So we'll get straight into the sermon.
I'm just going to warn you, my notes
are double what I normally have. So if I preach for an hour normally it's going to be two hours
today. Nah, look I'm going to get through this as fast as I can
and as I'm preaching this I'm probably going to edit some of the things out if I feel like I've
over killed certain points. But I'm going to be preaching
on the Trinity. The title of the sermon is These Three Are One
These three are one. There's a lot of controversy surrounding the Trinity
a lot of, you know I don't think it's even that hard to understand. I'll be honest with you
I came to understand the Trinity as a young boy. I've had a view of the Trinity
ever since I was young. It's never failed me. It answers all the questions
all the complicated passages in the Bible, in the Scriptures and I'm just going to be sharing that with you
today. But these three are one. 1 John 5, 7 the memory verse
and what we just read. For there are three that bear record in heaven. There are
three, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one.
So what do we learn from that? We learn that there are three and we learn that there are one.
We learn that there are three and we learn that there are one.
Now, you know we do mathematics, we've done mathematics in school
three is never one and one is never three.
Immediately, as soon as you say there is three and there is one, you immediately know
there's going to be difficulty to understand that. In our limited
human minds it's going to be difficult to understand. But that's why you need faith.
Without faith it is impossible to believe God. We must just understand and accept
that there are three, that God is three and we must understand that God is one.
And if you just stay there, you'll be fine. But if you go too far in one direction
you're going to get confused. If you go too far in the other direction, you're going to get confused
as well. If you maintain a balance, and that's what I'm going to be teaching today guys,
maintain a balance in understanding the Trinity, that there are three
and that there are one. Now the Trinity is rejected by many
professing Christians, it's rejected by many of the cults,
it's rejected by Islam and Judaism
and yet 1 John 5.7, it doesn't surprise me that this
verse is removed from the modern versions because they want to take anything
that gets you to understand the nature of God. But 1 John 5.7 is found in the King James Bible
but not found in many of the modern versions. So that's one of the
best passages, one of the most clearest passages we have on the Trinity.
The Father, the Word, the Word is also the Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.
But another passage, and by the way, like I said I've got a lot of notes
so I'm just going to read through them. If you don't have time to turn those passages, that's fine.
If you've got a pen, take down the references. You know the sermons are on YouTube, audio and video
so if you need to go back, please feel free to go back and listen to it. But I'm just going to speed through the references.
I've got over 85 verses to get through today.
But there are three main passages that I find that are very clear on the Trinity.
That was the first one, 1 John 5.7. The second one is
during the Great Commission, Matthew 28 verse 19,
Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name,
the singular name, whether that's a name or the authority, however way
you view that. But it's a singular nature, the one God, baptizing them
in the name of the who? The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
So we have the one and we have the three in Matthew 28, 19.
Also we have when Jesus was baptized. Do you remember that? It's found in all the
Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But I'll just read to you from Luke. Luke chapter 3
verse 21 to 22. Now when all the people were baptized
it came to pass that Jesus, also being baptized,
so Jesus being baptized and praying, the heaven was opened
and the Holy Ghost, there's the second part, the Holy Ghost descended
in a bodily shape like a dove upon him and a voice
came from heaven, there's the voice, and who's the voice? Which said,
Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.
So if this voice is calling Jesus the Son, that's obviously the Father, right?
We have Jesus, we have the Holy Ghost, we have the Father, all present
during the baptism of Jesus Christ. I believe these are the three most
obvious, you see them all there in one location, the Father,
the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and I believe these are the three main passages
that if someone's struggling to understand the Trinity, these are probably the best passages to turn them to.
Alright, now, is the Trinity in the
Old Testament? Is the Trinity in the Old Testament? Some people say, well that's just
the New Testament teaching, and some people think, well God in the Old Testament was always
the Father. That's not true. The Trinity is found in the Old Testament.
Just a reference to the Father in Isaiah 63 verse 16.
Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us,
and Israel acknowledge us not. Thou, O Lord,
art our Father. Our Redeemer, thy name is from
everlasting. So Isaiah 63, we have the everlasting
Father here, his name is everlasting, he's the Father of Israel,
even though Israel might not acknowledge him. Okay, that's what it's saying here in
Isaiah 63 verse 16. What about reference to Jesus Christ,
a reference to the Son? Yes there is, there's a few, there's a lot, I'll just read a few of them.
Psalm chapter 2 verse 7 says, I will declare the decree,
the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son,
this day have I begotten thee. Okay, this is the Psalm of David, and some people say,
well no, David is the Son in this passage, but no.
What we find in the New Testament that this is a reference to Jesus Christ,
the Son of God. And further in that Psalm number 2,
in verse 12 it says this, Kiss the Son, lest
he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath
is kindled but little, blessed are all they that put their trust
in him. Notice that this is the Psalm of David, but is
referring to now the Son in a third person pronoun.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from
the way, when his wrath is kindled but little, blessed
are all they that put their trust in him. So he's not referring
to himself, he's referring to a third person pronoun, the Son of God.
In Psalm chapter 2. And what about Daniel chapter 3
verse 25? We know the story of Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego, and they were cast into the burning furnace, remember that?
Nebuchadnezzar cast them into the furnace for not worshipping his image.
And then they get cast in, they don't get burnt up. What is said of what's happening
there? What does King Nebuchadnezzar say? He says in
Daniel 3.25, he answered and said, Lo, I see four men
loose, not just three men, but four men loose, walking
in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt, and the form of the
fourth is like the Son of God. So there we have Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, protecting them
from the fire. And I like Proverbs
chapter 30 verse 4. Proverbs 30 verse 4 says, Who have ascended
up into heaven, or descended? Who have
gathered the wind in his fists? Who have bound the waters in a garment?
