Relationship With Our Lord, Pt. 1 (08/01/2021)

Relationship Within the Trinity Before Creation

Yeah, I was joking, Ron. I was joking with Ron last week about how I'm still kind of figured out trying to figure out how I got in this position exactly. And he said, Welcome to the club. So he and I can empathize with each other at this point.

But yeah, I mean, this is this is kind of funny not to make light of it, but just like, you know, it is what it is. It's happening. So there's no going back at this point. Here, I don't know if anybody else.

I'm curious. Does anyone remember this? The whole Bible with the Word document pages in it? When dad first asked me to do this, and I like kind of knew that I said yes, it was like, I was locked in. I was like, if I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna go old school.

Not I know you're watching dad, not that the PowerPoint isn't great. It's especially it's especially great for our online, our online crew. But I knew I wanted to go old school. And when I did this, and I kind of missed that aspect of it.

Seeing dad in the back with his with his paper sermon, writing down notes, all the way leading up until he'd go up to preach. I actually remember as a kid driving down Highway 14 in the suburban, with him driving, and with his Word document on the steering wheel, writing notes as we were going.

So I kind of missed that. And not only do I have that I'm literally like, I'm wearing dad's shoes today. I'm wearing his tie. I've got his watch on. I've got my Parker pin. Now don't worry that I didn't go raid in your closet this weekend.

These are these were things that you gave me but trying to I don't know, maybe channel him to some degree. Not that that's what's gonna not that that's what's gonna bring the message or anything like that.

But um, all right, let's see. Well, since it's not, you know, this, this may be as close to David, at least looking like David Mitchell, as you'll get without actually being David Mitchell. But since that isn't going to be what does anything for you all today.

Let's pray really quick. Heavenly Father, Lord, I don't yet understand why you've given me this very unique opportunity. But I thank you for it. And I just ask that you please lead me throughout the day.

Throughout this morning. Lord, I just ask that every word that I say is from you. And that this blesses everybody. And for now, Lord, I don't know what else to say. So I'll say amen. And we'll get started.

Now I didn't really know. I'll take it back. So dad, dad asked me to do this. I had an idea of what I wanted to do. But I quickly, you know, started praying about it, because I certainly didn't want to do anything.

I want to have a piece about what I was doing. Like I had an idea, but I wanted to like feel really good about it. And I'll tell you what that is in a second. But I was just kind of asking for that piece asking, if you will, and it start part of that confirmation started with one of our Wednesday night Bible studies we did with Dave, which has been fantastic, by the way, for those of you haven't been able to join yet, if you are able to, they are awesome.

And one of the conversations that just kind of sprung up toward the end of it, kind of fell on this topic, and we started digging into it a little bit. And, you know, we kind of with Ron and Pam, Ash, Katie, they were started talking about a little bit.

And so that was kind of the first like inkling of like, okay, you know, I'm feeling kind of good about this, this being a topic that we can talk about. And then on the way to Waco, just a couple of days later, Ash and I were listening to a YouTube video, where John MacArthur was talking with this guy, some of you guys may know Ben Shapiro, he's a really conservative guy, he's an Orthodox Jew.

And he's really awesome. But it was really interesting hearing these two discuss Christianity, Judaism, but at one point, I don't even remember if it was it had anything specifically to do with their conversation.

But at one point, John MacArthur gave this really succinct, but really awesome quote, I'm actually going to going to quote it here just a little bit for you guys. And that was kind of another little bit of just like, yeah, this is something I feel good about talking about.

And couldn't think of a catchy title for it or anything. It's pretty practical. But the topic is just relationship with our Lord. And one of the things one of the things that made me think about this in the first place, was at the beginning of the year, Ashton had asked me to take part in Bible in a year.

I don't know if you guys have ever done that before. I had never done it before this year. Ashton did it last year. And I was kind of reluctant, not that I not that I don't think it's an awesome thing to do.

But like, I've always had this thought of just like, you know, it's cool, but why do Bible in a year, you're going through everything so fast, you know, several chapters a day in order to fit it in, you'll miss stuff.

