WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.500 We are in the Nicene Creed. It is week two, and 00:00:03.500 --> 00:00:07.500 it is our special treat to have, I'm going to 00:00:07.500 --> 00:00:08.980 call you pastor because you've just always been 00:00:08.980 --> 00:00:12.939 a pastor, Pastor Gary Ellis. I'm just really 00:00:12.939 --> 00:00:14.800 honored that you're here and that you're going 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:17.920 to be sharing with us. And I know that it's October 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:21.559 and it's Pastor Appreciation Month, and so breakfast 00:00:21.559 --> 00:00:24.359 is on me, okay? All right. We'll set up a time 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:26.160 for us to have breakfast. Thank you. Will you 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:37.020 please welcome Gary? Okay. The old guy has got 00:00:37.020 --> 00:00:40.299 to get, you know, a special treatment here. Rank 00:00:40.299 --> 00:00:46.979 has its privileges, right? It's really good to 00:00:46.979 --> 00:00:52.140 be with you today in this way. Interesting to 00:00:52.140 --> 00:00:56.479 me how this is a much bigger crowd than it was 00:00:56.479 --> 00:01:00.909 last week. And it wasn't so cold last week. But 00:01:00.909 --> 00:01:03.829 at any rate, I really appreciate being able to 00:01:03.829 --> 00:01:08.709 minister to you today. In the 50 years plus, 00:01:08.969 --> 00:01:12.069 or not plus, but a little bit, right around 50 00:01:12.069 --> 00:01:15.609 years, one of my absolute favorite things to 00:01:15.609 --> 00:01:17.930 do in all of the different ministry opportunities 00:01:17.930 --> 00:01:24.349 I had was teaching. And I really enjoyed that. 00:01:26.650 --> 00:01:31.310 What I want to do today... is continue what we 00:01:31.310 --> 00:01:37.430 started last week with Jen. First, I want to 00:01:37.430 --> 00:01:40.549 tell you, though, that even though I have been 00:01:40.549 --> 00:01:42.709 in ministry for that as long as I have, and I'm 00:01:42.709 --> 00:01:48.170 getting as old as I am, my mind thinks I'm still 00:01:48.170 --> 00:01:54.870 29. And the thing is, is that my jokes often 00:01:54.870 --> 00:02:04.209 ask me, Are you 12? Or my body. But I found out 00:02:04.209 --> 00:02:06.090 something recently. I was at the doctor's office. 00:02:06.689 --> 00:02:10.469 And she said, you don't have arthritis. I said, 00:02:10.490 --> 00:02:13.750 I don't. She says, no, it's early onset rigor 00:02:13.750 --> 00:02:24.189 mortis. Yeah. Have you noticed? Maybe I'm alone 00:02:24.189 --> 00:02:26.129 in this. I don't know if construction codes have 00:02:26.129 --> 00:02:30.400 changed. But I swear they make floors lower than 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:37.460 they used to. But it's okay because it gives 00:02:37.460 --> 00:02:39.479 me more time to plan what I'm going to do while 00:02:39.479 --> 00:02:44.400 I'm down there. Which is usually quite a while. 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:49.280 That's why my wife throws down snacks. But at 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:51.800 any rate, seriously, as if I wasn't being already, 00:02:52.139 --> 00:02:56.439 we want to continue. with the Nicene Creed today. 00:02:56.580 --> 00:02:59.860 Let's have a prayer. Father, thank you for this 00:02:59.860 --> 00:03:05.319 opportunity to dig into your word, dig into that 00:03:05.319 --> 00:03:08.819 which is important in our faith lives. And I'm 00:03:08.819 --> 00:03:11.520 just asking you, Father, that you would quicken 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:14.979 ears, quicken my mind to think the thoughts that 00:03:14.979 --> 00:03:17.860 you would have me share, quicken ears to hear 00:03:17.860 --> 00:03:20.780 what each individual needs to hear and apply 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:24.560 to their lives. We pray in Jesus' name. All right. 00:03:24.699 --> 00:03:29.099 Amen. I'm going to start out, and when you say 00:03:29.099 --> 00:03:33.099 the Nicene Creed, some people know what that 00:03:33.099 --> 00:03:36.039 is. A lot of people don't know what it is. Some 00:03:36.039 --> 00:03:38.000 people have quoted that from a historic church 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:42.580 background. We say Nicene Creed, but we're not 00:03:42.580 --> 00:03:46.939 sure what the words are. And so that part that 00:03:46.939 --> 00:03:51.659 I want to talk about today is the original, within 00:03:51.659 --> 00:03:57.449 the original. that came about in the first offering 00:03:57.449 --> 00:04:00.030 of the Council of Nicaea. Now, later on, they 00:04:00.030 --> 00:04:02.770 added to it. But the first part that I want to 00:04:02.770 --> 00:04:05.330 talk about today, I want to just read to you, 00:04:05.389 --> 00:04:09.530 except a paraphrase. Because when you read it 00:04:09.530 --> 00:04:13.490 in the sounds like King James English, although 00:04:13.490 --> 00:04:16.550 King James didn't come across until the 16th 00:04:16.550 --> 00:04:23.290 century, but it's like, okay. What did that just 00:04:23.290 --> 00:04:27.370 say? I'm not sure. And if we don't know what 00:04:27.370 --> 00:04:29.230 it's saying, how can it become meaningful to 00:04:29.230 --> 00:04:36.930 us? So, we believe in one God, the creator and 00:04:36.930 --> 00:04:41.449 source of everything, seen and unseen, known 00:04:41.449 --> 00:04:45.930 and mysterious. We believe in one Lord, Jesus 00:04:45.930 --> 00:04:50.250 Christ, God's Son, born of the Father's own being. 