Who have established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst
tell? So in Proverbs here, Solomon recognizes that there's
God, what is the name of God? And then he says, what is
his son's name? He recognizes that there is a Son of God as well in the
Old Testament. What about the Holy Spirit? Well that's a lot easier.
The Holy Spirit, straight away you open up Genesis chapter 1 verse 2
it says, And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon
the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters. The Spirit of God mentioned in the first
chapter, the first mention
of the unique part of the Trinity, the Spirit.
And then Psalm 51 verse 11, Cast me not away
from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit
from me. Okay, so we have in the Old Testament
references to the Holy Spirit, references to the
Son, and references to the Father. We see the Trinity in the
Old Testament. Okay, now let's
learn a little bit about the Father. Let's understand God the Father, who he
is. First thing I want you to notice is that he is
omnipotent. Omnipotent means all powerful.
Mark chapter 14 verse 36 says, this is Jesus speaking
and he said, Abba Father, all things are possible
unto thee. All things are possible to the Father. He is
all powerful. This is an attribute of an all powerful
God. He is also all knowing, he's omniscient, omniscient,
all knowing. Jesus says in Matthew 24 verse 36,
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, know not the angels of
heaven, but my Father only. The Father knows all
things above all. Okay, he's omniscient,
he's all knowing, another attribute of God.
He's also omnipresent, that means all present. He can be everywhere
at once. Ephesians 4 verse 6, One God
and Father of all, who is above all, and through all,
and in you all. So we have the Father, omnipresent,
able to be in more locations than one because he's above all, he's through
all, and he's in you all. So he's in every believer.
So he's omnipresent, free attributes of God.
Another unique attribute to the Father is that
he's the highest in authority. He's the highest in authority as far as the
Trinity is concerned. Ephesians 4 verse 4 to 6
says, There is one body and one spirit, and by the way
this is another reference to the Trinity, but it's not as clear as those other three that I first
gave you. But pay attention to this. Ephesians 4 verse 4, For there
is one body and one spirit, okay verse 4, one spirit,
even as ye are called in one hope of your calling, and then
verse 5, One Lord, you know the Lord Jesus Christ,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, verse number
6, One God and Father of all.
So verse 4 has the spirit, verse 5 has Jesus the Lord, and
verse 6 has God the Father of all, and then it says this about the Father, who is
above all, and through all, and in you all.
He is above all, we read that one. He's above all things.
So we just referenced the Holy Spirit, we referenced Jesus Christ the Lord, and it says
not only is he above all of you, but he's above all
as far as the Trinity is concerned. When we talk about the Trinity, not only
is there the Father, by the way I'm going to turn this side when I talk about the Trinity, and I'm going to
go this side when I talk about the One God, alright, just to make it easier. But when we're on this side
of the Trinity, we have the Father, we have the Word, and we have the Holy Ghost.
And above the Word, Jesus Christ, and above the Spirit,
the highest authority in the Trinity is the Father. He is above all.
Okay? So when we talk about the Trinity
being co-equal, you've probably heard that term, co-equal, there's a truth to that.
They are co-equally God. They're as much God as one another.
They are co-equal in nature of God, but they're not co-equal in authority.
God the Father is above the Son, and above the Holy Ghost.
Let me give you some more verses here, Jesus speaking in John 10 29
And no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
So Jesus says the Father is greater
than all. And then in Luke chapter 1
verse 31 to 32
And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, talking about Jesus, and shall call his name
Jesus, he shall be great, so Jesus shall be great
and shall be called the Son of the Highest.
And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.
So even though Jesus is great, but he's called the Son of the Highest.
Can you get any higher than the highest? No, the highest, the Son of the Highest
that's referring to God the Father. He is the highest.
And if you just have any doubts and go, no, no Kevin, Jesus
just has as much authority as the Father.
Well Jesus says not so in John 14 verse 28, he says
Lord, how I said unto you, I go away and come again unto you.
If you loved me, you would rejoice, because I said I go unto the Father
for my Father is greater than I.
Okay, so I'm not, you know, putting down
Jesus Christ. He is great. He is greater than all of us.
He is the great God. But even Jesus Christ says that the Father
is greater than I. In the mouth of Jesus Christ
So you must understand, when we look at the Trinity, the Father is
greater. He's greater than the Son and greater than the Holy Spirit.
That's a unique character of the Father.
Though there's a lot of characteristics that all three in the Trinity have in common.
There are some characteristics of the Trinity that are unique to each person
of the Trinity. Okay, now let's look at the Word, Jesus Christ, the second
person of the Trinity. First of all, his omnipotence,
is all powerful. In Revelation 1 verse 8, Jesus says,
I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord,
which is, and which was, and which is to come,
the Almighty. So if he's all powerful,
omnipotence,
he says that he is the Almighty.
It's the same thing, all powerful, almighty.
As all power, referring to Jesus Christ.
And then he's also all knowing, John chapter 21
verse 17. Jesus is speaking to Simon Peter,
and he says, he saith unto him the third time, Simon son of Jonas,
loveth thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto
him the third time, loveth thou me. And he saith unto him, look what Peter
says unto Jesus, and he saith unto him, Lord, thou knowest
all things, thou knowest that I love thee.
So Jesus Christ knowest all things.
He's omniscient, he's all knowing, just as much as the Father.
And he's omnipresent, he's all present, he can be everywhere at once.
