Attributes of God Pt3

If you remember last week we were beginning to look at the Trinity, and I want to continue that this morning, there were a number of verses that we looked at, I put some more on the board today, and it's interesting as we consider the Trinity that, and we talked about that, you couldn't find the word Trinity in the Bible, and yet the reality of the triunity of God is really from the very beginning, if you consider even what it says, where God says in chapter 1 verse 26, let us make man in our image and after our likeness, and there are others in Genesis when he comes down to confound the people at Nineveh who were trying to build Tower of Babel, and again it says let us go down and confound them, and so we looked at a couple of scriptures about that, not that that in and of itself would prove it, but if you begin to look at the overall picture of the scriptures, I think there is ample evidence and clear evidence of the reality that there is a triunity in God, and that God is one in essence, and yet three distinct persons, and so I want to continue that this morning, at least in the beginning, so that we can see how it flows through in the scriptures, because again, people will say at times, well, unless I can see it in absolute clearness, I'm not going to believe it, and I thought I mentioned it to you, it's, would you not agree, it's, there's a distinction to be made between someone who doesn't understand the trinity, versus someone who resists the trinity, would you agree that there's a distinction to be made in that, because again, for us as finite creatures to try to understand the reality that God is infinite, that is enough to cause us to not be able to comprehend it in totality, but, and then you start talking about three distinct persons, all of the same essence, and I don't know about you, and I thought about it, I was reading Ecclesiastes yesterday, and it said, I was reading, and it said, it was better for a man in reality not to have ever existed, and I thought about that, and I said, you know, let me ask you a question, can you think of that concept of not existing, can you understand that, in other words, I know I am a person, right, I know I am a being, I know I am someone with the ability to think and comprehend and feel and whatnot, what would it be to not exist, what would it be in that sense, and so again, all these things that enter into it, it's very difficult for us to understand, at least for me it is, to understand the totality of the triunity of God, and yet, it is clearly given to us in the Scriptures, so I want to continue to look at some of the verses that we would use to help to understand and help to explain it to other people, and certainly, you know, we looked at last week a couple, and the one that always people run to to try to deny the Trinity is a verse like in Deuteronomy, where it says, hero Israel, the Lord our God is one, right, and even in James chapter two, where he says, you believe there is one God, you do well, and then it says even the devils believe and tremble, right, so people will run to that, and yet, there is such a multitude of Scriptures that give us understanding, as long as you are not resisting it, and rebelling against it, so let's just go through these, and like I said, some of them are very familiar, but some of them might not be as familiar as far as a teaching for the Trinity, so let's go to the Gospel of John, because there's so many in the Gospel of John, I thought that was interesting, and I think I had mentioned it to you that if you were to read in your Bible about the Spirit of God, with a capital S, not small s, because that would be, the small s would stand for a man's spirit, the capital being the Holy Spirit, at least as it's being given to us, that I said it was mentioned 172 times in the Bible, with a capital S, and out of those 172 times, 141 of those times is in the New Testament, and you remember we talked about this before we look at Stuck on Three Descriptions, that if you were to consider who was the main speaker, if you will, in the Old Testament, who would it have been?

God the Father, right? Jehovah spoke, and then you come into the Gospels, and who's the main speaker? And I don't want to undermine it as if to say that he's the sole speaker, but who is the one who is speaking the most?

It's the Son, and then as you come through the epistles, right, you go on from the book of Acts, and you go forward, who is the main one that is presented to us as the one who works, the one who speaks, the one who performs?

It's the Spirit. So you see that even through the whole reality of the Scriptures from Old Testament to New. But nevertheless, let's kind of look at some of these Scriptures. So in John chapter 14, and I'm just pulling out some of them, but look what Jesus said here when he talks about the coming of the Spirit.

So in verse 19 it says, a little while longer in the world, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me because I live, and you will live also. And at that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. So just for a second, just think about this.

There are distinct beings being spoken of here, right? It's not just, you know, how people will say the Spirit is an emanation from the Father, and then the Spirit, the Son is a created being sent from the Father.

And if you think about it, it's talking about distinct beings, and yet there's a unity in it, right? I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. And then it says in verse 22, Judas not Iscariot said to him, that you will manifest yourself to us and not the world.

Verse 23, Jesus answered and said to him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him. There's a distinction, right? Personality, distinct person, and we will come to him and make our abode with him.

Does that not teach a distinction in personality and being? And yet it says, we will come, and we will dwell in him. And the reality is, of course, what it then goes on to say in verse 23, these things I have spoken to you, while being present with you, but the help of the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name.

