Systematic Theology (part 8)

The Trinity and the Attributes of God

We are looking at the Trinity and you should see this table which shows the attributes of the Godhead in each of the three persons, the Father, Son, and the Spirit. And last time we looked at two attributes, Eternality and Power.

And we looked at how these attributes are not just some abstract concepts we just try to visualize but rather each of these attributes has a very definite impact on our lives as believers. And how does Eternity relate to us today?

Does anyone remember? You have the verse there. But how does the eternal nature of the Father, eternal nature of the Son, and eternal nature of the Holy Spirit impact us as believers today? I didn't think we'll have a quiz on a snowy morning.

It helps our faith in terms of understanding the immensity of God, that he transcends time. So the God we worship in is greater than who we are. Actually that is so true. So the first verse you see there, Psalm 90 verse 2, was talking about Moses speaking to God coming out of the wilderness saying, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Before the mountains were made, you existed. Our hope is not in the tents, it's not in the promised land, it is not in anything that this earth provides, but it is in the God who made all of these things.

So we can understand the nature of God and how he is our provider and so it builds our faith. We can trust in this God who is eternal. And we saw the same thing with power, how God has the power to make all these worlds, but also the power to finish what he has started in each of us.

And so we see how these attributes of God are immensely important as we live our lives looking up to him and trusting in him. So today hopefully we will look at a couple of more attributes. We will start with omniscience.

So those of you who came in, if you need a handout, if you could raise your hand, I'll get that. I thought I saw someone else. So the first verse, before we get to the verse, let's talk about omniscience.

Can someone tell me what is omniscience? All-knowing, all-knowing. And it's kind of hard for us to comprehend that, what all-knowing could mean. One of the definitions of omniscience, this is from S. Lewis Johnson, is God knows all things, both actual and possible.

So not just the things that have been, are, and will be as facts, but also the things that could be. Can somebody think of a verse in the Bible where you have this could be speaking about the omniscience of God?

The one that I can think of has to do with David. David helps this town of Keala. He rescues them from the Philistines. And then he's there and Saul comes after him. And David asks Saul, what will happen?

Will the people of Keala hand me over to Saul? And God says, yes, if you stay here, he will. They will. And so David leaves. The people of Keala never actually did it. But God knew what would happen. So God knows all things, both actual and possible.

And another definition, this is from Webster, is the quality of knowing all things at once. And that's another way in which God is so unique because we gather our knowledge. We grow in our knowledge. We know different things at different times.

But God, in his being, knows all things at once. And he doesn't need to gather any information, universal knowledge, unbounded knowledge, infinite knowledge, because he knows himself as well as everything else that he's created.

And this is something only God has. Now, let's switch this around. So we kind of have a rough idea of what omniscience is. We started off by talking about how God's attribute builds our faith in terms of knowing who God is and we can trust in him.

Now, how does omniscience relate to us as believers? What aspect of omniscience impacts the life of a believer today? Excellent. So we are not omniscient. We don't know what lies ahead, what choices to make.

But we can take great confidence in knowing that God knows and he leads and directs us through these decisions that we have to make, through the word, through the spirit of God. Excellent. What else? Excellent.

God knowing the future actually gives us a great amount of confidence and the ability to walk through life with knowing that our father is in control of everything, especially when things are difficult.

When I was talking to one of you this morning, there are trials that just overwhelm us and we say, you know, how can these things be happening? And it is wonderful to know that our God knows all these.

And actually, even in the midst of those trials, sometimes you just feel like you're just all alone. It's like nobody else knows what's happening in me, in my life, but God knows. And, of course, the supreme example is in that of Jesus Christ, that he actually went through it and he experiences, not just he knows in an abstract way.

He has experienced our trials and sufferings and he knows that very well, our frailty, our weaknesses, and yet he alone is able to support us and comfort us. And on the flip side, let's look at this the other way.

The fact that God knows everything should be a deterrent from sin, shouldn't it? He knows, he will judge, he is watching over all things and it ought to give us a sober reminder that God is here no matter where we are and he knows and watches over.

And the other last thing I want to just comment on is, you know, we get to participate in the knowledge of God. And, of course, in the ultimate sense, for all eternity, we are going to be in his presence, getting to know this God who knows everything.

And even today, we get to grow in that knowledge. So let's now look at each of the three persons of the Trinity. And our goal here is to worship them as our eyes get widened in this specific attribute and then recognize how each of these three persons together govern and rule over our lives.