The Great Commission, Matthew 28 verse 20, Jesus says, teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you all
way. So I am with you all way, even unto the end
of the world. He's talking to all his disciples, no matter which parts of the world his disciples
went, preaching the gospel, baptizing, teaching them to observe all
things. Jesus says, I am with you, with you all, all way, even unto the end
of the world. So he can be everywhere at once, he can be with all his disciples
at once. He's omnipresent, he's all present, can be everywhere
at once. Now Jesus Christ was sent
by the Father, okay? Now this is what I want you to pay attention to.
Even though God the Father is highest in authority,
the focus, the person of the Trinity, that's the focus of Scripture,
and the focus of the Father and the focus of the Holy Ghost is Jesus Christ.
Okay? You must understand that. Even though the Father is
greater, it pleases him that our focus would be upon
the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything you read in the Scriptures is focused
primarily on the Lord Jesus Christ. So he was
sent by the Father. John chapter 17 verse 25.
This is Jesus speaking.
But I have known thee, and these have known thou, sorry,
and these have known that thou hast sent me.
Okay? Matthew 10 verse 40.
He that receiveth you, Jesus speaking again, he that receiveth you receiveth me,
and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
So Jesus Christ was sent. Jesus Christ is not the
Father because he did not send himself, but he was sent by
the Father. Okay? He was sent by the Father. Luke chapter 4
verse 18. This is a reading of the Scripture
that Jesus Christ reads in the synagogue which originally comes from Isaiah.
And by the way, the Trinity is in this reading as well.
It says, because this is Jesus speaking, these are the words of Jesus, right? And he says
the Spirit of the Lord is upon me. So we have Jesus speaking, he says the Spirit
of the Lord is upon me because he
hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He
hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind, and set at liberty them that
are bruised. So he that sent Jesus we know is the Father.
Jesus is speaking these words, and he says the Spirit of the Lord is upon him.
We have the Trinity in this passage, but I just want to show you that he is the Father
that has sent Christ. Good.
First one out of the way. But I just want to reinforce to you, yes we saw
that the Father is the highest in authority, but I just want to
prove to you that Jesus Christ is subject to the Father.
Jesus Christ humbled himself not just upon this earth
but for all eternity where he is subject to the Father.
John chapter 6 verse 38 says, Jesus speaking,
For I came down from heaven not to do mine
own will, but the will of him that sent me.
So Jesus Christ has a will that's separate to
the Father. Do you see that? It's not just one will, but Jesus has
a separate will to the Father. And Jesus says, I've not come to do my own will
but the will of him that sent me. So we see that Jesus Christ
is obedient to the Father. Not just doing what he wants,
but doing what the Father wants. And that's the lesson for us. We ought to do the will of
the Father, not seek our own will in our life. And then in Luke 22 verse 42,
Jesus speaking again, saying, Father,
if thou be willing, remove this cup from me, nevertheless not my
will, but thine be done. This is before he was crucified
on Calvary. He's saying it's not his will to suffer
all these things. In his manhood, he understood
the suffering, the pain that he was going to go through, the rejection
by the Father. He was going to take upon the sin of the whole world. But he says, if
thou be willing, if thou be willing, speaking to the Father,
nevertheless not my will, but thine be done.
No matter how hard it might be to do the will of God, we might want to do our
own will. No, we need to be subject, as Christ was, subject
to the Father. And you might say, well that's just on the earth, Kevin. No,
even after he's resurrected, even after he establishes his
Millennium Kingdom, and after everything on the earth
is subject under Christ, we still read that Christ
is subject to the Father. In 1 Corinthians 15, verse 27
to 28, it says, speaking of the Father,
for he hath put all things under his feet, the feet
of Jesus Christ now. All things are going to be put under the feet of Christ.
It is God's plan that everything would be subject to
Christ first, and that Christ would be subject to the Father.
But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest
that he is accepted, which did put all things under him.
Now in verse 28, and when all things are subdued under him,
then shall the Son also himself be subject
unto him that put all things under him,
that God may be all in all. So it is the Father's plan
to have everything subject under Christ, and then for Christ to be subject
under the Father. Do you see that? Okay? So even
in the future, even going into eternity,
Jesus Christ is subject under the Father, and
we are subject under Christ. Let's go to the third person
on the Trinity, the Holy Ghost. Is he omnipotent?
Is he all powerful? Yes. Luke 1 35,
The angels answered and said unto Mary,
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest
shall overshadow thee. So the Holy Ghost came
upon Mary, who had the power of the highest.
So that makes him the all powerful God as well. Therefore
also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be
called the Son of God. So we can see the Holy Ghost is supernatural,
is not restricted by this world, but has the power
of the highest. Who is the highest? The Father.
The Holy Spirit is as powerful and all powerful as much as the Father is.
Now is he all-knowing? Is he omniscient? Yes.
1 Corinthians 2 verse 11, For what man knoweth the things of a man,
save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things
of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
So the Spirit of God knows
all the things of God. He's all-knowing, he's omniscient.
He's also all-present.
Omnipresent can be everywhere at once. Psalm 139 verse 7 to 8,
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? So where shall I go from your spirit?
Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up
into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold,
thou art there. So we have the Psalmist here saying, I can't escape your spirit.
Doesn't matter if my place is in heaven or my place is in hell,
even into eternity, behold, thou art there.
The Holy Spirit is omnipresent, all present,
can be everywhere at once. Now the Holy Spirit was also sent by the
Father. John 14 verse 16 to 17, Jesus says, And I will
pray the Father, and he shall send you another Comforter.