There's so many important, you know, things. Hey, Nels to Betty, by the way, I don't think I've seen you until just now. I'm glad y 'all got to be here today. But you know, you're going through it fast, you might miss stuff, right?

That was always kind of my thought about it. But I went ahead and did it. But as I was doing it, I was like, how have I never done this before? Because what's unique about it, or at least for us is being in this particular church with Brother Bill and with dad, we go through these passages, one verse at a time, one word at a time, it's what we're used to.

So we don't miss anything like that. We don't miss any of the details. But now going through the whole Bible in the year and getting things in kind of a broad context, quickly at a time, again, several chapters at a time, you start seeing these little, not little, like the details we cover, but the massive doctrines in the detail that we're so used to hearing, you start seeing in this broader context.

And so that has been really cool, really cool for me this year. It's really made kind of an impact in that regard. But in doing this, and going through it, we're still in the Old Testament right now. But in going through it, I just started noticing all of these unique passages about the relationship that God wants to have with his people.

And so that's kind of the nature of this. This is basically, if you want to call it anything, because I certainly don't consider it a sermon, so to speak. But if you want to call it anything, it's basically a Bible study, for lack of a better term that I started, and I'm still working on.

So again, we'll see what this turns into. This may be all over the place. I'm not sure yet. So again, relationship with the Lord in terms of just being just a topic, right? It's pretty practical. I mean, it's seemingly extremely basic part of the Christian walk, but the importance of it couldn't really be overstated enough.

So what we're going to do as we go through this is we're going to take a look at how the Bible, I've got to slow down, I've got to breathe. This has happened to me before. I've only taught, there's only been a couple of times that I've actually talked in front of groups of people.

This may be only the third or fourth time ever. And in a minute, I'll calm down, but the adrenaline is so high, I forget to breathe. And then it gets really uncomfortable really fast. I also understand, by the way, which is not good for you guys, why dad has it so cold in here all the time, because he's always up here.

It like it has to be cold. I don't know if it's the adrenaline or what, but like, I would be dying right now if it was any warmer. So that's not good for y 'all because now I empathize with dad and why the temperature is always so low in here.

Okay, I think I caught up with my breathing enough. So what we're going to do is we go through this, we're going to take a look at how the Bible illustrates the importance of the relationship between between God, between Jesus, between with us, why it's and so why it's so important, not only to us, but also to him.

And some of the ways of how we as individuals, but certainly as the church must do our part in order to please the Lord. And what we'll see, as we kind of go through some of these passages that we'll look at, is, you know, being able to partake in what he intended from the beginning.

And honestly, and again, this kind of came out in some of those conversations I was talking about. And at that Bible study is what I believe may be one of the most, our most important purposes of being created in the first place.

So the word relationship, it's not found in the Bible, at least in the KJV. But a lot of the way like the concept of it, the ways that we can have relationship with the Lord, it can be found in a lot of different ways.

So it can be found in passages where, you know, we're being his friend, we're talked about as being his friend, certainly in obeying his commandments. We're going to be looking at scripture in a few minutes, kind of back up some of these ideas, seeking his presence.

This is certainly a way that we can have relationship with him, being thankful for what he's given us, right? Showing gratitude and like enormous amount of blessings that we all receive just about every day, going to him in prayer, hearing his word, a lot of examples like that.

So before we start getting into some of that stuff, though, start looking at why we should be continually seeking this intimate relationship with him and how we can do that exactly. What I want to do is I want to start at the beginning, or arguably even before the beginning, and see why this is so important in the first place.

So we're gonna be jumping around a whole lot today. We're going to start with John chapter six, verse 37. But we're certainly not going to stick around there the whole time we're going to be we're gonna be jumping around a little bit.

So let's see here. Okay, so again, we're kind of, I kind of want to just to the best of my ability, go through a few passages talking about, again, what, what could one of our greatest purposes of being created in the does that translate into this seemingly practical, you know, topic, again, relationship with the Lord, you know, got it, check, you know, we can check that off.

