In Search of the Old Paths

Old Testament Reading: Psalm 8:1-9
New Testament Reading: Acts 17:22-31

In Search of the Old Paths

“I Believe in God the Father Almighty
Maker of Heaven and Earth”
Acts 17:22-31

Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor

    The writers of the Apostles Creed referred to God as the Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, to affirm His supreme and matchless power, as demonstrated by His creation.

• The Hebrew word for creation is “Ex-Nihilo,” which means, “Out of nothing.”
• By declaring Himself Maker of heaven and earth, God was establishing His role as the omnipotent, uncreated Creator who brought all matter into existence, while rejecting pantheism, that God inhabits His creation.
• The first three words Moses wrote to introduce the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, were: “In beginning God.”
• The article “the” is not in the original manuscripts, indicating this was the beginning of time as well as the material universe.
• When God the Father began to create, He began with the physical heavens and the physical earth, and He created all that exists out of nothing, except His desire to reveal Himself to those humans He would soon create.
• Genesis 1:1 – God the Father was the Master Designer.
• Genesis 1:2 – God the Spirit moved upon the waters.
• Genesis 1:3 – God the Son became the instrument of creation.
• Genesis 1:1-2:3 substantiates the existence of God, who revealed Himself through what He created, and in ways humans could see and understand. Therefore, in establishing God as the uncreated Creator of all things, the Apostles’ Creed established our faith in God the Father as the initial doctrine of the Christian faith.

“It is only when we know who God is, and respect Him for who He is, that we can discover who we are and how we fit into God’s plan.”

   A confession of faith begins with the assertion that the God who has revealed Himself in the Scriptures is the Almighty, Omnipotent God: the uncreated Creator of all things; the uncaused Cause behind every-thing that has ever existed, that exists today, or will exist in the future, including His plan for our redemption, which the writers expressed in the rest of the creed regarding the Person and work of Jesus Christ, and the Person and work of the Holy Spirit.

• God the Father made the plan, and He is the One who elects us to be saved.
• God the Son made the plan possible through His death on the cross, which means He is the One who justifies us before God the Father.
• God, the Holy Spirit, makes the plan work through His mighty power to sanctify those who are saved.
• “What comes to our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” – A.W. Tozer
• “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” – John 17:3
• The chief end of man is to glorify God and to praise Him forever.” – Westminster Shorter Catechism 1647
• Therefore, the goal of the Christian life is to glorify God the Father every day of our lives, who, out of His lovingkindness, provided a way for us to be redeemed from our sins, which should inspire us to constantly worship Him and glorify His Name.

   After preaching the gospel in Thessalonica, Paul went to Athens, where he addressed the Areopagus, a council of philosophers and civil leaders who considered themselves to be the intellectuals.

• Rather than to try to prove the existence of God, Paul began by telling them that the One True God had not only surrounded them, but that He had invaded them, as evident by the number of idols they had erected throughout the city.
• God had revealed Himself to them, but rather than to bow down and worship Him, they sought another god who could absolve them of their sins; i.e., the “unknown God!”
• But the only reason He was unknown to them was because they had rejected the empirical and observable knowledge God had made available to them.
• Paul made the same approach to the Romans. In Romans 1:19-20, Paul wrote: “What can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them, for since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”
• Atheists say they do not believe in God! Agnostics say they are not sure God exists, and skeptics discount the clear evidence of His existence, primarily because they do not want to surrender their lives unto His divine authority. However, none of them have been able to refute the Bible’s historical accuracy or the archaeologist’s discoveries.
• “If one says there is no God, then they must answer another question, which is, on what basis can we declare right and wrong, good and bad, moral and immoral.” – C.S. Lewis
• God is revealing Himself to us every day in a million ways, but we have to open the eyes of our hearts to see them, and open our wills to be able to accept them as evidence of His eternal power and Godhead.

1. That God is Trinity – John 1:1-18 – Vs. 18 – “No one has seen God at any time. The only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”

• “Within the eternal Trinity, there is a family relation of Father and son, and in that relation God’s love is expressed.” – J.I. Packer

*** The Father is not the Son             *** The Son is not the Father      *** The Father is not the Holy Spirit      *** The Holy Spirit is not the Father      *** The Son is not the Holy Spirit      *** The Holy Spirit is not the Son

However, each of the three persons in the Godhead glorifies one another. The Son is glorified by the Spirit. The Father is glorified by the Son. The Son has His glory from the Father. The Son becomes the glory of the Spirit, and God the Father glorifies the Son by means of the Spirit, and glorifies the Spirit by the means of the Son.

2. That God is Our Creator – Psalm 100 – Vs. 3 – “Know that the Lord Himself is God, it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.”

   • Since God is our Father by virtue of creating us, how dare we abuse what He has created. How dare we sin against them, for everything God has created is accountable unto Him.
   • “Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another by profaning the covenant of the fathers?” – Malachi 2:10

3. That God is our Redeemer – Ephesians 1:1-14 – Vs. 7-8 – “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us.”

• This is the first good news regarding God’s fatherhood over man. That the Triune God, our Creator God, the One who holds us accountable, and has every right to punish us, in His mercy, became our Redeemer, and adopted those who receive His Son as their Savior and Lord into His forever family.

4. That God is Sovereign – Romans 8:28 – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

• To truly believe in God is to diligently seek Him; i.e., receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord is the beginning of our journey of faith; to be forgiven of our sins and assured of our home in heaven is the first step in our diligent pursuit of God, and that pursuit will not end until we are in His presence.