The Triune God
The Trinity • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 344 viewsGod exists as one; yet manifests himself in three distinct persons.
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Today is not only Father’s Day; it is Trinity Sunday. Trinity Sunday is observed the first Sunday after Pentecost. It is a day which we set aside to talk about the concept of the Trinity. The word “trinity” is not found in the Scriptures; however the concept is taught throughout the Bible. It is a divine mystery how God is one and yet eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Three distinct persons united in one being.
In Lewis Carroll's ''Alice Through The Looking Glass,'' Alice is asked to believe something that is impossible. Alice replies, ''One can't believe impossible things!''
The white queen replied that of course one could believe impossible things if one simply tried hard enough. She herself had made it a habit of believing six impossible things each day before breakfast.
The Trinity is one of the central teachings of Christianity, yet, one of the most difficult to understand, for the reason that it seems impossible, but it is not impossible. The earliest Christian confessions, statement of what we believe, contained affirmations of the Trinity to guard against misinterpreting the doctrine. The Apostles’ Creed is structured in a trinitarian way affirming the belief in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Nicene Creed affirmed it. Our Baptist Faith & Message contains it.
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience.
The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
Even though we use these words and have these understandings, the concept is very hard to define. Many people have offered definitions for the word “trinity”, but all of them have deficiencies and all seem to fall short. One of the best definitions was offered by the theologian B.B. Warfield. He wrote,
“There is one only and true God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three coeternal and coequal Persons, the same in substance but distinct in subsistence.”
Some have argued about the word “Persons”. Others object to the word “substance” preferring “essence”, but it is one of the better definitions.
Due to our inability to fully define the concept, some move onto illustrations. This is one of the more common diagrams that attempts to depict the Trinity.
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Even this illustration falls short because it suggests a hierarchy. In the Trinity, there is no hierarchy. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all equal Persons in the Triune God.
Saint Patrick used the illustration of the shamrock. A shamrock has three leaves and the three leaves are tied together in one plant.
Some have used the illustration of the three forms of water: solid (ice), liquid (water), steam (gas). Water under pressure and in a vacuum at a given temperature below freezing exists simultaneously as ice, liquid, and gas; yet the basic nature is identifiable as H2O.
Another illustration, used by Rick Warren, to illustrate the Trinity is Neapolitan ice cream. The flavors of Neapolitan ice cream are vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. They are separate and distinct flavors, yet without any one of them, you would not have Neapolitan ice cream.
While these illustrations might be helpful, all of them fall short. While there is not one verse that uses the word “trinity”, there are several verses of Scripture which contain the concept. Here is one of them.
While there is not one verse that uses the word “trinity”, there are several verses of Scripture which contain the concept. Here is one of them.
19 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, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
In what we commonly call “The Great Commission”, Jesus gave some final instructions to his followers. He told them to go and make disciples of all nations. He told them how to make disciples. They are to be baptized and taught. It is in his instruction to baptize that we see the members of the Trinity listed. God is revealed as Father. God is revealed as Son. God is revealed as Holy Spirit. He is three is one and one in three.
God is revealed as Father.
God is revealed as Father.
I recognize that not everyone has a loving human father who provides and cares for them. Largely, our view of God as Father is impacted by how we view our human father. For the Jewish people, this was a new and radical way to address God. They tended to view God as distant and someone to be feared. They viewed God as someone to be pleased or displeased. They didn’t understand the relational nature of God. They struggled to see that God wanted a relationship with them. When Jesus revealed God as Father, he was giving them an important and foundational truth. God is to be viewed as a loving, caring Father.
God, as Father, lovingly correct us. ()
God, as Father, lovingly correct us. ()
7 Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?
Hebrews 12:7
God, as Father, provides for our needs. ()
God, as Father, provides for our needs. ()
11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.
God, as Father, is always ready to welcome us home. ()
God, as Father, is always ready to welcome us home. ()
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Do you remember the story Jesus told about the lost son? Jesus told a parable about a man who had two sons. The younger son went to his father and basically wished him to be dead. He wanted his father to give him his inheritance before he had actually died. It would be like saying to your dad, “Why don’t you hurry up and die because I want your money.” Shockingly, the father gives his sons what the younger son demanded. The son leaves home and it wasn’t long before he burned through everything. He ends up with the only job he could find, feeding pigs. A young Jewish boy feeding pigs. Finally, he came to his senses and decides to go home. He thinks, “Even my father’s servants are treated better than this. I will go home and beg my dad to make me one of his servants.”
20 So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.
God, as Father, is always ready to welcome us home.
God is revealed as Son.
God is revealed as Son.
Jesus is the Son of God. This doesn’t mean that Jesus is not as significant as God the Father or less than fully God. It doesn’t mean that he was the offspring of God. Jesus, the Son of God, means that he is God’s exact representation. It means that he is the revelation of God to man.
