5/31/2026 | THE CREED

Devotional

Day 1: The Name That Makes Demons Flee

At the sound of "Jesus," darkness scatters and brokenness finds healing. This name carries cosmic authority – not as a magic word, but as the essence of the One who rules galaxies yet knows your anxious thoughts. When spoken in faith, it bridges our fragility to heaven’s throne room. Every whispered prayer and bold declaration taps into the power that shaped existence. [27:20]

“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
(Philippians 2:9-11, NLT)

Reflection: When have you hesitated to lean fully on Jesus’ name during a struggle? What would it look like today to trust not just His help, but His supreme authority over your situation?

Day 2: Emptying Heaven’s Privileges for a Dirty Barn

The Christmas story hides a cosmic demotion – the Creator willingly trading celestial glory for straw and animal breath. Jesus didn’t temporarily disguise Himself as human; He permanently added humanity to His divine resume. This emptying (kenosis) wasn’t loss, but love’s laser focus – making Him not just Savior TO us, but Savior WITH us. [44:01]

“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.”
(Philippians 2:6-7, NLT)

Reflection: What earthly comforts or rights do you cling to that might hinder you from fully embracing Christ’s call to sacrificial love?

Day 3: When “I Believe” Becomes “We Declare”

The Creed shifts from solo confession to choir proclamation – personal faith fuels communal fire. Like individual coals uniting to build a blaze, our shared “I believe” statements become a beacon against cultural darkness. This isn’t rote repetition, but war veterans reciting their unit’s battle cry. [54:55]

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
(Colossians 1:15-17, NLT)

Reflection: How does your personal belief in Christ’s supremacy shape the way you engage with fellow believers who differ from you?

Day 4: The Attitude That Bowed on a Cross

Obedience wasn’t Jesus’ fallback plan – it was His weapon. The cross wasn’t a tragic end, but a deliberate posture. Every drop of blood declared, “Your will over Mine.” This same surrender now pulses through believers as anti-venom against self-interest. True power wears humility’s apron. [46:18]

“He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
(Philippians 2:8, NLT)

Reflection: Where are you still arguing with God about what “humble obedience” looks like in your relationships or decisions?

Day 5: From Potato Salad Reunions to God’s Family Table

Salvation trades awkward family gatherings for an eternal feast where the only burnt offering was Christ Himself. This family shares DNA of grace, not genetics. Becoming God’s child means inheriting siblings across every border – not perfect people, but perfectly loved rebels turned ambassadors. [36:03]

“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”
(John 1:12-13, NLT)

Reflection: Which “difficult sibling” in God’s family is challenging you to demonstrate the same reconciling love Jesus showed you?

Sermon Summary

Scripture names Jesus as the name above all names, the one whose authority shakes heaven and earth. Acts says salvation comes in no other name. Colossians calls him supreme over all creation. Mark shows demons running at the sound of his name. If that name carries such weight, the question presses: who is Jesus, and what did he do? The Apostles’ Creed answers with a simple but seismic claim: “I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, Lord.” “Jesus” names the person. “Christ” names the title. “Only Son” names his uniqueness. “Lord” names his authority.

That confession moves from personal to communal. “I believe” names a personal trust that changes a life. “Our Lord” draws that life into a family and a kingdom. God is personal and powerful; so the believer becomes a child in God’s family and a citizen under God’s reign. Belief shapes behavior. Wrong beliefs deform lives, like mashing an elevator button to speed it up. Right beliefs safeguard the church’s life together, which is why the creed exists at all.

Paul, in Philippians 2, shows how this Lord rules. He urges the church toward unity by taking on “the same attitude” as Christ Jesus. Before Christmas, the Son lives in “the form of God” — the unchangeable morph, the very divine nature. Equality with God is his by essence. Yet he does not clutch that equality. He “empties himself.” Kenosis. Not a loss of deity, which cannot change, but a laying down of divine privileges. He takes the morph of a servant, adds true humanity, steps into a feeding trough world, and keeps stepping down. He humbles himself in obedience all the way to a criminal’s cross. He bears the penalty of sin to open a way back to the Father, to invite sinners into a family and a kingdom.