Okay, it's not Jesus Christ, it's another Comforter,
that he may abide with you forever.
Even the Spirit of truth, whom the word cannot receive
because it saith him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him,
for he dwelleth in you, and shall be in you.
So Jesus is praying or asking that the Father would send the
Spirit of truth. But not only is he sent by
the Father, but is sent by the Son. In John chapter 16 verse 7,
Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go
away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.
But if I depart, I, Jesus speaking,
I will send him unto you. I will send him unto you.
Okay, so we have the Holy Ghost being sent by the Father,
and sent by the Son. Now the main purpose of the Holy
Spirit, as I said earlier, is to point us to Christ.
He is not part of God or God,
the Spirit, that is trying to gain attention of himself.
Okay, his purpose is to point us to Christ. John 14 26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send
in my name, he shall teach you all things,
pay attention, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever
I have said unto you. So the Holy Spirit's job is to remind
the believers the things that Christ has already taught us
in his word, and what Christ has taught to his disciples during this time.
Do you see? The Holy Ghost is not coming to teach new things, he's coming
to teach and remind the things that Christ has already taught.
John 16 13
Howbeit
Where am I here? Here we go.
John 16 verse 13, Jesus speaking again, Howbeit when he, the Spirit
of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth
pay attention here, for he shall not speak of himself
but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will
show you things to come. So the Holy Spirit did not come
to speak of himself, he came to speak
of Christ. And I've said this to some of you, you know,
this is where a lot of the charismatic Pentecostal churches get this wrong.
You know how much emphasis they put upon the Holy Spirit, you know how the focus
just seems to be the Holy Ghost, and being blessed by
the Holy Ghost, and giving gifts by the Holy Ghost, and those things are true. There are
gifts of the Holy Ghost given to us, but there is such a great emphasis
where you know this is not the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit did not come to speak
of himself. The Holy Spirit came to point us to Christ.
That is his job. Jesus Christ is the central figure of the Bible, the Father
sent Christ, and the Spirit points us to Christ.
Now one of the
heresies that I've been hearing lately is denying the Trinity
but denying the Trinity by saying that the Holy Spirit
or the Holy Ghost is not a person, that the Holy Spirit is this
impersonal force of God, this impersonal power of God, not this
person. I don't know if you guys have heard that before. So that they'll accept the Father
is God, and they'll accept that Jesus Christ is a person, is God,
but they won't accept the Holy Spirit as a unique person, just as
God's power. But the problem is that in John 16 verse 13
well it's not a problem, it's fine for me, but in John 16 verse 13 we see
that
personal pronouns are used to describe the Holy Spirit.
It says,
That's seven times in this one verse, personal pronouns
of the Holy Spirit, he, he's a person.
And not only that, we saw that Christ had his own will, a separate
will to the Father's will, but we see that the Holy Spirit has his own will
in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 11,
That one and that self same spirit
dividing to every man severely
as he will, I'm not sure if I said that
right, as he will, talking about the gifts of the Spirit, that
it is the Spirit's will to decide what gifts he's going to give to the believer.
That's what it's been taught, that he does it, he divides these
gifts according to his will. Okay, so we see
that the Holy Spirit has a will, the Son has a will,
and the Father has a will, and so we can rightly say as they are
individuals, they are unique, and they are persons of the Trinity.
Each one of those, each three of those, okay.
Now let's talk about the one God, so we know there's three, we know the
Father has authority, he has sent the Son, and then the Holy Spirit was sent by the Father
and the Son. Okay, we see this structure of authority, we see this
structure of sending. But now we need to
look at this side of the equation, the one God, these three are one.
The one God. In the Old Testament we read a lot about
the one God, Deuteronomy 4.35, and to thee it will show that
thou mightest know that the Lord, he is God, there is none
else beside him. Okay, we don't believe in many gods,
we don't believe in polytheism, we reject the, you know, the
teachings that there are many gods out there. We reject even if people say there are three gods.
No, there are three, but they are one God, okay.
There is none else beside him. Deuteronomy 4.39, know
therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart of the Lord, he is God
in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath, there is none else.
2 Samuel 7.22, wherefore thou art great
O Lord God, for there is none like thee, neither is there any God
beside thee, neither is there any God
beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
1 Kings 8.60, that all the people of the earth may know
that the Lord is God, and that there is none else
okay, none else besides the one God.
And you might say, well, who are they talking about Kevin, are they talking about the Father, are they talking about the Son here,
are they talking about the Holy, they're talking about the one God, the one God who is three.
2 Kings 19.15,
And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, O Lord God of Israel,
which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou
alone, and all the kingdoms of the earth, thou hast made
heaven and earth. So when we look at this side of the trinity, we see
the three, and we know he's not alone there, right, because
he can be with himself, the Father, with the Son, and the Son
with the Holy Spirit. But then we look at this side of the trinity, and the Bible says that thou,
even thou alone, there's one God, he is God alone
there is no one else. And all the kingdoms of the earth,
thou hast made heaven and earth. Isaiah 43.10, Ye are my
witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen,
that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he.
Before me there was no God formed, neither shall
there be after me. There's no God before God,
and there's no God after God. There is one God, very clearly
taught that in the Old Testament, very clearly taught in the New Testament.
Mark 12.29, And Jesus answered him, The first
of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, the Lord, our God
is one Lord. Romans 3.30,
Seeing it is one God, which art justified the
circumcision by flesh, and uncircumcision through faith.
1 Corinthians 8.4,
And concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered
in sacrifice unto gods, we know that an idol is nothing in the
world, and that there is none other God but one.