That's kind of, that's kind of the perception of against just, it's seemingly a basic part, but let's, let's really dig into it here. So, verse 37, here in John chapter six, it starts with all that the Father have all that the Father have given, gosh, let me start over.

Again, I've got to slow down a little bit. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out, for I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me.

And this is the Father's will, which has sent me that all of which he had given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me that everyone which seeth the Son believeth on him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day.

Now, we know that this is one of the best passages regarding our eternal security, obviously, he's going to raise up everyone that's been given to him. That is a verse we go to pretty often here, regardless of the context.

It's one that that just hits a lot of bases. So we know that that's one of the best passages regarding our eternal security. It also gives us a glimpse, though, and kind of where I'm wanting to get started here from what I can tell into something, you know, pretty spectacular that took place even before creation happened.

Now, in many passages throughout both Testaments, both the Old and the New Testament, there's this unique implication and possibly even more an actual explicit mention. Dad, you may know where this is, or Brother Bill or anybody, if there is a more explicit mention of it.

But there's certainly, it's certainly implied in a lot of different passages. And that is of a great council, if you will, that took place before the foundations of the world, between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, between the Trinity, where, you know, they made the plans, you know, where this sovereign plan, which we all live out every single day, that the prophets spoke of, that Jesus himself taught, where it was determined and eventually spoken into existence.

So again, there's, it's implied that they got together and that they kind of started putting things in motion, even before it was spoken into existence. Now, I'll explain why this is so important here in just a second.

But we'll, really quick, we'll see the very first verse, where we, as again, individuals, and as God's children start coming into the picture for the first time, Genesis 1, verse 26, even though in reality, we were already there, he says, and God said, let us make man in our image.

So first of all, obviously, it's so interesting that the way that's phrased, let us make man in our image. So the Trinity, you know, the Trinity has been explicitly talked about from the very beginning.

Now, here's the John MacArthur quote that I heard just in the middle of a big, you know, like hour or 20 minute video, it's an awesome video, if you all ever, he literally presents the gospel to this, you know, Orthodox Jewish man, in a way that was like, so graceful.

And Ben Shapiro, the guy that was listening, literally just let him just talk and just present it and didn't interrupt. So it allowed John MacArthur to hit like all the points. And it was just so awesome.

But in the middle of that, he said relationship from a God, I'm sorry, relationship comes from a God who has relationship within himself. Like I said, just it's very succinct, very, very cool quote. And but we're gonna we're about to look at some passages that that back up that statement, because it sounds cool.

But we'll see kind of where he's getting that from. Okay, I just thought of something that dad, I don't think you thought of, because now I get to give my side of the story. So you guys know, you dad use this just about a couple times a month, the cool preacher thing.

Y 'all know that he always has been you back there. You know, there's a cool preacher saying he tells the story of how I, you know, dad was like, they get this by hearing it from a cool preacher. And then I step in and my dad, there's no such thing as a cool preacher.

Okay, so here's what actually happened. So in that I'm not this, you, you didn't miss you don't, you don't necessarily tell it wrong. It's just a little bit, there's a little bit more detail. So what happened was dad did say, you know, some cool preacher said it.

And in my mind, I was thinking, now, obviously, dad doesn't know what I was thinking. So that's why I'm having to fill in the story here. I was thinking, you know, while I certainly believe there are some cool preachers, john MacArthur being one of them, Arthur pink, Whitfield, Spurgeon, I mean, you go down the list, I definitely think these guys are awesome.

They are cool. But the phrase, cool old preacher sounds like an oxymoron. And so I and so I was like, Dad, that's a funny phrase. That doesn't it sounds contradictory, like it doesn't go together. And so he laughed, we had a good time and things like that.

But he took that to mean that I said, Dad, there's no such thing as a cool preacher. So just to clear that up. I do think old preachers are awesome. They are cool. Even though it does sound like a contradictory statement.

So anyways, this quote is cool. But let's kind of back it up a little bit. And so even this first passage that I read in john chapter six, all that the Father hath given me the will of him that sent me all which he hath given me.

