Apostles Creed "We Believe"

John 20:1-18

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Intro:

John 20:1-2

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

The line of demarkation of Christian faith, of Christian belief is this action. The cross and the death of Christ. It's the hardest hurdle to overcome in belief.

Now, the cross has many aspects that I believe have become so accustomed.

When we think, the Cross of Christ, of course. Jesus was a real person, he died, and he is the hero of our faith, yes we agree.

But I think there is something missing in that definition. When we talk about the belief, and faith, its popular to say, that faith is simply this, confess with your tongue that Christ is Lord. And you are saved, if you say you believe in Christ, you are in, its fine, you are good.

But Romans 10:9 says this. “9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Meaning this…to say you are a Christian does not mean you are saved. To believe you are saved, does not make you saved. To even hope you are saved, does not mean you are saved.

It means you are close…you are very close.

To say, Jesus is Lord, and my soul, my central system knows he is God and he died but raised from the dead. That takes something much much much more. It's not simply, I agree to your statement that Christ is real and good.

Its like looking at your home as it floods and saying….yes this is a dangerous situation. As you sit and watch tv.

If you say, yes Christ is God, but are not actually changed, you are not of faith. You do not actually know its flooding and dangerous if you sit and watch tv. Your heart does not see what is true.

I want to encourage you that, faith is not simply agreeing to a statement. Faith takes a great deal more. So what is faith, what is this belief that the Apostles Creed, that’s what I want to get into.

Faith is impossible:

John 20:3-10

“3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.”

The first thing you must know about faith is this, it's impossible.

Faith is something that does not start with us wanting God. How do I know…look at the Apostles and Mary’s reaction.

They were told over and over and over again that Christ would die, rise and be our savior, and when it happened they did not believe.

If you assume you have a clear picture of Christ, you do not. It requires Christ to speak to you in a way you don’t speak to yourself.

Do you see, the Apostles, the ones closest to the teacher, closest to Christ. The best preacher and teacher and shepherd ever.

Told them over and over and over again, that he had to die and go to the cross.

And they still didn’t get it. They went to the tomb in disbelief, they went to the tomb lost and confused.

Was it because they were not told of the death, no. He was always teaching about his need to die and rise again. To sacrifice.

The problem they have, and the problem we have, is we think faith is something that we can understand. But the reality is, we don't.

Unless you think you had a testimony that is better than the Apostles, Peter and John and Mary living with him for years, and hearing from him all the time…and it still wasn’t in their heart.

Do you see, the first thing we must understand about faith is this…even if we have all the information, all the access, all the provision….we will not get it.

No one seeks God, he must first seek us. If you say, well I am being drawn to the Gospel, I am wanting it, what is that. That is God doing his work, because without him moving, we will be left dead in our tracks.

Its like saying that the person who stole millions from the company before they quit wants to have lunch with the CFO. It doesn’t happen.

But we will if the CFO reaches out, and starts reconciliation, and fixes your debt, only then will you have dinner with them.

Not only is faith impossible, it takes a miracle, every single time a person comes to faith, it is a miracle. We have witnessed the impossible happen. It's not assumed, it's not taken for granted.

But faith is not only a miracle, its not only an experience…its intellectual.

Faith is intellectual:

John 20:6-7

6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.

Faith is not absent of reason, when we say believe we typically use the word, like, I just feel so much connection, I just know that I know that I know, God is true and real because I can feel it.

Many people want to say God spoke to me, and I am Reformed so I must say, that doesn’t happen, but I think something that I want to say with seriousness is that God does not use magic or smoke or mirrors to get people to know him, its not a mystical belief, it took Mary and the Apostles doing what.

What did they do? They came and saw, they investigated, they were not satisfied with “they have taken Christ”, they needed to see for themselves. Belief means you investigate yourself, it's intellectual.

If you only use feelings and experience, it's not faith. It has to be founded in truth and investigation. If you don’t know why you are saved, you are not saved.

Faith is humbling:

John 20:13-14

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

The Christian faith goes against the popular culture of our day mainly because it is not a proud faith, it's not a self actualizing faith. You don’t come to Christ because it makes you greater.

How do I know….

