Trinity - God Is.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] What a privilege it is to get to stand up here and preach the gospel. [0:05] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them up to John chapter 14. [0:09] John chapter 14.

[0:12] We’re starting a new series today called Doctrine. [0:18] What Christians Should Believe. [0:22] Really, what this is, is it’s kind of jumping off of last week, which really [0:26] we talked about how as a church it is a necessity for us to be God’s people, to come together, [0:34] to study His Word, to commit to the mission of Jesus as a body. [0:40] We kind of looked in 1 Corinthians 12 and in the book of Ephesians and we kind of looked

[0:45] over what it means to be His body and that it doesn’t mean just some kind of metaphysical [0:52] or spiritual, mystical thing where we’re kind of connected but we’re all really by ourselves [0:57] in the world, but rather it’s something that’s tangible. [1:00] We come together as God’s people and we tangibly seek together to build His church by building [1:07] each other and seeking to take the mission of Jesus and take the gospel into the lives [1:13] of other people who desperately need it.

[1:16] We talked about how for the next 12 weeks what we’re going to do is we’re going to [1:20] what it is that we believe as a church because we as a church believe that we fall under [1:28] the authority first of Jesus, that He is our God, that He is the one that we are following, [1:35] that He is the one who came and died for us and then secondly we fall under the authority [1:40] of Scripture, which is God’s Word to us. [1:44] That throughout history God has specifically chosen to reveal Himself to us in two ways.

[1:50] First in the person of Jesus and then secondly through His written Word. [1:54] And that this is what we’re going to build our church around. [1:59] But what’s really important about God’s Word is that most people I would say in the culture [2:04] that we live in, if you’re someone that has been to church or grew up in church or you [2:09] go to church, you’re probably not the type of person that would deny that this is the [2:12] Word of God.

[2:14] You’re probably someone that would say, yeah, the Bible is God’s Word, but what we struggle [2:19] with is that most of us believe it’s God’s Word, but we don’t really know exactly what [2:25] is in here. [2:27] We believe that it’s God’s Word from cover to cover, but let’s be honest, have we all [2:31] read it cover to cover? [2:35] And kind of the thought that I’m going to bring into this series is that if this is

[2:39] God’s Word, it’s very important for us to know what it teaches. [2:45] And so for the next 12 weeks, we’re going to unpack that. [2:49] And really what I want to start with is telling you that this is not a collection of disconnected [2:56] stories. [2:59] Sixty-six books that make this up are something that God did through the centuries and progressively [3:05] revealed more and more of Himself through it, through different men, but it’s all one

[3:11] story. [3:12] That there’s an arc that goes through Scripture and it’s about God’s redemption of humanity [3:20] and God redeeming mankind from sin through the work of His Son Jesus and that Jesus [3:25] is the climax of the story. [3:29] Everything from the Old Testament is leading up to Jesus, pointing towards Jesus, and [3:35] everything in the New Testament is all about Jesus or leading from Jesus, and that we

[3:40] are the church that Jesus came to build.

[3:46] And so today, as we start unpacking this, there’s no other place that we should probably [3:51] start than with, you know, God. [3:55] And today we’re going to be talking just about who He is. [3:59] What is He like? [4:01] How does He reveal Himself? [4:03] What do we know about Him?

[4:05] And if you saw, and I guess it’s on the screen right now, but we’re talking today about the [4:10] Trinity, that God is. [4:14] And throughout the history of the church, this is one of those topics that has really [4:19] caused a lot of controversy and has caused people to divide, people to really chastise [4:25] one another. [4:26] But if we look in Scripture, this is not just some intellectual subject.

[4:32] This is not just some academic thing for us to really pontificate on or say, I kind of [4:38] this is what God is like, and it’s kind of irrelevant to our lives. [4:42] But rather, it is something that explains the deep longings of our hearts.

[4:52] Have you ever noticed that, I don’t even have to deal with you because maybe you’re, [4:56] you know, the type of person that doesn’t like other people. [5:00] Have you ever noticed, even in culture around us, that the greatest significance that seems [5:07] to be exalted above everyone else and the great fantasy that seems to be forecast and [5:12] thrust onto everybody is finding that special someone to be in relationship with? [5:20] Even whole television shows that really point to what a generation is really like, because

[5:25] that’s kind of the era that we’re in. [5:27] If you were raised or kind of lived your teenage years and kind of became an adult in the [5:33] you were defined by the television show Friends. [5:38] Because what it did was, is it showed that we really loved these groups or this group [5:44] of people that were around us. [5:47] And then even within that group of relationships, would Ross and Rachel really get together?