These are some of the key phrases we're going to look at because the fact that we were given to Jesus as a love gift before the beginning before the foundations of the earth, or what is going to really set the stage for this.

So again, john MacArthur's quote relationship comes from a God who has relationship within himself, john 17, five, and we're going to be coming back to john 17, a lot, but in different parts throughout this, it says, and now Oh, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with the before the world was.

So we start to see already this, this relationship that they have had together, since before the world was even created, it is a God that has relationship within himself. Now, Colossians 115 says, who is in the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature in the context of that particular verse.

You know, Jesus was just giving thanks. I'm sorry. This is Colossians 115, the context of, you know, him being the firstborn of every creature, just prior to that, in the first verses of that book. It's giving thanks to the Father who gave us redemption through his son, the incomparable son.

And then, you know, who is made in the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. And you can compare that with with Romans 829, he that might be the firstborn of many brethren. So before we were created before, before, again, time started in the way that we know it.

One, the Trinity was there and they did have relationship within themselves. As we saw in John 15, 17, five, a second ago, but they were already thinking about incorporating us into the picture and allowing us to take part in that relationship and reciprocate it.

And we'll see more of that pretty soon as well. John chapter one, one and two. I mean, again, these are passages we're all so familiar with. But in this context, I feel like it's just so awesome. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God.

There's relationship just between within the Trinity. From the beginning, the word was with God and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. John chapter five, 30 through 32. I can have my own self do nothing is I hear I judge this is Jesus talking and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will, but the will of the father which hath sent me.

If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There's another that bears witness of me. And I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true. That can't be possible without a pretty close relationship within the Trinity themselves.

Now that strong relationship, it's reaffirmed over and over again. But even just later in John chapter 10, verse 27, my sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish.

Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father, which gave them to me, which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand. So again, we're looking at the passage that is incredible, not only for our eternal security, but for just reaffirming the close relationship between the father and the son and how that directly impacts us as well.

So again, we're kind of setting the stage here, just taking a look at the close relationship between the father, the son and the Holy Spirit for now. So that's where I'm kind of coming from with these particular passages.

And then he ends it by saying that passage, I and my father are one. So that's kind of the key phrase there. The relationship is strong within the Trinity. Now, this is an interesting one. I went ahead and stuck this one in.

But again, it's just reaffirming this relationship. The context of this is talking about the future reign of the father's anointed one. And this is a passage that Brother Bill has talked about numerous times in the past, but Psalm 2, just absolutely incredible Psalm, but starting in verse 7, he says, I will declare the degree.

The Lord hath said unto me, thou art my son, this day have I begotten me. So already, I mean, again, you can start seeing just how intimate this relationship is between the father and the son. Ask of me, and I will give you the heathen.

I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance in the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with the rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

So it's clear that God has relationship within himself. You know, the quote by John MacArthur, again, it was awesome, but it's backed up by a lot of verses. He is a God that has relationship within himself, and a very close, intimate one at that.

And that, again, cannot be, that can't be overstated, and it plays such a big part in everything we're talking about today. Jesus continually pointed out just how close he and the father were, but we have examples in the Old Testament as well, and we just looked at a couple of them, but it is this model relationship that sets the standard for us to follow, but also sheds light on perhaps one of the main reasons we were created in the first place, which I already alluded to a couple of times.

The Elect Given to the Son as a Love Gift

So now, yeah, okay, so we're still in the introduction here. So we see relationship within the Trinity. So now we're going to start taking a look at why exactly we were created, one of the main purposes we were created, and why relationship is so important, not just for our sakes, but because it's such a big part of that purpose that we need to be serving.

So we're going to look at some passages here that specifically talk about the elect being given as a love gift to the Son. We already kind of hit a couple of these, but here's a few more. So Matthew 13, 34 says, all these things spake Jesus into the multitude in parables, and without a parable spake he not into them.

