Brunei Sermon Apostle’s Creed (4)

17th November, 2013 Written by Rev Law Hui Seng Posted by Teresa Han Main Idea: Holy Spirit and the Universal Church Objectives: a. To teach the roles of the Holy Spirit and the Universal Church. b. To challenge the congregation to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve Christ in the church. A. Introduction - This is the last part of my four parts sermon on Apostle’s Creed. I pray that as you recite the Apostle’s Creed every Sunday, you now become more aware of the meaning of it and you become very sure of your faith. - This part is concerning : I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life ever-lasting. B. I Believe in the Holy Spirit - Most Christians do not understand the doctrine of the Holy Spirit well. It is an irony because the most powerful Spirit of Christ in the universe in inside us and yet, owing to our lack of understanding of the Holy Spirit, we fail to be empowered by the Spirit. I believe the most fundamental reason for the lack of empowerment is due to lack of knowledge of the Spirit. It happens because we do not read the bible thorough enough to have the overall or holistic picture of the Holy Spirit. - In this sermon, I cannot preach much about the doctrine because of the time limitation. I can only preach on 3general roles of the Holy Spirit. - God the Father is concerning His creation of the new world; God the Son is about how He gave new life and its substance and possibility; and God the Spirit is about a new relationship. Through God the Spirit, we believers can build up our new relationship with God the Father and the Son. - One non-Christian has criticized Christianity that if there is only one God, then, this God is a lonely God. He could not accept this God. You see how he developed his human concept of God. To help him to understand more about our one God concept, I explain to him the relationship of the Trinitarian God. How they know one another and relate to one another; how God sent Jesus and how Jesus sent the Spirit; how only God the Father knows the timing of Jesus second coming and Jesus does not know; how Jesus was bearing the burden of sin and how on the cross at that dark moment, God the Father cut off His relationship with Jesus. And at the end of the day, I still told him, there is only one God. He seemed to nod his head slightly. I simply told him our God, Trinitarian, is in fellowship. - In the New Testament, we can understand the Holy Spirit in terms of the gospel, book of Acts and the apostolic letters. After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came upon Him. Then, the Holy Spirit and the acts and words of Jesus were inseparable. However, Jesus only mentioned two times in the gospel of Mark, one time when He taught that blaspheming against the Holy Spirit is an eternal sin (Mark 3:29) and the other time was when the disciples were witnessing for Him (Mark 13:11). Scholars believed that it has to do with Jesus’ initial reluctance to reveal His Messiah identity. Let us now take a look at 3 roles of the Holy Spirit. (1). The Holy Spirit empowers us to relate to God. - Apostle Paul taught that Jews and Gentiles were united in Christ to enter into personal relationship with God. Together they were the dwelling place for the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:22). - Apostle John in the Gospel of John 3:5 quotes Jesus in saying only those who are born of water and the Spirit can enter the kingdom of heaven. Through the work of the Holy Spirit a person enters into a close relationship with God. (2) The Holy Spirit empowers us to witness. - Take for example, in the 16th century, the Roman Catholic monks, formed Jesuit Order, and observed 4 vows, celibacy, poverty, evangelism (to the Muslims) and obedience to Christ. Their great sacrifice has advanced the mission of Christ in terms of education, medical care, helping the poor and winning many to Christ. - These institutions are made possible as the Holy Spirit empowers the disciples of Jesus to bear godly characters. With these godly characters (e.g., love and faithfulness), they persevere despite the odds. Galatians 5:22,23 ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…’ - In modern days, Churches are taking up the challenge to enter the society to serve the society as individual Christians and as churches or denomination, by setting up institutions like school, orphanage home, care for the poor and needy, mentally challenge children, kidney dialysis centre, counseling centre, giving tuition to the poor students, home for the aged, etc. (3) The Holy Spirit empowers us to do signs and wonders. - Denominational churches tend to have rigid liturgy, Christians who are secularized, hearts of believers grow cold, we need the Holy Spirit to empower us to worship Him in Spirit and truth. Our lives are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do signs and wonders. Believers are challenged to wake up to obey God’s call to make a difference for Jesus, both as individuals and as a church. - Like what Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesians in1:18-21, ‘I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly realms, far above the rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.’ - The power that resurrected Jesus from the death is also inside us, so, the Holy Spirit is able to empower us to do signs and wonders. No wonder, after ascension of Jesus to heaven, for example, Apostle Peter being empowered by the Holy Spirit to heal a crippled beggar. Acts 3:6-8, ‘Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazereth, walk. Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and naturally the man’s jumped to his feet and began to walk..” - Apostle and disciples were indeed empowered by the Holy Spirit as taught by Jesus in Acts 1:8,9, ‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ - Are you convinced to do that we as disciples of Jesus are called to do signs and wonders because we empowered by the Holy Spirit? I pray that you do. C. The holy catholic Church - In the New Testament original Greek, the word for church is ekklesia, it is formed by 2 words, ek, which means ‘out’, klesis, which means ‘called’. Therefore, the word ekklesia means the community that is called out. The word is used in Mathew 16:18 when Jesus said, ‘And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,…’ Mathew 18:17 when Jesus said, ‘If he refuses to listen to listen to them, tell it to the church…’ - Today, the meanings of the church is coming from the writings of Apostle Paul on metaphors of the church, the major ones are God’s people, body of Christ, communion and the spirit. - As God’s people, Christians’ most important responsibility is to proclaim the achievement of Christ on the cross. It says in 2Corinthians 5:19, ‘that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.’ Therefore, Christians gather and meet as a church is not only for fellowship purpose, but it is also for the purpose of going out to spread the gospel of kingdom. - As a body of Christ, she has her visible sign of mission, that is to love one another as commanded by Jesus. This is the centre of church life and it is also the whole purpose of fellowship. 1Corinthians 11:29 ‘For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.’ Colossians 1:13’For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.’ The fellowship of here is not because of the Christians’ nature which love it but it is because we belong to the same body whose head is the Christ. And Christ died a sacrificial death to for His body of followers. - This is the foundation for church existence. How can we believers be faithful to this foundation? This involves the recreation power of the Holy Spirit. The fellowship community involves the power of Holy Spirit who dwells in the body of believers. Apostle Paul talked about believers, ‘…bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of Spirit through the bond of peace.’ (Ephesians 4;3,4) This is the meaning of fellowship of the Holy Spirit. - The church is capable of mission, love and fellowship not because she is morally right or clean or perfect, because Trinitarian God is holy and living among the believers. - The church is catholic because throughout history we believe in the same doctrine. D. The communion of saints - This is about the relationship among all believers; believers and believers – the saints. Believers are called saints by Apostle Paul, John and Peter. 1Corinthians 1:2 , John 10:36 and 1Peter 1:2, the apostles addressed believers as saints. The common justification for the address is because the believers are made holy or sanctified (hoi hagioi) by the redemption of Christ, not because we are now morally right. We are now saints because Christ died a redemptive death, which results in the forgiveness of our sins. This can be done all because of the work of the Holy Spirit in the believers. This is why the communion of the saints has to be after the belief in the Holy Spirit. 1Corinthians 6:11 ‘…you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our Lord.’ - The communion of all the saints throughout the world is marked at least by freedom, equality and love. Communion of saints is marked by freedom. Apostle Peter said in Acts 15:10 ‘…why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?’ This is a concept that tolerates the freedom of choice. - If we want the saints to serve Christ, we need to remove our control over them, otherwise, they will serve human beings and not Christ/God. Unless we are freed from fear, we cannot have love, we also cannot have real ministry. If we fear punishment, death, guilt, losing position or interests, we will be enslaved by punishment, death, guilt, gaining and losing. And we are no more living as saints. - Communion of saints is marked by equality. Those who went to Antioch from Judea had gone against the principle of the Holy Spirit and did not treat all believers equally. Apostle Peter said in Acts 15:8,9 ‘God who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He make no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.’ - Recognizing the rights of others does not mean you forgo your own rights or opinions. Therefore, there can be differences in equality. It does not matter whether these differences are cultural, racial, because of skin, sex, or opinions or coming from different angles. To the Jerusalem believers, they see the gentile church this way because this is how God treats them. - Communion of saints is marked by love. Only after we can treat one another with freedom and equality, only then, we treat one another as brothers and sisters with love. E. The forgiveness of sins - We are in the church because of one reality, that is, our sins are forgiven by Jesus. Because our sins are forgiven, we become new people and we are united in Spirit. We need to remind ourselves of the forgiveness so that we do not yield to the temptations of all kinds. - Forgive in Greek is aphiemi, it is used 142 times in the New Testament. The central message of New Testament is Christ used His own life to exchange for the freedom of man, so that man do not need to be enslaved by sin. His preaching and actions show His willingness to forgive sinners. His forgiveness of man’s sins is not only reflected in His preaching but very much shown by His acceptance of sinners. His acceptance of sinners even costs His life. - In view of Christ’s forgiveness, we must forgive and accept ourselves, others and fear God more than anything else. F. The resurrection of the body - As Christians look forward, we see resurrection, and we see the hope of resurrection with Christ, new life in Christ. There are only 2 key passages in the New Testament: Mark 12:18-27; 1Corinthians 15 bout resurrection of Christ. - Concerning Mark 12, Jesus is answering the Sadducees who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead because they could not find the record of it in Mosaic Law. Jesus pointed out that resurrection is due to the power of God. Our body will be the glorified body, completely changed body. This body and this person will not continue the earthly relationships like husband and wife. - Concerning 1Corinthians 15, Apostle Paul addressed Christians who believed in resurrection of the soul and spirit of believers but not with their changed physical body. This was because of the influence of the Greek philosophy on the Christians. Apostle Paul emphasized that Christ’s resurrection was not His soul and spirit leaving the physical body, but His resurrected body is both soul and spirit and physical body altogether which is transformed into glorified body. He has defeated the power of sin, He is no more escaping from the body, but owning the victorious body, transformed body. This is the kind of body which we are going to acquire. G. And life everlasting - Eternal life is a life maintaining close relationship with God. This is why John said in 1John 5:12, ‘He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.’ - Eternal life emphasizes the importance of present life. We treasure all the present opportunities because we who have eternal life live in the kingdom of God, live in the space of God. H. Conclusion - I pray that every time you recite the Apostles’ Creed you will do it with understanding and it strengthens your relationship with Jesus. Rev Law Hui Seng