[5:54] Or maybe you were disappointed that Joey and Phoebe never got together. [5:57] Even in a show like Seinfeld that is the most cynical forecast of what I would say [6:03] is the 30 and 40 somethings in the 1990s, and I can only talk about the 90s, that’s [6:07] what I was raised in. [6:10] But you look at it and it’s kind of the cynical view of relationships, but you know deep [6:14] inside you wanted Jerry and Elaine to get married.

[6:18] Or maybe Jerry and Kramer. [6:20] I don’t know. [6:21] Whatever your thought on that is.

[6:25] But somewhere inside of us, all of us want this significance to be pointed out by someone [6:33] else. [6:35] Is that wrong? [6:38] Or maybe the thing that we’re seeking in other people is something that only God can really [6:46] fulfill in each and every one of our lives. [6:49] Maybe the reason that marriages fail and fall apart all the time, and they do, it’s just

[6:57] the culture we live in, is because sometimes we seek in a person what we can only find [7:05] in God. [7:07] But how do we know that? [7:10] Well, you see, open your Bibles to John 14 and we’ll get there in a minute. [7:15] I want us to first understand that I’m not going to try to convince you that God exists [7:21] today.

[7:23] And the reason for that is because Scripture doesn’t really spend a lot of time convincing [7:27] me He exists. [7:28] It just starts in Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 and it says, in the beginning, God. [7:36] Scripture starts with just the reality that God is. [7:41] That He is there. [7:43] And it even gives us this idea that He was always there.

[7:48] That when nothing else existed, there was this Almighty. [7:53] There was this omniscient. [7:54] There was this omnipresent. [7:56] There was this eternal, self-sufficient being God. [8:00] And then God moves and He just makes.

[8:05] He moves and He says and He speaks and things just exist. [8:09] He moves and He says and He speaks and we exist. [8:13] But everything that is, is dependent on Him. [8:19] Because He’s the Maker. [8:21] He is God. [8:23] But if we’re going to start with this type of presupposition that God exists, it kind

[8:29] of forces me to ask a question. [8:32] What is He like?

[8:35] Well, in Romans 11, 36 we see this reality. [8:41] Because maybe you’re the type of person that says, okay, He exists. [8:44] It doesn’t really make any difference in my life.

[8:48] Well, in Romans 11, 36 it says something very interesting. [8:51] It says that, for of Him, excuse me, for from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things.

[9:02] And so we see in the way scripture kind of describes our existence with God, and it’s [9:09] this reality that nothing exists that did not come directly from Him. [9:13] And that everything that does exist can only truly find out why they exist if they realize [9:20] that it’s through Him and towards Him that life is meant to be lived.

[9:27] So then go to John chapter 1. [9:31] And I want to read in John chapter 1 verses 1 through 3, as we just kind of try to unpack, [9:36] okay, there is significance to who He is. [9:39] So what does that mean in our lives? [9:41] And then what is He like? [9:44] And it’s only in finding out what He is like that we find out the significance for our

[9:48] lives. [9:49] We start in John chapter 1, and in John 1 the significance here is that in Genesis 1 [9:53] he uses the same language, in the beginning.

[9:59] It says, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [10:07] He was in the beginning with God. [10:10] All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. [10:14] For time I’m just going to kind of let you in on what the Word is or who the Word is. [10:19] We find out in verse 14 that the Word is actually Jesus Christ. [10:24] That John is specifically naming Jesus Christ as being this Word.

[10:28] But why does He use that Word? [10:31] Well, He uses it because in John 1, 14 it says, and the Word became flesh and dwelt [10:37] among us. [10:38] He says that because that term, logos, or Word, is this term used to describe a revelation [10:49] of something, or the total revelation of that thing. [10:55] So in John chapter 1, we find out that Jesus Christ is the total revelation of who God

[11:03] is, and that God made Himself known to us by becoming a man and dwelling among us. [11:09] But what’s so frustrating about this passage is that it says two things that I can’t really [11:15] make sense in my mind by itself. [11:19] It says the Word was with God. [11:22] So that would lead me to believe that there is God, and then over here there’s the revelation [11:26] of God who is less than God.

[11:30] But then he says, and the Word was God.

