Sermon: Apostles’ Creed Week Two - In Jesus Christ

Sermon Date: 01/11/2026

Bible Verses:

• Various 

Speaker: Rev. Timothy "Tim" Shapley

Theme: https://uppbeat.io/t/northwestern/a-new

Introduction: Belief Has a Name

Last week, the Apostles’ Creed confronted us with a decision:

“I believe.”

Two words. A personal declaration. A line in the sand.

But belief does not float in the abstract. Belief always has an object. You don’t just believe something—you believe someone. And this week, the Creed presses us further. It refuses to let belief remain vague.

Because belief without an object is meaningless.

Christian faith is not generic spirituality. It is not belief in belief. It is not positive thinking wrapped in religious language. It is not a set of values, a moral framework, or a comforting tradition.

Christian faith is belief in a Person.

A Person with:

• a name
• a history
• a body
• a cross
• a tomb
• and a throne

That’s why the Creed doesn’t say “I believe in goodness” or “I believe in love” or “I believe things will work out.” It gets specific. It gets concrete. It gets uncomfortable.

“And in Jesus Christ…”

That name is not neutral. It divides history into before and after. It confronts every culture. It unsettles every conscience. And it demands a response.

You can admire Jesus.
You can study Jesus.
You can reference Jesus.
But you cannot remain undecided about Jesus.

Because the moment His name is spoken, neutrality dies.

Point One: And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord

This phrase answers the most important question anyone will ever face—not just theologically, but personally:

Who is Jesus?

Not “Who do you think He is?”
Not “What does He mean to you?”
But who is He—really?

Paul answers with shocking simplicity:

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord…” (Romans 10:9)

Notice what Paul doesn’t say.
He doesn’t say “Jesus is inspiring.”
He doesn’t say “Jesus is helpful.”
He doesn’t even say “Jesus is Savior” first.

He says Lord.

Not a lord.
Not one option among many.
Not your truth.

Lord.

Philippians takes that claim and stretches it to cosmic scale:

“God has highly exalted Him… that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” (Phil. 2:9–11)

Every knee.

• In heaven
• On earth
• Under the earth

That includes emperors and slaves, skeptics and saints, kings and commoners. Some will bow in joy. Some will bow in regret. But all will bow.

Why?

Because Jesus is:

• God’s only Son — unique, eternal, not created, not adopted later
• Our Lord — sovereign, authoritative, ruling now, not waiting for permission

Jesus Himself claimed this authority without apology:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Matthew 28:18)

Not most authority.
Not shared authority.
All.

And Revelation seals it with the final title history will ever need:

“King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:16)

To say “Jesus is Lord” is not a religious slogan.
It is not a worship lyric.
It is not church language.

It is a declaration of allegiance.

It means:

• You don’t vote Him in.
• You don’t negotiate His authority.
• You don’t redefine His commands.
• You don’t domesticate His claims.

You either submit—or you resist.

There is no third category.

And the Creed puts that decision right at the front because Christianity does not begin with comfort. It begins with lordship.

Point Two: Who Was Conceived by the Holy Spirit

Jesus did not begin at birth.

The Creed includes this line to protect us from one of the most common and dangerous misunderstandings about Jesus—that He was simply a good man who became important, a moral teacher who was later elevated, or a prophet who happened to be exceptional.

No.
His very conception was divine.

This was not mythology.
This was not symbolism.
This was intervention.

The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary—not as a metaphor, but as a miracle—so that salvation would be:

• Fully God’s work
• Fully God’s initiative
• Fully God’s power

No human effort produced the Savior.
No lineage earned redemption.
No strength of will brought Christ into the world.

Redemption did not rise up from the earth—it came down from heaven.

This matters because it tells us something essential about the gospel:
We do not save ourselves.

Christianity does not begin with human potential—it begins with divine grace. It does not begin with what we offer God, but with what God gives us.

✦ Christianity begins with grace, not genetics.

From the very first moment, Jesus is God reaching toward humanity, not humanity climbing toward God.

Point Three: Born of the Virgin Mary

The Creed now grounds the miracle of Christ’s conception in the soil of history.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive…” (Isaiah 7:14)

Matthew and Luke go to great lengths to tell us this wasn’t a legend passed down through whispers—it was an event anchored in names, places, rulers, and timelines.

Why does this matter?

