We are so excited for Small Group Sunday. It's
a couple weeks from now, September 14th. And
I actually had the privilege, I was the person
that got to sit down and do these interviews
that you've seen the last couple weeks and will
continue to see for a couple weeks. And it's
incredible to see and to hear what God, all the
different ways that God is working in our church,
but specifically the way he's working through
our small groups. I hope that... In a couple
weeks, when we have all the small groups and
Sunday schools kind of out and about, and you
can ask about them and sign up and see what they're
about, I'd encourage you to participate in that.
For those of you that don't know me, my name's
Tom Barton, and I get the privilege of being
the student pastor here. So I work with the 6th
through 12th graders. And before we get rolling
in the message, I just want to say a quick thank
you to you guys as our congregation. There's
envelopes on these chairs in front of you that
have Fusion's logo on it or something about students
on trips. And those envelopes, the money that's
put into it, allows students to go on trips,
either for free or for much cheaper than it would
cost us to send them. And you guys donate so
generously and it allows so many students to
go on trips. And just this summer, we saw seven
baptisms across three different camps. We saw
multiple students that committed their lives
to full -time ministry. And so I just wanted
to say thank you for your guys' generosity for
following that call and allowing students. Something
a spiritual mentor told me before and is so true
about students going to camp is that when they
get to experience a change of pace, and a change
of place, it allows them to have a change in
perspective. And that is so true. They see God
in such a new way on these trips. And so I just
wanted to say thank you for that. But with that,
let's go ahead and pray. God, we're so thankful
that we get to come to worship you today, that
we get to come and hear a little bit about you.
And God, I just pray over this message that it
would be edifying to this congregation, that
it would glorify you, and that we would honor
you in our words. I just pray over all these
folks that this week they would be a light for
you, that they would share the good news in both
their words and their deeds. We're so thankful
for all that you have done, all that you are
doing, and all that we know you will continue
to do. It's in Jesus' name I pray, amen. So a
couple weeks ago, I was assigned the wonderful,
I guess we'll use the word privilege, of getting
to do a message covering the Trinity. And for
those of you who may not know what the Trinity
is, the Trinity is the Christian belief that
God is one God, but is also three persons. God
the Father, that's kind of who we think of when
we think of like the old man with the beard,
like that's who we kind of think of. God the
Father, God the Son, Jesus, and God the Holy
Spirit. They're all three individual persons
of God. They're all themselves, but they're also
all one God. We only have one God. And this is
one of those truths that is too much for us.
It's too majestic. We can't understand it fully.
Our language, our metaphors, our visuals, our
brains, we are simply not capable of understanding
the Trinity to its fullest extent. And so I'm
sure I'm going to accidentally commit a few heresies
today up here as I try to explain the Trinity,
but I'm just going to go ahead and ask for forgiveness
up front. It's impossible to describe the Trinity
and not accidentally describe it wrong. And so
as I was preparing, I read this book pretty much
cover to cover to prepare. It's incredible. It's
called Delighting in the Trinity by this guy,
Michael Reeves. And it basically walks through
like, these are all the different things we believe
as Christians. These are how we act. This is
how we act as Christians. This is how we're to
engage with one another as Christ followers.
And this book goes through all these different
things and it breaks down why does it matter
that God is triune, why the Trinity matters and
all of these different aspects. So I'd encourage
you to read it. I'm a bit of a nerd, so I would
say it was a really fun read. Your mileage may
vary on that, but I would encourage you to check
it out. So Tony asked me to talk about the Trinity.
And so I sat down and I was thinking, how? Do
I share about the Trinity in a way that is the
good news, the gospel, and maybe more than just
a Sunday school classroom lecture? And as I was
saying, I'm a student pastor, and so because
of that, I'm, of course, incredibly creative.
The creative juices just are flowing and oozing
from me. I can't express enough how creative
I am. And so to discuss this triune nature of
God, I can't express how creative this is. I
decided I'm going to do it by sharing three truths
that come from the very fact our God is three
and one. Hold for applause. These truths, they're
actually going to coincide with these three words
that we tell our Fusion students every week.