[11:36] Hmm. [11:38] So we have the fact that He’s with God, and the fact that He’s also God Himself. [11:44] So now we have two possibilities.

[11:48] The first possibility is that this is just a play on words, and that Jesus is God by [11:52] Himself. [11:53] But if you actually look at the text in the original language, the form of with there [12:00] is this form that says He actually finds His existence together with or emanates from. [12:08] So that leads us with another possibility, and that’s the possibility that we have two [12:12] Gods.

[12:16] Well, like I said, this term that’s used to say He emanates from, and finds kind of the [12:22] presence out of, well that doesn’t make any sense either, so now we have something else.

[12:30] So point number one this morning, I want you to understand that Jesus is, and He starts [12:35] out as, the ultimate revelation of a triune God. [12:41] And I’m already using $5 words. [12:44] All right? [12:45] I’m going to put forward to you today this idea that God is more than one, but He’s [12:52] also one.

[12:57] That triune word, it means three completely united. [13:04] And how does that work? [13:06] Well, first off, I want to kind of look at Jesus as the ultimate revelation of this triune [13:12] God. [13:12] And in Colossians chapter one, starting in verse 15, I want to read about Jesus. [13:17] It says, He is the image of the invisible God.

[13:21] The firstborn of all creation, for by Him all things were created. [13:26] In heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or [13:30] authorities, all things were created through Him and for Him. [13:34] And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [13:38] And He is the head of the body of the church. [13:40] He’s the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.

[13:45] For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.

[13:51] So it says that He is the actual image of who God is. [13:57] In other words, He represents what God is, what He looks like, what He is all about. [14:03] And then it says things like, He has all authority, that when everything was created, there was [14:07] nothing that was created that did not find its meaning and did not emanate directly from [14:13] Him and was not created thoroughly by Him. [14:17] So Jesus, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

[14:26] So Jesus is God in this reality.

[14:31] But then I want us to go to John chapter 14. [14:35] And let’s see, because what’s always important is finding out, okay, this is what a lot of [14:39] people said about Him. [14:40] And I know from personal experience that a lot of things people say about Me are not [14:44] true, especially the negative parts. [14:47] The positive things people say about Me, that’s all true.

[14:51] So we see what a few people are saying about Jesus, but what does Jesus specifically say [14:55] about Himself? [14:57] Well, in John 14, I’m going to start reading in verse 6, He says, I am the way, the truth, [15:03] and the life. [15:04] No one comes to the Father except through Me. [15:07] If you would have known Me, you would have known My Father also.

[15:12] From now on you do know Him and have seen Him. [15:15] And then Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it’s enough for us. [15:21] So Jesus is saying, if you want to get to the Father, because in the Old Testament, [15:26] the Father, God the Father, is always how people viewed Him, that He is the great authority. [15:32] He is our Father, and they want to seek Him. [15:35] And Jesus is now telling them this revelation.

[15:37] If you want to get to the Father, you must go through Me.

[15:44] And then He says something very interesting. [15:45] He said, if you would have known Me, you would have known the Father also. [15:48] It’s like He’s speaking to this connection that He has to the Father. [15:52] And then Philip, I love how the disciples always ask probably what we would have asked. [15:56] We always mock them, but I’m pretty sure I would have said the same thing. [15:59] Lord, show us the Father.

[16:02] Philip’s like, I’m in, I want to see the Father. [16:05] And so this is what Jesus says to him. [16:09] Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip?

[16:15] Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. [16:18] How can you say, show us the Father?

[16:22] So what’s interesting right there is Jesus then is almost saying we could put this to [16:27] view and say, okay, okay, well, this doesn’t necessarily mean Jesus is God. [16:30] What Jesus is saying is almost like this royal decree where I represent the Father, [16:35] kind of like somebody that would come in the name of the King. [16:38] Jesus represents the Father. [16:40] But then Jesus has to say verse 10 and 11, and that kind of does away with that.

[16:43] In verse 10, He says, Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me?

[16:53] The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells [16:58] in Me does the works. [17:01] Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else believe on account [17:07] of the works themselves. [17:08] In other words, you’re seeking God the Father, but understand, believe the fact you’ve seen [17:14] the works that I’m doing through my own hands.

[17:17] Understand that the Father is in Me and I am in the Father. [17:20] There is this eternal connection between us that you cannot have one without the other. [17:30] Philip, I am in Him and He is in Me. [17:33] Notice that He does not say, I am Him.

