Reading: 2 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 14.
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all”.
• The date: Monday July 16th 1945.
• The time: 5.30 in the morning.
• The place: 35 miles (56 km) away from the sleepy village of Carizozo, New Mexico.
• What happened: A blinding flash, a deafening roar & the first atomic bomb was detonated.
ill:
• 21 days later on August 6th ;
• President Harry Truman announced to the American people,
• That an atomic bomb had been dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
• The city was almost completely destroyed.
• Seventy thousand people died instantly,
• In the following weeks, thousands more would also perish.
• Oddly enough the code name for the atomic bomb project was:
• ‘Trinity’.
• The first bomb was tested in the desert of New Mexico;
• And the third bomb dropped on August 9th in Nagasaki, Japan.
• I guess they chose the name ‘Trinity’, simply because it means three;
• But we can only guess!
• Now our benediction this morning; is more than a trinity – in fact it is a trinity of trinities.
• Let’s look at the first one:
(1). A Trinity of persons.
Note:
• The word ‘Trinity’ is not a Bible word;
• i.e. in that it is a word not found in the Bible text;
• It is a word that is derived from the Latin "Trinitas",
• Meaning "the number three, a triad”.
Ill:
• If ever you speak to a Jehovah Witness;
• They are keen to point out that this word ‘Trinity’ is not found in the Bible.
But Jehovah Witness’ (like Christians) often use terms that are not found in the Bible’;
• e.g. ‘Millennium’ – a great description for a thousand year i.e. reign of Christ.
• e.g. ‘Theocracy’ – a great description for God’s rule.
• e.g. ‘Monotheism’ – a great description of belief in only one God.
• These words may not be in the biblical text;
• But their doctrine certainly is!
• Our Christian vocabulary is full of good terms and language;
• That might not be in the Biblical text, but they clearly explain biblical principles.
Now when talking about the ‘Trinity’, Perhaps a better term is ‘Godhead’ or ‘Deity’:
• We are saying that there is one eternal God, with one essence;
• Existing in three persons who are equal yet distinct.
• Both the Old Testament & the New Testament teach this truth;
• It is not a new truth invented by the Church, it is found from cover to cover in the Bible.
Ill:
• Genesis chapter 1 verse 1:
• “In the beginning God (plural) created the heavens (dual) and the earth (single)”.
• The word translated God is not in the singular but in the plural.
• ‘Elohim’ - which means three or more.
• Ill: Jewish interpretation says that God was using the royal ‘we’;
• Ill: Margret Thatcher years ago meeting the press and saying; “we are a grandmother”.
• Ill: The Jehovah Witnesses say that God was talking to the angels;
• But they conveniently forget that we are not made in the image of angels!
• Now for the Christian that mystery (of Gen 1:1) is explain throughout the rest of the Bible
• The one singular triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit made the world.
Ill:
• The Old Testament equivalent of John 3 verse 16 is:
• Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4 (Sh’ma): “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord”
• The word translated as ‘one’ is a plural word and is teaching a composite unity.
• Ill: Genesis chapter 2 verse 24:
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”
• This verses is teaching a plural oneness;
• The two are one and yet the one is two!
Now:
• Both the Old Testament & the New Testament teach this truth;
• It is not a new truth invented by the Church, it is found from cover to cover in the Bible.
• But the early Church certainly believed in the ‘Godhead’ or Deity’.
• That can be clearly seen in various documents.
Ill:
• If you check out the witness of the early Church.
• Their beliefs are recorded in what we call ‘The Creeds’.
• A creed is simply a statement of belief;
• Creeds (e.g. Apostles creed) are regularly said in many Churches all around the world.
• Creeds came into being and were needed because the books of the New Testament;
• Were not yet collected together & available in one book form.
• And during this time period other heretical teachings started to appear.
• And Church leaders need to make sure Christians knew what they believed.
• Two creeds from the early Church;
• That clearly show what Christians believed and taught were:
Ill: The Nicene creed:
“We believe in one God………….in one Lord Jesus Christ………….true God of true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father”.
Ill: Athanasian Creed.
“So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Spirit is God.
And yet there are not three Gods, but one God…….”
Note:
• The members of the ‘Trinity’ are not sequential:
• e.g. like ranks in the army – the Father first, the Son second & the Spirit third.
• Because each one is eternal God;
• No one member of the Godhead is greater than another.
• Ill: In the baptismal formula (Matthew chapter 28 vs 19) – the Father is named first.
• “Baptizing them in the NAME of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
• Ill: In this trinity benediction in 2 Corinthians, the Son is mentioned first.
