Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from 1 Peter 3:18-22.
Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from 1 Peter 3:18-22.
Lindsey: Welcome to the Midweek Checkup. My name is Bobby Gilles, and I’m joined by Lindsey Blair. This past Sunday, Pastor Jonah Sage preached 1 Peter 3:18-22.
Bobby: Pastor Jonah said that the Creeds remind us that Jesus will bring us safely home. If you’ve forgotten or you missed the sermon, pull up a chair for the Midweek Checkup.
Lindsey: Jonah began by reminding us how the Covid pandemic disoriented our lives and filled everyone with anxiety. But we are not the first people to face unexpected fears, either. The scriptures tell us there is an entire world around us we cannot see. An unseen realm, a cosmic war between good and evil.
Bobby: The Bible tells us that there is an entire WORLD we can't see that's filled with evil spiritual forces. What are WE to do in a world so full of seen and unseen dangers? Confusion creates chaos. Chaos creates carnage. But Creeds provide us the clarity we need...and clarity creates safety.
Into our confusion, the creeds remind us of what is real and what is true.
They help us to stop chasing ghosts. And ultimately, these creeds invite us to follow Jesus. Not just repeat the words, but embody them and live them.
Lindsey: There is a creedal statement in first Peter three, verse eighteen that says “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God.” Peter's creed reminds us, though, that our guilt is paid in full. What can wash away my sins? NOTHING but the blood of Jesus. To those suffering the weight of guilt, Creeds remind you that you are safe because Christ suffered for our sins ONCE for all time.
Bobby: Peter goes on to say that after Christ died for us he proclaimed his victory to evil spirit. So this Creed, memorized and recited as the church gathered, reminds us that not only are we safe from the consequences of our sin, but safe from our spiritual oppressors, too. Peter tells us that Baptism is like the flood waters … and it is the blood of Jesus that has become for us Noah's true Ark.
Lindsey: What might look like to engage the complex issues of our day from a place of safety, rather than fear or anxiety? If we believed Jesus had all authority, what might we do when he tells us to love our enemies? What might he do when he tells us to turn our other cheek to those who strike us?
What would it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? What could it mean to become peacemakers?
Bobby: Christ is risen and seated now in heaven. All powers accept his authority. So, be it in this life or the next, be it from things we see or things we cannot, be it pandemic or persecution, Satan or circumstance, creeds remind us we are safe because Jesus is with us.
Lindsey: Next Sunday, we’ll continue our series called Orthodoxy: Guardrails for the Thriving Soul. And in Bible Fellowship, we’ll discuss Paul’s letter to Romans chapter Six, verses one through eleven. Join us and bring a friend.