[17:37] So wouldn’t that just fix it all? [17:40] That Jesus just is the Father. [17:43] But no, He’s not. [17:45] Because He speaks of another person called the Father who He’s pointing everyone towards [17:49] in giving everyone, but then He says, but we’re also in each other. [17:52] You see how people have gotten confused on the Trinity over the years?

[17:59] In this text, what we find is that He’s unpacking for them this revelation that in verse 10 [18:08] and 11, He is speaking of this connection that goes way past representation, towards [18:16] actual being. [18:17] In other words, God is something that is wholly different than us. [18:25] And the fact that He’s past us, He’s above us, and in His infinite nature, He’s more [18:31] than us.

[18:33] That He is actually the Father and the Son. [18:37] And then of course, if we go one chapter later, excuse me, if we go just a few verses later [18:42] in verse 26, He speaks of someone else. [18:46] Okay, let’s muddy the waters even more. [18:48] Let’s get it a little more confusing. [18:49] In John 14, 26, Jesus looks at them and He says, okay, He’s already unpacked.

[18:54] He said, you know, come to me and you’ll get to the Father. [18:56] And then in verse 26, He says, oh, but understand, I’ve got to leave for a little while, but [18:59] don’t worry, I’m going to send someone else.

[19:04] His name’s the Holy Spirit. [19:06] And at this point, Philip’s probably so confused. [19:09] Philip’s like, I don’t even know who to seek anymore. [19:12] You know, I thought I was going after the Father. [19:14] Now I’m going after you. [19:15] And then you’re telling me the Spirit’s going to come.

[19:18] So now in verse 14, 26, this is actually what it says. [19:23] It says, but the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He [19:29] will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. [19:32] And then in 15, 26, He says something very similar.

[19:37] So now we have three. [19:38] Oh, boy. [19:40] We have God the Father. [19:42] God the Son. [19:44] God the Holy Spirit. [19:46] And what Jesus is telling us is that He has come to be this ultimate revelation of Him.

[19:54] But more than that, He’s come so that we can actually know all three. [20:04] So that we can actually go to the Father. [20:07] We can have a part of knowing the Son, but then we can also, because of the Son, have [20:15] the Holy Spirit. [20:16] But the Son says, understand that they all come from the very same place.

[20:24] Well, I want to let the cat out of the bag and then I want to explain it. [20:30] OK? [20:31] What Jesus is talking about here is the fact. [20:35] And I’m going to talk about it as fact. [20:36] I mean, you knew what you were getting yourself into when we put on the title, what Christians [20:40] should believe.

[20:42] So I’m not really going to say what you can believe. [20:44] No, this is what you should believe if you want to be biblical. [20:46] God is three persons in one being. [20:51] OK? [20:52] And that’s what Jesus is talking about. [20:54] But we have to really go at about 100 miles per hour to get through everything that kind

[21:00] of points to this. [21:01] We’ve got a lot of scripture. [21:02] Is that biblical or is this something that in the New Testament is a heresy or something [21:08] that’s false that Jesus came to present? [21:12] Is what we’re believing right here that Jesus is saying, is this coming from somewhere in [21:16] the Old Testament or is it just the New Testament?

[21:19] Well, in Genesis chapter one, verse twenty six, something very interesting happens that [21:24] scholars have struggled with for a long time. [21:26] In Genesis one, twenty six, it says,

[21:31] Then God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness. [21:37] And that’s enough.

[21:40] God says us, our us. [21:45] And that’s not a bad translation. [21:47] That’s the literal Hebrew there. [21:49] It’s plural. [21:51] OK, now some people may say, oh, maybe [21:56] God just misspoke.

[21:59] I don’t think so. [22:01] So here we have really only one of two possibilities. [22:05] First possibility is that there’s more than one God doing something here. [22:10] Or there’s a possibility that something’s going on inside of God.

[22:15] That he’s going to really flesh out later.

[22:19] And some people might say, all right, I’m going to let you know a little bit of history. [22:22] Maybe I have a Hebrew scholar in here. [22:23] I don’t know. [22:24] And maybe you’re saying, well, sometimes in literature.

[22:29] In a royal decree, a king will speak for the entire kingdom. [22:35] And when he’s speaking for the entire kingdom, he will use inclusive language [22:39] like we or us. [22:43] There’s two problems with that. [22:44] First, in Jewish literature that was written around the same time that Moses wrote this, [22:50] you do not find that anywhere.