• “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God….”
• Because each one is eternal God; no one member of the Godhead is greater than another.
• That is seen and evidenced throughout the New Testament.
Obviously there is much in the doctrine of the trinity that is beyond human comprehension and explanation.
Ill:
• Now the philosopher and theologian St. Augustine
• Of whom most encyclopaedias call;
• “One of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity”
• Wrote fifteen volumes, fifteen books trying to explain and teach the Trinity.
• What kind of job he did you can read for yourself (ill: on the internet);
Ill:
• One day when St. Augustine was at his wits’ end to understand and explain the Trinity;
• He went out for a walk.
• He kept turning over in his mind;
• "One God, but three Persons. Three Persons--not three Gods but one God. What does it mean?”
• “How can it be explained? How can my mind take it in?"
• And so he was torturing his mind and beating his brains out,
• When he saw a little boy on the beach.
• He approached him to see what he was doing.
• The child had dug a small hole in the sand.
• With his hands he was carrying water from the ocean & was dumping it in the little hole.
• St. Augustine asked, "What are you doing, my child?"
• The child replied, "I want to put all of the water of the ocean into this hole."
• St. Augustine asked,
• "But is it possible for all of the water of this great ocean to be contained in this little hole?"
• And then it dawned on Augustine:
• "If the water of the ocean cannot be contained in this little hole,
• Then how can the Infinite Trinitarian God be contained in your mind?"
Now In the few minutes I have, I will not even attempt to explain it!
• But I will emphasises the doctrine of the ‘trinity’, I will teach it and commend it!
• Because it is fundamental to the Christian faith! (I know that I am speaking to the converted)
Ill:
• In our Church circles we take it for granted;
• But we need to explain who God is? Ill: Holiday Clubs;
• Because the word means so much to so many in our multi religion & spiritual age.
• Ill: Both a Muslim, a Catholic say to me; “We all worship the same God”
• There may be only one God but we don’t all worship him;
• The God of the Bible is triune! God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit!
Quote: Christian Theology in Plain Language, p. 143
“Within the Godhead there are three “persons” who are neither three Gods nor three parts of God, but coequally and coeternally God.
• Christians worship the Triune God;
• Any other kind of worship is not Christian.
(2). A trinity of Privileges
Ill:
• I like the joke about the Jewish couple Morris and his wife Esther;
• Who went to an air-show every year,
• And every year Morris would say, "Esther, I’d like to ride in that helicopter".
• Esther always replied,
• "I know Morris, but that helicopter ride is fifty pounds - and fifty pounds is fifty pounds".
• One year Esther and Morris went to the air-show, and Morris said,
• "Esther, I’m 85 years old. If I don’t ride that helicopter, I might never get another chance."
• Esther replied,
• "But Morris that helicopter ride is fifty pounds - and fifty pounds is fifty pounds ".
• The pilot overheard the couple and said,
• "Folks I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take the both of you for a ride.
• If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and not say a word I won’t charge you!
• But if you say one word, it’s fifty pounds
• Morris and Esther agreed and up they went.
• The pilot did all kinds of fancy manoeuvres, but not a word was heard.
• He did his daredevil tricks over and over again, but still not a word.
• When they landed, the pilot turned to Morris and said,
• "By golly, I did everything I could to get you to yell out, but you didn’t. I’m impressed!"
• Morris replied, "Well, to tell you the truth, I almost said something when Esther fell out,
• But you know fifty pounds is fifty pounds"
Ill:
• The year was 1934. The place 40 kilometres east of Pretoria, South Africa.
• An impoverished prospector was 64 year old Johannes Jacobus Jonker,
• For eighteen years he had been searching for the find that would change his life.
• On January 17th, 1934 it was a cold, windy and very wet day.
• A discouraged Johannes decided to stay at home;
• Instead of going to his plot of land,
• He sent his son Gert along with two of his native South African employees;
• One of them was called Johannes Makani,
• As Johannes Makani was washing a bucketful of gravel;
• He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and picked up something.
• Without saying anything he walked to the cleaning camp;
• He scrubbed the object which was caked all over with dirt.
• He then threw his hat in the air and started to shout; "I have found it!"
• With Gert Jonker they ran back home to tell Johannes Jacobus Jonker about the find.
• Three days later, Jacobus Jonker sold his “rock” for a fortune.
• It was a 726-carat diamond that became known as the “Jonker diamond,”
• One of the most famous gems in history.
• You and I have been given possessions far greater in value;
• Than the Jonker diamond. Three of those possessions are mentioned in the passage.
