F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Gripping The Sword The Bible- GW Mar Proofs & -isms The Trinity - GW Apl Abba Father God The Father - AG May Saviour not Super-star God the Son Who ? not What? God the Spirit - GW July In The BeginningCreation- Matt Frost Sept God's Image Smudged Man - AG Oct Missing the MarkSin - GW Nov Gods Plus Sign The Cross - AG Dec God's Image Salvaged Salvation - GW Jan God's People Together The Church - GWFeb Jesus Returns The 2 nd Coming - AGMar Know Who You Believe……………… ………………Know What You Believe F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH The Scriptures were not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives. Dwight L. Moody Study 1 The Bible

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH sufficiently understandable but ultimately incomprehensible Study 2 The Trinity

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Study 3 God the Father

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Jesus Saviour…….....Not Superstar Study 4 God the Son

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Disciples Who is this man that even winds and waves obey Him?Mt Crowds : " Who is this? This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."Mt Jesus : "Who do people say I am?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." "But what about you? Who do you say I am?" Peter : "You are the Christ the Son of the Living God." Mt Pharisees : "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!" Jn 12.19

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Napoleon : " I founded my empire on force but this man founded his kingdom without violence on love H.G.Wells : " This man is easily the dominant figure in human history. An historian cannot portray the progress of humanity honestly without giving a foremost place to this penniless teacher from Nazareth : Vladimir Putin Why did Christ come into the world? To liberate people from sickness, troubles, from death. In its essence, Christmas is a holiday of hope Thomas Jefferson Had the doctrines of Jesus been preached always as pure as they came from his lips, the whole civilized world would now have been Christian..

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Dr James Allan © 1926 All the armies that have ever marched All the navies that have ever sailed All the parliaments that have ever sat All the kings that ever reigned put together Have not affected the life of mankind on earth As powerfully as that one solitary life

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH *Some wrong ideas! * Soppy - gentle Jesus meek mild weak effeminate * Religious - out of touch wandering hermit long robes * Revolutionary - leader of a rebel movement outlaw * Hippie - Love! Peace ! Long hair ! Yo man ! * Super-star - crowds and media attention * Philosopher - obscure deep sayings and teaching

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH liar lunatic Lord

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Jesus was Pre-Existant - In Heaven before Bethlehem John 1:1John 6:62John 8:56John 17:5 1 Cor 8:6Col 1:16;Col 1:17Heb 1:2

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Jesus was Pre-Existant - In Heaven before Bethlehem Jesus was the Son of David - Hope of the Jews Luke 1.32 Mt 21.9John Christ is a title meaning Messiah and Anointed One

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Jesus was Pre-Existant - In Heaven before Bethlehem Jesus was the Son of David - Hope of the Jews Jesus was the Son of Man - God's Man of Authority Mark 8:31Mark 9:12 Mark 2:10Mark 2:28

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Jesus was Pre-Existant - In Heaven before Bethlehem Jesus was the Son of David - Hope of the Jews Jesus was the Son of Man - God's Man of Authority Jesus was Man - Shared in Human nature Jn 4.6 Jn 4.7 Mt 4.2Jn 11.35

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Jesus was Pre-Existant - In Heaven before Bethlehem Jesus was the Son of David - Hope of the Jews Jesus was the Son of Man - God's Man of Authority Jesus was Man - Shared in Human nature Jesus was God - Used many times Mk 1.11Mt 4.3,6Lk 9.39

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Jesus Is Lord Early Statement Of Belief The Jews referred to God as Lord Phil 2v5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.NIV

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH v7 The Greek word is Kenosis (KENOSIS) What has baffled theologians down through the years as they try to unravel and explain the Kenosis theory is emptied Himself of what? Of deity? knowledge ? power ?. Theology says " ? " 3 rd Century Ebionites said NO to his Divinity Docetists said NO to His humanity 4 th Century Arianists said Christ was created but most exalted of all Athanasius said Father and Son of one substance Others Divine Spirit was in a human body but divine Spirit Christ had 2 natures After the Incarnation (birth) Christ was different!

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Devotion says with Wesley " of all but love In trusting wonder we must accept the limitations of our understanding and recognise that only being fully God and fully man at all times was Jesus able to be the acceptable mediator between a Holy God and Sinful man for our Salvation.

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH John Stott " Essentially Christianity is Christ. The Person and Work of Christ is the rock upon which the Christian Religion is built. If He is not who He said He is, if He did not do what He said He came to do, the foundation is undermined and the whole superstructure will collapse. Take Christ from Christianity and you disembowel it - there is practically nothing left. Christ is the centre of Christianity all else is circumferential"

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH Hallelujah! What A Saviour !!

F OUNDATIONS OF THE F AITH