There, to me, is a very clear scripture concerning the triunity, or the Trinity, as far as what we can understand. And it will bring into your remembrance all things that I said to you, and it goes on and on and on.

Okay, just jump over to chapter 15, and again, similar scriptures, familiar scriptures, but in this idea of the Trinity, especially when someone would challenge us and say, well, you got to show me clear evidence that God is one, and yet God is three distinct persons.

Look what he says in verse 26 of chapter 15, but when the Helper comes, who I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify of me. There again is what?

Father,.

Son, Spirit. Brother? Yeah, there is also, in John 14, verse 26, says basically the same thing, verse 26, but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring you your remembrance of all things I said to you.

Yeah, and remember that one, even when Philip said, show us the Father and it'll suffice us, and what did Jesus say? In verse 9. Yeah, he who has seen me has what? Seen the Father. So again, you see distinction, and yet you see equality, and yet you cannot lose sight of the fact that there are three distinct persons in the Godhead, and they are in absolute unity of purpose and design and power and all authority.

Okay, so now, John 16, and this is probably one of the sections that I would go to if someone was to ask me to either explain or challenge me about the Trinity. This one would be a great way to talk to them about it, but in verse 5, so of chapter 16, look what Jesus said, but now I go to him who sent me.

There again is a distinction, right? There's him, he sent, and Jesus speaks of the one who sent as himself, and none of you ask me where are you going, but because I said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him to you. Not I will send it, I will send him, right?

Distinct person, and when he has come, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment, of sin because they don't believe in me, of righteousness because I go to my Father and you see me no more, of judgment because the rule of this world is judged.

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of Truth has come, he, again, people want to try to say the Spirit is not a distinct person, but rather it's a, again, a force or an emanation or whatever way people want to describe it, but that's not what it says.

However, when he, the Spirit of Truth has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak of his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will not tell you things to come.

He will glorify me, and he will take of what is mine. Remember what Jesus said? Just before he said, all that the Father had is what? Is his. And now he's saying that the Spirit's going to take what belongs to the Son, and he's going to declare it to them.

He will glorify me in verse 14, for he will take what is mine and declare it unto you, all things that the Father has are mine. Therefore, I said to you, he will take of mine and declare it to you. Does that not prove, if you will, that there is a triunity, and yet there is an absolute distinction in the persons of the Godhead?

And so, when someone runs to Deuteronomy 6 .4 or James 2 .19, as we said, and the Bible clearly says that God is one. Well, the Bible clearly says that there's three distinct persons in the Godhead. Yeah, and that's one of the verses, and that's a verse, so let's look at it while we're here.

So, it's Matthew 28 and verse 19, and this again is one that we could definitely go to and refute the idea that the Son is not the divine person, or the Spirit isn't the divine person. And in verse 19, and this was in the Great Commission, right?

So, this is what was given to the apostles to go, and the disciples, and Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on the earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the what?

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Does that not again absolutely declare that there is a distinction to be made, and yet there is a unity together with that? So, a couple other scriptures now, and let's jump back to Isaiah for a minute.

I thought about this one in Isaiah chapter 9, and see if you would agree with me. This is a great declaration of the divinity of the Son, for sure, as He's being foretold of who it is that's coming forward and being sent, right?

In Isaiah chapter 9, and again, I'm sure we'll hear this many times now because we're on the holiday time, and this is one of the times when many people will say it, but look in chapter 9 in verse 6, it says, For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful.

You remember what we read last week in Proverbs chapter 8, where I showed you that the wisdom of God is to be thought of, and in the sense of that, and Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end.

And upon the throne of David, and over His kingdom, to order and establish it with judgment. From that time forward, even forever, the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will do that. Is that not a verse that we could go to, to explain the Trinity, and particularly the Son?

And there are other scriptures that we could look at that would highlight the reality of the Father, and there are others still that would, as we just read in John 16, that would certainly highlight or emphasize the divinity of the Spirit.

Here's another one, Acts chapter 5. You see, what I'm trying to get us to think about is that when people make a claim that the Bible is not clear, I submit to you the Bible is absolutely clear. It's just that, like everything else that really is of worth, it has to be dug out a little bit, right?

It has to be searched, it has to be worked out, and, if you will, drawn out from the scriptures. So, Acts chapter 5, very familiar, right? A certain man named Ananias, and Sapphira, his wife, we know the story, they sold their possession, and then they lied about how much it actually yielded to them.