(1). Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• This rich term ‘grace’ (‘charis’) appears 155 times in the New Testament (note: study in itself).
• As believers we are of course saved by Grace:
Ill:
• I saw this advertisement on the side of a plumbers van:
• ‘There is no place too deep, too dark or too dirty for us to handle’.
• What a wonderful explanation of God’s grace!
• ‘There is no person too deep in sin, too dark in spirit or too dirty for God to handle’.
As believers we are of course ‘Saved by grace’:
• Not one of us here tonight can boast that we have earnt our salvation;
• We are here because God offered us a free gift that we gladly accepted & gratefully received
Quote:
• When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day’s pay for his time,
• That is a wage.
• When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance,
• That is a prize.
• When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements,
• That is an award.
• But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize,
• And deserves no award—yet receives such a gift anyway………
• That is a good picture of God’s ‘unmerited favour’.
• This is what we mean when we talk about ‘the grace of God’.
The Bible teaches that:
(a).
• We have been saved by grace;
• Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8-9:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.”
(b).
• The Bible also teaches that we ‘Stand in grace’
• Romans chapter 5 verse 2:
1”Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”
Ill:
Prodigal (Lost) Son.
• At the end of the story when he standing next to his father;
• Restored in his relationship.
• Dressed in the best robe, with a ring on his finger & sandals on his feet;
• Then a celebration party thrown on his behalf!
• Ill: The best robe was a status symbol;
• Ill: The ring an indication of authority (ill: Pharaoh to Joseph Genesis chapter 41 verse 42)
• Ill: The sandals were a sign that he was not a slave but a freeman.
• Ill: ‘Fatted calf’ was saved & only slaughtered when a special guest or at a special occasion.
• Here was a rebellious son who deserved nothing!
• But he is standing in grace because of the love of his father!
(3).
• The Bible also teaches that we are ‘Sustained by grace’ (2 Corinthians ch 12 vs 9).
• "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Ill:
• A man returns from a foreign holiday and is feeling very ill.
• He goes to see his doctor, and is immediately rushed to the hospital to undergo tests.
• The man wakes up after the tests in a private room at the hospital,
• He shuffles to the door & finds it locked from the outside!
• Just then the phone by his bed rings.
• He picks it up and hears the doctor speaking:
• "This is your doctor. We’ve had the results back from your tests
• And we’ve found you have an extremely nasty virus
• Who’s progress, so far, we are completely helpless to destroy or even slow down!"
• "Oh no!," cried the man, "What are you going to do, doctor?"
• "Well we’re going to put you on a diet of pizzas, pancakes, tortillas & pita bread."
• "Will that cure me???" asked the man.
• The doctor replied, "Well no, but... it’s the only food we can get under the door!"
Well as far as we know Paul the apostle did not have some mystery virus:
• But he was struggling with what he called his ‘Thorn in the flesh’.
• What that ‘thorn’ was no one knows; e.g. eyesight/disfigurement/epilepsy/sever headaches/epilepsy.
• Whatever his complaint;
• The point is he asked God three times to remove this ‘Thorn in the flesh’.
• And three times that request was denied;
Note:
• God allowed the complaint to continue because it was spiritually productive in his life:
• It built true godly character in the apostle.
• It kept him humble.
• And it caused him to rely on God in prayer.
• Because it was spiritually beneficial to him at this time;
• God did not remove his suffering but gave him sufficient grace to endure it.
Ill:
• God is able to meet our needs;
• Our problems are his opportunities.
• Ill: Feeding of the 5,000.
• God turns impossible situations of men into opportunities for his glory.
(2). The Love of God.
Love is the key feature in the life of every Christian:
• Quote: Jesus who said (John chapter 13 verse 35):
• “By this all men will know that you are my disciples…..love one another”
• Where do we get the motivation, the desire and the power to love;
• By God’s Holy Spirit!
• Quote: Romans chapter 5 verse 5 reminds us that at our conversion (‘Born again’):
• “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit”
Note:
• Similarities between our human physical birth;
• And our spiritual birth.
HUMAN BIRTH:
• Ill: When we were born we were all selfish and demanding.
• As infants crying was the way we made our needs known.
• We had to let everybody know when we were hungry and uncomfortable, bored & tired,
• And our parents or carers came to the rescue.
• Ill: As we grew up we were taught that such childish behaviour was unacceptable:
• We were taught to say please and thank you, (we were taught all sorts of good manners)
• Ill: As we grew we were taught to feed ourselves, to walk, to speak, to dress ourselves,
• To pick up our toys, and to keep ourselves out of trouble.
