Loving God: The Shema and the Creed

Devotional

Day 1: When Wings Fail and Wilderness Becomes Worship

The cry for dove’s wings reveals our instinct to flee anguish rather than face it with God. Psalm 55’s raw honesty meets Deuteronomy’s call to bind truth to our hands – not escape routes. True rest comes not from avoiding the wilderness but encountering the One who meets us there. The Lord’s Table becomes our wilderness altar, where brokenness and bread remind us Christ entered our chaos first. [20:24]

"My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. And I say, 'Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.'" (Psalm 55:4-6, ESV)

Reflection: What wilderness are you trying to escape through distraction or denial? How might Christ’s presence in your current struggle be more sustaining than any imaginary escape?

Day 2: The Shema’s Rhythm in a Restless World

“Hear O Israel” interrupts our fragmented lives with a primal call to unified love. Like doorpost commandments, the Shema insists faith permeate sitting, walking, lying down – the ordinary cadence of days. This rhythm counters our tendency to compartmentalize God into Sunday niches. The Creed’s “we believe” grows from this daily saturation, not academic assent. [14:47]

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, ESV)

Reflection: Which mundane moment today (dishes, commutes, bedtime) could become a “doorpost” for remembering God’s nearness? What tangible reminder would anchor you?

Day 3: Begotten, Not Made – The Scandal of Particularity

The Creed’s precision matters: Christ is “begotten, not made,” God from God, light from light. This guards against reducing Jesus to another spiritual idea. Like the virgin birth, these phrases insist salvation came through specific flesh in real history. Our faith rests not in abstract truths but a carpenter crucified under Pontius Pilate. [17:25]

"For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried." (Nicene Creed excerpt, ESV)

Reflection: How does Christ’s historical particularity comfort you when facing concrete struggles? Why might a generic “higher power” fail to address actual human pain?

Day 4: Frontlets Between the Eyes of a Distracted Age

Binding words on hands and foreheads seems archaic until we recognize our modern bondage to screens. The Shema’s physicality challenges our disembodied spirituality. Frontlets weren’t magical charms but training wheels for a love that engages eyes, hands, and gates. The Creed serves similar training – truth worn into daily sightlines. [15:03]

"You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: What tangible habit (post-it Creed verses, prayer knots) could help you “bind” truth to your daily rhythms? Where do digital distractions most dilute your focus on Christ?

Day 5: The Spirit Who Spoke Through Prophets Speaks Still

The Creed’s Spirit “spoke through prophets” isn’t ancient history. He still illuminates Scripture’s living word. Just as the Shema required teaching children “when you walk by the way,” the Spirit makes theology a walking conversation, not lecture. Our triune God refuses to be museum exhibit – He’s the road companion who asks “Didn’t our hearts burn?” [18:30]

"And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets." (Nicene Creed excerpt, ESV)

Reflection: When has Scripture suddenly “come alive” for you during ordinary moments? How might anticipating the Spirit’s voice transform your approach to today’s tasks?

Sermon Summary

Deuteronomy 6 grounds the confession, “The Lord is one,” in a whole-life call to love the one true God. The Shema does not leave the knowledge of God sitting out there as information. The words of God are to be on the heart, taught diligently to children, spoken in the house, remembered on the road, and kept before the eyes. God’s oneness means that no part of life belongs outside His claim.

The Nicene Creed gives the church foundational words for confessing that God. The creed is not meant to be a history lesson that simply piles up facts or a lecture that leaves people bored. The creed is meant to help God’s people know God, love God, worship God, and proclaim God to others. The question is not whether someone has learned enough about God already. The question presses toward humility, because no one reaches a point where there is no need to keep studying the God who has revealed Himself.

The Nicene Creed begins where Deuteronomy begins, with one God. The Father Almighty is the maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. Jesus Christ is confessed as the one Lord, the only Son of God, true God from true God, begotten and not made. The Holy Spirit is confessed as the Lord and giver of life, worthy of worship and glory with the Father and the Son.

The creed also holds together the gospel itself. Christ came down from heaven for salvation, became human by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered, was buried, rose again, ascended, and will come again in glory. The church confesses one holy catholic and apostolic church, one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the dead, and life in the world to come.

The Nicene Creed cannot be reduced without losing something necessary. Christians should believe more than these words, but they cannot believe less than them. The Shema therefore calls for more than a correct sentence about God. The one God calls for hearts, souls, strength, homes, conversations, children, worship, and lives shaped by the truth of who He is.

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Key Takeaways

1. God’s oneness claims the whole life The Shema does not permit God to become one interest among many. The one true God lays claim on heart, soul, and might, reaching into ordinary moments at home and on the road. Love for God becomes visible as His words shape the patterns of daily life. [34:11]
2. Knowledge of God never becomes unnecessary The doctrine of God is not a subject believers outgrow after gaining a basic familiarity with Christian language. God’s self-revelation calls for steady attention because worship depends on knowing the One being worshiped. A settled refusal to keep learning can quietly become a refusal to marvel at God. [35:37]
3. The creed guards foundational Christian truth The Nicene Creed gives clear boundaries around the church’s confession of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These words are not optional decorations around the gospel, because they name the God who saves. Christians may grow beyond these basic truths, but they cannot subtract from them without changing the faith itself. [36:08]
4. Christ’s saving work is historical and sure Jesus Christ came down, became human, was crucified, was buried, rose again, ascended, and will return in glory. The gospel rests on the real work of the true God who entered human history for salvation. Hope for resurrection and life to come stands on Christ’s completed work and promised return.

