God the Father | Sunday, June 15, 2025

Amen. Amen. Thank you, Anthony and the worship team. Good morning, Cross Connection. You guys can have a seat, except all the dads. Can we have all the dads stand this morning? It is Father's Day. Thank you to all of our dads here in the fellowship. You guys can stay standing for just a moment, and we're going to pray a blessing on you. I am so glad that you are here.

It's kind of a weird statistic, but for some reason, Father's Day is one of the lesser attended services of the year. I guess there are some guys out on the golf course, but you guys are here. So, we're going to pray a blessing for you and for the other guys who are going to get a bogey right now. So, let's pray.

God, we thank you so much for the dads of our fellowship. Lord, I pray that you would pour out a blessing on each of these guys. Fill them to overflowing with your Spirit. Even for those whose kids have grown up, moved out, and launched into adulthood, they are still dads, Lord. For those who have kids at home, would you just pour a blessing upon them? Help us as fathers to follow your example as our heavenly Father. Even as we're going to consider that today, Lord, help us to be examples of grace, kindness, and truth. Would you use the dads of our fellowship to be not just an example in their families, but an example within our church? Our culture desperately needs to see men who are godly dads. So, would you fill these guys, equip them, empower them to do just that, and bless them today on Father's Day? We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord. You guys can have a seat.

We do have a Dad's root beer for you before you leave today. You can grab that as you go. We are going to get into the Scriptures this morning. We started a new series last week, using the creed called the Nicene Creed, which is 1,700 years old. This summer, we are using that as our guide or our table of contents for our studies in a series we're calling "We Believe."

Looking at all the things that are going on in the world, I'm sure you've noticed that there seems to be a lot of huge, crazy things happening at this present moment as we're gathered here this morning. Many of the things happening in the world can consume our focus and generate...

A lot of anxiety has certainly been the case over the last week or ten days. It seems to be the case all the time, but especially in the last several days. Up north of us, just 100 miles away, there has been all the craziness going on in Los Angeles with riots and protests. As is typical in our time, for some reason, we see markets fluctuating like a tilt-a-whirl, whether it's here in the United States or globally.

Interestingly, just a couple of days ago, on Friday the 13th in the pre-dawn hours in the Middle East, Israel attacked Iran in what can definitely be described as a not-so-surprise surprise attack. A lot of people were anticipating that something like this was going to happen. We see these events unfolding and are reminded that we live in a broken world, a world filled with all kinds of chaos.

Maybe you're old enough to remember a time when we were not in a 24-hour news cycle. For most of my life, that has been the case. Pretty much anyone younger than me has only ever known information coming at us constantly. There was a time when, to know what was going on, you would either have to read the newspaper or watch the nightly news. Now, we are bombarded with information all the time.

I've been trying my best this year to disconnect from a lot of those things and be a little more intentional about it. However, when events like those happening in the world this week occur, there is a feeling that we need to know what is happening. We can see the world seeming to spin out of control. When it does, I find myself drawn to a specific passage of Scripture that I wanted to highlight before we get into our message this morning.

If you have a Bible, you can open to the Old Testament to the Psalm, Psalm 46. We will also put it up on the screen if you don't have a Bible. If you would like one, you can raise your hand, and an usher will bring you one. I love this passage of Scripture because it helps bring my focus back to the right place when the world is as chaotic as it frequently seems to be. The psalmist writes these words: "God is our refuge and our strength." I think that even this one line is worth spending some time thinking about, what the Bible would call meditating upon, maybe this week. God is our refuge and strength, a very...

Present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear. Even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. That word "saw" there is like a pause or a refrain to just kind of think for a moment.

There is a river whose stream shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her and shall not be moved. God shall help her just at the break of dawn. The nations raged; the kingdoms were moved, kind of like in the news this week. He uttered His voice; the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns a chariot with fire. And here's the hard one for me: Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.