• Ill: Whenever we lapsed back into selfish childish behaviour;
• We were warned and disciplined and told to ‘Grow up’.
SPIRITUAL BIRTH:
• When we were born again we were spiritual babies;
• But spiritually we all grow up at different speeds!
• One of the signs we are maturing spiritually;
• Is we display more and more the ‘love of God.’
Ill:
• Quote: Galatians chapter 5 verse 22 reminds us:
• “Fruit of the Spirit is…’:
“…Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law”.
• Notice it is fruit (singular) of the Spirit, and not fruits (plural).
• ill: Not like a supermarket where you pick and choose.
• In fact there is really only one fruit of the Spirit and that is ‘Love’,
• All the others qualities mentioned are the results of love.
• For if we love someone;
• Then we are joyful with them.
• Patient with them.
• Then we are good towards them and so on and so on.
SO:
• To witness for Christ;
• I need more and more of the love of God.
• To mature and interact with other Christians;
• I need more and more of the love of God.
• To love my enemies:
• I need more and more of the love of God.
• In fact in all areas of my experience and life;
• I need more and more of the love of God.
Ill:
• Just compare the beatitudes of society to those of Jesus in Matthew chapter 5 verse 3-11:
• Quote: J.B. Phillips:
"Happy are the ’pushers’: for they get on in the world.
Happy are the hard-boiled: for they never get hurt.
Happy are they that complain: for they get their own way in the end.
Happy are the blasé’: for they never worry over their sins.
Happy are the slave drivers: for they get results.
Happy are the knowledgeable men of the world: for they know their way round
Happy are the trouble makers: for they make people take notice of them.
• The lifestyle of Jesus is unmistakably different.
• The key in every relationship is love – for God and for others!
(3). The fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
• The Greek word translated into English as ‘Fellowship’ is ‘Koionia’.
• It means ‘to have in common’.
Ill:
• This having in common means more than being the same age;
• Or enjoying the same sport or type of music.
• No matter what your age or gender, your income or education,
• Your hobbies or political views.
• If you know Jesus Christ as Lord in your life;
• Then we can have fellowship together.
Question: What does it mean to have ‘The fellowship of the Holy Spirit’?
Answer: To share things in common.
• The Holy Spirit’s main ministry is to glorify Jesus Christ.
• John chapter 16 verse 14-15:
“He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you."
• The objective of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus Christ.
• Just as here on earth Jesus glorified the Father, so the Spirit glorifies the Son.
• The persons of the Holy trinity (Godhead);
• Always glorify each other.
Ill:
• Two men who had very different priorities were:
• Ray Krock & David Livingstone.
• Ill: Ray Krock was the founder of McDonald’s (as we know it),
• He was once asked by a reporter what he believed in.
• “I believe in God, my family and McDonald’s,” he said.
• Then he added, “When I get to the office, I reverse the order.
Ill:
• The body of missionary and explorer David Livingstone;
• Was buried in Westminster Abbey England in 1874.
• But one part of him was missing!
• His heart was buried in the Africa he loved.
• It was buried at the foot of a tall tree in a small African village.
• The natives dug a hole and placed in it the heart of this man who they loved & respected.
• Two men with very different priorities in life:
• One determined to make money; One determined to glorify Christ & make Christ known!
(3). A Trinity of perils
Ill:
• Some time ago, zoo officials in Kirby, Misperton, Yorkshire, England,
• Had to pay visitors for articles stolen by monkeys.
• But what puzzled them was the favourite item the animals snatched:
• Spectacles.
• An investigation revealed the reason.
• The monkeys grabbed the glasses when visitors
• Leaned over to read a small sign on the wall of the cage.
• The sign said: “Beware! These monkeys steal spectacles.”
• There are three Churches in the New Testament;
• Who ignored their privileges and fell from the blessings.
• They put themselves into danger, into great peril!
(1). The Galatian Church.
• Who fell from grace;
• Quote: Galatians chapter 5 verse 4.
”You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ;
you have fallen away from grace”.
• These Galatian Christians were missing out;
• Because they had allowed false teaching to creep into the fellowship.
• These false teachers were persuading them that what they had in Christ was not enough;
• They taught that they needed to mix the grace of God and the Law of Moses together.
• And without realising it:
• These Christians were being conned into swapping their freedom in Christ;
• For the chains and bondage of rules and regulations.
Quote: Fan the Flame by J. Stowell:
In contrast to the two commands of Christ,
• The Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws,
• 365 were negative commands and 248 positive laws.