[22:53] That type of language came later. [22:57] And then second, in the first century around the time that Jesus existed, [23:02] the Jewish scholars, the scribes, the rabbis, the Pharisees, and even the Sadducees [23:07] tore apart Genesis chapter one to understand why [23:13] Moses wrote with this language of us. [23:19] And they could not come to an understanding.

[23:22] They could not come to a thought, so they just kind of dismissed it. [23:27] But what I’m saying here is that Jesus explains this. [23:33] Jesus puts meaning to this term us. [23:37] And let’s go further in Psalm 45, verses five, [23:40] verses six and seven, the Psalmist writes something very interesting, speaking as God. [23:46] He says, Your throne, oh, God, is forever and ever.

[23:49] The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness. [23:52] You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. [23:55] Therefore, God, your God has appointed has anointed you with the oil of gladness [24:01] beyond your companions. [24:03] And you’re like, well, what do you mean? [24:06] I’ll tell you what, if you look in the original language was taking place here,

[24:09] is that God is speaking to God. [24:12] It’s not God anointing the Psalmist [24:15] when he says, therefore, God, your God, [24:19] has anointed you. [24:20] There is a conversation taking place between two realms of a deity. [24:25] God is anointing God.

[24:29] In Hebrews, chapter one, verse eight, [24:33] the writer of Hebrews quotes this and writes that the father is speaking [24:39] of the son when he says, Your throne, oh, God, is forever and ever.

[24:49] So here we have in the Old Testament, even in the original language, [24:55] writings of a plural God.

[25:01] So let’s go further. [25:02] First thing that we have to understand.

[25:06] If there are more than one God, this makes sense. [25:13] OK, now I want us to understand three things, [25:16] and then we’re going to unload it in a fourth thing. [25:19] God, the father is God. [25:21] OK, you have to start there. [25:24] Now, I’m not going to go too intense on that one because scripture

[25:27] just accepts that everywhere God, the father is spoken of as God. [25:33] The ancient Hebrew writings, Yahweh is understood as finding its embodiment [25:38] in the Father in the New Testament. [25:40] Numerous times, God, the father is seen as the father. [25:42] Jesus points to him and says, God, the father is God. [25:46] And then secondly, God, the son is God, and that is Jesus.

[25:53] But does scripture testify to that in Colossians, Chapter two, verse nine? [25:58] We already read in Chapter one, but in Chapter two, verse nine, [26:00] it repeats and says, for in him, the fullness of deity dwells bodily. [26:05] Then in John, Chapter 20, and I’m not going to read through that passage, [26:08] but what it says is that Jesus, after his crucifixion, [26:11] after he’s risen from the dead, by the way, which if you can raise yourself

[26:14] up from the dead, it’s a pretty good indicator that you might be God. [26:17] I’m just saying I’m going to die and I’m not going to do that. [26:21] So I’m obviously not God, and I’m pretty sure you aren’t either. [26:25] So when you can die and then raise from the dead, [26:27] it typically points to a few things. [26:28] But after that resurrection, he the disciples are in the inner room,

[26:33] kind of hiding, and Thomas comes in and Thomas hasn’t seen Jesus yet. [26:38] And he says, I don’t believe any of you. [26:40] Well, Jesus then appears and he looks at Thomas and he says, Thomas, [26:44] it’s me. And then he Thomas says, Really? [26:47] And he says, touch my wounds. [26:50] I’ll show you that I’m the one that was on the cross.

[26:53] Look at my pierced side. [26:55] And Thomas says, My Lord and my God, [26:58] the same verbiage that’s used in the Old Testament to describe God the Father.

[27:04] And you know what Jesus doesn’t do? [27:06] Jesus doesn’t do what any good Jew would do. [27:11] He doesn’t rebuke him. [27:13] He doesn’t say, Oh, no. [27:17] No, he fully accepts Thomas’s worship.

[27:23] Then.