So for those of you out there that are students,
this will hopefully be some familiar territory
for you. So as we jump right into it, we're going
to start with God the Father, the first person
of the Trinity revealed in Scripture. This is
the person of the Trinity we're probably the
most familiar with. He's the one we're probably
thinking of when we say God. This is the one
the Old Testament Hebrews would have been most
familiar with. And to do this, we're actually
going to start not at creation, but we're going
to go back and start before creation. So to do
that, we're going to jump into John 17, verse
24, and we're going to hear Jesus' words. Jesus
says, Father, I want these who you have given
me to be with, me where I am. Then they can see
all the glory you gave me because you loved me
even before the world began. Even before the
world began. The first word that we tell our
Fusion students every week, and the first word
I'm going to tell you today, is that they and
you are loved. And this is a truth that we can
begin to see from that last little line, the
last piece of that scripture. Even before the
world began. You see, God is not just our creator,
he's the creator. In fact, in Genesis 1 -1, the
very first verse of the Bible, it begins by saying
this. In the beginning, God created the heavens
and the earth. And yet we know, if you were here
last week, you heard Tony's message about Jesus
being God. He's the way, the truth, the life.
And he can only be that if he is God. So Jesus
exists eternally before creation with no start.
He can't be God if he came into existence at
some point. If God created him, then he's not
God. So God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Spirit are existing before creation. So hang
with me for just a second. If creation starts
here, if creation is something that at one point
didn't exist, then before creation, God being
creator can't be part of his eternal identity.
God being ruler over his creation can't be part
of his eternal identity. Because before creation,
those wouldn't have been true about him. How
can he be the creator if there's nothing created?
How can he be the ruler of creation if there's
nothing to rule? And that's true about God the
Father, who's in relationship with God the Son.
So God's eternal identity, one that exists before
creation, after creation, during creation, God's
eternal identity is relational, as father and
son. There never has been, there never will be,
a time when loving father is not part of God's
identity. So why does that matter? You see, God
being fatherly is not something he does part
-time. Being father is who God is. So all that
he does, create, rule, everything he does is
as a father. And if you have or had a not -so
-great dad, or even if you have a great dad,
they can only be a shadow, an imitation of the
goodness of God as Father. So please don't bring
that to the table. But if that is who God is,
at his core, as Father, then creation is not
an act God did to end loneliness. It's not an
act God did to create servants or slaves. No.
Creation is an overflow of love. We read about
that in 1 John 4, where it says this. Dear friends,
let us continue to love one another, for love
comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of
God and knows God. But anyone who does not love
God does not know God, for God is love. So you
see, if we take this in one hand, that God is
triune, the Father, Son, and Spirit, and if we
see right here in this verse that God is love,
if we take those together, it takes on a different
meaning. Eternally, no start, no end, God the
Father is loving the Son through the Spirit.
You see, if God wasn't triune, he couldn't be
love, because at some point before creation,
he wouldn't have anything to love. But because
God is triune, because he's in relationship eternally,
is loving eternally, love is not something that
God happened upon once he created us. He didn't
create us and find out, you know what, I do love
these people. You see, if that were the case,
if God's love could start, then at some point
it could end. But if God is love and is love
eternal, loving us is not some new thing. So
when I tell our students that they're loved,
and when I tell you that God loves you, there's
genuinely nothing you can do to change that.
Because God doesn't choose to love. He doesn't
love as a reaction to our existence. God's very
identity as an eternal father means that he is
loved eternally. So hear me today when I tell
you, you are loved. The second word we tell our
students, going out of order on the shirt, it
was a little too expensive to get it rush shipped
for this weekend. The second word we're going
to talk about today is that you are worthy. And
this one's actually a bit of a trick, because
we're humans, so we're sinful. And so technically,
we're not worthy of being in relationship with
God. He is perfect, he is holy, he's set apart
from sin. And yet, the Son being God and not
just a perfect creation, that's the foundation,
that's the bedrock for the idea that you are
made worthy. So a couple minutes ago, we read
1 John chapter 4, verses 7 through 8. And that
last verse read, whoever does not love does not
know God, for God is love. And if we keep reading
in verses 9 through 10, John says this. God showed
how much he loved us by sending his one and only
son, God the Son, into the world so that we might
have eternal life through him. This is real love.
Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and
sent his son as a sacrifice. to take away our
sins. So when I say that your life has worth,
it's because the relationship of the father and
the son, the relationship and the fact that God
loves you so much because he is love eternal,
the relationship to say that you are worth so
much to him that he would send his son, his eternally
loved son, as a sacrifice for our sins so that
we can be eternally in relationship with him.
So God says, despite our unworthiness, that he
chooses to give your life worth. He says, you
are worthy because you are mine. Ephesians chapter
one, it says it this way. Even before he made
the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ
to be holy. and without fault in his eyes. God
decided in advance to adopt us into his own family
by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.