00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:55.939 the one and only. He is truly God from true God, 00:04:56.139 --> 00:05:01.000 light from light, the same divine nature as the 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:06.620 Father. He wasn't created. He always was. Through 00:05:06.620 --> 00:05:10.019 him, everything came into being, everything in 00:05:10.019 --> 00:05:14.139 heaven and on earth. For us and for our salvation, 00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:17.199 he came down to earth, he took on human flesh. 00:05:17.819 --> 00:05:21.279 became fully one of us, and lived among us. He 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:24.459 suffered, died on the third day, and rose again. 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:28.339 He ascended to heaven, and one day he will return 00:05:28.339 --> 00:05:32.519 to judge the living and the dead. And that is 00:05:32.519 --> 00:05:36.279 the paraphrase of the Nicene Creed that was initially 00:05:36.279 --> 00:05:43.079 established in about 325 in Nicaea. Now when 00:05:43.079 --> 00:05:47.870 we talk about the Nicene Creed, If you're a history 00:05:47.870 --> 00:05:50.110 buff, and you know that that's what we're going 00:05:50.110 --> 00:05:52.250 to be talking about, if you're a history buff, 00:05:52.350 --> 00:05:57.250 you go, oh, wow, cool. Right, Jen? Cool, we get 00:05:57.250 --> 00:06:00.329 to look at those kind of things. Then if you're 00:06:00.329 --> 00:06:06.709 one of the less caring about history, more current, 00:06:06.810 --> 00:06:09.910 simple, practical, it's like your eyes glaze 00:06:09.910 --> 00:06:14.370 over and you go, what difference does it make? 00:06:14.889 --> 00:06:17.209 You see why the two minutes for one question? 00:06:17.709 --> 00:06:21.430 What difference does it make? See, because the 00:06:21.430 --> 00:06:24.870 two things that were of the biggest contest as 00:06:24.870 --> 00:06:28.050 they got to Nicaea and the council of 300 some 00:06:28.050 --> 00:06:33.069 theologians and bishops were answering was who 00:06:33.069 --> 00:06:38.829 was Jesus? One side of the question was he was 00:06:38.829 --> 00:06:42.509 created by God. He was a special creation by 00:06:42.509 --> 00:06:46.850 God. but he was not God himself. The other side 00:06:46.850 --> 00:06:50.930 said he is fully God, and he is fully man at 00:06:50.930 --> 00:06:53.649 the same time. Now, have you ever tried to think 00:06:53.649 --> 00:06:56.449 about that? What does it mean to be fully God 00:06:56.449 --> 00:06:59.889 and fully man? I have. Even though my brain feels 00:06:59.889 --> 00:07:03.550 like it's 29 years old, I try to think about 00:07:03.550 --> 00:07:05.709 that. I try to put that into practical terms 00:07:05.709 --> 00:07:11.730 in my mind, and I start smelling bacon frying. 00:07:14.740 --> 00:07:17.180 It's hard to get your head around. It's a mystery. 00:07:17.579 --> 00:07:19.959 I think it is something we'll understand one 00:07:19.959 --> 00:07:24.100 day on the other side. But our minds are not 00:07:24.100 --> 00:07:28.959 really designed to be able to delineate what 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:31.879 does that mean right now. It's one of those mysteries 00:07:31.879 --> 00:07:35.600 that we take by faith. You see, part of the problem 00:07:35.600 --> 00:07:38.779 was with a man named Barius. And he was one that 00:07:38.779 --> 00:07:42.459 was saying, I'm really logical. I'm really influenced 00:07:42.459 --> 00:07:48.389 by logic. And therefore, it is not logical that 00:07:48.389 --> 00:07:52.110 God would be divided in two. It is not logical 00:07:52.110 --> 00:07:56.290 that Jesus wasn't a creation. As a matter of 00:07:56.290 --> 00:07:58.629 fact, one of the things that he might have thought 00:07:58.629 --> 00:08:03.129 about was that Jesus himself referred to himself 00:08:03.129 --> 00:08:09.209 as the Son of Man 80 plus times. He referred 00:08:09.209 --> 00:08:19.970 to himself as the Son of God twice. Why? I'll 00:08:19.970 --> 00:08:22.310 let you noodle over that. What difference does 00:08:22.310 --> 00:08:26.870 it make? Why would Jesus himself refer to himself 00:08:26.870 --> 00:08:28.970 as the Son of Man? We're going to get to that 00:08:28.970 --> 00:08:33.490 question. Rather than the Son of God. Although, 00:08:33.529 --> 00:08:36.850 in fact, he did reference things from the Old 00:08:36.850 --> 00:08:41.120 Testament scriptures that referenced him. It 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:43.879 meant it was called Son of Man, but the Son of 00:08:43.879 --> 00:08:46.220 Man that came in the clouds and was eternal. 