As I said, these are the words that I return to frequently when I see things just kind of chaotically happening in the world or maybe more locally in my own life. I love the whole passage, but verses 6 and 7 and verses 10 and 11 really stand out. Verse 6 and 7: The nations raged; the kingdoms were moved. He uttered His voice; the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Verse 10: Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.

That whole exhortation to be still is a hard one for me. I'm one of those people that just can't stop moving. Even when I'm sitting down, my leg is shaking. Is anybody else kind of like that? Some of you are. Sometimes my wife will grab my leg and say, "Stop." I just can't. You might notice when I'm up here, I can't stand still. I could not just stand right here; I've got to be moving around. God has to bring me to that place of, "All right, be still. Just pause for a moment and focus in the right place."

The chaos of the world is one of the reasons that I find it helpful and important for us to gather as we do, and as the church has continued to do for 2,000 years, to gather together regularly. The early church—we were in Acts chapter 2 a little bit last week, looking at the day of Pentecost when the...

The Spirit was poured out, and the church was born. Immediately after the church was born, it says that they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, in the breaking of bread, in fellowship, and in prayers. They gathered together corporately on the first day of the week, which is Sunday, and then in homes throughout the week, just as we do with our connect groups and life groups. This time allows us to gather together as the people of God, to disconnect from all the craziness of the world, so that we might connect with God and with one another. We come together to be still and to know that He is God and that He still reigns supreme over all things.

It is in the presence of God, when we gather together with His people, that we are able to connect with Him in worship, in prayer, and sometimes in service. Definitely, we connect through the Scriptures, and if we are able, in stillness. It is there that we are reminded that our God is the Almighty God, and He reigns. He is our refuge and our strength, a present help in time of trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even if the earth is removed and the mountains are carried into the midst of the sea.

People have been gathering together as the people of God, the church. That is what "church" means; it simply means gathering. We have been gathering together for 2,000 years, going back to Acts chapter 2. As I shared last week, for the better part of the last 1,700 years of the church's history, many Christians from various Christian groups—whether Orthodox, Roman Catholic, or Protestant, as we are—have gathered together. Many of them would quote the words of the creed, the Nicene Creed, which we are using as our table of contents for the studies this summer. This serves to remind us and to affirm corporately who it is that we really believe in and who it is that we trust.

I recognize that in a low church, Protestant evangelical setting such as ours in America in 2025, it is somewhat atypical. It may not be normal for us to speak forth and quote the creed, the Nicene Creed, but it is certainly not wrong. Christians have been doing this for centuries. It is important, I think, to be reminded that one theologian speaking on the creed said, "The Bible alone is our final authority in matters of doctrine." However, creeds and confessions serve a necessary purpose.

The purpose of defining what the Bible teaches and condemning error on basic doctrines is crucial. Maybe you've had this experience; I certainly have. Typically, on a Sunday morning, you hear a knock on the door. You go to the door, and there’s a lovely couple of people there, perhaps from the Watchtower Society or from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You might notice a 17-year-old with a badge that says "elder," and you think, "I'm not sure you're an elder."

What’s fascinating is that those two groups specifically are in error as it relates to the Nicene Creed. They believe in what is called the Arian heresy, which this creed was written to address. They believe that Jesus is a created being and that He is not the eternal, everlasting, begotten Son of God. This was written to address that, and those two groups specifically do not believe as the Nicene Creed affirms.

One of my aims as we look at the text of the Nicene Creed today and over the next several weeks is to recognize that what is written here is drawn directly from the Scriptures. What was established at the Nicene Council 1,700 years ago and what has been quoted in the Nicene Creed ever since is not adding anything to what the early Christians were taught according to the apostles' doctrine. In Acts 2:42, it states that they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine or teaching. What we have here in the text is directly from the Scriptures, and that is what we are going to see today.