Therefore God exalts him. The Father gives him the name above every name. Every knee bows. Every tongue confesses: Jesus Christ is Lord. If that confession is true, it cannot sit on a shelf. Lordship moves from lips into calendars, decisions, and desires. The church is called into the same attitude: humble obedience to the Father, sturdy unity against division, and bold love for one person at a time. The creed then strings beads on this same thread: conceived by the Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, died, buried, descended, risen, ascended, seated, and coming again to judge the living and the dead. That is who Jesus is. That claim, believed and lived, transforms everything.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus’ name wields unrivaled authority [27:46] The name carries the weight of God’s action. Scripture ties salvation, healing, and demonic defeat to the mention of Jesus. If his name is that charged, prayer is not guesswork but appeal to the enthroned King. The church’s confidence should match the name it invokes. [27:46]
2. Kenosis: privileges laid down, not deity [43:36] The Son does not become less God; he becomes more lowly. He empties not nature but advantage, choosing the path where love costs him everything. That move redefines greatness: divine status bends down, carries a cross, and refuses shortcuts to glory. [43:36]
3. Lordship reshapes family and kingdom life [34:56] “I believe” plants a person in God’s family; “our Lord” places that person under God’s reign. Personal rescue and communal belonging rise and fall together. True confession pulls attitudes, budgets, and loyalties into alignment with the King’s mission. [34:56]
4. Christ’s humility trains a disciple’s attitude [46:18] Paul names the target: the same attitude as Christ. Humble obedience is not passive; it is active surrender to the Father’s will, even when it costs reputation or comfort. That pattern kills rivalry, nourishes unity, and puts love on its feet. [46:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[27:20] - One Name Above All Names
[28:23] - Who Is Jesus?
[30:22] - Why the Apostles’ Creed Matters
[33:11] - I Believe in Jesus Christ, Lord
[34:56] - Personal Faith, Kingdom Family
[36:37] - Philippians 2: The Kenosis Passage
[39:52] - Unity By Taking Jesus’ Attitude
[41:19] - The Form of God, Unchanged
[43:36] - He Emptied Himself of Privileges
[46:18] - Humble Obedience To The Father
[48:08] - Therefore God Exalted Him
[49:28] - What Do You Believe About Jesus?
[51:58] - The Creed’s Portrait of Christ
[62:52] - Salvation Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV)
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Observation questions

What does the term kenosis (emptying) mean in Philippians 2:7, and how does the sermon clarify what Jesus did not give up? [43:36]
How does the Apostles’ Creed shift from “I believe” to “our Lord,” and what two aspects of faith does this contrast? [34:01]
According to Philippians 2:9-11, what is the ultimate result of Jesus’ obedience, and how does this connect to the authority of His name? [48:40]

Interpretation questions

Why does Paul link unity in the church to having “the same attitude as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5)? How might humility combat division? [39:52]
The sermon states that Jesus’ lordship reshapes both “family and kingdom life.” How do His roles as a personal Savior (“God’s only Son”) and cosmic Lord (“our Lord”) work together? [34:56]
If Jesus’ name holds authority over demons, healing, and salvation, why might believers still doubt its power in daily struggles? [27:46]

Application questions

The creed’s phrase “I believe in Jesus Christ… our Lord” starts with personal trust and moves to communal allegiance. What area of your life (calendar, relationships, finances) feels hardest to surrender to Jesus’ lordship? [34:56]
Philippians 2 calls believers to imitate Christ’s humility. What is one practical way to “step down” this week—serving someone without seeking recognition? [46:18]
The sermon warns that wrong beliefs “deform lives,” like impatiently mashing elevator buttons. What false belief about God (e.g., His indifference, unfairness, or powerlessness) have you subtly accepted, and how can truth replace it? [30:41]
If every knee will bow to Jesus’ name, how might this truth change how you pray for a non-Christian friend or a seemingly hopeless situation? [48:59]
The creed’s details about Jesus (born of a virgin, crucified, risen) are called “beads on a thread.” Which part of Jesus’ story feels most distant to your daily life? How could you meditate on it this week to deepen your awe? [51:58]
The sermon says, “Lordship moves from lips into calendars.” What habit or routine could you adjust to better reflect that Jesus is Lord of your time? [54:55]

Sermon Clips

35s

#HeEmptiedHimself

“Like, I don't think we are reacting strongly enough to how crazy this is, you guys. Equal to God, ruling in the throne rooms of heaven. That's what God was doing before Jesus was doing before Christmas. And then he gave up. Not had them stolen. Not had them taken. He willingly gave up his divine privileges. That's insane. The word here for gave up is the word kenosis, why we call this the kenosis passage. And it literally means he emptied himself.”

44s

#HumbleAndObedient

“Paul says we need to have the attitude that Jesus had. What attitude did Jesus had? Humbled himself and was obedient to God. The personal, the powerful father almighty, creator of everything. Jesus says, I'm gonna humbly obey you. What should my attitude be? Humbly obey. It's what Jesus did. Dies a criminal's death on a cross. Why? To take my punishment for my sin, to take your punishment for your sin, to make a way for me and for you to connect with our creator, to make a way for you and for me to be saved.”

43s

#LordChangesEverything

“If I really claim that he is my lord, he is our lord, That changes everything. Right? That changes everything. That changes boy, how often is that my attitude? I don't wanna answer that question, honestly. How often is my attitude really like, okay, God, humbly come before you today and say, what do you what what is your will for my life? How often do I humbly come before God and say, I'm just trying to be obedient to you today, God? I'll be honest, not enough. It's room for growth for all of us.”

39s

#JoinGodsFamily

“If you have not accepted his free gift of forgiveness, if you have not accepted his free invitation to come and join his kingdom, to join his family, to become a child of God, then let's go. Today could be that day. Join him. Join him. Know that he did all of this with you in mind. Because who is Jesus? He is God's only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the holy spirit, was born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.”

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5/31/2026 | THE CREED - Part 2