This is super fascinating. Verse 35, that it may be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

So first of all, here we are once again looking at this idea of things being planned out before the foundation of the world, from the foundation of the world, from the beginning. And what he's saying here is he is uttering these parables, the things he is uttering through these parables are things that have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Now the context of that is Jesus just finished speaking a bunch of parables right up earlier in chapter 13, and one of the parables that he spoke of was the parable of the wheat and the tares, where he talks about how basically, you know, he planted his own and the enemy came in and tried to mess things up and put in a bunch of tares in there just to make it messy.

And, you know, the disciples later when he's explained the parable, I believe, is when this takes place, they ask, you know, someone asked, do we need to go harvest your wheat for you? And he says, no, or I'm sorry, should we go remove the tares?

He says, no, because you may damage one of my wheat. And then later he sends in the reapers, he puts the wheat in his barn, he burns the chaff. So one of those parables that was kept secret, one of the things that was kept secret that he later spoke through parables before the foundation of the world was us.

And there's a couple other examples of it. But that's obviously one that we talked about a lot. And it's a really, really unique one at that. John 17, to again, we're going to be coming back to john 17.

A lot, he says, is thou has given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. So remember, right now, we're, we're trying to get a grasp on the importance of the fact that we were given to Jesus as a love gift.

Okay. And in some cases, it, it talks about how that was the case, even before the earth was created. Later, later on down, verse 17, I'm sorry, chapter 17, verse six, I have manifested my I have manifested thy name into the men, which thou gave us to me out of the world, thine they were, and thou gave us the me and they have kept thy word.

And then later down in chapter 17, verse 24. Father, I will that they also who now has given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory, which thou has given me for thou lovest for thou love lovest me, I think he's having to say that that loves me before the foundation of the world.

So again, we see relationship there between the father and the son, but also in the context of us being given to him before the foundation of the world. Hebrews chapter two, starting verse 10, for it became him for whom are for whom are all things.

Okay. For it became him for whom are all things in by whom are all things in bringing many sons into glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings for both he that sanctify and they who are sanctified are all of one.

For which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name into my brethren in the midst of the church, I will sing and to be. And again, I will put my trust in him and behold.

And again, behold, I and the children which God has given me. So the context there, let's see here. Yeah. The context of that passage, giving thanks to the father who gave us redemption through his incomparable son.

No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. This is for the context of this next chapter. We're looking at Colossians. We're going to go back to Colossians one 15. I read that earlier, but I have it back in here for, for, uh, we're going to go a little bit further in that, but in this Hebrews, in this Hebrews passage here at the top verse 10 that we started with, for whom are all things.

And then he finishes it by once again, reaffirming the children, which God has given me. Okay. So again, us being given to the Lord as a love gift plays such an important, uh, part in this, in this whole topic here.

So again, back to Colossians one 15, we read this one earlier, but we're going to go down a little bit more. Again, it says who in the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature. And so the context of this, where again, uh, the writer of Colossians is giving thanks to the father who gave us redemption through his incomparable son, verse 16 for by him were all things created that are in heaven that are in the earth, invisible, I'm sorry, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by him.

And for him, we certainly fall in that basket. And he is before all things. And this is one of the coolest verses. And by, by him, all things consist. We're going to jump over to first Corinthians eight, six, just this first, but to us, there is, but one God, the father of whom are all things.

And we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things. And we buy him Titus two 14 says, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself because that's what we're here for a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

We certainly want to be peculiar. Now to reiterate MacArthur's quote, relationship comes from a guy who has relationship with him himself. It's certainly true. There was relationship within the father, the son of the Holy spirit before the foundation of the earth.

Again, there's passages that imply that the great council, just of them being together and determining what we now know as the sovereign plan that we are literally living out every single day. But that's followed up with all of these passages where we are told that we were given to Jesus as a love gift.

And in a few places from the foundation of the earth. Now, now that we know that biblically God does have relationship within himself and that we were given to him as a love gift. I'm sorry, that we were given as a love gift to the son.

Specifically, we can start to see that a very important purpose we should be doing a very important purpose that we should serve. And that is having that relationship with the Lord ourselves, reciprocate the love and the focus that he gives us because as we're going to see, and what I will again, kind of reiterate later, the ball is certainly in our court.