While there is a lot in the Bible that is not in the creed, there is nothing in the creed that is not in the Bible. This is very key for us to recognize. The Nicene Creed and others like it were developed to address specific issues, specific problems, or errors—unorthodox teachings that were finding their way into the church—to correct these errors. Specifically, in the late third and early fourth centuries AD, they were combating a teaching that had to do with the nature of Jesus. This really focuses on who God is as Christians understand Him to be.

Their understanding of who God is is taken directly from the Bible, where He has revealed Himself. We Christians refer to this as special revelation, where God has revealed to us His nature and His ways.

What God is like, His nature, what He likes, His will, and His plan are revealed to us in special revelation. This serves as a boundary marker for us, and the creed affirms these truths. With that in mind, I ask you to stand as we put the creed up on the screen again. We will read through this together today, as has been done by many throughout the centuries. Even if it is somewhat out of the norm for a church like ours in Southern California, we read this together.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through Him, all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, He came down from heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit, He became incarnate of the Virgin Mary and was made man. For our sake, He was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day, He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy, Catholic, and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

God, I pray that as we think about these words today and over the next several weeks, we would see their connection to the Scriptures. May we recognize and understand what this means for us as those who believe in You, who follow You, and who seek to be obedient to You. Would You continue to teach and instruct us through Your word, and would You, by Your Holy Spirit, continue the work of transformation in every single one of us, even if we have been following You for many years or maybe just a very short time?

Every single one of us still has areas of our lives that need to be transformed and renewed. Sometimes we don't even realize it until we use Your Word, like a light, to shine into an area of our hearts or minds where we have not really allowed You to be present yet. I pray that as You do that, as You enlighten our understanding, God, would You do the work of making us more like You? That we would be able to reflect Your glory and Your grace to a world that is in desperate need of Your grace and Your truth. God, shine Your light on our lives so that the light from You would reflect to a dark world. We pray this in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

If you were here with us last week as we started this series, you may remember that I didn't get very far. I really only got into one word in the original language, which was penned in Greek or in Latin. I just got into one word that is translated into two words in English: "We believe." That's as far as I got last week. Many of you who are regulars here know that it's not a surprise that I didn't get very far. We will get a tiny bit further this week because we are going to focus on what the first statement of the creed says about God the Father. This emphasizes what we Christians believe about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in this text, and then who we are as His people, which we find in this whole creed.

Today, we are focusing on God the Father, which is fitting for this Father's Day. It seems to fit just perfectly. We just read, "We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen." Interestingly, the Nicene Creed, which was developed in the 4th century—so, 1,700 years ago, in 325 AD on the Black Sea, in what is modern-day Turkey—was remarkably similar to a creed that preceded it nearly 200 years before, in the 2nd century AD. In the early 2nd century, as the church was just beginning to grow and spread, there was another creed referred to as the Apostles' Creed. If you ever go to the "About" section of our website, you'll notice that the Apostles' Creed is at the very bottom because it's connected to our statement of faith. These are things that Christians have believed for 1,900 years, going back to the 2nd century. The Apostles' Creed is remarkably...

The language of the Apostles' Creed is similar to that of the Nicene Creed, which came a couple of hundred years later. This is really important because it highlights that the belief and faith of Christians are fixed. They have not changed because they are not based on what the church dictates, but rather on the scripture that God has revealed. The beliefs stated in the Apostles' Creed and then reiterated in a very similar way in the Nicene Creed, as well as in other creeds that followed, point back to what the Bible says. All these elements come directly from scripture.

An interesting difference between the Apostles' Creed, which dates to the second century, and the Nicene Creed, from the fourth century, is the way they begin. The Apostles' Creed starts with "I believe," while the Nicene Creed begins with "We believe." Why the difference? The Apostles' Creed was a baptismal confession made by individuals who had converted to faith in Christ. Before they were baptized, they would affirm what they individually believed. They were about to be baptized because of their faith and trust in Christ, so they would say, "I believe in God the Father. I believe in Jesus the Son. I believe in the Holy Spirit."