00:08:46.899 --> 00:08:51.220 Now, he did not refer to himself as the Son of 00:08:51.220 --> 00:08:55.440 God in front of the common man, everyday person. 00:08:56.159 --> 00:08:58.759 It was always in front of the religious leaders 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:02.799 because he was referring back to what they should 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:05.899 have known about, that he, in fact, was divine. 00:09:08.090 --> 00:09:11.289 As far as everybody around him, his disciples, 00:09:11.710 --> 00:09:16.970 he wanted to be really relatable. He wanted them 00:09:16.970 --> 00:09:21.909 to know that he absolutely understood them. He 00:09:21.909 --> 00:09:23.909 was identified with them. As a matter of fact, 00:09:23.950 --> 00:09:28.129 son of man literally means one of you. He was 00:09:28.129 --> 00:09:31.889 also always saying, I'm one of you. I understand 00:09:31.889 --> 00:09:39.750 you. So what difference does that make? By the 00:09:39.750 --> 00:09:41.129 way, you're still with me? You're still here, 00:09:41.210 --> 00:09:44.450 right? Okay. Let's jump back on our time machine 00:09:44.450 --> 00:09:49.250 just for a few minutes and jump back to 300 A 00:09:49.250 --> 00:09:52.610 .D. or C .E., whichever you want to call it, 00:09:52.649 --> 00:09:58.350 and find out what it was like where the contention, 00:09:58.350 --> 00:10:02.490 the fight actually began that ended up being 00:10:02.490 --> 00:10:08.440 convened in Nicaea. And by the way, you know, 00:10:08.440 --> 00:10:11.600 it took those who were coming up from Alexandria, 00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:15.720 Egypt, took the bishops that came up and so forth 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:21.379 a month at least walking. Some people only had 00:10:21.379 --> 00:10:24.679 to come for a couple of days. A lot of them came 00:10:24.679 --> 00:10:27.600 from a long, long way. But at any rate, in Alexandria, 00:10:27.860 --> 00:10:32.159 Egypt, at the time, see, when we think back to 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:35.460 those days, how many of you think in terms of... 00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:38.340 Well, I can't really relate to that. It's probably 00:10:38.340 --> 00:10:41.919 really, like somebody said about China recently, 00:10:42.159 --> 00:10:48.679 just a bunch of peasants. You'll have to know 00:10:48.679 --> 00:10:51.320 who said that when they said it. But China is 00:10:51.320 --> 00:10:55.240 anything but peasants. And Nicaea, or rather 00:10:55.240 --> 00:11:05.200 Alexandria, was anything but poor country bumpkins. 00:11:08.340 --> 00:11:11.840 Alexandria was one of the largest cities in the 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:17.399 world. It had one of the largest seaports, one 00:11:17.399 --> 00:11:23.700 of the largest trading routes. Alexandria was 00:11:23.700 --> 00:11:27.860 a half a million people. It wasn't just a little 00:11:27.860 --> 00:11:31.600 village. It was a half a million people. That 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:35.500 was one of the three largest cities in the world 00:11:35.500 --> 00:11:40.509 at that time. So Alexandria was part of the Roman 00:11:40.509 --> 00:11:42.490 Empire and one of the largest of the world's 00:11:42.490 --> 00:11:47.450 cities. And it was a very busy, busy city with 00:11:47.450 --> 00:11:50.169 traders and scholars and mystics and philosophers 00:11:50.169 --> 00:11:54.210 and inventors. And by the way, guess what was 00:11:54.210 --> 00:11:58.350 invented in Alexandria at that time? Cement. 00:12:00.610 --> 00:12:04.389 They invented cement. Part of it was because 00:12:04.389 --> 00:12:06.960 they were constructing the Roman throne. The 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:11.899 Roman road. But they invented cement for paved 00:12:11.899 --> 00:12:18.639 roads. They invented glass windows. They invented 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:22.820 advanced surgical instruments. They invented 00:12:22.820 --> 00:12:28.379 locks and keys. They invented the codex system 00:12:28.379 --> 00:12:31.259 in libraries. In other words, their huge, huge 00:12:31.259 --> 00:12:35.730 library was made up of scrolls. And what they 00:12:35.730 --> 00:12:39.629 did was design them into a codex system where 00:12:39.629 --> 00:12:43.850 they turned the scrolls into books, like we have 00:12:43.850 --> 00:12:47.269 in our modern libraries today. That started a 00:12:47.269 --> 00:12:49.590 long, long time ago. There are so many things 00:12:49.590 --> 00:12:54.370 that were actually very, very old. The steam 00:12:54.370 --> 00:12:56.769 engine was part of it. Back at that time, it 00:12:56.769 --> 00:12:59.289 was