[27:25] We also have to understand [27:27] that the Holy Spirit is God, God, the Spirit is God. [27:32] In Isaiah sixty one, one, we read this. [27:34] The spirit of the Lord God is upon me [27:37] because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. [27:41] He has sent me to bind up the broken heart, to proclaim liberty to the captives

[27:45] and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. [27:50] First off, I want you to see in the fact that, number one, [27:52] it’s speaking of Jesus and the Father, but it begins by speaking of the Holy Spirit. [27:57] So who is this Holy Spirit? [27:58] Well, in Matthew twenty eight, nineteen, it says, Go, therefore, [28:00] make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father

[28:03] and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. [28:06] So Jesus, after he says, all authority has been given me in heaven [28:10] and on earth, he says the Holy Spirit is equal to me in that authority through baptism. [28:17] Then in Acts, Chapter five, verses three and four, the early church. [28:20] But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit [28:25] and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land while it remained unsold?

[28:28] Did it not remain your own? [28:30] And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? [28:33] Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? [28:36] You have not lied to man, but to God.

[28:44] So the apostle Peter calls the Holy Spirit God. [28:50] And then in Jude, Chapter one, verse twenty, Jude writes, [28:53] But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. [29:00] So Jude actually puts forward this idea that prayer goes to the Holy Spirit. [29:08] So here we have three gods.

[29:17] But if we had three gods, that would contradict something else in scripture.

[29:23] OK.

[29:25] Look in.

[29:29] Deuteronomy, Chapter six, verse four. [29:33] Here, oh, Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one. [29:41] Isaiah forty five, five, God speaking for himself says, I am the Lord and there is no other besides me. [29:46] There is no God. [29:49] I equip you, though you do not know me. [29:52] He uses a singular pronoun there.

[29:57] In Romans three, thirty, Paul, look in the New Testament, because in the New Testament, we could say, well, they just really messed everything up.

[30:06] Well, in Romans three, thirty, Paul says, since God is one.

[30:11] It’s pretty hard for you to see that one finger I just put up through my Bible. [30:15] Trust me, that’s what I was doing right there. [30:17] It’s pretty hard. [30:19] Who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith? [30:23] Then in First Timothy two, five, Paul writes again, for there is one God and there is one mediator between God and the man, Jesus Christ.

[30:35] So Old Testament, New Testament, we have one recurring theme, actually two recurring themes, three in one. [30:45] How does that work? [30:46] How does that make sense? [30:49] All three are God. [30:53] The Old and New Testament are very clear. [30:55] Father, son and the Holy Spirit are God and God is one being.

[31:02] The only biblical option if we want to be faithful to the scriptures is to believe that God is three persons in one being. [31:10] He is triune.

[31:13] None are more God than the others and none are created by the others, nor are they in any way separate as more than one God.

[31:26] We have to humbly submit to scripture and say, yes.

[31:33] But then some people might tell you this, because I’m seeing them like, oh, this is weird.

[31:40] Well, it’s just a mystery that’s too great for you to understand and comprehend. [31:46] And I will say some of this is mysterious because God is infinite and we’re finite.

[31:57] But I don’t believe this is something to avoid because like I said, I think the implications on how we live our lives because of this are huge. [32:08] So we must come to this understanding for scripture, the gospel and anything to make sense. [32:14] You say, what do you mean? [32:15] Well, I don’t have time to deal with all seventy five thousand reasons today, so I’m just going to focus on one. [32:22] In First John, four, eight, we read something very interesting. [32:28] It says, in this, the love of God was made manifest among us that God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him.

[32:37] In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be a propitiation for our sins. [32:48] So what we see there is this great reality. [32:53] And it said this way in some other translations that God is love. [33:00] You ever read that? [33:03] It says in verse seven. [33:04] I don’t know why I didn’t put that in there.

[33:05] It happens.

[33:08] But here’s the key. [33:09] God is love.

[33:11] Eternally. [33:12] Why do we love? [33:13] Why should we love? [33:14] Why should we obey the great commandment that says, love your neighbor as yourself after you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind? [33:20] Why? [33:20] Because God is love, right?

[33:23] Yeah. [33:23] But think about this. [33:24] What if God is one being and one person?

[33:30] And he is love.

[33:33] What does that look like? [33:36] Is it just this one being staring into a mirror forever and ever loving himself? [33:41] Well, how can I relate to that? [33:43] If I can relate to that, then that excuses the way that I treat other people because the greatest gift of love is the gift of loving me. [33:51] So everything should be about me. [33:52] Because I’m just living as God’s image bearer.

[33:58] Or is there something more important viewed here? [34:01] And I would say there is.