I mean, we could, we could talk about so many examples just within our own lives here of him reaching out him wanting to give us that relationship all the time. What is the common denominator? It's us.

Well, that's the common denominator, but then what we like the next part, the reason that that makes this topic so important to talk about that it couldn't be overstated is that we do have to think about it.

We have to put forth a lot of effort as you know, in your relationships with, among friends, spouses, siblings, parents, relationships, if you want them to be solid, set on solid ground, if you want them to work, you have to put in a lot of effort, right?

So as we'll see in even more detail, without putting the focus in the right place, what we're going to see is we're not going to be in a very good position. If we don't put the focus in the right place, we are not going to be in a very good position with the one whom we should care about the most, whom we should yearn for that relationship more than any other.

And this is so crazy to me, even in the old Testament, with Moses talking, even in the old Testament, circumcision of the heart was necessary. We just got finished. We just finished up, you know, Romans chapter eight with dad, even, even nine, I think it was eight where Paul talks a lot about circumcision of the heart.

I mean, that's a theme throughout all of Romans. But in Deuteronomy chapter 10, verse 16, even in the old Testament with the one by whom the law was given to deliver to us, it's still necessary. Circumcised therefore the foreskin of your heart and be no more stiff necked for the Lord.

Your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty and a terrible, which regardeth not persons nor taketh reward. So there you have a good dose of a couple of things. One, it's not, it's not, you have to circumcise, you have to circumcise your heart.

You have to have your heart in the right place. You have to want and desire that relationship as well as, you know, going through the motions, doing the things that he commanded us to do. And then it's followed up by saying, you know, the Lord, your God is God of gods, Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty and a terrible, which regardeth not persons nor taketh reward.

That is someone that you want to be in solid relationship with, not whom you want to be ignoring. Now the context of that, Deuteronomy chapter 10, 16 through 17. Okay. So the tablets, the 10 commandments had already been destroyed by Moses because of his anger at the people who were, who were certainly not doing their part, just to put it lightly.

I mean, we could talk about that for quite a while. Moses destroyed the tablets. They've been rewritten. Moses went up to the mount for 40 days and 40 nights leading up to this verse where he says, circumcise the foreskin of your heart.

He goes up to the mount for 40 days, 40 nights, and to basically plead with the Lord not to destroy his people because of them being absolutely awful. And then they are required by God after Moses pleads with him for 40 days and 40 nights, the tablets being rewritten, Moses comes back down.

His people are then required by God to walk in his ways, love him, serve him. That's the context of that passage where he says, circumcise, therefore the foreskin of your heart coming from Moses. I don't know why I find that so fascinating.

I mean, obviously this is what Paul was quoting in the New Testament was this passage, but you know, we associate the law. We, you know, with Moses, obviously, and the law being very much a going through the motions type age, if you will.

Not that, you know, the relationship wasn't there in so many cases. That's what's unique about this dispensation we're in now is we have the ability that they have the ability then to, and Moses even told them, what you're doing over here isn't enough.

So throughout the Old Testament, we see the Lord giving his people countless opportunities, which we just alluded to, to have a relationship with him, but due to their failure and preference in just about every case for the idolatry that we read about, even self-worship, which is so prevalent today, when he sees this, he adjusts the parameters, if you will, by which they can have relationship with him.

And we'll kind of dive into this a little bit in a couple of pages, I think. But so what we're going to look at now are some passages where, again, the opportunity is given and, you know, what do they do with it?

What do his people do with it? Now, Isaiah chapter 43, verse 21, it says, this people have I formed for myself. So once again, we were created for him. And it just begs the question, just right off the bat, if we were created for him, yet before we were created, we see this very intimate relationship.

Remember the MacArthur quote, God has relationship within himself. It makes sense just on the surface level that he would, in creating us, he would want us to take part in that kind of relationship, to know what it's like, but to also, again, reciprocate what he gives us just about every day.