Christ actually had to die. He defeated sin because he died, not because he was good, or because he was powerful. He was the messiah because he died. Now, do you know how much that is not attractive to people.

When you say, I have a hero, I have a savior, I have someone who is all powerful. They may ask…imagine being in front of others in a Shark Tank like situation. You go in front of here titans, and they must be impressed, so they ask, show me how good you are, impress me. And you bring out the big guns, you bring out the impressive sales, the incredible ability you have.

But when it comes to Christ…he shows his hands, pierced. He shows his side cut.

He doesn’t show his broken cross, he shows the completed cross. He didn’t defeat death by overcoming, he defeated death by becoming less than.

Thats humbling. We don’t have a triumphal king in our terms, we have a triumphal kind according to his terms. Humbled.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

Faith is personal:

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

Mary is mistaken angels (Tim Keller points out, a Presbyterian minister). Peter came and investigated. John runs in and runs out with complete agreement of events. They don’t all have the same narrative, but they do have the same arrival.

17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

In his book, The Great Divorce, CS Lewis tells the story of a man who visits heaven from hell. They go up to see those who are in heaven. Its a dream, its a fiction story.

One of the characters is a woman who is running from someone in heaven, she is trying to hide from him, and when contorted she answers, I can’t stand it, I am not like you, you people in heaven are glorious, you are perfected, I am not, its like I went out naked onto the streets.

She is upset because everyone in heaven is made perfect, and she is ashamed of it, she is trying to cover up how much she is embarrassed by her lack of perfection.

And the heavenly person says, don’t be, come with us, lets go to the mountain, the center of presence with God in the dream, and you will be made whole, you don’t need to be ashamed, we are not, we don’t look down on you.

She is about to go, she is about to come to faith, she is close to saying, my shame is not going to undo me…then she recoils, she retreats. Why? Because she can’t take the thought of being exposed. She thinks it will make her less then.

I have a suspicion that many of us agree. That we struggle most…of all the reasons that we don’t come to faith, I think our people have this one as a main reason…we think, well I want to appear as someone who has it together, I am ashamed to admit that I have served as an elder and I am actually not of faith.

You see, John, Peter, Mary…they should have known and didn’t get it. It didn’t hit until something changes.

What changed?

Here is what changed, it was true to them, it was personal to them, it was an experience to them, but most of all…belief changed not what they thought, what they acted like…it changed what they worshipped.

If Christianity doesn’t change what you worship…you are not saved.

If you worship, adore, love your own thoughts…you are not of faith. Just because you say it doesn’t make it true. I can say I am a professional athlete all I want, but I cannot just will my way there.

If you are a Christian. Your adoration changes.

You want more of Christ and less of you. Thats belief.

Let me show you.

Conclusion:

Do you know what sin is, Paul lexon will preach more on this later…do you know what faith really changes in us?

Sin is wanting to be God.

Here is how we do this?

I can be perfect if I keep all the rules, all the law, if I do right things, I am above God, I am God. I find my worth in my ability to be right, and good.I can be free to do whatever I want, God doesn’t tell me what to do, I do! So I am above God.

Both of those people, are the same.

I do it all right, you say you are God

I can do whatever I want, I know as if I am God.

Both are the exact same standing with God.

A faithful person is one who says, I cannot perform good enough to be good. I am not good enough to say what I can do.

Therefore, it's impossible for me to know God without him acting first. No one searches for God.

It's not just a miracle, it's also intellectual. It must be true.

Its not a faith for the proud and good, it required a defeated savior

Its not a belief that is assumed, you must personally come to terms that he is lord.

Today, I want those who may be embarrassed…I have been at church forever, I have served as elder, I have a father who was a pastor, I know the catechism….maybe you are religious and not faithful.

How can you tell?

Does this teaching excite you? If it does, you are worshipping what he did.

Does the idea of God leading you make you stiff necked and cross your arms? You may not be of faith.

Thats the test. If you find glory in a God who had to come and humble himself, and instructs you to change, to conform your will to his, not his will to yours…thats adoration, thats worship, that is your heart wanting him above yourself.

I pray, if you are not of faith, do not be ashamed. Come to faith. Let it hit you, let you wash over you.

If you want Christ above yourself, thats the sign.