None other God but one. Galatians 3.20,
Now a mediator is not a mediator of one,
but God is one. But God is one.
Okay, so is God three? Yes. But is he one?
Yes. Okay, so that's contradictive. Hey, that's the nature of God.
Alright? Just accept the fact that your finite mind is not going to fully understand it.
But let me tell you something. If you put your faith on this, and you believe
he's three, and you believe he's one, you just say, Hey Lord, I might not understand
you know, the scientific, you know, thought
and how that works. Just believe what it says.
And I promise you, if you believe, you won't get confused. Okay?
And as you've already noticed, we can read passages, and it makes perfect sense over here.
It might not make perfect sense over here, but it makes perfect sense over here. And then we'll read
other passages that won't make, you know, sense over here, but they make perfect sense over here.
The one God. Alright? But it doesn't matter which side you're on, if it makes perfect
sense here, where there's three, or plurality,
it doesn't make this any less true. It's still one God.
And if it makes more sense over here, where there's one God, it doesn't make this
any less true. Okay? The three, and the authority
within the three, and the uniqueness within the three.
Now, I was going to,
I just wanted to preach on the Trinity. I didn't want to cover the controversy, and I won't cover the controversy
in any, you know,
I'm not going to go too deep into controversy, but some of you guys are aware of the controversy
that's been happening, especially with my previous church.
But the debate is over the use of the word persons. And I find it
so, I find it childish, guys. Debate over the use
of the word persons. There are some that do not want
to call each one of the Trinity a person.
And they're like, no, God is one person. Right?
And then you've got some over here that say, no, it's three persons,
but don't want to call this side one person.
Let me read some passage, some Bible to you here.
Debate over the use of the word persons.
So Hebrews chapter one, verse one to three.
Hebrews chapter one, verse one to three.
God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners, spake in time past
unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken
unto him by his Son. So by the way, let me just
give you one rule of interpretation when it comes to God. Whenever you read
just God or the Godhead or anything like that in the singular,
just automatically go to this side, the one God.
But sometimes as you're reading, the context is going to describe
who that God is. And in this case, it spoke about God
in the singular, but then it says spoken to us by his Son.
So now we know we're talking about the Father, right? So we've got the singular
God, but his Son, who's the his, that's the Father.
So we know that now this is a reference to the Father in the Trinity.
Whom he have appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made the worlds, who be in the brightness of his glory,
speaking of Jesus being the brightness of his glory, the glory of the
Father, and the express image of his
person. So Jesus is the express image
of his person. Who's his? The Father.
So can we rightly call the Father a person? The Scripture says yes,
right? Jesus Christ is the express image of his person.
Who? The Father. So can we go to this side and start calling
the Trinity persons? Yes, we have the authority of the Scriptures to do that.
Of his person, and upholding all things
by the power, the word of his power, when he had
by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand
of the majesty on high. That majesty being the Father.
Alright, so we see that the Father is referred to as a person. 2 Corinthians
chapter 2 verse 10. Paul writes, to whom you forgive
anything, I forgive also, for I forgave anything to whom
I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person
of Christ. In the person of Christ. Can Christ
be called a person of the Trinity? Yes. So we see the Father
is a person, we see Christ the Son is a person. Now there's no
way in the Bible that I could find that the Spirit is referred to as a person. But my point is
we can be on this side of the equation and say there are three persons.
It's biblical. Don't be afraid to do that. Okay, when you start being
afraid to do that, that's when you go into heresy. You're in danger
of going into heresy. But then we've got
Job chapter 13. Job chapter 13 verse 7 to 8.
Will you speak wickedly for God?
Okay, we're talking about the one God here. Will you speak
wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him? This is
Job speaking and we know the words of Job are righteous and
true according to God.
Will you speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him?
Will you accept his person singular
his person will you contend for God?
So can we rightly on this side call God in
the singular nature a person? Yes we can.
Both sides we can say persons.
But I recognise that as a preacher and as a teacher
when you use certain words you have to explain it and make sure
there's no confusion. Because the danger becomes
if I'm saying persons over here and then I say person over here
the danger becomes that someone will say well maybe
you're describing Jesus as the person and so when you say person
you're taking Jesus and you're applying him over here and so Jesus is the one God
and then Jesus becomes the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. You see that?
But the Bible says hey it's fine to use the word persons either side.
But as a preacher, and you guys know this, when you go soul winning
you know you avoid the word repentance because you know if you bring that up
you're going to spend a long time explaining what repentance isn't and what
repentance is. And you know you can explain the Gospel without going there.
And so as a preacher, as a teacher, if you're going to use words you've got to make sure
you explain that. Because you don't want to leave the hearer confused
and asking questions. What do you mean if you've got to call God a person? Are you saying
that God is one person and he's wearing three hats? You know, emotilism.
But we see that the scriptures are fine.
You can use person there or person there. Though as I preach Future and the Trinity
I'll probably want to avoid that because I don't want to go through this explanation that I went through the last five minutes.
Alright. So stay balanced.
Three and one. The three are one.
So, as we read our Bibles
and I've learnt this as a child, I probably didn't know how to
express this or teach this until I was older and you know I started to give it
more thought. But I've always understood this as a child. Never confuse me. I could read anything
in the Bible about God. Never get confused. God is three.
