"Almighty Father & Maker" (Acts 17:22-29)

The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest, and most widely accepted statement of faith in Christianity. It wasn’t written by the Apostles (Jesus’s companions) but it became accepted in the early centuries as a faithful summary of what the Apostles taught. The Creed starts where the Bible starts, by reminding us of our place God's created universe. We see that we are not the main character in our stories. God is! And we belong to him. We don’t get to define the purpose and destiny for ourselves. This week we’re going to look at how God reveals himself to us in Scripture, starting with the first person in the Trinity— who the Creed describes Almighty Father, Maker of Heaven and Earth. From Acts 17 (and elsewhere) we will see that because we are created beings made in the image of a loving Creator, we will flourish when we live within the limits set by his loving rule. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/all-things-from-his-fatherly-hand/ QUOTES: “Just because somebody uses the word God and then somebody else uses the word God, it does not follow that they mean the same thing. God, for some, is an inexpressible feeling, or it’s the unmoved cause at the beginning of the universe, or it’s a being full of transcendence. But we’re talking about the God of the Bible, and the God of the Bible is self-defined.”— D. A. Carson “Belonging necessitates limits. The question is to whom we belong. If we belong to ourselves, then we set our own limits which means we have no limits except our own will. If we belong to God, then knowing and abiding by His limits enables us to live as we were created to live, as the humans He designed us to be. Christians must be particularly careful here. Accepting limits is not the same thing as accepting that you belong to God. It's possible to obey many of God's limits and still deny that you belong to Him . . . But if these limits are freely chosen, they're still fundamentally an expression of autonomy. And that's how one can so easily belong in the contemporary church and strictly follow Christian [moral] teachings while still being in absolute rebellion to the reality that you are not your own but belong to Christ.  Christian ethics, like any morality, can be treated as a lifestyle option.” —Dr. Alan Noble DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: The Shorter Catechism defines God as “a Spirit Infinite, Eternal and Unchangeable in his Being, Wisdom, Power, Holiness, Justice and Truth.” Reflect on this. Which attribute of God do you find most comforting? Most challenging? Read Acts 17: 29. J.I. Packer writes, “In the Bible the great divide is between those who  believe in the Christian God and those who serve idols—“gods,” that is, whose images,  whether metal or mental, do not square with the self-disclosure of the Creator.” What are some “gods”/versions of the God of the Bible that we find it easier to believe in? What parts of his revealed character are harder to accept? Why? Compare Genesis 1:26-27 and James 3:8-10. How does the idea that we are made in the image of God impact the way we treat those we dislike or disagree with? Compare Acts 17:26-28 and John 1:12. Are all people, regardless of their beliefs, children of God? Why or why not? (see also Galatians 4:4-7). Read the quote from Alan Noble. Are you ever tempted to treat Christianity like a “lifestyle option?” Where in your life do you need to release control and give back ownership to God? Read Matthew 10:29-31 and ask God for the ability to rest in his fatherly care.