Why did the church do this? You might remember that before Jesus ascended into heaven, He commissioned His disciples to go and do the work of the kingdom, preaching the gospel to all peoples. In Matthew chapter 28, He said, "All authority is given to me. Therefore, go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I've commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Jesus's commission to His disciples was clear: "You go and preach the gospel to every creature," as stated in Mark chapter 16, verse 15. When people turn in faith to God and trust in Him, they are to be baptized, just as we did last week, immersing them in water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

A very short time after the church began to follow Jesus's commission, the gospel spread from Jerusalem into the surrounding region of Judea, then on into Samaria, and continued to move into the far reaches of the known world at that time. This included places like northern Africa, east into Arabia, and north into Syria and Lebanon.

We know of today as Turkey and then into Greece and on into other European nations. As the gospel began to move into those places, they were baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. They were calling upon those new converts who were being baptized to affirm or to state their faith.

"I believe in God the Father Almighty." This is what the Apostles' Creed says. I’ll read it to you: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate." You can hear the similarities to what came later in the Nicene Creed. "He was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day, He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven. He sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there, He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and of life everlasting. Amen."

So, if you were an early convert to Christianity in the second or third century, that is what you would be encouraged to believe or know before you would be baptized. You can see the remarkable similarity to the Nicene Creed because the beliefs that Christians held to did not change; they go right back to the Bible. There is, however, a major difference between "I believe" and "we believe" in these two different sayings. One was the individual confession that you would make before you would be baptized, and the other is the corporate affirmation that Christians would say when they would gather together. This is what unites us together as one body, as the church.

Even when we talk about "I believe" in the Apostles' Creed or "we believe" in the Nicene Creed, there is a question that arises. It is a question that has been repeated a number of times by someone I am interested in following. I have read a number of his books, and some of you have heard me mention him before. His name is Jordan Peterson.

Jordan Peterson came onto the scene probably about eight years ago. He is a clinical psychologist from Canada. He was teaching at the University of Toronto, and before that, he taught at Harvard University. He burst onto the scene in 2016 and 2017, opposing some political issues that were happening in Canada. Since that time, the reason I found him interesting...

He keeps talking about the Bible, God, and Christianity. He is speaking about this to groups of people who are not the type of individuals who normally discuss God, the Bible, or Christianity. He is addressing a whole bunch of secularly minded people who are generally agnostic or atheistic. Over the last six or seven years, I have met more than a few people who came to church because they first started listening to Jordan Peterson. I think, what a strange evangelist this is—a weird clinical psychologist who kind of sounds like Kermit the Frog from Toronto.

If you ever listen to him, you will notice that he talks about the Bible, Christianity, and theology, which are kind of my area of interest. Because he discusses these topics, I am interested in what he has to say, and a lot of other Christians are as well. They often have questions for him, and it’s not just Christians who ask Jordan Peterson these questions; even non-Christians do. In fact, you can find a video on YouTube from about two or three weeks ago on a channel called Jubilee, where he was sitting in the center, surrounded by a group of atheists.

They had a game where people ran to a chair, and the first person to reach the chair got to sit down and question him. All these atheists were questioning him, and although he does not present himself as a Christian, he is asked a question that he has been posed dozens, if not hundreds, of times: "Do you believe in God?" Many Christians and non-Christians alike want to know, "Jordan Peterson, do you believe in God?" He almost always answers with these words: "What do you mean by believe?"

Although he sounds like Kermit the Frog when he asks this, it bothers people. They perceive his response as obfuscation; he seems so dodgy when he answers, "What do you mean by believe?" This frustrates people because they just want to know if he believes or not. He won’t simply answer; instead, he insists on defining what is meant by "believe."

Even though that question frustrates many, I think it is a worthy consideration. What do you mean by believe? What does that actually mean? He is highlighting an important consideration that a lot of people do not think about very frequently. The problem with the word "believe" is that it has what linguists would call a wide semantic range. It can mean a whole bunch of different things. How many of you guys...

