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Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg
What We Believe
What we believe: Jesus Christ
What do you believe about Jesus? Have you really thought that question out in your life? No matter how you would answer that question today- I would suggest that your answer, is shaping your life.
What we believe influences our relationships, it sets our priorities, it shapes our lives, in all kinds of ways…Over the next few weeks as a church we are going to explore what we believe, a few of the key doctrines and concepts of scripture, that shape our life individually as well as our life together as the Church. Together we want to get a clearer picture of the nature of our faith as the Church of the Nazarene, not just to gain knowledge, but to value the freedom and joy found in living out the way of Jesus of Nazareth.
I welcome you to our new teaching series “What we believe”
Today we begin in what perhaps is the obvious place to start in a series addressing what we believe- and that’s with Jesus.
What we believe about Jesus will shape every aspect of our lives, and every aspect of our Church.
Matthew 1:18-23
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew has included theological clues and testimony of who this child was. He links this announcement to the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah.
Matthew understood that Jesus being born in a stable in Bethlehem was important, but he knows the most important thing was who this child was-This is the Messiah born in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.
God had come in the flesh, on a mission to save his people from their sins.
So what do we believe as a church?
We believe that Jesus Christ is eternally one with the Father
We believe the angel’s announcement that Jesus was born, became flesh/incarnate, by the work and creative power of the Holy Spirit upon a young virgin girl named Mary.
We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins- This is the mission the angel announced at his birth.
God was intervening in our human story in a new way that we could experience freedom from sin and new eternal life in him.
We believe that Jesus arose from the grave, taking on his resurrected body, and he now is engaged in intersession for us at the right hand of the father.
Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at a few key aspects of Nazarene faith based on the scriptures.
Next week we will seek to understand that in bringing people to salvation, God has acted first, going ahead of us, providing the grace and power that we need to choose him.
Then we will seek to understand that we no longer need to be slaves to the sin nature and its destructiveness when we are in Christ. In Christ, we can be free from the power of sin in our lives.
And we will conclude our series looking ahead with joy, knowing that death doesn’t hold the final answer for those who are in Christ. For them, a great resurrection is coming to eternal life in paradise.
At this point you might still be wondering, “So what?” What’s the big deal about this Jesus thing- Why is that where it all begins and ends?
I would propose to you today “The life you are seeking is only found in Christ”
John 14:1-7
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Friends, Jesus is the only way to the father.
He is the truth
And he is the life.
That’s what it means to believe in him.
Verses for further study/reflection:
Luke 1:26–35
John 1:1–18
Acts 2:22–36
Romans 8:3, 32–34
Galatians 4:4–5
Philippians 2:5–11