God is one. Okay. The plurality of God. Immediately
in Genesis 1.26. And God said
and God said, one God,
let us, us, three
us, let us make man in our
image, our, us, our plurality
after our likeness, our likeness
and let them have dominion over the fish in the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattle
and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So one God said, let us
how do we understand the us? The Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
Isaiah 43 verse 10 says
ye are my witnesses saith the Lord
saith the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen
I, singular, I have chosen
that ye may know me and believe me
and understand that I am he
I'm just trying to get my head around why I wrote this.
I don't know why. I was just showing you the three
so there are times that you read in the Bible and it makes sense, let us
write our image, it makes sense to look at God in the Trinity
and understand the triune nature of God.
And then there are other passages like Isaiah 43 verse 10. Ye are my witnesses
saith the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen that ye may know and believe me
and understand that I am he, singular
I am he before me, singular, there was no God formed
neither shall there be after me. So if you read that passage and try to
understand that in the three, that's going to be a little bit hard
because it's I, it's me. So we understand it on this side.
The one God.
Now, so just get in that habit guys
if it starts to get a little confusing, the nature of God, just go
alright, which part is the Bible focusing on? Is it focusing on this side
or is it focusing on this side? Is it the three or is it the one?
But regardless which side it's focusing on, the other side is true.
Okay, never forget that. The other side is always true.
Now there can be some confusion, right? You might read the Bible, let me give you an example
in Isaiah 6.8. Also I heard the voice
of the Lord saying, whom shall
I send? And who will go
for us? What? Whom shall
I send and who will go for
us? That's how you understand it. It's not a contradiction.
It's the one God, it's the three persons. Then said I,
here am I, send me. Some other confusion people have.
Isaiah 9.6, for unto us a child is born
speaking of Jesus Christ, a prophecy of Christ, unto
us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder
and his name shall be called. The name of Christ shall be called.
These are names, if you want to call titles, what have you, nevertheless
these are attributes of Jesus Christ. His name
shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, is he
wonderful? Is he a counsellor to us? Yes he is.
The Mighty God, right? So we're speaking of Jesus
we know a person of the Trinity, but he's the Mighty God.
Okay, this side. The Everlasting
Father. The Prince of Peace.
Is Jesus all of these things? Yes. Is this his name?
Yes. Title, whatever you want to say. Regardless, these
are attributes to Jesus Christ. We shouldn't be afraid
to say then, the name of Jesus Christ here
is the Everlasting Father. And just a natural reading of that
you conclude it's God the Father. Just a natural reading without
having to put your pom-poms on and argue for one side or the other. Just
a natural reading. The Everlasting Father is God the Father.
And if you say prove that to me, in the same book
Isaiah 63 verse 16, Doubtless thou art
our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel
acknowledge us not, thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer,
thy name is from Everlasting. So if that's not
in Isaiah 9-6, if that's not
the Everlasting Father, as in God the Father, then who's this in Isaiah 3-16?
Is this another Everlasting Father? I had someone say to me, Kevin, that's not
God the Father. Jesus is just another Everlasting Father.
You can be an Everlasting Father. If your children are saved,
they're going to last forever, and I'm saved, I'm going to last forever, I'm an Everlasting Father.
So everyone can be an Everlasting Father. But that takes away
from this title given to Christ, the
definite article Everlasting Father capitalised with the F.
It's something that's unique to Christ. How do we
understand this? Didn't we just say the Father is different to the Son
and the Father has authority over the Son? Yes we did.
But did you not notice that we changed to the Mighty God?
To the Everlasting Father? So what the Bible is saying is that
as much as the Father is God, the one God,
Jesus Christ is God. They are co-equal in nature.
The Father is God, Jesus Christ is God, co-equal in
nature, but not co-equal in authority. Not co-equal
in person on this side of the Trinity. But on this side, the one,
they are the one God. Do we say here
that God is the Everlasting Father? We can say that. Can we say God is the Son?
We can say that. All the attributes of the Father,
all the attributes of the Son, all the attributes of the Holy Spirit
are true to the one God. The name of Jesus
Christ is unique to him, and I'll show you that later on,
unique to the Son, but it is a name of God.
One of many names that God has. Every attribute that he can give the Trinity
is true to the one God. By the way, it's not three and
one, it's not four in that sense. It's three and one, both true at the same time.
Not four, not two, not ten, not fifty, not a hundred.
The nature of God is three and one. That's the nature of God.
Now God might be able to speak
and manifest through different objects, like the burning bush.
We see things like that. Nevertheless, that was still the one God
and three. Still three and one.
So there's no need for confusion. There's no need for
all this waste of time that goes on sometimes.
John 14 verse 8 and 9, Philip saith unto him, Lord, show
us the Father, and it suffices us. Jesus saith unto
him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet has
thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me, hath
seen the Father, and how sayest thou then, show us the Father.
So what's Jesus saying? If you've seen me, you've seen the Father.
Is he saying he is the Father in that sense?
Because if Jesus replaces the Father, guess what? You no longer have a trinity.
No, that remains true. We go over here, the Father is God, Jesus
is God, the Father is just as much God as Jesus is God. So if you've seen
Jesus, you've seen the Father. John 10.30, I
my Father are one. Of course,
1 John 5.7, these three are one. So is it any, is it
surprising that Jesus will say, I my Father are one? When we know that all three
are one. So what are we, we're over here, aren't we? The one
God. Not one, not a unity,
right? A trinity, but over here, a one.
One God. So do you see how
when you read the Bible, if you just believe both, accept both, and just
make sure that you understand what part he's been focused on, you'll never get into error.
Both are true at all times.
And whenever there are these blurs, and there will
be blurs, right? There are going to be blurs of line. There's going to
be times where you're not, is that the Father, is that Jesus, is that the Holy Spirit?
