top of page
Week Two
Session 2
God the Father
The lesson begins at 12:20. Streamed live on Wednesday April 15, 2020.
Big idea
The Almighty Creator wants to be your Father.
The Weekly Challenge: Respond to Him.
"I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth."
A Couple Things You Should
Know About the Apostles' Creed:
It wasn't written by the Apostles.
It's called the Apostles' Creed because it is rooted in and comes from the Apostles' teachings that we have in the New Testament.
​
It's old.
Even though the Apostles' themselves didn't write it, it's still really old. It comes from the Old Roman Creed which was used right after Jesus' ascension and first appeared as the "Apostles' Creed" in the 2nd Century. You can read more about the history of the Apostles' Creed on our Apostles' Creed page.
​
It covers the essentials.
Every Christian should believe more than what is covered in the Apostles' Creed, but no Christian should believe less. The doctrines covered in the Apostles' Creed are the foundational beliefs of Christianity.
​
It sharpens what we believe.
More than just saying "I believe in God", it helps us know what to believe, and not just with a head knowledge of the truth. The Apostles' Creed challenges us to come to a confidence in these beliefs in a way that leads to living differently in the truth.
​
Grasping Truth
"I believe in God the Father Almighty"​​
​
1. God exists and is personal.
This is the most fundamental belief of Christianity, to the point where the Bible says that its foolishness to think there is no God (Psalm 14:1). This God is not a force, idea, or philosophy, but is a real being who has revealed Himself through creation (Psalm 19:1, Romans 1:18-20), His Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and His Son (John 1:14-18, 3:16).
​
2. God the Father is one Person of the Trinity.
The Trinity is a handy doctrine by which we proclaim that there is one God, God the Father is God, God the Son is God, God the Spirit is God, but God the Father is not the Son or Spirit, God the Son is not the Father or Spirit, and God the Spirit is not the Father or Son.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
3. God is not the Father of all.
Jesus said that the pharisees were of their father, the devil (John 8:44). God calls Himself the Father of Israel (Exodus 4:22-23). But through Jesus, anyone can become a child of God (John 1:12-13).
​
4. God is ultimately powerful and unique.
The term 'Almighty' is a summary of all of God's attributes - include His omnipresence (Jeremiah 23:24) and omnipotence (Job 42:1-2) but also His purity (Psalm 19:8), His justice (Deuteronomy 32:4), and His patience (Joel 2:13). He is Almighty, meaning totally above all others, separate, and holy.
​
"Maker of heaven and earth."​​
​
Put simply, by this line, we confess that God made everything with His words (Genesis 1), that nothing was made that wasn't made by Him (John 1:3), that He made everything for Himself (Colossians 1:16), that He is deserving of all glory because He made everything (Romans 11:35-36), and that He is therefore sovereign over all because He made it all (Isaiah 45:7-9).
If We Let Go
If we let go of God's existence, nothing makes sense.
God is the basis for all understanding and making sense of anything in life. He made life, patterned it after Himself, holds it all together, and is using everything for good for those who love Him. Rejecting God's existence and trying to make sense of life is like rejecting oxygen and wondering how people breathe, rejecting the final piece of a puzzle and wondering why it looks unfinished, or rejecting that the earth orbits the sun and wondering why your rocket trajectories to the moon don't work.
​
If we let go of God being a Father, we won't rest in being His children.
The only reason we can have peace from the guilt we feel is because we can be His forgiven children. If you can't be His child, you will be afraid of what He will do to you and try to work your way into His favor.
​
If we let go of God being the Almighty, we will worship whatever we think is better.
Whether by love or by fear, if you think something is better than God, you won't waste your time with God. You'll spend your life focused on what you think is best, even if you know you should be focused on God instead.
​
If we let go of God as Creator, there is no transcendent meaning.
If the universe is a cosmic accident without a creator, then there is no meaning to life that goes beyond this universe. Everyone can create their own meaning, but that's subjective and lacks the value of an objective, lasting meaning.
Holding Fast
Be humbled by the Almighty.
You won't think you're hot stuff when you're seeing yourself in light of God the Father Almighty.
​
Be humbled by the Almighty wanting you.
This is no reason to be puffed up, but to be blown away by how amazing God is, that He wants to be known by you and be your Father.
​
Find peace as His child.
If you believe in God the Father Almighty, and you become His child, you don't have to work for His attention and love or anyone else's. You will find your contentment, identity, and all in His eyes.
​
Live for His glory.
If you believe that God made it all, then you'll believe God is deserving of all the glory and thanks we can offer. That will lead to a life of gratitude and decisions made out of love for Him.
I believe...
the Almighty Creator wants to be my Father.
Therefore, I...
will respond to Him.
Additional resources - to help you grasp and hold on to more
 "I Believe In" by Matt ChandlerThe first sermon in The Village Church's series on The Apostles' Creed |  "God the Father Almighty" by Matt ChandlerThe second sermon in The Village Church's series on The Apostles' Creed |
|---|
Additional Resources
bottom of page