[34:05] See, the Trinity helps us understand love. [34:10] Because what we have is God existing in three persons, but completely united. [34:16] So much so that he exists as one being, one God, not plural God, one God, three persons. [34:27] But those three persons are so united and so inseparable that they make up one God. [34:34] And for an eternity, we see this great loving relationship between the three members of the Trinity totally united with zero discord. [34:44] And you say, show me some biblical evidence for that.

[34:45] Well, in John chapter three, verse 30.

[34:55] Excuse me, I think I put the wrong verse.

[34:59] And the verse that I meant to put.

[35:03] That’s not the one I was meaning. [35:05] The father loves the son and has given all things into his hand. [35:09] Then in John 5, 20, another one. [35:11] It’s a good thing I had two here. [35:12] We read this for the father loves the son and shows him all that he himself is doing in greater works than these. [35:19] Will he show him so that you may marvel?

[35:23] We see this great love that the father has for the son and these great works that he’s going to do in the sun. [35:31] And it says that we are so connected that the father does not do anything that the son in the language there is not just seeing, but is not also a part of. [35:44] And then in John 14, 31, Jesus says, But I do as the father has commanded me so that the world may know that I love the father. [35:56] So we see this great love being poured from the father towards the son. [36:01] And in John 14, we see this great love being poured from the son back to the father. [36:07] We see this complete unity, zero discord.

[36:11] And I would even then point to John 15, 26, where Jesus says, But when the helper comes, whom I will send to you from the father, the spirit of truth, whom proceeds directly from the inside of the father, he will bear witness to me. [36:27] And this activity, he’s speaking of the great love that makes up the Holy Spirit in that the spirit proceeds from the father on behalf of the son. [36:38] So the spirit has eternally been integrally involved in everything that the father and son are doing as well. [36:44] And he is the one that is actually continuing the work of the gospel in our lives on their behalf.

[36:51] But then we get the most magnificent, in my opinion, picture of this from the baptism of Jesus in Matthew chapter three, verses 16 through 17.

[37:05] And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water and behold, the heavens were open to him. [37:11] And he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. [37:16] And behold, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.

[37:24] See, some people try to explain the Trinity by just doing away with it. [37:30] They accept the whole scripture and say, Well, it’s really just one God showing himself in three ways.

[37:38] Number one, when you do that, the baptism of Jesus makes no sense.

[37:43] Because, man, he’s really talented to do all three of those things at once.

[37:48] But more than that, it doesn’t explain the great love with which God expresses towards the other persons in the Trinity and scripture.

[38:00] Because, you see, God exists and works in perfect community.

[38:11] He is the reason that we have such deep longing for relationship. [38:20] See, Mark Driscoll, a pastor, he puts it this way. [38:24] Our longings for love, unity and diversity, communication, community, humility, peace and selflessness are in fact by design longings for the Trinitarian God of the Bible in a world that is a reflection of the Trinity.

[38:47] See, the reason that we so desire relationship is because we’re desiring God. [38:57] Often we don’t even know it. [39:00] The reason we want to be fulfilled is because God himself is so fulfilled. [39:08] The reason we look and we say there’s got to be something more is because God has that something more. [39:18] You say, help me understand that. [39:20] Well, the Trinity reveals our need for redemption and community.

[39:30] In Genesis 2, 18, when God has finished creating man, he steps back and for the first time that he’s been speaking, he says something very interesting. [39:41] He says, it is not good for man to be alone.

[39:49] You say, why not? [39:51] Because of the Trinity. [39:53] Because, you see, God gave man a special place in his creation. [39:57] We’ll see that in two weeks. [40:00] But he wanted man to have his image. [40:02] That’s why humans have souls, because it’s the breath of God into our lives.

[40:06] We’re the only ones that he actually fashioned with his own hands and breathed life into, and the book of Genesis tells us. [40:12] But he wanted man to represent him to all of creation. [40:15] That’s why in that verse you see that he gave dominion over it to man. [40:20] Why would he say it’s not good for man to be alone? [40:23] Because if man’s his image bearer, then man can’t be alone. [40:30] Man has to be in relationship.

[40:32] So he made woman out of man. [40:36] Isn’t it interesting the way that the New Testament explains that Jesus comes out from the Father, the Spirit comes out from the Father, and woman was made out of man. [40:45] Why? We have our answer in the Trinity. [40:49] That’s why. [40:51] Then he goes further. In John 14, 20, this is what Jesus says.

