We can’t just accept Jesus as our Saviour. He’s The King, The Son, the Lord. There’s lots of people in this world, some even in here, who hold onto Jesus as saviour, but not Jesus as Lord. Yes, Jesus saved me from my sins, but I can still live however I want. Jesus is your Lord, he’s not just your saviour. Because you belong to him, you no longer are free to do whatever you want. You are a bondservant to Christ. Examine your heart. If you don’t want to submit to Jesus as Lord over your life, you’re not a Christian. If you look at Jesus and don’t see his loving nature, but only see a tyrant, you’re not a Christian.

If you have already received Jesus as he is, then there’s some impact on you and your life.

First, if you’ve received Jesus as The King, The Son, the Lord, then you belong to him. There’s lots of people in this world, some even in here, who hold onto Jesus as saviour, but not Jesus as Lord. Yes, Jesus saved me from my sins, but I can still live however I want. Jesus is your Lord, he’s not just your saviour. Because you belong to him, you no longer are free to do whatever you want. You are a bondservant to Christ.

Now, for some of us, that sounds terrible. We live in one of the most narcissistic, self-focussed, self-obsessed times in history. The idea of losing our own autonomy sounds crazy. But here’s the truth. Either you’re a slave to Jesus or you’re a slave to Satan. There’s no middle ground. The notion of personal autonomy is a lie. If you, by keeping yourself to yourself, think you’re really living, really keeping your life, you’re wrong. You’re losing it. If you, by surrendering to Christ, lose this life, you actually gain it! Jesus gives life, life to the fullest! That’s what the Apostle Paul discovered, that’s how he could write, “to live is Christ, to die is gain.”

Continue to know and understand what it means to have Jesus as your Lord, King and Son. Know that through Jesus, we also are adopted as Sons. Therefore we receive all the benefit of sons, all the same inheritance as THE Son, Jesus. But we have to submit and surrender to him.

Knowing that you belong to Jesus. Knowing that you’re adopted into God’s family, believe this! Trust it in your heart. Move it from your head knowledge to your heart knowledge! Trust God! When you do, you find you have hope! You are filled with assurance. This life has meaning. The relationships you have are important!

Therefore, share Jesus with others! Make the most of the relationships you have! Ask Jesus to give you his heart, his eyes. Pray that He will lead you to people who need to know him. Shine the light of Christ into the darkness!

And finally, you are called and equipped. Called to trust in Jesus as THE King, The Son, The Lord. Jesus, who has all the power and authority in all the earth, has prepared in advance for the work you are to do. He has equipped you to be the husband, the wife, the child, the aunt, the uncle, the employee, the employer, the owner, the teacher, the student, the whatever you are, wherever you are to be.

Look to Jesus. He is King, He is the Son of the living God. He is Lord. He’s not like a human ruler who can’t be trusted, who is fickle, who wields authority crazily. He’s a loving King, a gentle Son, a loving Lord. But he’s also terrifyingly powerful! He has the power and authority to wipe us all out in an instant. Therefore we approach him with reverence!

Now, if Jesus is for us, who can be against us? Accept him as your Lord and King and surrender everything you have, all your narcissistic thoughts, plans, hopes and dreams to him. Give them over! That’s our response. Not just in the song we’re about to sing. Don’t just mouth the words, mean them! Make it your response today, tomorrow, and every day thereafter.

Amen.