Seven Things WE BELIEVE!
So, we covered a lot of ground at NewSpring Church today in the sermon. I wanted to provide this blog post as a resource with the verses I used (along with some extras) so that those who want to study/research more OR use this for their quiet time can do so.
We began with this statement:
What we believe determines how we behave.
Afterwards we dove into seven things we believe at our church. As I said in the sermon, this was not intended to be a theological dissertation but rather a 30,000 foot view of our beliefs. Here we go…
#1 – God the Father
God is a good Father who wants good things for His children.
- Matthew 6:9 – Here Jesus tells us that we can call God “father.” (In fact, if you want to do an interesting study, read Matthew 6:1-9 and circle the word “father” every time it appears. Jesus was obviously making a point.
- Matthew 7:9-11 – Many of us may have had damaged or distant relationships with our father, but Jesus teaches in this text that God is good…and He wants good things for His children.
- Romans 8:15 tells us we can call God, “Father!”
And the book of Ephesians references God the Father again and again. Here's a list of some of them:
#2 - Jesus Christ
Jesus never wrote a book, never ran for office, never led an army or even invented anything, yet He is the most talked about, studied and revered person (by Christians and non-Christians) who has ever lived.
If you want to get to know Jesus I could recommend nothing better than reading the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all tell a part of a story of his life, but John 21:25 says Jesus did so many things that the world couldn't contain all of the books of stories of what He did.
- John 1:14 – this is the one verse I covered in my sermon, but there are SO many verses about the greatness of Jesus.
- John 8:1-11 – how He stood up for someone condemned to die. (Brings Romans 8:1 to mind!)
- Mark 10:46-52 – how He hears people who cry out for help, and always does way more than we could imagine.
- Matthew 8:1-4 – how He was willing to reach out and touch the “untouchable!”
- II Corinthians 5:21 – how He became sin for us!
#3 – The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit comes into us the moment we receive Christ (see Romans 8:9 and Ephesians 1:13-14).
We said on Sunday that the Holy Spirit provides…
- Direction – notice an awesome story in Luke 2:22-35, in Luke 2:22-23 Luke tells us that Joseph and Mary were acting in accordance to the Word of God. In Luke 2:25-27 Luke tells us that Simeon was moved by the Spirit of God. Don’t miss this – the Holy Spirit and the Word of God work together, not in opposition to one another!
- Attention – He will always point us to Jesus…see John 14:15-21, John 14:25-27 and John 16:12-14
- Peace - see John 14:27 and Philippians 4:6-7
#4 – The Crucifixion
Matthew 27:26 – says Jesus was crucified. The reason there is not a description of the crucifixion is because the original readers had seen one, they knew what it was and the sheer mention of the word was horrific.
- I Corinthians 1:23 – Paul said that THE message he preached was Christ crucified.
- I Corinthians 2:2 – Paul says here essentially that he cannot get over what Jesus did for him (us!)
- Romans 5:6-8
- I Corinthians 15:1-8
- I Thessalonians 4:14
- Hebrews 9:15
- Revelation 2:8
#5 – Jesus Conquered Death
- Hebrews 2:14-15 – He conquered it!!! (And In Christ we are MORE than conquerors, Romans 8:37).
- I Corinthians 15:35-58 = AWESOME! AWESOME!! AWESOME!!!
- II Corinthians 5:1-7 – Paul writes and tells us that death will happen, but it’s not the end of the line for those who are in Christ!
#6 – The Resurrection
The resurrection is the reason Christianity began—period! See the following passages in Acts where the disciples COULD NOT STOP talking about it…
#7 - Jesus Is Coming Back
I don’t know when…
You don’t either…
No one does (at least that is what JESUS said in Matthew 24:36)!
But, some passages to look at on the second coming of Christ are:
This is what WE believe at NewSpring Church! Hope you enjoyed this resource!