kind of a toy. But then a few hundred years 00:12:59.289 --> 00:13:03.059 later, they took the same principle. and created 00:13:03.059 --> 00:13:06.799 the steam engine that could do work. So many 00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:12.639 things came out of Alexandria. A great influence 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:16.179 on Christianity and even the divide in Christianity 00:13:16.179 --> 00:13:20.519 came out of Alexandria. And regardless of all 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:24.720 of the religious systems, until Roman Emperor 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:30.059 Constantine, Christianity was illegal. And it 00:13:30.059 --> 00:13:34.549 was brutally persecuted. They met in homes and 00:13:34.549 --> 00:13:36.850 private locations. Oh, by the way, and there 00:13:36.850 --> 00:13:41.009 was a huge Jewish community there too. They weren't 00:13:41.009 --> 00:13:46.250 illegal. Christianity was illegal, severely persecuted. 00:13:47.190 --> 00:13:50.950 And so they were very, very careful. But the 00:13:50.950 --> 00:13:56.070 thing is, 15 to 20 % of Alexandria, one of the 00:13:56.070 --> 00:13:59.809 largest cities in the world, Christianity was 00:13:59.809 --> 00:14:05.559 15 to 20 % of the city. How did they do that 00:14:05.559 --> 00:14:09.980 under persecution? Now let me tell you right 00:14:09.980 --> 00:14:13.220 now, I don't want to be persecuted like they 00:14:13.220 --> 00:14:16.559 were. And I don't know that we would be persecuted, 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:18.820 but persecution looks like a lot of different 00:14:18.820 --> 00:14:21.519 things. And I think that we are going into some 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:23.399 of those kinds of things in some communities. 00:14:24.179 --> 00:14:27.299 Greg just talked about it before. We're going 00:14:27.299 --> 00:14:30.840 into a time where it's nothing like it's ever 00:14:30.840 --> 00:14:35.759 been before. But here's the thing. What is common 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:42.759 in church history is that revivals always follow 00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:47.100 dark times. In fact, I heard somebody say recently, 00:14:47.240 --> 00:14:51.480 the church has been praying for revival. God 00:14:51.480 --> 00:14:54.740 took them seriously. He's allowing persecution 00:14:54.740 --> 00:14:59.980 to open that up. And why does persecution open 00:14:59.980 --> 00:15:03.220 up revival? And a huge amount of church growth. 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:07.639 We see that today. China. Church growth. Underground 00:15:07.639 --> 00:15:12.799 church. Tremendous persecution. Tremendous growth. 00:15:13.559 --> 00:15:19.519 Why? It's because people are forced to focus 00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:23.340 themselves and decide what they believe rather 00:15:23.340 --> 00:15:25.720 than being Sunday going to meet and Christians. 00:15:27.309 --> 00:15:30.090 What do I actually believe? Now, do I believe 00:15:30.090 --> 00:15:33.929 that if I don't have any food in my cupboards 00:15:33.929 --> 00:15:38.350 that God will still provide? Who am I serving? 00:15:38.490 --> 00:15:42.370 Who is at the root of my faith rather than my 00:15:42.370 --> 00:15:46.610 preferred doctrinal statements? And that's what 00:15:46.610 --> 00:15:51.309 persecution did. It caused them to focus down 00:15:51.309 --> 00:15:56.259 and the people go beyond philosophy. There was 00:15:56.259 --> 00:15:58.940 still a lot of philosophy in Alexandria. There 00:15:58.940 --> 00:16:01.980 was a lot of arguing going on, even among the 00:16:01.980 --> 00:16:05.480 Christian community. But Alexandria was also 00:16:05.480 --> 00:16:08.639 expanding, and the Christian world was expanding 00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:13.220 because it was illegal. And it caused people 00:16:13.220 --> 00:16:16.659 to make choices that they would not have made 00:16:16.659 --> 00:16:21.480 otherwise in defining what faith was to them. 00:16:22.779 --> 00:16:34.309 Are you still with me? By the way, Christianity 00:16:34.309 --> 00:16:37.309 was growing globally, but it was in Alexandria 00:16:37.309 --> 00:16:41.730 where the debates and heresies took root and 00:16:41.730 --> 00:16:45.269 spread because it was the atmosphere of Alexandria. 00:16:46.029 --> 00:16:50.470 And so it's not really surprising that Alexandria 00:16:50.470 --> 00:16:53.669 was like the intellectual crosswords of the ancient 00:16:53.669 --> 00:16:58.840 world. It was a city where ideas... didn't just 00:16:58.840 --> 00:17:03.059 mingle, they collided. Rationalism versus mystery. 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:06.000 It was part of the atmosphere. You couldn't walk 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:10.180 down the street without overhearing arguments 00:17:10.180 --> 00:17:14.220 going on, some of which got very violent. It 00:17:14.220 --> 00:17:17.579 was part of the atmosphere. You really realize 00:17:17.579 --> 00:17:20.339 we are affected by the atmosphere we live in. 