Note: This is a message I preached on the Trinity. Much of the notes came from research online and reviewing sermons from sermon central. I don't claim this as my own but wanted to share as a message developed. The last point is all original.
Title: The Trinity – Enjoying
2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
It matters – Why? Example of Jesus – His body, His blood
It matters – How? Evaluate – recognize our sin, see the grace of God,
It matters – That? It is part of a reflection and remembrance
Title: The Trinity – Enjoying
2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
It matters – Why? Example of Jesus – His body, His blood
It matters – How? Evaluate – recognize our sin, see the grace of God,
It matters – That? It is part of a reflection and remembrance
Introduction
Today I want to share with you about the doctrine of the trinity. This is a topic that I have covered in many studies but have never taken it on as a sermon. Just to let you know ahead and that is the help you to understand the blessings of connecting with God as the trinity. I believe that when people don’t believe in the trinity, they 1) do an injustice to scripture 2) do an injustice to themselves and their worship.
So let us begin.
Why do we believe in the trinity?
I. Proof of the Trinity is broken down into three areas
1) The Plurality of God in the Old Testament – It begins early
The shape of Trinitarian orthodoxy is finally rounded off by texts that hint at the plurality of persons in the Godhead (Gen. 1:1-3, 26; Psalm 2:7; Dan. 7), texts like 1 Cor. 8:6 which place Jesus Christ as Lord right in the middle of Jewish Shema, and dozens of texts that speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the same breath, from The Most Important Doctrine Many Never Think About (thegospelcoalition.org)
2. Names of God prove plurality of persons. The Hebrew: ’Elohiym (H430) is the word for God in Gen_1:1 and in over 2,700 other places in the Old Testament It is a uni-plural noun meaning Gods and is so translated 239 times (Gen_3:5; Exo_22:28; 1Sa_4:8; Dan_2:11; Dan_4:6-9; Dan_5:11, Dan_5:14; etc.). Sometimes ’Elohiym is used with plural verbs and pronouns, "the Gods they caused me to wander" (Gen_20:13), and "there the Gods they appeared unto him" (Gen_35:7).
So we get a hint that there is more than what we read. Although God has chosen not to fully reveal himself in the Old Testament we get a cloak. We do see the Holy Spirit working as in the prophets, servants with Moses and Saul. We also see Jesus as with the 3 Hebrew Children and many other theophany’s but not as clear as in the New Testament.
2) The deity of the trinity found in scripture
Father – Full OT
Son – From Jesus beginning in John and His constant accusations of blasphemy from the Jews.
Holy Spirit
Next, we have the scores of texts which prove the deity of Jesus Christ, the Son—passages like John 1 (“the word was God”), John 8:58 (“before Abraham was born, I am”), Col. 2:9 (“in Christ all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form”), Heb. 1:3 (“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of his being”), Tit. 2:13 (“our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”)-not to mention the explicit worship Christ willingly received from his disciples (Luke 24:52; John 20:28) and the charges of blasphemy leveled against him for making himself equal with God (Mark 2:7). Then we have similar texts which assume the deity of the Holy Spirit, calling Him an “eternal Spirit” (Heb. 9:14) and using “God” interchangeably with the “Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 3:16 and 1 Cor. 6:19; Acts 5:3-4) without a second thought. From Kevin DeYoung on The Trinity – CraigThompson.org
3) The Unity of the Godhead found in scripture
equating the three in rank, while assuming distinction of personhood (Matt. 28:19; Gal. 4:6; 1 Cor.12:4-6; 1 Peter 1:1-2; 2 Cor. 2:21-22; 13:14; Eph. 1:13-14; 2:18, 20-22; 3:14-17; 4:4-6; 5:18-20; 6:10-18).
Baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If this was just a general name then they would have added, the apostles and the church.
Second, where is the doctrine of the Trinity found in the Bible? Although the word “Trinity” is famously absent from Scripture, the theology behind the word can be found in a surprising number of verses. For starters there are verses that speak of God’s oneness (Deut. 6:4; Isa. 44:6; 1 Tim. 1:17). Then there are the myriad of passages which demonstrate that God is Father (e.g., John 6:27, Titus 1:4).