So, once again, before we look at Jeremiah, what objects of knowledge, what are things that God knows that normally blow our mind away? You know, things that we can't know or we know in partial measure but that God knows perfectly.

What are some things that God knows? Okay, so the fact that he can see all things at once because he's not progressing with us and gathering information, he can actually see everything. Excellent. Excellent.

Actually, that's the Jeremiah verse. We're going to look at that closely. He knows what I think, you think, and every one of us thinks. None of us knows what any other person truly is thinking. We can guess, but God knows exactly.

And sometimes our hearts may even deceive us. We may not even know our motives where we are going. So, God knows not just what we're thinking but what we are intending to do because he knows our heart in and out.

What else? What comfort, isn't that? I mean, he knows every single detail as he governs the universe. For me, it's like Job 38. I just look at that thing and say, okay, he knows. I was just driving in.

You see all the snow on every little leaf. And God knows everything that's on every little atom that's swirling in this universe. And the entire immensity, he knows it all. So, it's like, God, he's trustworthy.

He knows. But let's get into this passage in Jeremiah 17 .10. And the verse there says, I, the Lord, capital L-O-R-D, Yahweh, search the heart and test the mind and talks about his knowledge. But I think it's good for us to just read a little bit more.

So, if you can turn to Jeremiah 17, and one of you can read from verse 5 to 10. We'll look at one specific area this omniscience applies in our lives. And I think you'll find this very comforting. So, whoever has that, if you can raise your hand.

Dan? Thank you. So, here you have, in Jeremiah 17, almost like Psalm 1, you know, the blessed man and the cursed man. And if you look at what's at the root of these things, it's what do these people trust, right?

What does the one who is cursed trust? In verse 5, it's the one who puts his confidence in other men. So, if I'm looking for help in the mountains or in the horses or in the kings or in the people around me, whose focus is not on the Lord.

And then verses 7 and 8, we are talking about the one who is blessed. And it's very simple. It's the one who trusts in the Lord. So, these are the two groups of people. And then you have, in verse 9, a very interesting description of people.

You know, here's what you ought to be doing. But your heart is deceitful. It's a very famous verse. We all know it. Desperately sick. Who can understand it? You know, there's so many motivations that actually drive us toward what we actually do.

And it's easy for us to make up all these excuses to go in this way when we say we want to be doing things on this side. But the Lord knows them all. So, that's the focus of verse 10. I, the Lord, search the heart and test the mind, and I will give to each one according to his ways.

So, on the one hand, it is a sobering thought that God knows every single wicked way that be in us and in the hearts of unbelievers and that he will recompense, he will be the judge. And on the other hand, he is also the one who rewards according to his goodness.

And, of course, for those of us in Christ, our confidence is not in our own ability, but it's in the confidence that God has given us a new heart. He has given us the ability of living or walking in this new life that we have in Jesus Christ.

So, when we go back into the omniscience of God, applying to what we just talked about earlier, so in terms of trials and calamity that comes upon you, the Lord knows. He knows the evil and what they are committing.

And our life is never about looking for justice delivered today in our plane, but rather knowing that God is the one who is the ultimate judge. And on the other side, I think in the annual meeting, Pastor Mike said this, you do service unto the Lord, no one else knows about it.

There's one person who always knows about it, and it is the Lord. And when we trust in him and we serve him, he, the word says, will give to each man according to his ways because he searches the heart.

He knows the mind. He knows every single thing. Nothing goes unnoticed from him. So here we are talking about God the Father. And I think, you know, when we think of the first person of the Trinity, that's what the name Father evokes.

He is over us. He is in charge of us. He's watching over us, and he's omniscient. So, any thoughts on this verse before we move to the next one? All right, so now we're going to kind of ramp it up a bit as we look at Jesus Christ.

And here, the verse that we have on your handout is Revelation 2 .23. And interestingly, I'm just going to read that verse. I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

Does that sound familiar, what I just read? Very similar to what we just saw in Jeremiah 17. And when we think of Jesus and his humanity, what are some of the things that Jesus knew when he was walking here on earth that normally causes to say, Wow, I can't know those things.

What were some things in the Gospels you can think of? That's right. So, especially when he healed the paralytic man, your sins are forgiven. And the people said, Oh, blasphemy. And Jesus knew what they were saying.

And so we have this evidence of omniscience kind of seeping through his humanity, as it were, while he was on earth. But here in Revelation 2, we have this glorified vision of Jesus Christ as God himself.