Have you ever used a thesaurus? You open it up, look at a word, and it gives you a whole bunch of other words you could use. Some words have a very long list of synonyms, which means they have a wide semantic range. The word "belief" has a wide semantic range, as does the word "love." Love has a wide semantic range as well. You love tacos, you love your dog, you love your kids, and you love your spouse. Hopefully, you don't love your spouse like you love tacos. Some of you maybe do; I don't know.

Because of this wide semantic range, you have to try to figure out what is meant by the term "belief." When people say, "I believe in God," that is what the declaration of the Apostles' Creed states. The Nicene Creed also says, "We believe in one God." When someone makes that statement, they could mean that they accept, as a mental category, that there is this being we call God. They accept it; they believe with their brain a proposition, a statement that this is true. They might say, "I've been convinced by the evidence, and therefore, I accept mentally the proposition that God exists." Alternatively, they might say, "I have confidence in my claim or in the assertion that God exists."

For many people living in our culture in 2025, when they say, "I believe in God," they are making a statement about something they hold propositionally. They believe a statement and are saying something like, "I'm convinced and I accept that the proposition, the statement, the assertion is true: that God exists." However, I want to suggest that this is different from saying, "I believe in God the Father."

There is a difference between "I believe in" and "I believe that." Notice that the creed does not say, "I believe that God is the Father" or "I believe that God exists." That would be making an assertion, a claim about something that is propositionally true. While Christians do believe that God exists and hold that proposition, when they say in the creed, "I believe in God," they are saying something different. The way I will illustrate this is as follows. Some of you...

I have met my younger brother, Danny. Sometimes he's here when he's in town for work. Normally, when he's here, he sits over here with his dog, Fathom. And Danny, don't tell him I told you this, but Danny's crazy. I'll tell you why Danny's crazy. He has many hobbies, but his most current hobby is jumping off cliffs with a parachute, jumping off bridges, or jumping out of planes. Oftentimes, he'll send videos on our group text with my mom. I think he only does this to scare her half to death.

One video he sent to me not too long ago showed him jumping off a hot air balloon in Temecula. He was wearing a wingsuit, you know, like the squirrel suit that allows you to glide. It's not flying; he's falling with style. Here's the thing: I believe that the parachute can save you. I believe that he believes in the parachute. There's a big difference. Do you see the difference? I don't believe in it, and neither does my wife. That's why every time he suggests that I should try it, she goes, "No, no, no, no, you should not." Although she did tell me that if I do, I should make sure my life insurance policy is very up to date and ready to go because she would just say goodbye as I leave to go with him, maybe for the last time.

I believe that the parachute can save you, and he believes in the parachute. There is a difference. This is why I think Peterson asked the question. I'm not 100% sure he's ready to say, "I believe in God," though I think he might say, "I believe that God exists." We believe in one God, and this has to do with not just accepting an assertion as true. It means to trust in and to commit to.

When we Christians say, "I believe in one God," or "I believe in Jesus," or "I believe in the Holy Spirit," as we will look at in the coming weeks, we're saying something about our commitments and our trust. Point number one, if you're taking notes: the Christian's belief is trust in God and not merely assertions about God. This is what distinguishes a Christian from a non-Christian. One of the things that I think is really cool is that on average...

Sunday here at Cross Connection Church, we have people who are skeptical that God is Lord and that Jesus rose from the dead. We have people here who are atheists. I've met them, and they've told me, "I'm an atheist." I ask them, "Why are you here?" They respond, "Because I'm really interested in these things." That's perfectly fine, but they haven't moved from merely trusting or believing that there may be a God to actually believing in Him.

Christians believe their faith is trust in God and not just an assertion about Him. One of the earliest books of the New Testament, in fact, probably the first New Testament text that was written, highlights this. One of the early apostles, James, writes what many regard as the first letter of the New Testament, the Book of James. In James 2:19, he says, "You believe that there is one God." If you're a Christian, you believe that. You do well. But then he says something striking: "Even the demons believe and tremble."