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:25.339 And they were affected by it. And even, although 00:17:25.339 --> 00:17:28.470 it wasn't polite conversation, It was fierce, 00:17:28.650 --> 00:17:32.950 passionate, often divisive. Ideas were weapons 00:17:32.950 --> 00:17:38.390 and words were duels. And that was the atmosphere 00:17:38.390 --> 00:17:40.470 that the Christian church was growing up in. 00:17:41.089 --> 00:17:44.130 Like cracks of thunder and lightning, they rolled 00:17:44.130 --> 00:17:52.890 around the Christian world. Because that was 00:17:52.890 --> 00:17:56.450 what they were used to. That was... what they 00:17:56.450 --> 00:18:00.789 decided they would do to try to win arguments 00:18:00.789 --> 00:18:04.789 rather than live out of faith and let their faith 00:18:04.789 --> 00:18:07.950 speak for them. It spilled over into the growing 00:18:07.950 --> 00:18:12.730 church. It's interesting that two of the religious 00:18:12.730 --> 00:18:15.529 leaders of the same Alexandrian church community, 00:18:15.670 --> 00:18:20.609 it was two of those leaders who brought them 00:18:20.609 --> 00:18:24.130 to a flashpoint. It would be sort of like saying, 00:18:25.370 --> 00:18:33.410 Jen and Greg got into religious fights with each 00:18:33.410 --> 00:18:39.509 other. They were part, Arius and Alexander were 00:18:39.509 --> 00:18:43.589 part of the same community that was persecuted, 00:18:43.869 --> 00:18:48.390 who had to be very careful about what they talked 00:18:48.390 --> 00:18:52.150 about in public and not be seen as Christian. 00:18:52.269 --> 00:18:55.269 But whenever they would get together, In the 00:18:55.269 --> 00:18:57.950 same meetings, there would be huge disputes between 00:18:57.950 --> 00:19:04.630 the two. I think it's fascinating that it would 00:19:04.630 --> 00:19:10.130 be the Christians themselves among the Christian 00:19:10.130 --> 00:19:13.930 leaders themselves that caused the division. 00:19:14.789 --> 00:19:16.910 As a matter of fact, that's why I think that 00:19:16.910 --> 00:19:22.119 Jesus was harsh with the religious leaders. Be 00:19:22.119 --> 00:19:25.240 careful what you read in the New Testament and 00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:27.920 apply to yourselves. There are places that you 00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:31.259 read some very critical words that Jesus is saying. 00:19:31.660 --> 00:19:34.180 You need to know the context of those words. 00:19:34.259 --> 00:19:39.140 They cannot be applied to you as a regular disciple 00:19:39.140 --> 00:19:43.099 of Christ. He was talking to religious leaders 00:19:43.099 --> 00:19:47.039 because the religious leaders were causing a 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:50.519 great weight on the people and with their fighting. 00:19:50.970 --> 00:19:56.109 and so forth. So therefore, Constantine convened 00:19:56.109 --> 00:19:59.589 the council so that they could decide what Christian 00:19:59.589 --> 00:20:06.670 orthodoxy was. I don't think he cared about correct 00:20:06.670 --> 00:20:11.809 theology, really, Greg. He was concerned about 00:20:11.809 --> 00:20:16.240 the unity of his Roman Empire. And it was really 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:19.400 splintering because Christianity, once he made 00:20:19.400 --> 00:20:23.480 it legal, was very forefront. And it was very 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:26.880 splintered. And now he had to do something to 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:29.779 bring it back together because they were going 00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:34.099 to destroy his empire. So he didn't really care 00:20:34.099 --> 00:20:39.279 about the theology. However, the council, although 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:43.200 it had its own duels and contention, Came up 00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:45.140 with the uniform code of authentic Christian 00:20:45.140 --> 00:20:47.500 belief, you might say. A faith that you could 00:20:47.500 --> 00:20:50.500 hang your hat on. But here's an important stipulation. 