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Welcome to the Gospel Focused Family Moment. I'm your host, Eric Novak. Each week we pause as a family to remember what matters most, the good news of Jesus. This podcast is brought to you by gospelfocused.com.
For our opening liturgy today, I'll be your leader and ask a question, and then you follow along and repeat with your family. Christian family, what do we believe? We believe in God the Father, Maker of heaven and earth. We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. We believe in the Holy Spirit, who gives us life and makes us one.
The scripture reading for today comes from John 1, verses 1 through 5. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." This is the Word of the Lord.
Hello, friends! If you got to listen to the last episode, you know we're doing a two-part season continuing through October where we'll be studying the Apostles' Creed together. A creed is basically a list of things that people believe. That's what the word means: Credo, or "I believe." Let me read it to you again and we'll start unpacking:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. 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 everlasting. Amen.
Today we'll be jumping into the second line: "I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord." Have you ever heard of the Himalayan mountains? They're the tallest mountain range on the earth, and people make it their life goal to climb to the top. It's crazy, because they start at the bottom where it's normal, warm temperatures, but by the time they reach the top, it's so high that it's dangerously cold and often snowing.
The people who climb that high are true adventurers. They want to reach the top to stake their claim to doing one of the hardest things in the world, and many people have been seriously injured or even died trying. No matter how strong or brave you are, reaching the top on your own is almost impossible. When we read John, we quickly see just how high above us Jesus really is. He's the central focus and the cornerstone of the whole Bible.
All of that to say: you could study God your whole life, live a generous life, and give to the neediest people, but if you miss Jesus, you miss the entire point. Jesus is so important. In the book of Colossians, the Apostle Paul and Timothy present the gospel centered on the person of Jesus. If we read it, we get a beautiful picture of how important Jesus is. Here's a quote from Colossians:
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through him and for him, and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." Colossians 1:15 through 20.
Wow, guys, the way Paul describes Jesus, He's like the most important king there could ever be. He is King Jesus, and we get the chance not only to serve Him, but to be welcomed into His family.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism describes Jesus as our redeemer in three ways: He's a prophet, a priest, and a king. As a prophet, Jesus reveals to us by His word and Spirit the will of God for our salvation. As a priest, Jesus offers Himself up as a sacrifice to pay for our sins. Hebrews says that He's the final sacrifice. And as a king, Jesus rules over us justly, defends us, and fights for us.
So here's the best news of all. That mountain, as high and as impossible as it is, Jesus never asked us to climb it. We could never reach God on our own, so God came down to us. The One who is higher than the highest mountain came all the way down and was born as one of us. That's why, even though it's easy to picture Jesus as far off on the mountain somewhere, the truth is the opposite.
Jesus is closer than a brother. He loves you and your family. His heart is for the outsider, and He loves the little children. I hope you get to know Him. He's what this show is all about. Our memory verse for today is John 1:4: "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." Let's pray together. Father God, we thank you for your Son Jesus, the center of everything.
Thank you for sending your Son to live a perfect life, to die in our place, so that we could become part of your family. Help this reality to change our hearts and inform how we live. In the holy name of Jesus, amen.
Thanks for joining us for this week's Gospel Focused Family Moment. I'm your host, Eric Novak. Until next time, keep your eyes on Jesus and your hearts focused on the gospel. Go as a family in the peace of your Savior and closest friend, Jesus Christ. See you next week.
Thank you for being part of what we do at gospelfocused.com. If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with a friend. Every person we reach brings us closer to our goal of sharing the gospel with every family around the world, by the grace of Jesus.