So, what makes your belief that there is one God different from a demon's belief that there is one God? You see, demons believe that there is a God, and it even causes them to be afraid. But that's different from saving faith. That's different from genuine faith because genuine faith is demonstrated in the way you live, in your commitment to, and trust in, God.

You believe that there is one God; you do well. Even the demons believe, and they tremble. When we Christians trust in God, what sets us apart from those who are not Christians, and even from demons, is that we commit to and trust in the nature of Christ and the works of God, and that changes everything. That's what makes you a Christian.

Therefore, we read that we believe in one God. In the world in which the Nicene Creed was penned, and in the world that led up to it in the second, third, and fourth centuries AD, the people of that time were what we call polytheistic. They believed in many different gods, such as Zeus, Apollo, Hermes, and Minerva. For many centuries, they also believed that Caesar of Rome was God. To affirm their belief...

On an annual basis, they would offer incense to an image of Caesar and say, "Caesar is Lord." Christians couldn't do that.

Here's an interesting fact for you: Christians in the early centuries of the church were called atheists by the Romans. Wait, what? Christians were atheists? One of the early Christian apologists, a man named Justin Martyr, in the 2nd century AD, highlights this in what is called his First Apology, specifically in chapter 6. In this chapter, Justin Martyr states, "We are called atheists, Christians, and we confess that we are atheists."

He continues, "So far as gods of this sort, the sort of the world that are worshiped in the pantheons of Rome, are concerned, but not with respect to the most true God, the Father of righteousness and temperance and of other virtues who is free from all impurity." So, early Christians were indeed called atheists.

In the early 2nd century, around 110 AD, there was a Roman magistrate in what we know today as Turkey. His name was Pliny the Younger. He wrote a letter to the emperor, who at the time was Trajan in Rome. In his letter, he discussed how he interrogated followers of Christ because he was trying to determine if they were seditious. They did not believe that Caesar is Lord, nor did they believe in the gods of the Romans and Greeks. This raised concerns that they might cause an insurrection or some problems.

Pliny would gather them together, interrogate, and punish some of them. However, he first observed their routine. He noted that they would gather early in the morning on a set day to worship Christ as God. To determine whether or not they were seditious, he thought, "Here's how I would figure out if they were going to be a problem or not. I would gather them together, put up an image of you, Trajan, and call them to offer incense to the image and say, 'Caesar is Lord.'" He concluded that true Christians could not do that because they did not believe in Minerva or Caesar.

Now, you may think that we live in a world that is distinctly different from the Roman world of the first century. It is not. Every single person you know is, for all intents and purposes, living in a similar context.

Purposes are pretty polytheistic. They may not have a little image that they burn incense to or offer a sacrifice to, but what is a god? A god, at a fundamental level, is whatever you trust in and devote yourself to. Every person you know is trusting in something for their future, for their welfare, and for their salvation. They are devoted to that thing. It might be their retirement account, their job, their kids, or something else. But they are devoted to that thing as the Lord of their life.

We Christians say we are devoted to and committed to God chiefly, primarily, and supremely. We believe in one God.

Point number two, if you're taking notes: Christians believe in God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture. This is key and important because there was a pantheon in the Greco-Roman world. There were all kinds of different gods that these people bowed down to, offered incense to, and worshiped. The Christians say, "No, we don't believe in those. We don't commit to or trust in them." We believe in one God.

They are using a common word for God that every Greek-speaking person of the time knew. They are using the word "theos," which is the word translated as God in Greek. It is a catchall word that you would use to refer to "theos" called Apollo or "theos" called Diana. They are using this word and saying, "Okay, so what's different between what you believe and what I believe as a Roman living in the first-century Roman world? What is different?"

The Christians say, "Well, we're going to explain to you what's different using Scripture. We believe in one God, Theos." They will describe what they mean by this in this statement. Where are they getting these descriptors from? They are taking it straight from the Bible.