00:20:51.940 --> 00:20:56.299 The one who breathed galaxies into being cannot 00:20:56.299 --> 00:21:01.960 be squeezed into a statement of faith. No matter 00:21:01.960 --> 00:21:06.140 how accurate. So we cannot take the Nicene Creed 00:21:06.140 --> 00:21:09.980 and cram God into that statement of faith. It's 00:21:09.980 --> 00:21:13.450 like... Well, trying to pour the ocean into a 00:21:13.450 --> 00:21:19.210 mason jar. God is much larger than statements 00:21:19.210 --> 00:21:23.809 of faith. That's where he becomes, you have to 00:21:23.809 --> 00:21:27.029 start with a good statement of faith because 00:21:27.029 --> 00:21:29.849 it needs to be a solid foundation it grows on. 00:21:30.710 --> 00:21:34.089 But a statement of faith grows and becomes important 00:21:34.089 --> 00:21:37.730 in a person's life when they begin living it 00:21:37.730 --> 00:21:41.869 out rather than just quoting. doctrinal statements 00:21:41.869 --> 00:21:46.109 or saying, well, this is what I believe. Because 00:21:46.109 --> 00:21:49.369 they had to do more than say the words of the 00:21:49.369 --> 00:21:52.990 Nicene Creed that Jesus was fully God and fully 00:21:52.990 --> 00:21:56.089 man and know what that meant and live that out 00:21:56.089 --> 00:21:59.690 and not just quote it on church gatherings because 00:21:59.690 --> 00:22:03.210 it was part of what they did. See, our faith 00:22:03.210 --> 00:22:08.619 becomes enriched by how we live with it. how 00:22:08.619 --> 00:22:15.900 we demonstrate it. It grows in how we live. The 00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:21.400 primary issue with the Nicene Creed is who was 00:22:21.400 --> 00:22:26.920 Jesus? Was he a created being? Was Jesus truly 00:22:26.920 --> 00:22:30.940 God and just one of God's first and greatest 00:22:30.940 --> 00:22:35.000 creations? It makes a difference. And I'm going 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:39.750 to illustrate. And very quickly now, what that 00:22:39.750 --> 00:22:42.869 difference it makes. Or, how could Jesus be fully 00:22:42.869 --> 00:22:47.150 God and fully human? It makes a difference. The 00:22:47.150 --> 00:22:51.069 goal was to affirm real humanity without losing 00:22:51.069 --> 00:22:58.349 real divinity. Here's the plot twist. I mentioned 00:22:58.349 --> 00:23:01.250 it already. He referred to himself as the Son 00:23:01.250 --> 00:23:06.730 of Man 80 times, the Son of God twice. But the 00:23:06.730 --> 00:23:10.509 thing was, it was to become relatable. He really 00:23:10.509 --> 00:23:13.990 wanted to be relatable. That's what we do on 00:23:13.990 --> 00:23:16.309 Tuesday nights at The Chosen because that was 00:23:16.309 --> 00:23:20.289 The Chosen's film, its purpose on the fourth 00:23:20.289 --> 00:23:23.970 Tuesday night. Shameless plug there. It's coming 00:23:23.970 --> 00:23:27.710 up Tuesday night. But the point is, we're learning, 00:23:27.950 --> 00:23:31.069 they're learning, we're all learning and need 00:23:31.069 --> 00:23:35.299 to learn to make it relatable. We make it relatable 00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:38.119 to other people. Jesus made himself relatable 00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:41.660 to us. We make ourselves, on a solid foundation, 00:23:42.059 --> 00:23:47.900 relatable to other people. The Son of God, when 00:23:47.900 --> 00:23:51.519 you just think about it in human terms, it seems 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:56.140 to create distance. He's a non -touchable authority 00:23:56.140 --> 00:24:00.380 on a heavenly throne that's distant and watching 00:24:00.380 --> 00:24:05.019 us, but is not... invading our lives and working 00:24:05.019 --> 00:24:10.420 within our lives. So, he did say to the religious 00:24:10.420 --> 00:24:13.759 authorities that he was the Son of God, but it 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:18.880 emphasized that he was being touchable to every 00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:22.880 disciple. 1 John 1 .1 says, That which was from 00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:25.619 the beginning, which we have heard, which we 00:24:25.619 --> 00:24:28.339 have seen with our eyes, which we have looked 00:24:28.339 --> 00:24:31.250 upon, which our hands have handled, concerning 00:24:31.250 --> 00:24:34.650 the word of life. And why did he write that? 00:24:34.769 --> 00:24:37.630 It's because he was combating a Gnostic heresy 00:24:37.630 --> 00:24:41.069 at the time. Because what they were saying was 00:24:41.069 --> 00:24:45.549 that Jesus looked like a man, but he wasn't really. 00:24:47.430 --> 00:24:50.170 And that made a difference. It made a big difference. 00:24:50.890 --> 00:24:57.269 That was part of the argument at the time. But 00:24:57.269 --> 00:25:01.789 John was saying, no. We heard him. We saw him. 00:25:01.950 --> 00:25:09.569 We touched him. He wasn't pretending. I believe 00:25:09.569 --> 00:25:13.130 that that's where God wants to be. Jesus wants 00:25:13.130 --> 00:25:18.069 to be in our lives. That we can hear him. That 00:25:18.069 --> 00:25:21.650 we can touch him. That he is relatable to us. 00:25:21.829 --> 00:25:24.509 That he's not just a religious doctrine of belief. 00:25:25.190 --> 00:25:31.759 Now, here's what it really matters. If Jesus 00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:37.339 was fully human, that part of it, he understands 00:25:37.339 --> 00:25:41.940 our weakness. He knows what it feels like to 00:25:41.940 --> 00:25:45.079 be tired, to be tempted, to be misunderstood. 