Because the Creed insists that Jesus was not half-God and half-human. He was not God pretending to be human. He was not a divine visitor wearing a human costume.

Jesus was:

• Fully God — conceived by the Spirit
• Fully human — born of a woman

He didn’t appear human.
He became human.

That means something profound for us.

Because He was born of Mary:

• He understands weakness.
• He knows hunger, exhaustion, grief, and pain.
• He experiences temptation without sin.
• He enters our world from the inside.

God did not shout salvation from heaven.
He did not issue commands from a distance.
He stepped into our skin.

The incarnation means God meets us not above our suffering, but within it. The Creator entered creation. The Eternal entered time. The Holy entered humanity.

Point Four: Suffered Under Pontius Pilate

The Creed now names a Roman governor—and it does so deliberately.

This was not:

• “Spiritual suffering”
• Symbolic injustice
• A poetic way of talking about hardship

This happened in real time, under real authority, in recorded history.

Pontius Pilate was not a theological concept—he was a Roman official whose name still exists in historical records. The Creed anchors the cross to history so no one can dismiss it as legend or metaphor.

Pilate examined Jesus and declared:

“I find no guilt in Him.” (Luke 23:4)

And still—He suffered.

Jesus was innocent. Everyone knew it. Pilate knew it. Herod knew it. The religious leaders knew it. And yet injustice won.

But here’s the crucial truth:
Jesus was not a victim of circumstances.

He did not lose control.
He did not get trapped by politics.
He did not suffer because things went wrong.

He submitted.

He willingly placed Himself under unjust authority to save the unjust. He stood silent before false accusations so that guilty sinners could go free. He absorbed injustice so that mercy could flow.

The Creed forces us to confront this reality:

Our salvation was not cheap.
It was not abstract.
It was not painless.

It was purchased with suffering—chosen suffering—endured out of love.

Point Five: Was Crucified, Died, and Was Buried

The Creed slows us down here on purpose—because the gospel hinges on this moment.

It does not rush past the cross.
It does not soften the language.
It does not allow metaphor or escape.

“Christ died for our sins… and was buried.” (1 Corinthians 15:4)

That sentence dismantles every attempt to dilute the gospel.

Jesus did not:

• Fake death
• Pass out temporarily
• Escape early
• Survive and recover

He was crucified.
He died.
He was buried.

Isaiah had already told us why:

“He was pierced for our transgressions… crushed for our iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:4–5)

The cross matters because justice was satisfied there. God did not look the other way. He did not excuse sin. He dealt with it fully—by placing it on His Son.

The burial matters because it confirms the death. Bodies are buried, not appearances. Tombs are sealed when life is gone. Roman executioners did not make mistakes.

And here’s the weight of it:

• If Jesus did not truly die, sin remains unpaid for.
• If Jesus truly died—and He did—redemption is complete.

The cross is not an example to admire.
It is a payment to trust.

When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He meant nothing is left outstanding.

Point Six: He Descended into Hell (Sheol / Hades)

This line has caused confusion for centuries, so the Creed forces us to be precise.

Scripture does not teach that Jesus went to a place of torment after His death.

In the Bible:

• Sheol (Hebrew)
• Hades (Greek)

Both refer to the realm of the dead—a temporary place where souls await resurrection and final judgment. This is distinct from the lake of fire, which Scripture describes as the final place of judgment (Revelation 20).

Jesus Himself tells us when His suffering ended:

“It is finished.” (John 19:30)

The suffering was complete at the cross. The debt was paid. There was no more punishment required.

So why does the Creed say He descended?

Because Jesus did not descend to suffer—
He descended to proclaim victory.

Peter tells us:

“He was made alive in the spirit… and proclaimed to the spirits.” (1 Peter 3:18–20)

Paul explains the result:

“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame.” (Colossians 2:15)

Jesus entered the realm of death not as a prisoner—but as a conqueror. He did not arrive defeated. He arrived triumphant.

Death thought it had won.
Hell thought it had the final word.
And then Jesus showed up.

He walked into death’s domain—and walked out holding the keys.

✦ He did not suffer there.
He conquered there.

Point Seven: On the Third Day He Rose Again from the Dead

The resurrection is not an optional doctrine.
It is not a symbolic ending.
It is not a poetic hope.

It is the hinge of history.

Jesus predicted it clearly:

“The Son of Man will be raised.” (Matthew 20:18–19)

And then it happened:

“He is not here, for He has risen.” (Matthew 28:6)

No body.
No alternate explanation.
No successful cover-up.