We believe in one God. You believe that there is one God; you do well. But where did they get this? Where did they get that there is one God? It goes all the way back to the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, specifically the book of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy chapter 6, the children of Israel would state this saying that has come to be known as the Shema: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and you shall love, be devoted to the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." Your entire being is to be fully committed to and devoted to this one Lord. That is the statement called the Shema.

And Jesus tells His followers...

Followers, this is the first and greatest commandment: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. The first and greatest commandment. You can be certain that all the early followers of Jesus knew those words because they understood that this is the first and greatest commandment.

So, where does the idea that God is one come from? It is found in the phrase, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord." The early Christians proclaimed, "We believe in one God." But what is this God like? How is He different from the pantheon of the Romans, the Greeks, or even the Americans? What makes Him different from them?

The first thing that sets Him apart, especially on this holiday in America, is that we believe in one God, the Father. The word translated as "Father" in Greek is "pat." In Roman culture, that word carried great weight. Perhaps you have heard the term "paterfamilias." In the first-century Roman culture, the idea of the father held significant authority and power over his family. The father was highly esteemed.

When Christians say, "We believe in one God, the Father," they are expressing something that had great significance to the Romans in the first, second, third, or fourth centuries. However, there is a problem. When you tell someone in America in 2025 that you believe in God the Father, what had great weight 2,000 years ago in Rome carries a lot of baggage in 2025 in America.

This baggage exists because we live in a broken culture with many broken homes. When you tell someone that God is Father, it may not carry great weight for them. Instead, it might evoke feelings of abuse, abandonment, or other issues. For many Americans living in 2025, the term "Father" is problematic because of the brokenness in our culture.

So, how do we deal with that? What might have meant one thing to the early Christians now requires careful consideration and understanding in our current context.

A Roman hearer in the 4th century means something totally different to the American hearer in the 21st century. What do we do with that? When the Christian says we believe in one God, the Father, that's the first major thing that we say about Him. What are we saying? Well, I suggest to you that the best way to answer that is to go to Jesus. What does He say? What does He reveal about this relationship that we have with God as Father?

The Father that Jesus describes is different from the father that a lot of people in American culture have experienced in the last several decades. How does Jesus reveal Him? One of the places where Jesus reveals Him is in the Sermon on the Mount, specifically in Matthew chapter 6, where He instructs His followers to pray to God as Father. He says, "When you pray, pray, our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name."

Then He goes on to explain more about what it means that we have a Father in heaven. In Matthew chapter 6, He says, "This Father that we have in heaven, He rewards us openly. He pours out blessing upon us." At the end of Matthew chapter 6, Jesus says, "Do not worry about what you're going to eat, what you're going to wear, and where you're going to sleep. For your heavenly Father knows the things that you have need of, and He takes care of you." That might be different from the father experience you had.

You see, the heavenly Father, as Jesus reveals Him, is the one who rewards His children openly and takes care of them. Another place where Jesus tells us about the Father is in Luke 11, again a passage where He teaches His disciples how to pray, saying, "Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be His name." He goes on to say this: If you ask your Father for an egg, what father among you would give you a stone? Or if you ask for a fish, what father would give you a serpent? If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things, the Holy Spirit, to him who asks?

You see, the Father, as Jesus reveals Him, is a good, loving, gracious, and compassionate Father. Maybe the greatest picture of the Father, as Jesus reveals Him, is in Luke chapter 15 with the parable of the prodigal son. This son went to his father and said, "I want my inheritance early." He left home with the inheritance, essentially saying to his dad, "I wish you were dead." That's what he was saying: "Give me my inheritance."

I wish you were dead. The King James Version says he went and spent his inheritance on riotous living. When he came to the end of himself and was completely worn out from that lifestyle, he said in his heart, "The servants in my father's house are better taken care of than I am." Compelled to return to his father, he began to figure out what he would say. He thought, "I'm not worthy to be your son. I'll just be a servant in your house. I would rather be a servant than a son." He anticipated being rejected, but that is not what he found.