And verse 3, Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? Now watch, to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back the price of the land for yourself. And then, if you come right down to it, we can read in verse 4, while it remained, was it not your own?

And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but who? God, right? So, in one verse, it says you lied to the Holy Spirit, and then we read, he lied unto God.

Is that not, again, explaining to us this great, if you will, mystery of the reality that God is one, and yet God is three distinct persons, all of the same essence, all of the same purpose, all of the same power.

So, this should be, these verses, again, should help us put together the reality of this great truth. So, when people say, well, the Trinity is, that word is never mentioned in the Bible, no, it's not.

But the triunity of God certainly is complete, and it's everywhere, if we were just to spend the time to look at it. All right, there's a couple more. Let's look at the one in Titus for a minute, and I know I'm jumping around a bit, but I think it's worth it.

Go to Titus for a second, and let's find it in that. Again, I'm going to say that you can find the Trinity in just about every book of the Bible, Old Testament, New Testament, wisdom books, whatever you want.

But in Titus chapter 3, just read, well, let me just read it from the beginning, so we'll move right into it. So, he says, remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, and obey and be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.

For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But, here it is, for when the kindness and love of God, our Savior, towards men appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

There it is, right? What? Titus chapter 3, from 4 to 6. But is that not, again, another scripture that we could readily go to, to say the Bible does declare in many different ways, in many different settings, if you will, but very clearly teach that not only is God our Savior, and that's another example, right?

You can read in the scriptures where it talks about God our Savior, you can read about scriptures where it says Christ our Savior, and I had mentioned it to you that even that in many of the openings of the epistles where it says God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, that there are several different ways to be able to understand that, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and that even when it talks about the Spirit coming, that He's going to send another Spirit, and we could, if we really wanted to think about it, although some people would perhaps argue against that that word, another, it means another of the same kind versus another of a different kind.

So, again, just different scriptures to think about, different scriptures to look at. Well, here's one, Luke chapter 12. I just wanted to overload us, if you will, with scriptures. There was a bunch we looked at last week, and I just wanted to make sure that we have a firm, if you will, firm grip on being able to defend our faith, and not only to defend it, but to explain it.

Remember, that was the purpose of the class. I said the purpose of the class was to be able to not only understand what we believe, but why we believe it, and again, not in a not in a setting where we're drilling down to every little possible understanding, but just in a general way, as that's what the book that we're going through does.

The Essentials of the Christian Faith, but to me, is not the Trinity an essential truth? Would we be able to say, again, I'm not misunderstanding the fact that there's a distinction between someone who doesn't understand the Trinity and someone who rebels against it, would we receive into membership anyone who denied the Trinity?

Would we? No, because it's what? It's an essential. Now, if someone said they don't understand it, that's totally different than saying, I do not believe it. So, just something to think about. All right, so in Luke chapter 12, here's another verse, and again, maybe not as clear as some of the other ones, but nevertheless, it still teaches, I believe, the same truth.

In verse 10, and Jesus said, they're constantly trying to accuse Christ of being from Beelzebub and all those attacks they put against him, but he says in verse 9, He who denies me there before men will be denied before the angels of God, and anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

Why is that true? Now, I know there's many different understandings of what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is. What if the reason why blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is beyond forgiveness, because it is an accusation against the divine work of God?

What do you think of that? Or is that too far-fetched? Are we better off going and saying, well, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is doing this or doing that? In the concept of the Trinity, because remember what God says, I am God and I will not give my glory to another, and anyone who dishonors the Son does what?

He dishonors the Father. So when people make an accusation against the third person of the Trinity, it's as if they blasphemed who? The Father and the Son. And so I submit to you that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a continual rebellion against the work of God through the Holy Spirit at this juncture, at this point.

Yeah, I actually struggle with that. I say,.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, because people say people blaspheme all the time, but it's still forgivable. But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, how?

Oh, okay. So are you talking about actually using curse words, kind of?

You know how people say, oh my God, you know, and just be saying it out of, you know, out of just not reverence God's name. Yeah, yeah. But like blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, I heard somebody mention, Fannie said, to truly blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to, is to like remain a non-convert.

But wasn't it used in the context of the Pharisees accusing Jesus of doing the work.

As the, right, right. And so they would deny in his divinity, they would deny in his, his distinct divine person. And they were attributing it to the work of the devil. And so therefore, again, those are the same, same things that he says here when he talks about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

At least that's the way I understand it. If you have a different understanding, let's discuss it. Because like I said, I've heard people say, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is, I've heard people say it's that way, taking God's name in vain.