God, as Son, reveals God’s nature to man. ()
God, as Son, reveals God’s nature to man. ()
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
15 He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
God, as Son, is able to sympathize with our weakness. ()
God, as Son, is able to sympathize with our weakness. ()
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.
God, as Son, provided the perfect sacrifice for our sin. ()
God, as Son, provided the perfect sacrifice for our sin. ()
10 By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.
God is revealed as the Father. God is revealed as the Son.
God is revealed as the Holy Spirit.
God is revealed as the Holy Spirit.
In some Baptist circles, the revelation of the Holy Spirit has been minimized. Perhaps, we want to protect ourselves from being associated with the Pentecostals and the Charismatics. Perhaps, we don’t really understand why God is revealed as the Holy Spirt.
God, as Holy Spirit, convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. ()
God, as Holy Spirit, convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. ()
8 When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:
Jesus explains what this means in the next several verses in .
God, as Holy Spirit, leads us to the truth. ()
God, as Holy Spirit, leads us to the truth. ()
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.
God, as Holy Spirit, is our counselor. ()
God, as Holy Spirit, is our counselor. ()
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.
This is just the surface of how God reveals himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. At this point, you might be thinking, “Okay, but why is this even important? Why are we trying to learn about something we can’t even fully understand? How is this going to help me tomorrow at the office or at home?”
At this point, you might be thinking, “Okay, but why is this even important? Why are we trying to learn about something we can’t even fully understand?”The Trinity matters because the Trinity shows us in His very essence, God is relational.
This is what I want you to remember and it is very important. The Trinity matters because the Trinity shows us in His very essence, God is relational.
The Trinity shows us God is relational.
The Trinity shows us God is relational.
Before creation, before the world began, before anything was made, God existed in a perfect relationship as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God did not create the universe because He was bored or wanted something to take care of. God did not create the universe because He wanted to talk to someone or have companionship. God already existed in perfect relationship as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is relational in His very essence and as He desires a relationship with you.
God so deeply desires a relationship with you; Jesus came to redeem you and deliver you from your sin, so your relationship with Him can be restored. You see, all of us, have a sin problem. Our sin, the things we do wrong, separates us from God - just like when someone does you wrong, your relationship with the person is broken until you go to the person or the person comes to you to fix the problem. The issue is we can’t get to God. We can’t fix the relationship. Therefore, Jesus came to restore our relationship with God. Jesus is the Way to relationship restoration. Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood because God’s law demanded death for sin. If Jesus’ didn’t die, you would have to die. However, Jesus died for you to restore the relationship God wants with you. He rose from the dead to give you the gift of eternal life.
The way is made for you to have restoration in your relationship with God, you need to accept the way. You need to believe in Jesus. You need to accept Jesus. You accept Jesus by confessing Jesus as Lord and living your life according to His ways.
The Trinity is about how God relates to humanity. God has revealed himself in this way so that we can properly understand who we are worshiping. We may never be able to unlock the mystery of the Trinity, but we can learn how God relates to us in a personal way. Think about this. God would be completely unknowable to us unless he chose to reveal himself to us. God communicates his love for us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is God’s self-communication to us. This is an act of love. The Trinity is the source of our salvation! The Father elects us. The Son sacrificially died for us. The Holy Spirit applies salvation to us and is the down payment on the greater things to come! “Salvation is also a real participation in the holy blessedness of the Triune life.” (Yarnell, p. 236)
God reveals himself to us through the Trinity and how the Trinity interacts with us. God reveals himself through the Trinity because he really is God the Trinity.
I would like to draw this message to a close with a quote from the book God the Trinity by Malcolm B. Yarnell III. “Every time I open the Bible, I am struck that he would deign to reach down and renew this sinful mind and enlighten this dark soul. Because it is the Father reaching out through his Son in his Spirit to save a person for life with himself as Trinity, it is difficult to comprehend how a Christian could speak of being saved by God while denying him as Trinity…My prayer for you is that God the Trinity will transform you through his gracious revelation of himself as the one God who is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” (Yarnell, p. 238)
Pray.
Father God, thank you for revealing yourself to us. Thank you for caring and loving us. We thank you for the Son who saves us from our sins. We thank you for the Holy Spirit who seals us to the day of redemption. Glorify your name in us. Thank you for making us in your image and continue to sanctify us by your grace. Build your kingdom here. Have mercy upon us. Renew us in your strength. In the mighty matchless name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.
This morning, I want to invite you to respond to the Holy Spirit’s leading in your life. Our deacons will be at the rear of the worship center, if you want to talk to someone about how you can have a relationship with God, please slip out of your row and talk to one of them. If you need prayer, please slip out of your row and let them pray with you. If you are ready to become a member of FBC Laredo, please meet me down front so that you can be presented to the church family for membership. If God is dealing in your heart and life right now, don’t let this moment pass. We exist to minister to one another. We are here to support you in your walk with God.