There are going to be times you read that, but again, whenever there's that blurring, just go over here.
Of course, one God. Of course, one God.
Let me give you some examples of this. I gave you some examples of the Father and Jesus Christ.
But look at the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit in Matthew 10-20
For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father, which speaketh in you.
So the Holy Spirit here is called the Spirit of
your Father, the Holy Father, the everlasting Father, God the Father.
Romans 8 and 9. For ye are not
in the flesh, but in the Spirit, and so be that the Spirit of God
dwell in you. Now if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ,
he is none of his. So now the Holy Spirit
is given the name of the Spirit of the Father, of your Father, and the Spirit of
Christ. Is it because the Holy Spirit is Jesus and the Holy Spirit is the Father? No!
It's because it's one God. Okay?
Turn your attention to this side when you get confused.
Because we must maintain the uniqueness of the persons, the authority
structure, and that which sent which along the way in history.
Now here's where people get confused. And this is where
people start to get into heresy. Is when they read these
merging and this blur. And they know that the name of
Jesus. Let me just get the right context here.
Sorry. They know
that at the name of Jesus that every knee should bow, right?
They know that the name of Jesus is the greatest name
of God. It is the greatest name of God. And they also
recognise that the Father is greater than the Son.
And so what people start to do is well, if the
Father is the greatest, but yet the name
is the greatest. Does that mean Jesus is the Father on this
side? Does that mean Jesus is the Son? Does that mean Jesus is the Holy Spirit?
Can we call all three persons Jesus?
And they probably have
a thought saying, hey, I just want to glorify Christ.
I just want to hold Him up to the level that He deserves to be up to.
That's probably their mindset. You know, He deserves to be as great as the Father.
That's probably what they're thinking. But that's not how
we look at Jesus Christ. That's not how we look at His name. Let me show you this.
Philippians 2, actually turn there. I want to show you this. Philippians 2 verse 5.
Philippians 2 verse 5.
2.11
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ
Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not
robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation,
and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made
in the likeness of man, and being found in fashion
of man, He humbled Himself and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. Is there any
doubt of who we're talking about here? When we look at the Trinity,
do we have any doubt of who we're referring to here in the Trinity?
It's Jesus Christ, He made Himself of no
reputation, took upon Him the form of a servant, the likeness of man,
humbled Himself, became obedient unto death, the death of the cross.
Who died on the cross? Was it the Son? Was it the Father?
Was it the Holy Ghost? It was the Son who died on the cross.
We're talking about Jesus Christ, the Son, the One who was
manifest in the flesh. Wherefore
God also hath highly exalted Him.
You don't need to exalt Jesus any higher than what God exalts Him.
How did God exalt Jesus Christ? And given Him a name
which is above every name.
He's given Jesus a name above every name.
Every name on earth, every name in heaven.
And at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth
and things under the earth. All
people, all beings of heaven, of earth,
of hell, the things under the earth are going to
bow their knee before the name of Jesus Christ.
It is the greatest name, the name above every name.
And look at verse 11, and that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory
of God the Father.
To the glory of God the Father. It glorifies
the Father when we glorify
the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. It glorifies the Father
to have given Jesus Christ a name that is above His
own name. It's a name above all names.
Think about that. It glorifies the Father to say
hey my son who was obedient unto death, I'm going to
glorify Him, I'm going to exalt Him, I'm going to give Him the
name of Jesus Christ. And that glorifies me as much as it
glorifies Him. And so these people that want to take the name of
Jesus and say well Jesus is the name of the Father and the name of the Holy Spirit
as well, no! That does not glorify the Father. You think you're trying to
glorify God by doing that, but no! It glorifies the Father
to have that name for the Son which is above every name. Do you see that?
And so when you start to be afraid to call these three persons
and you say no, it's only one person and that person's name is Jesus
and that Jesus is, you know, one musician playing
three instruments or one person wearing three hats and you take away
the persons of the Trinity, you get into heresy
because now you're calling all three aspects of the Trinity Jesus Christ.
That does not glorify the Father. It glorifies the Father
that the Son would have the name of Christ, the name of Jesus Christ.
So we cannot give the Father and the Holy Spirit the name of Jesus.
It is not the same person in the Trinity, but it is
the one true God.
Now people will use many analogies to explain the Trinity. You know, in my
old church in Punchbowl, that was like Muslim central in Sydney.
All the Muslims come and live there. And so immediately as you're preaching the
gospel, the question is, well, you've got to defend the deity of Christ.
You've got to explain the deity of Christ. But you don't stop there because you've got to explain the Trinity. You've got to explain
the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. These three are one.
And so this is something we did all the time. And you'll use different, people use different analogies
Some will use time and say, well, see, time has three aspects,
has past, present and future. Some people use space, you know, time, space and matter.
Space is a three-dimensional world, length, breadth and height.
Matter, solid, liquid and gas.
Some use the analogy of the sun, you know, you've got the gravity of the
sun, you've got the light and the heat. Some people explain
man, you know, man has a body, soul and spirit according to the Bible.
Some people use a three-leaf clover, you know, three leaves, one
stem. Some people use the egg, you know, the shell, the white of the egg
and the yolk. And they're like, see, all three aspects are required
for that one thing to exist. It does more than
one thing, you know. There are three roles or three, you know,
parts that make up that one, say, egg, you know.
Three parts, the shell, the yolk and the white make up that one egg. And so there are analogies
and I'm not against using analogies. I've used analogies to explain the Trinity
but never get to the point where you build your doctrine
from your analogy. I find that's where people mess it up because there's no
analogy, there's no analogy that's going to perfectly represent the Trinity
in every way, shape and form, okay. Just, it's
three and there's one. That's it. There's three and one. Keep it simple.