00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:50.720 You never have to fake faith and strength in 00:25:50.720 --> 00:25:55.779 prayer. He gets it. A lot of people start feeling 00:25:55.779 --> 00:25:59.000 guilt. I've been there. If they are not making 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:01.160 faith statements all of the time and they can't 00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:03.799 open up and be honest with God and tell him how 00:26:03.799 --> 00:26:07.700 they really feel, then somehow he is disappointed 00:26:07.700 --> 00:26:10.640 in them and saying, why have you lost your faith? 00:26:11.640 --> 00:26:17.700 He isn't. We can be open and honest. God is not 00:26:17.700 --> 00:26:20.579 challenged by our doubts and he's not afraid 00:26:20.579 --> 00:26:24.529 of them. Because of Jesus being fully human, 00:26:24.769 --> 00:26:29.289 he totally understands and was touched by everything 00:26:29.289 --> 00:26:35.269 you will ever, ever experience. If he was fully 00:26:35.269 --> 00:26:40.109 human, he felt real pain. He felt real loss. 00:26:40.450 --> 00:26:45.470 He wept. He bled. He grieved. He suffered injustice. 00:26:48.109 --> 00:26:53.839 And when our lives hurt, We're not alone. God 00:26:53.839 --> 00:26:57.059 knows that ache from the inside. Have you ever 00:26:57.059 --> 00:26:59.839 felt when you're under pressure that maybe God 00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:02.660 doesn't care? He's on the throne watching you. 00:27:03.240 --> 00:27:06.880 But does he really care? Is he really here? In 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:11.039 Jesus, he showed that he really is there. He 00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:14.900 really does care. It shows us that what love 00:27:14.900 --> 00:27:20.180 looks like in flesh and blood. Compassion. wasn't 00:27:20.180 --> 00:27:28.759 abstract to him. He touched lepers. He fed crowds 00:27:28.759 --> 00:27:31.680 that were hungry. See, what difference does it 00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:34.380 make? Because when we start to really believe 00:27:34.380 --> 00:27:39.059 that, then that's a faith, a practical faith 00:27:39.059 --> 00:27:43.400 that grows inside of us. When we are hurt and 00:27:43.400 --> 00:27:48.700 frustrated and suffering and confused, Jesus 00:27:48.700 --> 00:27:52.160 understands that. Because if he wasn't fully 00:27:52.160 --> 00:27:56.420 human, he could not really relate to you. Yes, 00:27:56.420 --> 00:28:00.759 he's almighty, but he couldn't relate. Melissa, 00:28:00.839 --> 00:28:04.519 he totally relates to you in everything you experience. 00:28:05.720 --> 00:28:08.279 As a matter of fact, I'm not saying that Jesus 00:28:08.279 --> 00:28:13.099 had cancer, but he understood it and fully related 00:28:13.099 --> 00:28:17.390 to you in it, as well as fully relating. In him 00:28:17.390 --> 00:28:19.849 being the healer in your life and in your body. 00:28:20.730 --> 00:28:24.130 See, he fully, each one of us, he fully relates 00:28:24.130 --> 00:28:27.930 to us. There isn't anything about your life that 00:28:27.930 --> 00:28:31.569 he doesn't relate to. What good news is that? 00:28:31.829 --> 00:28:35.529 See, we've reduced Jesus to where we get to go 00:28:35.529 --> 00:28:40.970 after we die. Instead of realizing an important 00:28:40.970 --> 00:28:45.960 part. of who he was, was our Savior in this life 00:28:45.960 --> 00:28:49.640 because he understood and was touched with everything 00:28:49.640 --> 00:28:54.140 that we have been touched by. He modeled obedience 00:28:54.140 --> 00:28:58.680 under pressure. He wrestled in Gethsemane, yet 00:28:58.680 --> 00:29:03.180 he chose your will, not mine. We struggle with 00:29:03.180 --> 00:29:06.180 faith, don't we? He understands the struggling. 00:29:06.259 --> 00:29:10.029 We struggle with obedience. Man, I know that's 00:29:10.029 --> 00:29:12.250 the right thing, but it's a tough thing to swallow. 00:29:13.190 --> 00:29:15.630 I don't know if I will or not. He struggled. 00:29:16.230 --> 00:29:21.150 He did. It says, Lord, can you take this cup 00:29:21.150 --> 00:29:24.849 away? I don't want it. That was Jesus that said 00:29:24.849 --> 00:29:28.990 that. He understands what it feels like to be 00:29:28.990 --> 00:29:34.230 disobedient. He didn't disobey, but he knows 00:29:34.230 --> 00:29:36.750 what it feels like. So stop feeling condemned 00:29:36.750 --> 00:29:43.339 about it. You do not need to feel to be condemned 00:29:43.339 --> 00:29:48.519 about your weakness. Jesus is not put off by 00:29:48.519 --> 00:29:54.299 it. He understands it. Why it fully matters that 00:29:54.299 --> 00:29:58.740 Jesus was fully God? Because his love carries 00:29:58.740 --> 00:30:01.980 divine authority. See, one of the most frustrating 00:30:01.980 --> 00:30:06.900 thing is if you have a compassionate love but 00:30:06.900 --> 00:30:10.240 have no power. divinely to do anything about 00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:15.500 it. Jesus not only had compassion, he had divine 00:30:15.500 --> 00:30:19.579 authority to do something about the compassion 00:30:19.579 --> 00:30:23.500 he had. And he does in your life. His sacrifice 00:30:23.500 --> 00:30:27.180 has eternal weight because he was fully God. 00:30:27.799 --> 00:30:33.839 A merely human death can inspire, but God's self 00:30:33.839 --> 00:30:39.690 -giving love transforms us. Because he understood 00:30:39.690 --> 00:30:44.250 the cross. You're not just moved by the cross. 