Why was the trinity not spelled out plainly in the Old Testament? Dispensation
1) The revelation of God’s time and plan
2) The confusion that would have been set forth
3) There are many hints of the trinity in the Old Testament
II. Priority (necessity) of the Trinity
1 John 5:8 from notes in commentary
1Jn 5:7-8 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (8) And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
Just as the Father, the Word, and the Spirit bear witness in heaven, the Spirit, the water, and the blood bear witness on earth…
• First, the Spirit bears witness that Jesus Christ is in us. Paul put it this way: His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God (Rom_8:16). No matter how many people argue with me or point out my faults accusingly, I know I'm a child of God because His Spirit bears witness with my spirit.
• Second, water bears witness that Jesus Christ is in us. When Satan says, "You're not saved," think back to the day you went into the water of baptism and came out looking like a drowned rat. What would make you do that? The Spirit drew you—and the water is a confirmation or reminder to you.
• Third, the blood bears witness that Jesus Christ is in us. I come to the table of Communion, and as I drink of the cup, I absorb and embrace, commemorate and celebrate the work of Christ on my behalf.
The Spirit inside you, the baptism you went through, and the blood shed for you work together as one proof that you truly are a Christian.
So we see the key to the Priority of the Trinity.
As a witness – 1 John 5:8 (also the baptism of Jesus)
As Unity – show the unity of the godhead.
As a symbol of God’s love – God’s love for each other. God’s love is shown in the trinity.
Millard Erickson does a fine job explaining the concept behind the need for more than one person to be in the Trinity if God is to be love. He puts it this way:
In a sense, God being love virtually requires that he be more than one person. Love, to be love\, must have both a subject and an object. Thus, if there were not multiplicity in the person of the Godhead, God could not really be love prior to the creation of other subjects. For love to be genuine, there must be someone whom God could love, and this would necessarily be more than mere narcissism. The Father loves the Son; the Son loves the Father; the Father loves the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit loves the Father; the Son loves the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit loves the Son. The fact that God is three persons rather than merely two also is a demonstration of the character of love. There is an old statement, ?”Two‘s company; three‘s a crowd.” It is possible for two human persons to have a relationship of love for one another that is much more difficult for three persons to have among themselves. Two persons may simply reciprocate love, not having to share the other person‘s love with anyone else. With three persons, there must be a greater quality of selflessness, of genuine agape. This Trinity founded upon love is a demonstration of the full nature of agape.
From God is Love: The Interrelationship of the Trinity | Experiencing His Victory
Trinity Illustrated - music
Perhaps the least flawed illustration we have of God's triune nature is a musical chord of three notes. The three distinct notes work together to make one melodious sound, existing in the same time and space, and unified in purpose while remaining separate and distinct. Each note on its own fills the auditory space and creates a beautiful sound, and yet when combined with the other two notes continues to make a unified melodious sound that fills the auditory space while remaining distinct from the other two. So this example comes close to showing how God's triune nature exists.
III. Purpose of the Trinity
The Trinity in Our Relationship with God
Father – protector, provider
A. God loves us – John 3:16
B. God knows us – Jeremiah 1:5
C. God protects us – Colossians 3:3
D. God has what’s best in mind for us – Jeremiah 29:11; 2 Chronicles 16:9
E. God has adopted us into His family
God must adopt you so that you have a legal standing and have the right to all the privileges and blessings in His family. EPH 1:5 ‘In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ.’’
The second thing, which always goes hand in hand with adoption, is that you must be born-again; spiritually re-born. JOHN 1:12-13 ‘To all who received [Jesus], to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husbands will, but of God.’
Jesus – Savior and Our Righteous Master
A) Died for us – Romans 5:8
Romans 5:8 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
B) Mediator (High Priest) – 1 Timothy 2:5 – 6 (Hebrews 7:27)
1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, (6) who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
C) Intercedes for us – advocate
1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (2) And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Holy Spirit – Comforter, leader and guide
A) Comforter
John 14:15-17 If you love me, keep my commandments. (16) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; (17) Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
B) Intercessor
Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us [21] with groanings which cannot be uttered. (27) Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
C) Teacher
Read “When human understanding is insufficient, the Holy Spirit enhances our ability to comprehend. He illuminates the dark passages according to (1Cor 2:14). In John 14:26 we are told that he is the teacher of the book. He is the guide who know s the way according to (John 14:17, 16:26, 16:13). ;When we are unable to verbalize our feelings the Spirit teaches us (Luke 12:11, 12) better yet when we are unable to pray the spirit helps us according to Romans 8:26,27)
D) Reprover of Sins
John 16:7-11 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (8) And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) Of sin, because they believe not on me; (10) Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; (11) Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
E) Sealer of Our Salvation
Ephesians 1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Conclusion
Enjoy the relationship with the trinity.