Analogies are good to describe but don't build
your doctrine on the Trinity on your analogy. And that's another error
I see people do.
People use diagrams, you know, people use diagrams. They use,
I don't know if you've seen the is and the is not diagram. They'll have God in the
centre and they'll say, well, you know, Jesus is God, the Father
is God, the Spirit is God, but then they'll have the is not, so the Son is not
the Father, the Father is not the Spirit and the Spirit is not, you know,
Christ. Or some people might use a diagram of three
interlinked circles, you know, they'll have one circle that's the Father, one circle
that's Christ and one circle that's the Holy Spirit, you know.
And while they're unique but yet they're interlinked, that one God.
Look, again, I'm not against diagrams, but again, if you're going to build your
doctrine of a diagram, you're going to get it mixed up. You're going to mess it up.
The Bible tells us, in Acts 17
29, for as much then as we
are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like
unto gold or silver or stone or graven by art or man's
device. As soon as, look, they're helpful, you know, image,
pictures, analogies, these things are helpful to convey
some truth, but don't let that become what you build
your doctrine of. Otherwise it can become an idol like it did for these people in
Acts 17. Say, Kevin, isn't it your job
to explain the Trinity?
You know, I'm doing the best I can. I'm using the Scriptures I can. I'm doing
the best I can. But as I said earlier, you can only understand it through faith.
Hebrews 11, verse 3 says
through faith we understand, so through faith we understand
that the worlds were framed by the Word of God so that things which are
seen were not made of things which do appear. Now do you understand
that? Do you understand how the world was framed by the Word of God?
Do you really understand that? You know, scientifically,
can you explain that to me? No, you can't. But we do
understand it through faith. Through faith we understand.
And when you find yourself not understanding things in the Bible,
let me encourage you to say, I don't understand this God, but
I believe it. And as I believe it, as I put my faith in you,
you need to help me understand it. Can I fully understand the Trinity? Can I fully understand
how three is one or one is three? I can't fully understand that.
But I understand it in faith. It doesn't confuse me
when I read the Scriptures because I can see it sometimes here
and I can see it sometimes here. No matter where I see it, both sides are true.
It should be simple. It's simple for a child. I think it's more easy
for a child. You know, many things in the Bible are more simple for children than they are for adults.
So I want you to just
place your faith on the Trinity. Yes, there are three and there are one. These things
are clearly taught in the Scriptures. Without faith it is impossible to
please Him. So in conclusion,
in conclusion, John chapter 17 verse 11.
I want you to notice this. And now I am no more in the world
but these are in the world and I come to thee.
Holy Father, keep through thine
sorry, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me
that they may be one as we are. Jesus Christ
calls His Father Holy Father. Acts 3
13 to 14. Acts 3, 13 to 14.
The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob,
the God of our fathers, have glorified His Son
Jesus whom ye delivered up and denied Him in the presence of Pilate
when He was determined to let Him go. But ye denied the
Holy One and the just and desireth a murderer
to be granted unto you. So the Father is the Holy Father
and Jesus is the Holy One.
Acts 13 verse 52. And the disciples were filled with
joy and with the Holy Ghost.
We know the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, different ways to describe Him
to name Him. The Holy Ghost, the Holy
One, the Holy Father. Isaiah 6
verse 1 to 3. In the year that King Uzziah died, I
saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up,
and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims.
Each one had six wings. With twain he covered his face,
and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
And one cried unto another and said, Holy,
Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole
earth is full of His glory. Verse 3, I'll
read it again. And he cried unto another and said, Holy, Holy,
Holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth
is full of His glory. You know, we
serve not just the Holy God, but we serve a
Holy, Holy, Holy God. Why?
Because these three are one. Take your song sheets.
Turn to the back there.
Song number six.
Let's cry it out with the seraphims, guys. Song number six.
Holy, Holy, Holy.
I'll get you to stand.
Because the seraphims were standing, right? Let's sing it up.
Song number six.
Holy, Holy, Holy,
God Almighty,
early in the morning
our song shall rise to thee.
Holy, Holy,
Holy, Merciful
and Mighty, God
in three persons,
a Trinity.
Holy, Holy, Holy,
all the saints adore
thee, casting down their
golden crowns around the
glassy sea.
Cherubim and seraphim,
fallen down before thee,
which words and art
and evermore shall
be. Holy,
Holy, Holy, though
the darkness hide thee,
though the eye of sinful men,
thy glory may not see.
Holy, thou art
holy, there is none
beside thee, perfect
in power in love
and purity. Sing it up, guys. Last one.
Holy, Holy, Holy
Lord God Almighty,
all thy works shall
praise thy name in earth and sky
and sea. Holy,
Holy, Holy,
Merciful and Mighty,
God in three persons,
blessed Trinity.
You may be seated.
One point that I do want to make
that I forgot to mention in my sermon, those that teach
that God is one person being Jesus Christ
and the name of the Father is Jesus and the name of the Son is Jesus and the name of the Holy Spirit
is Jesus, I will not fellowship with those people. I'll just tell you the truth.
Why? Because now they're in danger of bringing another
Jesus, alright? We are not to fellowship with people that have
another Jesus. And if it's another
Jesus who's not just the Son, name that glorifies God
the Father, not just the Son, but they think it's also the name of the Father and of the Holy
God, that's another Jesus. And so I would not fellowship with people like that
just for the record. Alright, I'm done.