And so here we have another section, and I think maybe it'll be helpful just to quickly go over it. So if someone can read for me Revelation 2, verse 18 through 24, we'll just look at a few things. To look at the second person, the son of God in his omniscience.

You can just raise your hand if you have it. Charlie, Revelation 2, 18 to 24. Thank you. You see, again, a very similar pattern of what is happening in the life of the church in Thyatira. Those who are wicked, God knows, and those who are enduring in the faith, he knows as well.

And let's just step back a little bit. As Revelation 2 begins, or even Revelation 1, what is the imagery you have of Jesus when it comes to the churches? You know, you have the lamp stands. What is the imagery?

What does Revelation 1 and 2 communicate about the role of the second person of the Trinity, the son of God, in relationship to the churches? He knows. He knows. And he's the one walking among the churches.

And he will judge in the end. Excellent. So let's look at a few things here. In verse 19, it says, Jesus says, I know your works, your love, your faith, your service, patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the former.

And the Lord knows those who are his, how they are growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Those who are serving him faithfully, and he is omniscient, and he knows all of those. And then in verses 20 to 23, you have this knowledge of those who are wicked.

And he lists out this Jezebel and her children's deeds. And then he says, I will strike her children dead. And he talks about the judgment that he will do because he knows what they do. And then it ends with a word of comfort to the church.

And actually, isn't that interesting that he would say to them, you have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan. Some things, you know, and what was Adam and Eve's big temptation in the garden?

The knowledge of the tree of good and evil. It's like, I need to know something that God has forbidden me to know. And, you know, we can trust that God knows all things. And what he has deemed good for us is sufficient for us.

And God is omniscient, and he will reward. And so we've seen the father, we've seen the son. Let's look now at the Holy Spirit. And the verse that I have for you is from this chart, 1 Corinthians 2 .11.

And actually, the verse there is, no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. And we're going to look at a slightly different perspective on omniscience here. In the first two cases, we've been looking at how the knowledge of God is comforting to us.

That as believers, we have great confidence that when injustice comes, God is watching over it, and he will ultimately be the judge. When we serve him, he knows every single deed. Not one deed goes without him knowing about it.

And here we're going to see something a little different. And if someone can read for me here, 1 Corinthians 2. Let's begin in verse 6 and go to verse 14 and see this aspect of the third person of the Trinity, the knowledge of the Spirit of God and how that impacts our lives today.

1 Corinthians 2, 6 through 14. Who has it? Vincent? Thank you. Before we look into some aspects of this passage, what strikes you as different? What is different in this passage about the omniscience of God as in the omniscience of the Holy Spirit and how he relates to us as believers?

I'm glad you picked the word searches. It's bringing up a lot of imagery in our mind as we think about how the Trinitarian relationship is. We will come to that. We'll spend a few moments talking about it.

Brad, did you have something else to add? Yes. So in terms of the bigger theme of this passage, that's where I was going for, where here we have God in his omniscience taking what is mysterious in the sense we don't know about it.

There are things that are just behind the veil that the Spirit of God now takes and reveals to us that we now can also communicate to others. So we'll talk about the wisdom of God that is now given to us so we get this insight into heaven, as it were, insight into the Trinity and what the Father has planned to do.

But I think it's more important to look at this section because if you look carefully, in each of these three sections, Jeremiah and Revelation and in 1 Corinthians, you see the word searches. And typically that brings out ideas in a human sense.

How do we find things? We search and discover and learn things. And so the question that you want to ask yourself is, in each of these passages, is God learning something new as he is looking into the heart of man?

Or the Spirit of God is looking into the mind of the Father or mind of God? Or is this communicating something that we clearly understand in terms of how we normally process knowledge? So knowing the nature of God, does God add to his knowledge or does God always know all the time?

He always knows all the time. And many a time, even like when you look at the case of Abraham, that's one of those passages that people can get really stumped in the event with Sodom and Gomorrah. Did God know what Abraham was going to ask?

Did God know what he was going to do in Sodom and Gomorrah? Or was it all contingent upon what Abraham was going to start speaking and where this bargain deal would end and then what actually happens?

And the answer is, God already knew. And here is one of those beautiful, you know, we have language that is anthropomorphic in terms of how God operates. And we look at it because we relate to the way in which God uses language that communicates the way he does things, that we can actually grasp who he is.