Although that's not really what that meant at that point either. But nevertheless, have you ever heard of it, brother? Not that I think that there's another reason.

I think that a reason that is accompanied to that is the why of it. In other words, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is what you said. I believe that to be technically like the definition, but the reason for it, and the reason for it is because the father openly asserts his authority.

The son openly asserts the authority as received from the father, but the spirit does not assert his own authority. He speaks under the authority as sent. That's why it says he takes from mine and declares it to you.

So being that the fact, I think that's another, the main reason, and that's why the action of blasphemy is not forgiven because the Holy Spirit does not speak of himself. He does not point to himself, and he doesn't speak under his own authority.

Right, because that's what Jesus had just previously said. He will take of mine, and he says he will not speak on his own authority, but he will take what's mine and present it to you, right? And so in that sense, and again, people have tried to nail down blasphemy against the Holy Spirit to, you know, you did a certain thing, or you said a certain word, but it's not.

It's the whole reality of what you're seeking to destroy, which is the triune God in his person, in his power, and in his pleasure, and all those other.

Things. Yeah, I heard some people saying that all communist societies are blaspheming against.

The Holy Spirit. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And can a Christian blaspheme the Holy Spirit? Because if the Spirit's indwelt in us, we shouldn't be denying it. Well, I don't think a Christian.

Could. Right. Not genuinely converting. Yeah, unless you... A professing Christian could. Could absolutely, right. But not a genuinely, not part of the elect. See, because again, let's go back to the overall thought of, is the Trinity an essential truth?

Is the unity in the Godhead an essential truth? Yes. So, if you want to say that you could blaspheme the Holy Spirit without blaspheming the Son, can you blaspheme the Holy Spirit without blaspheming the Father?

No. So, I would say no. I would say it's impossible. Again, unless you're going to say, well, someone said holy something, and that's blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, which I don't buy that.

That also presupposes that you can lose your salvation. I don't know if that's where that question is coming from, but if you could blaspheme as a genuinely born again, then it has to be that you're presupposing that salvation can be lost, which would then enter the Armenian side of everything.

So, I think it really depends, you know. That's why I say a professing Christian can, but not the elect, right, because they're genuinely regenerated by the Holy.

Spirit. Yeah, I mean, to deny the one who has implanted the new heart within you. Right, right. And even that, from the point of the new covenant, let's just think about it from that standpoint, God says He's going to what?

Take out that heart of stone and put in a heart of flesh, and who is the one who brings that to pass? Well, we just read it in Titus, by the regeneration of who? The Holy Spirit. So, again, I would say that we couldn't really say that a true child of God, well, let me take a step back.

Can we grieve the Spirit? Remember what Paul says in Thessalonians? He says you could grieve it. Matter of fact, it even says in 1 Thessalonians 5, doesn't it also say, do not resist the Holy Spirit, and do not grieve the Holy Spirit.

But that's not the same as blaspheming the Holy Spirit, because that's a, that's a character of your life. That's not just, I said something I shouldn't say. Although I will tell you personally, my own, I would not use, now, I, some people will say, it's okay to take, remember Batman?

You don't remember Batman. She's like, what are you talking about? But do you remember Batman, the show Batman? And you remember Robin? It was always, they always had the little sign is holy cow and holy smoke and holiness and that.

And I don't believe that we should take God's name and attach it to things like that. But that's not blaspheming the Holy Spirit. That's just, that's too far a stretch for that.

I mean, no other thing can be forgiven because I know I said.

Yeah. Well, um, we'll keep that in mind, brother.

Brother Andy, it also talks about 1 Corinthians chapter 12. It says that therefore I make known unto you, no one speaking by the spirit of God says Jesus is a curse. No one can say Jesus is.

Lord except by the Holy Spirit. Right. And so just the same way that we can't truly confess Christ as Lord without the working of the spirit of God in us. So the opposite is true. So someone who, who would say to us, um, Jesus is the son of God and Jesus did, was sent by the father.

And yet I don't believe in the spirit or I, again, what did they attribute the work of Jesus to the power of the He is above when he really is God come in the flesh.

Which is why every cult must deny the Trinity.

Absolutely. You're right. They have to, because an admission of it does what? It renders them without excuse. It renders them helpless before the word. So rather than do that, just let's, let's deny it.