00:30:44.390 --> 00:30:47.849 You're made new by it. Because he was fully God. 00:30:48.930 --> 00:30:54.910 On the cross. He reveals God's heart perfectly. 00:30:55.769 --> 00:30:59.130 If you've seen me, Jesus said, you've seen the 00:30:59.130 --> 00:31:01.390 Father. Well, what about all those spaces where 00:31:01.390 --> 00:31:03.750 Jesus looks like he's real? I mean, God looks 00:31:03.750 --> 00:31:08.000 like he's anything but love. He committed genocide 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:13.700 in the Old Testament. Did he? There's some things 00:31:13.700 --> 00:31:17.500 that have to be reexamined. What we have to understand 00:31:17.500 --> 00:31:22.240 is that Jesus was the perfect image of God because 00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:26.720 he himself was God. You don't have to wonder 00:31:26.720 --> 00:31:31.099 what God is like. Look at Jesus. He has power 00:31:31.099 --> 00:31:34.039 to heal and destroy. It's one thing to believe 00:31:34.039 --> 00:31:37.539 that we can be healed. and that Jesus was touched 00:31:37.539 --> 00:31:41.299 in infirmity, but he has to be able to do something 00:31:41.299 --> 00:31:45.200 about it. That's what difference it makes. He 00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:49.140 was fully relatable, but he could also do something 00:31:49.140 --> 00:31:54.640 about it. Let me say that one more time. You're 00:31:54.640 --> 00:31:59.700 with me? He was fully relatable, but he had the 00:31:59.700 --> 00:32:03.619 ability to do something about it. He has the 00:32:03.619 --> 00:32:06.740 ability to transform your weakness and my weakness 00:32:06.740 --> 00:32:10.759 into strength. He's not put off by it. He's not 00:32:10.759 --> 00:32:14.619 disappointed in you. But he's offering himself 00:32:14.619 --> 00:32:19.279 to you as one who understood but now can transform 00:32:19.279 --> 00:32:23.920 you. Just being human did not give him the power 00:32:23.920 --> 00:32:29.160 to transform you. But because he's alive in you, 00:32:29.359 --> 00:32:34.059 he's got the power to transform. He rules with 00:32:34.059 --> 00:32:37.539 justice and mercy. Mercy as kingdom isn't a metaphor. 00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:41.700 It's the reign of divine love that's breaking 00:32:41.700 --> 00:32:49.920 in upon us. So, as God and man united, he reopened 00:32:49.920 --> 00:32:53.859 the way to intimacy with God. Every prayer, every 00:32:53.859 --> 00:32:59.900 breath, every moment can become a literal, real 00:32:59.900 --> 00:33:03.859 communion with God. So the bottom line, the Council 00:33:03.859 --> 00:33:08.079 of Nicaea wasn't just an ancient argument about 00:33:08.079 --> 00:33:11.700 words. It was a fight for the very heartbeat 00:33:11.700 --> 00:33:16.279 of our faith. Those early believers weren't trying 00:33:16.279 --> 00:33:19.539 to win debates. They were trying to protect the 00:33:19.539 --> 00:33:22.380 truth that makes Christianity what it is today. 00:33:23.660 --> 00:33:27.940 Jesus became one of us so he could bring us back 00:33:27.940 --> 00:33:36.069 to himself. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, you are Emmanuel, 00:33:36.210 --> 00:33:42.329 God with us. Not distant, not unreachable. You 00:33:42.329 --> 00:33:47.730 stepped into our skin. You felt our pain. And 00:33:47.730 --> 00:33:50.630 you showed us what love looks like when it bleeds 00:33:50.630 --> 00:33:55.789 and forgives. You carried heaven into our everyday 00:33:55.789 --> 00:34:02.359 world. And now heaven lives in us, Lord. We praise 00:34:02.359 --> 00:34:06.059 you because you are more than we can comprehend, 00:34:06.339 --> 00:34:12.460 yet close enough to touch in the places in our 00:34:12.460 --> 00:34:16.000 lives that hurt, are stressed, are frustrated, 00:34:16.199 --> 00:34:20.699 and confused. You are strength in times of weakness, 00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:24.400 in light in the times of our darkness, and we 00:34:24.400 --> 00:34:28.300 praise you, Lord. Teach us to live as people. 00:34:29.070 --> 00:34:33.469 who know you've walked this road before us. Help 00:34:33.469 --> 00:34:37.409 us to see your image in each face around us, 00:34:37.610 --> 00:34:42.409 your grace in every moment, and your hope even 00:34:42.409 --> 00:34:47.929 in the hardest days that lie ahead. You are our 00:34:47.929 --> 00:34:52.449 Savior. You are our friend. You are our creator 00:34:52.449 --> 00:35:00.360 and our companion. To you, fully God, fully human, 00:35:00.519 --> 00:35:04.440 be all the glory forever and ever.