If the resurrection didn’t happen:

• Sin still wins.
• Death still rules.
• The cross means nothing.
• Faith is pointless.

Paul is blunt about this:

“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.”

But the tomb was empty.

Christian belief is not built on a philosophy.
It is not built on moral teaching.
It is not built on spiritual feelings.

It is built on an event.

Jesus rose bodily, historically, permanently. And because He lives:

• Sin is defeated.
• Death is broken.
• Hope is justified.
• The future is secure.

The resurrection is God’s declaration that the cross worked.

Point Eight: He Ascended into Heaven

Jesus didn’t disappear.
He didn’t fade into memory.
He didn’t become a spiritual idea.

He ascended.

“He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9)

The ascension is not an afterthought—it is the completion of the gospel story. The same Jesus who walked out of the tomb walked into glory.

The ascension means three critical things:

1. His Work on Earth Was Complete

The cross was finished.
The resurrection was confirmed.
Nothing more needed to be added.

Jesus did not leave unfinished business behind. Redemption was accomplished fully and finally.

2. His Reign in Heaven Began

The ascension is a coronation.

Jesus does not return to heaven as a wounded survivor—He returns as a victorious King. The One who humbled Himself is now exalted.

3. His Return Is Guaranteed

The angels said it plainly:

“This same Jesus… will come back in the same way you have seen Him go.”

The ascension points forward. Jesus is not absent—He is enthroned. And because He ascended bodily, He will return bodily.

✦ Jesus reigns now—not someday.

Point Nine: And Is Seated at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty

The Creed now moves us from movement to position.

Jesus is seated.

That word matters.

“After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Hebrews 1:3)

Seated Means Finished

Priests in the Old Testament never sat down—their work was never done. Sacrifices kept coming. Blood kept flowing.

But Jesus offered one sacrifice, once for all—and then He sat.

Nothing remains unpaid.
Nothing needs to be repeated.
Nothing can be improved.

Right Hand Means Authority

In Scripture, the right hand is the place of power, honor, and rule.

Jesus is not waiting for authority.
He has it.

Right now:

• He intercedes for His people
• He reigns over heaven and earth
• He governs history toward God’s purposes

Jesus is not pacing heaven anxiously, hoping things work out.
He is ruling confidently, ensuring they will.

✦ The throne of the universe is not empty—and that changes everything.

Point Ten: From There He Will Come to Judge the Living and the Dead

This final line does not end in fear—it ends in hope.

Judgment has become a frightening word because we imagine it without Christ. But the Creed reminds us that the Judge is the same One who was crucified for us.

“They came to life and reigned with Christ.” (Revelation 20:4)

Judgment means:

• Evil does not win.
• Injustice does not get the last word.
• Truth will be revealed.
• Faithfulness will be honored.

For those in Christ, judgment is not terror—it is vindication. It is God publicly setting things right. It is wrongs exposed, wounds healed, and righteousness established.

The One who judges is the One who bled.
The One who reigns is the One who saves.

So the return of Christ is not something believers dread—it is something we long for.

✦ History is not spiraling toward chaos.
It is moving toward Christ.

Conclusion: Belief Has a Center

Christian belief is not vague.
It is not flexible.
It is not whatever we need it to be in the moment.

It has a center.

It has:

• a name
• a face
• a cross
• a throne

To say “I believe in Jesus Christ” is not to check a theological box. It is to make a confession that reshapes everything.

It is to confess:

• He is Lord — not advisor, not consultant, not optional
• He is Savior — not self-help, not backup plan
• He is King — reigning now, not waiting later
• He is Coming — to judge, to restore, to reign forever

And belief like that cannot remain theoretical.

Belief has weight.
Belief has direction.
Belief has consequences.

If Jesus is Lord, then obedience is not oppression—it’s freedom.
If Jesus is Savior, then grace is not cheap—it’s costly love.
If Jesus is King, then our allegiance is settled.
If Jesus is coming, then faithfulness matters.

The Creed does not ask if you admire Jesus.
It asks if you belong to Him.

So the question before us is not:

“Do you know these words?”

But:

“Does your life orbit the Christ you confess?”

Because belief that does not change how we live is not belief—it is familiarity.

And the good news is this:
The same Jesus we confess is the Jesus who sustains us, intercedes for us, reigns for us, and will return for us.