[40:58] Jesus says, in that day, after he does the work of the Gospel, you will know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you. [41:13] So Jesus, by the work that he did when he came to earth, what he does is he invites us into the life that’s taking place in the Trinity. [41:25] He says, you can have fulfillment, but you will never have it outside of a relationship with me as I really am. [41:34] And that is in this cosmic dance of pouring out yourself for the glory of God.

[41:45] We see, it goes even further in John 16, 7, when he says, Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is your advantage that I go away. [41:57] For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. [42:03] And then in verses 13 and 14 of that same chapter, he says, When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. [42:10] For he will not speak of his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak. And he will declare to you all things that are to come. [42:17] He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. [42:24] In other words, inside of the Trinity, they’re constantly pointing everyone to the other because there’s this great love going on.

[42:32] And then he says, your search for great significance is in the Trinitarian God.

[42:40] And he is inviting you into himself through what I am about to do. [42:47] And then in 1 Peter, chapter 1, verse 2, Peter says, speaking of the gospel, the work that Jesus is doing, inviting us into his life, he says,

[43:05] According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling of his blood, may grace and peace be multiplied to you. [43:18] In other words, if you want to fathom the gospel, the work of Jesus on the cross, you must understand that he did not go rogue. [43:28] He did not go off on his own to do some great mission, but rather, the Father planned it. [43:35] He did it. And the power that he did it with was the power of the Holy Spirit to sanctify us for his mission.

[43:47] So why does all this matter?

[43:50] Well, first, it points us towards our need for a relationship with God. [43:55] That our great longings that we have for relationship will never be fulfilled by a human being.

[44:07] Your wife will never fulfill you. Your husband, never. Your children will not fulfill you. [44:14] The fulfillment that you seek is only found in God.

[44:19] And you are created to worship Him.

[44:23] Secondly, the work of the gospel is not a work just for you. [44:31] It’s not something that you can grow in by yourself. [44:35] It’s not something that you can just be a part of without having anyone in your life. [44:40] That for us to reflect the work of the Trinity, Jesus has come to build a community united for the purpose of God. [44:52] That one purpose being the redemption of people, the building of His church. [44:57] In Ephesians chapter 4, verses 4 through 6, He says,

[45:02] Just as there is one body, just as there is one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, [45:10] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. [45:21] See, you were called in, or being called in by the gospel of Jesus. [45:27] The fact that He took your sins onto Himself, He died on the cross, and He rose again from the dead [45:34] to bring you into His plan for all time, for eternity, to build the church. [45:41] We are more than one person.

[45:46] But we are united under the banner of God to be one church. [45:55] For Him, through Him, and to Him. [46:03] And by yourself, you are rebelling against what you were designed for.

[46:17] In the gospel, we are called to take the gospel to all people. [46:18] And relationship with God, and relationship with others for God.

[46:27] See, we were called to take the gospel to all people, but in order to do that, [46:34] we must live under the power of the gospel for each other.

[46:41] Jesus shows us what type of submission and humility this takes on the cross. [46:52] It takes sacrifice. It takes love. [46:58] But in Jesus, God has done all the work that is necessary for you to live the life you were meant to live. [47:12] Father, thank you so much. [47:19] Lord, I ask today, as we reflect on the greatness of your Word, [47:27] and the greatness of what you have done, and the greatness that you are,

[47:33] Lord, that you have not been silent. [47:36] You have revealed your greatness, your wonder, your splendor to us in so many different ways. [47:44] Father, I pray that today we would see that Jesus is the ultimate revelation of who you are. [47:55] Through Him, draw us to yourself.

[48:00] Right now, as a church, every week we reflect through communion.

[48:09] These crackers represent the broken body of Jesus.

[48:14] This juice reflects His shed blood.

[48:20] You see, in believing the gospel, this represents God inviting us to take part in His life.

[48:29] He’s invited us to have fellowship with Him at His table. [48:33] If you’re a follower of Jesus today, I invite you to either come to the front or go to the back, [48:39] and proclaim the gospel through communion. [48:41] But if you’re not a believer, I’m going to ask you not to. [48:45] Not because it’s just us being rude, but because it just doesn’t mean anything to you. [48:51] But I would like the opportunity to explain to you more fully what it means.

[48:58] I’ll be right up here in the corner. [49:00] If you’re not a believer this morning, and you have questions, I’d love to answer them. [49:06] I’ll be up here. There will be people in the back. [49:09] I’d like to talk to you, and today you can come to know Jesus. [49:13] Then we can take communion together.