• By the time Christ came (Pharisaic laws) it had produced a heartless,
• Cold, and arrogant brand of righteousness.
As such, it contained at least ten tragic flaws.
(1) New laws continually need to be invented for new situations.
(2) Accountability to God is replaced by accountability to men.
(3) It reduces a person’s ability to personally discern.
(4) It creates a judgmental spirit.
(5) The Pharisees confused personal preferences with divine law.
(6) It produces inconsistencies.
(7) It created a false standard of righteousness.
(8) It became a burden to the Jews.
(9) It was strictly external.
(10). It was rejected by Christ.
Quote: No wonder Paul would write (Galatians chapter 5 verse 1):
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
(2). The Ephesian Church.
• If you had visited the Church at Ephesus you would have been very impressed;
• They had it all or so it seemed.
• They were hard workers; They did not tolerate false teaching;
• Despite the fact that they experienced both opposition & difficulties they kept on going!
• But….these Ephesian Christians were missing out;
• Because they were had everything but the most important ingredient - love!
Ill:
• Several famous people were asked;
• What they felt was the saddest word in the English language.
• Here’s what some of them said.
• Poet T. S. Eliot: “The saddest word in the English language is, of course, ‘saddest.’”
• Lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II: “But.”
• Writer John Dos Passos quoted John Keats: “Forlorn! the very word is like a bell.”
• Psychiatrist Karl Menninger: “Unloved.”
• Statesman Bernard M. Baruch: “Hopeless.”
• President Harry Truman quoted John Greenleaf Whittier:
• “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: ‘It might have been!’”
• In my opinion one of the saddest words in the English language is ‘lost’.
• ‘Loss of a loved one” “a lost world without Christ” “a church without love”
• These Ephesian Christians were missing out;
• Because they were had everything but the most important ingredient - love!
• Quote: Revelation chapter 2 verse 4:
• “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love”.
• They had it but they seemed to have lost it;
• Ill: In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians you discover at least 20 references to love.
Quote:
• Show me a church where there is love,
• And I will show you a church that is a power in the community.
Ill:
In Chicago a few years ago a little boy attended a Sunday school I know of.
• When his parents moved to another part of the city the little fellow still attended the same Sunday school, although it meant a long, tiresome walk each way.
• A friend asked him why he went so far,
• and told him that there were plenty of others just as good nearer his home.
• “They may be as good for others, but not for me,” was his reply.
• “Why not?” she asked.
• “Because they love a fellow over there,” he replied.
Tough Question: Do people say that about your fellowship?
(3). The Corinthian Church.
• Here was a Church full of the gifts of the Spirit;
• But not evidencing any of the fruit of the Spirit.
• Ill: 1 Corinthians Chapter 1 verse 11:
• Tells us they were a Church split in four ways.
• Ill: Selfishness and rivalry and confusion;
• Characterised their worship services.
• Ill: Spiritual gifts were being used to divide rather than build each other up with.
• Members were suing one another in public courts.
Paul tells us the cause of their problem in chapters 1 and 2 of the first letter:
• They were operating in ‘the wisdom of the world’.
• And not ‘the wisdom that comes from God through his Spirit’.
• And when you start thinking like the world;
• You soon start living like the world.
• Sadly the world is often exclusive;
• Whereas the Church is to be inclusive!
Ill:
• The huge redwood trees in California are amazing.
• They are the largest living things on earth and the tallest trees in the world.
• Some of them are 300 feet high;
• And more than 2,500 years old.
• You would think that trees that large would have a tremendous root system,
• Reaching down hundreds of feet into the earth.
• But that is not the case.
• Redwoods have a very shallow root system.
• The roots of these trees are, however, intertwined.
• They are tied in with each other; interlocked.
• Thus, when the storms come and the winds blow the redwoods still stand.
• With an interlocking root system they support and sustain each other.
• They need one another to survive.
• So do we!
Ill:
• God has given us His Church which is the body of Christ on earth.
• Through Christ we are bound together in a community of faith.
• Belonging to Christ , we therefore belong to each other.
• Fellowship with Christ means fellowship with each other.
• Through Christ God has made us a family, a community of faith.
• This is our God-given support system.
Quote:
• Christian fellowship is two-dimensional,
• And it has to be vertical before it can be horizontal.
• We must know the reality of fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ;
• Before we can know the reality of fellowship with each other.
Now our benediction; is really a trinity of trinities.
• A trinity of perils.
• A trinity of privileges Grace, Love & Fellowship.
• A trinity of persons – Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