What he found was his father waiting with open arms. The father gathered him and embraced him, saying, "My son who was dead is alive again." He put the signet ring on his finger and a new robe upon him. He made a party for his son who had come back because his son who was lost was now found. This is the image of the father, which is different from the image of the father that we have in our culture. For some people, Father's Day is hard because they didn't really have a dad. It can be difficult for them to say "Abba," father, to the Father in heaven. "Abba" is the Hebrew word that is similar to "daddy" in English.

However, the father as He is revealed to us in the Scriptures is totally different. Point number three: God has revealed Himself to us as the Father of mercies, who is abundant in compassion and kindness. That is your father. If you're a Christian, it is much easier to believe in and trust in that kind of father than perhaps the father you had.

Christians since the fourth century and into the present day have said, "We believe in one God, the Father," and then they say, "the Almighty." The term "Almighty" in the Old Testament, "Almighty God," is translated from the Hebrew "El Shaddai." It is the most frequently used title for God. In the book of Job, of all books, Job recognizes that God is Almighty thirty-one times. He was going through perhaps the worst trial anyone could ever endure. When you are going through a trial, it is good to know that God the Father is the Almighty One.

What does that even mean? It means that there is nothing over Him; everything is under Him. Psalm 97 says, "Lord, you are most high above all the earth. You are exalted far above all."

Other spirits and gods exist, but He is the Most High, the Almighty God. This means there is nothing superordinate above Him; He is at the top.

Point number four: God in the Bible is the highest and greatest, reigning over and above all. This is a great thing to remember when, like Job, you are going through the chaos of a broken world. When you look around and see all the insanity happening in our culture, our nation, or the world as a whole, you can feel the pressure and anxiety build up in your heart. You may wonder, "What is going to happen?" In those moments, you can be reminded, "Wait a minute, I trust in my Father who is over all things." Those things that overwhelm you will never overwhelm Him because you are in relationship with the Father.

The Almighty One leads us to the last statement we have about God. We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. This brings us to the first revelation about who God is—the God revealed to us in Scripture.

In the very first words of the Bible, Genesis 1:1, you can probably quote them even if you're not a Bible scholar: "In the beginning, God created." He created the heavens and the earth. However, the creed states that He did not only create the heavens and the earth, which is the physical realm. He created the seen, which is the physical realm, and the unseen. This means that everything that exists outside of this world, the spiritual realm, including all thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, was put in place by Him.

When you study the Scriptures, you discover that these things were established by Him for a purpose. He created them with theology and purpose in mind. The Almighty Father, as described in the Bible, is the maker, sustainer, and purpose-giver of all things. This is your God if you are a Christian. This is why Christians for thousands of years have said, "We believe in, we trust in, we are committed to, and have a relationship with the one who is the compassionate, tender, merciful, gracious Father of Scripture."

Almighty One over all things, nothing overcomes Him. He is the one who created everything for a purpose. That is the God we believe in. Though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, we will not fear because He is our ever-present help in time of trouble.

There are certainly a lot of things that can overwhelm us in a chaotic and broken world. There have been many challenges in the last several weeks, months, and years, and there will be many more in the future that will be overwhelming and heavy for us. But God is our refuge and our strength. He is our Father, the Almighty One, the one to whom we flee for refuge. In Him, we find strength. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? God, I thank You that we come before You today as Father. For some in this room, they came to You as Father from riotous living, like the prodigal. They came to You, fearful that You might chastise and punish them, yet You welcomed them with open arms, saying, "My son or my daughter who was lost has now been found. The one who was dead is now made alive."

God, we thank You for the life that we find in You. We pray that this life would be so abundant and shining so greatly with Your glory and grace that it would cause others we interact with this week to say, "I want to know about that life," because ultimately, it is in You that we find life.

God, we thank You for Your grace. We thank You for Your mercy. I pray, God, that You would help us, Your people, to represent Your mercy and Your rest to a world that is in turmoil. For we ask this in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, "Amen." Amen.