And I think even as we started this whole attributes of God, we said, you know, some things are just out there. You know, we really, our minds can't wrap ourselves around it. But God reveals himself to us in ways that we can actually conceive of them in our finitude so that we can actually worship him.

All this is not about, like I said, we're not some big yogi sitting in some mountain and trying to, you know, abstract God. We are here to worship God. And when we understand how he communicates with us or how he reveals himself to us in a way that we can understand, our hearts just burst forth in praise.

And that's basically what's happening here. But I think you're right, Charlie. There is something there that we just cannot get when we think about the father, son, and the spirit in the inner trinity and how obviously they are all omniscient.

They all know what each other is doing. And yet we have an economy there where the father decrees, the son executes, and the spirit of God. Excellent. That the spirit of God is discovering. And that's exactly right.

So when we talk about revelation, for the sake of time, I'll just quickly lay this out. So you know the spirit of God is the one who inspires the word of God. So the Old Testament, when it was written, was written by prophets who were writing God-breathed stuff.

The spirit of God is moving them to write what needs to be written, and so is so also with the New Testament. So here we have the mind of God communicated to us by the Holy Spirit who makes these men write what we need to hear.

And so there is an objective knowledge that we get from the spirit of God. So here we have the omniscience of God revealing things that we could not otherwise know that by the word we actually get to see.

So when you look at the Bible, it's like we are in that Trinitarian presence because God has chosen to reveal that to us. But the focus on this passage, in addition to the objective knowledge, is also the subjective knowledge.

You know, how we can actually understand what God does. So if you look at the whole chapter 2, we have initially the way that Paul ministered to the unbelievers. He wasn't ministering in his wisdom, he was not trying to communicate by power of speech, but he was just communicating the content that God gave to these people.

And for them it would seem foolish, but this is the wisdom of God. And so in verse 6, we talk about the true wisdom that in verse 7 he says, a secret and hidden wisdom of God. And the commentators here make it clear, what is this wisdom that we are talking about?

What is the greatest mystery that is revealed to us that the world does not understand? What is the specific content? I mean, there's a lot of things that the spirit of God reveals, but what do you think this passage is talking about?

Exactly, so it's talking about the gospel, the salvation, the plan that no mind has conceived, nobody can think of, that God in eternity past has actually prepared, and he has revealed progressively. Even Adam didn't know Jesus Christ, what he was going to do, but God chose to reveal to his people in time.

And now we are recipients who can look back and say, with Paul, the wisdom of God is now shown to us. And so we get a glimpse again into the omniscience, the wisdom of God, how he has conceived all these things, and now it's no longer a mystery to us when it comes to his plan of salvation, how he would accomplish this through his son and everything else that follows, including regeneration.

But again, let's just focus back on the Holy Spirit here. So in verse 10, God has revealed to us through the spirit, and then we have that verse, the spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

And I think in verse 11, the analogy, and again, you know, when we just have that half of the verse, we think, what does that mean? You know, again, I'm in no terra firma here. This is what I can't conceive.

I don't have concepts and categories in which to visualize or understand this. And so then you look in verse 11, and that makes it more for finite creatures to understand what that's like. Who knows the person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him.

Vincent, you read the verse, but I can't know what you are actually thinking because I'm external to you. But here he's talking about the relationship within the Trinity. The spirit of God, just like my spirit, knows what my thoughts, what's generating my thoughts.

And so also he uses the words depths of God here, just to talk about the deep counsel in which God's plans originate. All right, I think, and again, there is lots more implication here. Now that that communicated to us, how do we communicate this to others as well?

So let's stop here for a moment, omniscience of God. We've seen what it is. We've seen why this is so important for us in our trust, in our worship. We've seen for the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, how he watches over all things, and we can rest in him.

And what he has given to us, we can get in no other way. It's only by the spirit of God. So the question I have for you is, and we have talked about some of this, can you think of ways in which our worship of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, knowing that he is omniscient, ought to be grander?

Maybe there's some event in your life that you're going through, or things that you can think of. How can our worship be that much bolder, that much greater today, because of his omniscience? And I think it just converts both of what you said.

When we look at our spiritual life, we don't look at merits and demerits, the way we used to think before, because everything is upon Christ. We trust in him fully for our salvation. And as we walk through life, those 75 things, my memory runs out.

It's buffer overload, computer shutdown, but God doesn't. He always watches over. And like you said, there's great confidence. And our eyes, end of the day, we end up just getting focused on the little things in life and just worked up over them.