## [36:54]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:13] - Psalm 55 Call to Worship
[13:45] - Reading Deuteronomy 6
[16:14] - Why Study the Nicene Creed
[17:11] - Confessing One God
[17:25] - Confessing Jesus Christ
[18:30] - Confessing the Holy Spirit and Church
[33:55] - The Shema: The Lord Is One
[34:47] - Knowing, Loving, and Worshiping God
[35:37] - The Need to Keep Learning God
[36:08] - Foundational Beliefs of the Faith
[36:54] - Christ’s Saving Work and Future Return

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Deuteronomy 6:4–9
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” [13:45] [33:55]

Psalm 55:4–7
“My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. And I say, ‘Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness.’” [01:13] [20:25]

Matthew 28:19–20
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” [15:48] [34:58]

Observation questions

In Deuteronomy 6:4–9, what commands follow the confession that “the LORD is one”? What settings and daily routines are specifically named?
What does Deuteronomy 6 say should happen to God’s words before parents teach and talk about them with their children? [34:13]
What does Psalm 55 reveal about the psalmist’s inner condition, and where does he wish he could go?
What truths about the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, the church, baptism, and the future are included in the Nicene Creed? [36:21]

Interpretation questions

Why does the truth that “the LORD is one” lead to loving God with all the heart, soul, and might rather than treating Him as one priority among many? [34:05]
What might it look like for God’s words to be “on the heart,” rather than simply being familiar words that a believer can repeat?
Matthew 28 names the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together in baptism. How does this help a believer understand why it matters to confess the true identity of God?
The creed says that Jesus Christ was truly human, was crucified, rose again, ascended, and will return. Why would removing any of these claims weaken the hope of salvation and resurrection? [36:54]

Application questions

Where are you most tempted to treat God as one part of life rather than the Lord over all of life—at home, at work, in relationships, in entertainment, or in private thoughts? What would whole-life love for God look like in that area? [34:05]
Deuteronomy speaks of talking about God’s words while sitting, walking, lying down, and rising. What ordinary moment in your week could become a more natural opportunity to remember Scripture or talk about God with someone else? [34:21]
If children or younger believers watched your ordinary routines for a week, what would they learn about what you love most? Is there one simple practice that could help God’s Word become more visible in your home?
Have you ever felt that you already knew enough about God and did not need to keep learning? What habits or attitudes can quietly make a person stop growing in knowledge, love, and worship of God? [35:37]
Which part of the Christian confession is especially encouraging or needed for you right now: God as Creator and Father, Jesus as true God and true man, the Holy Spirit as giver of life, forgiveness of sins, resurrection, or Christ’s return? Why?
Psalm 55 gives words for someone who feels overwhelmed and wants to run away. When you feel fear, exhaustion, or anguish, what usually becomes your first refuge? How can the truth that God knows you and has revealed Himself to you reshape that response? [20:28]
Jesus will come again in glory, and there will be resurrection and life in the world to come. How could that future hope shape one present burden, decision, or relationship this week? [37:16]

Sermon Clips

56s

#CreedAsStartingPoint

“So, again, as we look at the Nicene Creed, there's some things that may be confusing to us. Here's a promise I can't make to you. I can't guarantee you're gonna understand everything at the end of this. And the goal is not necessarily to labor over it until we have complete understanding. It's really for us a starting place to begin to understand what do we know about God, how do we understand him.”

49s

#WorshipAndCommunion

“I thank you that even tonight as we have a time to continue worshiping you, but also a time to look to the table in which is a visible representation of what you have done for us. I thank you for these people. I thank you that you are our God. I thank you that you know us, and you've revealed yourself to us. Father, I pray that in this service that we would seek to give glory to you, that we would lift our voices and praise to you, it's honoring when your people lift up their voices. I pray that as we even read from your word, that it would be honoring to you as we steadily learn more and be reminded of your redemption and your plan of saving your people.”

38s

#StudyNiceneCreed

“So here's my question to us as we go through it. Do we feel as if we know God well enough that we do not need to study him anymore? Hopefully, the answer is no. And so, thus, to talk about him and to go into detail about him is beneficial for the sake of that purpose. So when we look at it, wanna I wanna remind us of the Nicene Creed. Again, some of you may be very familiar with it. Some may not have heard it at all before. Either way, this is something that's been handed down to us from very early church history.”

45s

#KnowLoveWorshipProclaim

“To know God, to love God, to worship God, and to proclaim God to others. So here's my question to us as we go through it. Do we feel as if we know God well enough that we do not need to study him anymore? Hopefully, the answer is no. And so, thus, to talk about him and to go into detail about him is beneficial for the sake of that purpose. So when we look at it, wanna I wanna remind us of the Nicene Creed. Again, some of you may be very familiar with it. Some may not have heard it at all before. Either way, this is something that's been handed down to us from very early church history.”

28s

#ShemaStudy

“We're gonna take phrase by phrase. We're gonna look at a particular passage when we do letting God's word guide whatever we're talking about. But Deuteronomy chapter six, we're gonna look at verses four through nine, looking at what is often referred to and is... Was known in that time as the Shema, one that may be familiar to us, but, one that I think helps us to establish truth of what we believe.”

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Central Fellowship Baptist Church Macon / WR This sermon · AI assistant

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