No More Lone Rangers- 2 Corinthians 13:14
Sermon for 5/4/2008
Introduction:
Bring an egg and how that displays the trinity. 3 parts but still one egg- Might help some.
WBTU:
A. (2 Cor 13:14 NIV) May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
B. What a nice way to end his letters to the Corinthians.
C. Much deeper than that. Here Paul introduces a theological concept, the concept of the Godhead, or more commonly referred to as the Trinity.
Thesis: Talk about 2 things this morning. First, talk about the doctrine of the Trinity. Lastly, talk about how this applies to the Corinthians and to us.
For instances:
I. The doctrine of the trinity.
A. There are 3 persons who are each described in the Bible as being deity. These are: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
B. Other Scriptures besides 2 Corinthians 13:14 give evidence to this:
1. (Rom 15:30 NIV) I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.
2. (1 Pet 1:2 NIV) who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
C. In describing the Triune nature of God, the best approach is to use statements that simply express oneness and plurality without elaborate explanation.
D. A simple way of summarizing the Triune nature of the Godhead:
1. Three in person
2. One in nature, glory, and purpose
3. 3 = 1 = 3 or 1 = 3 = 1
E. Our songs summarize this: The Church’s One Foundation- Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three in One; Come Thou Almighty King- To Thee, great One in Three, Eternal praises be.
F. Three errors that need to be avoided:
1. there are three gods. (Deu 6:4 NIV) The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
2. There is one God who pretends to be three different persons.
3. There is one absolute God and two gods with lesser qualities.
G. Notice something here that the Godhead works together as a team, in community.
1. Creation- In the beginning God (plural in Hebrew for God) Genesis 1:1
A) (Gen 1:2 NIV) Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
B) (John 1:1 NIV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.(John 1:2 NIV) He was with God in the beginning.(John 1:3 NIV) Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
C) (1 Cor 8:6 NIV) yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live.
2. Creation of Man- (Gen 1:26 NIV) Then God (plural) said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." Can angels make something out of nothing?
3. Our Salvation- Picture of 2 Corinthians 13:14
A. Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
1. (John 1:16 NIV) From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.(John 1:17 NIV) For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
2. Grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense. (Eph 2:8 NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
3. Robert Baldwin: ‘We can journey to Calvary over and over and we will return with our cups full and over flowing. When we are down and so discouraged that we feel no one cares what happens to us, then we journey out to Calvary, for, “This is love.”’
B. Love of God
1. John 3:16
2. ’The measure of the love of God is in what, or I should say, who He gave. He gave His Son. His life. His only begotten. He gave everything, nothing held back, every last ounce, all in all.’ If you want proof that God is love look to the cross of Calvary; look at the Son of God dying in agony of soul bearing the sin of the world! ‘…if we are looking for a definition of love, we should look not in a dictionary, but at Calvary.’ There can be a tendency today to focus purely on the Lord Jesus and the sacrifice that He made in giving Himself up to the cross. But we must never forget too the great infinite love of the Father and what it cost Him to send His Son for us.
3. (Rom 8:32 NIV) He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all
C. The fellowship (communion) of the Holy Spirit
1. (Eph 1:13) And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,(Eph 1:14) who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession--to the praise of his glory.
2. I talked about this at the NDP. After baptized, I had a friend!
II. how does this apply to the Corinthians and to us?
A. Many take the doctrine of the Trinity and apply it to us individually because we are body, soul and spirit. We are three parts. Look at: (1 Th 5:23 NIV) May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1. In their spirits they were not holy- More devoted to men than to the Lord. Impressed by worldly wisdom and knowledge. More than willing to join in a pagan celebration. They wanted to impress others with their spiritual gifts. They did not excel at love. They did not seem concerned about being unequally yoked. They were stingy with their money. They brought fellow Christians into court over their possessions.
2. In their bodies they were not holy- Had a man there who had physical relations with his step mother. Had many there who indulged in prostitution. Had many there who got drunk at pagan celebrations and even at the Lord’s table, communion.
3. They were endangering their souls through false teachings- Some did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, some were preaching a different Jesus.
B. I think Paul has in mind here the problem of divisions. 2 Corinthians 13:11 he tells them to be of one mind (encourage and agree with one another), live in peace. The above point of us being spirit, soul and body like God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit can be misinterpreted. We are not self contained triune gods. No way! God is God and we are not. Paul brings up the point of the Trinity to shatter the Corinthians and our independence. God works as a team in community! Since we are created in His image, we also have a “community gene” in us.
C. John 17 Jesus is praying before his death. (John 17:11) Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one.
D. Jesus prays as One who has a beautiful relationship with God his Father. He wants his followers to have this kind of relationship with Him and with each other. Not to be sacrilegious but the Godhead really was the first small group.
E. Jesus asks for his followers to experience an incredible payoff in community that he has experienced as a member of the Godhead. The goal of a marriage is to be one. (Mat 19:6 NIV) So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." These kind of relationships should be the goal of the church.
F. Jesus prays that these men who constantly fight about who is the greatest, that they would be one. Even more stunning, Jesus doesn’t stop there. (John 17:20 NIV) "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,(John 17:21 NIV) that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. Jesus prayed a prayer that we would find that same kind of oneness that he wanted for his followers, oneness that matched his experience in the Trinity.
G. Some are introverts and extroverts. Yet, we know that even introverts need the companionship of other people, because, more than any other creatures, humans are relational. If people can’t find that in the church, where will they find it?
H. Being subjected to extended aloneness kills the spirit, introduces insanity, and destroys a person. Senator and former Vietnam POW John McCain describes the elation he experienced when he was reunited with fellow prisoners after a horribly long and brutal separation: I was overwhelmed by the compulsion to talk nonstop, face to face with my obliging new cellmate. I ran my mouth ceaselessly for 4 days… One of the more amusing spectacles in prison is the sight of two men, both just released from solitary, talking their heads off simultaneously, neither one listening to the other, both absolutely enraptured by the sound of their voices. (From Building a Church of Small Groups, Authors Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson, pg. 24)
H. Jesus knew that if the church should fail to demonstrate true community to the world, it would fail to accomplish its mission, because the world would have reason to disbelieve the gospel. (John 17:23 NIV) I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
H. Promote Small Groups.
I. For the non-Christian, must come to God for salvation. Have relationship with God.