But we can look up to our God who watches over all. Pastor Mike? Praise God, yeah. So everything we do, there's a freedom there, because it's unto the Lord he knows. And thank you. Excellent. You just evoked a couple of other thoughts, and we'll move on to the next attribute.

When we think of the sanctification, we all know that we are progressively sanctified. We get more and more like the son of Christ. And sometimes we like to think it's a straight line, right? So this should be better than this.

And if I didn't worship this week as well as I did last week, what's going on? And the fact that God is omniscient, it's up and down, but it's tending upward. And when we think of those down times that the Lord knows, it just reminds you that our God is patient.

His loving kindness is everlasting through all of these things. And he knew all of these things when he gave us his son. And the fact that omnisciently, in eternity past, that God would say, I love you, and I will choose you, I redeem you, and I will make sure you reach the end by my power.

And I think that's, like I said, very freeing. All right, let's look at the next attribute. We'll probably see how far we can go, and we'll stop. This is omnipresence of God. And this is kind of related to omniscience.

I was hoping we'll do both of these today. So what's the definition of omnipresence? He's everywhere all the time. And I think just like knowledge of all things possible and contingent instantaneously, so also he doesn't have to move from place to place.

At this point in time, he is everywhere, and he is not bounded by space. And he is near to everyone, and we can enjoy him no matter where we are. And I think it, again, relates back to omniscience. He can now save you, rescue you, be your fortress no matter what circumstance you're in because he is there with you as well.

So let's maybe just introduce this, and we'll probably stop here. When you think of God the Father and physical location, what do you normally think of? Heaven on the throne, we see Revelation 4, and it's God the Father omnipresent.

I'll go through this text, and then we will touch some secondary points if they come up. So the verse we have here is Jeremiah 23 -24, and the last half of the verse says, Do I not fill heaven and earth?

Do I not fill heaven and earth? Solomon, in his dedication, too, says this temple is not going to limit you because you inhabit the heavens and the earth. Now, let's maybe look at the text here, and then we'll see how our worship of this omnipresent God is evoked by the text.

So if someone can read Jeremiah 23 -25, we'll see again how similar to omniscience, the omnipresence is a great comfort for believers. Jeremiah 23 -25. Yes, Corey. Just like omniscience is a two-edged sword, right?

He knows what we can do, and he knows what his people do. And likewise here, especially when you think of the idolatry that we see preeminent in the Old Testament times, there in the New Testament, too, but when we see how people limit their God to a physical place, for the Israelite idolaters, it's whether he is in this place or in this location, or we are prophets in the north, we can do whatever we want.

There is this sense in which I'm outside the reach of God, is what the idolatrous concept came, or I can limit my God to this one place. And here, God gives that knowledge to us of who he is. And if you look at those two terms in verse 23, God at hand, imminent, he is with us.

And God far away, he transcends the geographical boundaries that people could escape into. I fill heaven and fill earth. And then he says, I have heard what the prophets have said, who prophesy, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

And one of the things that came to my mind was, if you look at the end of that verse in verse 25, it's really talking about the knowledge of God. He has heard, he knows something. And how is this a little different than omniscience when he says the way in which he has gathered this information?

What comes to your mind as you look at this text in terms of God's knowledge? So just like a person is right next to you, you just don't see him, and he's, I'm hearing what you say. And I think the sense that it comes is, you have the personal presence of God, who's actually, like we said, watching over here, listening to you.

And it's not like he's got your house bugged, so he's listening up in heaven. He's right there. And no getting away from our omnipresent God. Actually, you know what? Let's just read the rest of the text.

I don't think I want to move this to next week. Let me just read this. Matthew 28. This is the second person of the Trinity. You know what? Let's not do that. We'll pick this up next week. So any other thoughts on omnipresence?

We'll just close for today. God is with us. I don't want to be with me sometimes, and many times. But our God is with us. And actually, the next verse, maybe we'll just read that alone. I am with you always to the end of the age.

And that's the promise. We're not praying to a God far away. He is right there with us. And everything that we should have gone through, Christ experienced on our behalf. And so now we have that intimacy that otherwise would have been a catastrophe that God is with us.

And we get to enjoy him. All right. Let's a God who is with us here this morning. Lord, we worship you even as we think about your greatness, your majesty, as you are all-knowing and you are everywhere.

And, Lord, this morning as we worship in our service, as we hear your word proclaimed, help us, oh, Father, to lift up our hearts and that we would worship you as you truly deserve in spirit and in truth.

In Christ's name we pray. Amen.