SPEAKER_00: Hello, my friends, and welcome back to the Spray UMC Podcast.
SPEAKER_00: I'm Hoyt.
SPEAKER_00: Today we come to the final episodes in our journey through the Apostles' Creed.
SPEAKER_00: Over these past weeks we have walked through the great truths of the Christian faith.
SPEAKER_00: We began with God the Father Almighty.
SPEAKER_00: We followed Jesus from Bethlehem to Calvary.
SPEAKER_00: We stood before the empty tomb, celebrated His resurrection, His ascension, His present ministry, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Now the Creed brings us to its final words.
SPEAKER_00: I believe in the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: These are not simply the last lines of an ancient creed.
SPEAKER_00: They are the destination of the gospel itself.
SPEAKER_00: Everything we have studied has been leading us here.
SPEAKER_00: The forgiveness of sins is more than God pretending our sins never happened.
SPEAKER_00: At the cross, justice and mercy met.
SPEAKER_00: Scripture tells us that there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: John reminds us that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive.
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever met someone who believed God could forgive everyone except them?
SPEAKER_00: The cross answers that fear.
SPEAKER_00: If Christ's sacrifice is sufficient to save the worst of sinners, then it is sufficient for you and for me.
SPEAKER_00: Grace is not a reward for good people.
SPEAKER_00: Grace is God's gift to those who know they need a savior.
SPEAKER_00: The creed does not merely promise life after death, it proclaims the resurrection of the body.
SPEAKER_00: In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul declares that because Christ has been raised, those who belong to him will also be raised.
SPEAKER_00: Death is still an enemy, but it is a defeated enemy.
SPEAKER_00: For the Christian, the cemetery is not the end of the story.
SPEAKER_00: One day Christ will make all things new.
SPEAKER_00: Our hope rests not in wishful thinking, but in the empty tomb.
SPEAKER_00: When we hear the words everlasting life, we sometimes think only of endless time.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus describes eternal life as knowing God and living forever in His presence.
SPEAKER_00: Revelation gives us a beautiful picture of that future.
SPEAKER_00: God will dwell with His people, He will wipe away every tear, death shall be no more.
SPEAKER_00: Mourning, crying, and pain will pass away because Christ makes all things new.
SPEAKER_00: That is the future every believer has in Christ.
SPEAKER_00: For many years I thought following Christ meant climbing a ladder high enough for God to finally accept me.
SPEAKER_00: But the gospel teaches something entirely different.
SPEAKER_00: Grace is not a ladder we climb.
SPEAKER_00: Grace is the hand of God reaching down to us through Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: We are not saved because we climbed high enough.
SPEAKER_00: We are saved because Christ came down low enough to rescue us.
SPEAKER_00: Six episodes ago we began with two simple words.
SPEAKER_00: I believe.
SPEAKER_00: Those words are more than a statement to memorize.
SPEAKER_00: They are an invitation to trust the living Christ.
SPEAKER_00: My prayer has never been that you would simply learn the apostle's creed.
SPEAKER_00: My prayer has been that through the creed you would come to know the Savior, it proclaims.
SPEAKER_00: If somewhere someone listening to these episodes opens a Bible, discovers Jesus Christ, and finds hope in him, then every hour spent studying, writing, recording, and praying has been worth it.
SPEAKER_00: Because of Christ, our past is forgiven, our present is filled with hope, our future is secure.
SPEAKER_00: That is the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: The Creed itself cannot save us, only Jesus Christ can.
SPEAKER_00: The Creed faithfully points us to Him, but He alone forgives sins, raises the dead, and gives everlasting life.
SPEAKER_00: As we conclude this series, may these words never become routine.
SPEAKER_00: May they deepen our faith, strengthen our witness, and remind us every day that our hope is not built upon an ancient confession, but upon a living Savior.
SPEAKER_00: Let us pray.
SPEAKER_00: Lord Jesus, thank you for forgiving our sins, for conquering death, and for the promise of everlasting life.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you that our hope rest not in ourselves, but in your finished work.
SPEAKER_00: Help us to live as people of hope, proclaim the good news with humility and courage, and faithfully follow you until the day faith becomes sight.
SPEAKER_00: In your holy name we pray.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining me today.
SPEAKER_00: If you do not have a church home, we would love to have you worship with us at Spray United Methodist Church, located at eight oh three Morgan Road in Eton, North Carolina.
SPEAKER_00: We are a loving church where we love God and love people.
SPEAKER_00: All people.
SPEAKER_00: Until next time, may the grace of God rise before you and keep you safe.
SPEAKER_00: Goodbye.