So doesn't the, like the one that's Pentecostal, uh, church nomination, whatever you want to call them. They denied the Holy Spirit, right?

They did not, they didn't even move his knee that the father, the son, you know, or the same person, they already not distinct. There's different flavors though.

Yeah. I was just going to, here's the thing. Now let's just think about this for a second. Um, let's just put this in the realm because we've been talking about it lately lately and we even did it on Wednesday night with our questions.

Let's talk about it in the realm of the Catholic church. Does the Catholic church have erroneous doctrine in it? And I would say absolutely not only that, but I believe that they have erroneous doctrine that is of an essential character.

Okay. And yet are we going to condemn every single Catholic? No, we dare not to, right? The same thing I think applies in a Pentecostal movement or any other movement. The doctrine is one thing and we need to refute and rebuke the doctrine, but that doesn't mean that everyone who belongs to a particular denomination, or as you would say, there's a lot of different flavors in that, that we're going to kind of say to them, there's no way you could be a child of God.

Because again, we basically, then we would say in some ways, if you wanted to, that Presbyterians have some real big issues, which, although I wouldn't say they're all absolutely essential, some of them, even in the different denominations, they have some really weak doctrine, almost erroneous doctrine.

And yet we're not going to, I mean, unless you want to believe that the only ones that are going to be in heaven are Reformed Baptists. I don't think that's true. Sir? Yeah, I think that's why I like the Nicene.

Creed, the major creeds, the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, it kind of explains what makes a Christian a Christian versus another, like a cult or whatever. You know, because Catholics, you know, they credit themselves, we invented the creeds, those old Christian creeds from the 3rd, 4th, they credit themselves, I was like, we invented those creeds.

Yeah. We invented.

Brother, what was that, 1 Corinthians 12 .10, right?

Well, one, and uh, well, let's see, here you go, that's one of them still.

Because I want to add that one, because that's one that certainly is. Yeah, three through, uh, yeah, because that's one that's essential. And now, if you, um, let's just look at one that's so much similar to that, we just have a few more minutes, go to Romans chapter 8, and let's think about a verse that, um, again, I believe proves the divinity and the reality of the person of the Spirit.

See, again, would you not agree, as we've been going through these verses, some emphasize the Son, some emphasize the Spirit, some of them speak plainly of the Father, and yet, there's a unity that we can see in there.

Look in Romans chapter 8, and certainly this one is, um, look at verse 8, um, speaking of those that are carnal-minded, and it says,. So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God, but you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Now, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he's not His. Is that not teaching us, um, the reality of divinity and of the three distinct persons, again, within the Godhead? And yet, we would also say, this whole reality of it, we can gather some information, something like gathering manna from heaven, but we cannot take it in, in its totality.

I don't believe we're ever going to be able to take that in, in its totality. Remember, God dwells in the light that no man can what, can approach. God is, um, and we read that in Job 26, where it says, even the things that we can see, these are but the mere fringes of God, and but the thunder of His power, who can know?

So, um, again, a lot of verses to look at, and maybe we can end it with the one in Jude, because again, this to me is one that clearly speaks of the triunity of God, and yet there is that distinction, um, maintained of the three divine persons, find Jude.

So, look at those last two verses. Now, um, let me just read from verse 20. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping yourselves in the love of God, and looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto everlasting life.

Is that not, again, a scripture speaks of three distinct divine persons? And you can, you can, we can trust that the scriptures, um, make it very plain that our God is both one, and yet three divine persons, all of the same purpose, all of the same power, all of the same, um, all of the same everything, and yet you and I cannot understand.

That's why I said before, I was trying to think what it, what it feels like to not exist, and I just, I couldn't, I couldn't do it. Um, and you might say, well, that's a pretty silly thought, and maybe it is, but, um, I hope this helps.

I hope this will give us a little more, if you will, spiritual ammunition, and not only spiritual ammunition, but spiritual meditation to, for us. Because again, um, and I asked this last week, have you ever been confused about who to pray to?

Is it, do we pray to the Father? Do we pray to the Son? Do we pray to the Holy Spirit? Is there a, if you will, a spiritual formula given to us? I believe there is, to a great extent, right? We're to ask who?

The Father, through the Son, by the power of, by the power of the Spirit. Now, would that mean that if I prayed to Jesus that I'm not praying to God? No. Would that mean that if I'm not praying to the Holy, if I pray to the Holy Spirit, I'm not praying?

No. But there is a design given to us, and that we should use what God has given to us, um, as our pattern for what goes forward. Okay. We need to...