This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him
great pleasure. God is love. God as father, God
as son, we've been talking about this. And that
overflows, that love, that relationship, that
overflows into wanting us to be part of God's
family. You are God's sons. You are God's daughters.
If you've accepted the gospel, the mercy of Jesus
Christ, that is true about you. That changes
you from being unworthy to being worthy, to being
loved. to be holy, and to be without fault in
his eyes. You see, you are royalty. You're a
prince or a princess to the king of the universe,
to the creator, the emperor of all that there
is. So hear me when I tell you that you are worthy.
And that brings us to our last word, valued.
And what does value mean? It kind of boils down
to this idea, this question, how useful is something?
If something or someone brings a lot of value,
that means they contribute to a goal, a project,
whatever it may be. So when it comes to you adding
value to God's creation, adding value to God's
design, what in the world does that have to do
with a triune God? So we've covered pretty in
depth the person of God the Father and God the
Son. And I'd say for most, if not all of us,
those are the two that we would be most comfortable
with, that we would know the most about. Maybe
we're most aware of God the Father and God the
Son. And yet, the Holy Spirit, God the Spirit,
is that third member of the Trinity revealed
to us, but not third most important. In fact,
Jesus, as he's going away from his disciples
who have walked side by side everywhere with
him for years, this is what Jesus says about
the Holy Spirit. The advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father, God the Father will send in
my name, God the Son, will teach you all things
and will remind you of everything I have said
to you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give
you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not
be afraid. The Holy Spirit sent by the Father
in Jesus' name. You see, the Holy Spirit, the
Holy Spirit that lives inside of us, we are a
temple that houses the Holy Spirit of God. That
Holy Spirit lives inside of us so we can enjoy
and relate and commune with God the Father and
God the Son in a way that just doesn't really
make sense, that's not fair to us, but is a merciful
gift. So if you've been baptized, you have received
the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit lives inside of you if you've been baptized.
You've been born again. Worship team, if you
guys wanna make your... Way on up here, that'd
be fantastic. And Jesus says a little bit about
being born again in John chapter three. He's
talking to Nicodemus and he says this, I assure
you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without
being born of water and the spirit. Humans cannot
reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit
gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised
when I say you must. Be born again. And in the
Bible, born again is another way of saying created
anew. In Ephesians chapter two, it talks about
being created anew. Here's what it says. For
we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew
in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things
he planned for us long ago. So you have purpose.
Your purpose is to bring value to the world around
you as a new creation. And the primary agent
of this value working through you is the Holy
Spirit, who lives inside you as that new creation.
And the Holy Spirit, he leads us to new fruit.
Galatians talks about the fruit before the Holy
Spirit, and he says that we follow our sinful
desires, sexual immorality, impurity, Lustful
pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling,
jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition,
dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild
parties, and other sins like these. That is the
old you. And if you're a Christ follower, the
fruit of our lives is no longer these things.
The fruit of our lives is the fruit of the Holy
Spirit working through us, adding value to the
world in order to glorify God. The fruits of
the Spirit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self
-control. There is no law against these things.
You see, this is the life that God... not only
calls us to, but equips us to. You see, the life
that God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Spirit call and equip us to. So usually, I love
to finish a message with some kind of preacher
action step to do. Go do this this week so that
you can come closer to Christ, so that you can
experience this transformation in your life.
But today, I don't really have that. If you have
not accepted the free gift of salvation through
Jesus Christ, if you've not been baptized and
received that Holy Spirit, I encourage you not
to wait. In a few minutes, we're gonna be doing
a worship song and I would encourage you to find
myself or find somebody and just let's talk,
let's figure out what does it mean to give your
life to Christ, to being baptized, to being died
for so that you can live eternally in God's family.
And quite honestly, for those of you that are
already Christ followers, you've already been
baptized, you already follow Jesus, I don't have
an action for you to take. So maybe today can
just be a reminder, something to remember, a
reminder next time either the enemy Satan or
the enemy yourself is working in your head, giving
you thoughts, giving you beliefs about yourself,
telling you that you aren't loved. That something
you've done in your past or are doing now means
that God couldn't love you. Maybe you're thinking
to yourself, I don't know if my life has any
worth. I don't know if it's even worth continuing
on. Or if you're questioning, do I bring value
to this world? Do I add anything to God's creation?
I want to remind you very clearly that God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit couldn't
disagree with those thoughts anymore. I want
to remind you that God is eternally love, and
he loves you from before creation began because
God is love, that God and Father, Son, and Spirit
love you no matter what. You couldn't change
it if you tried. And I want to remind you that
God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit died for
you because he wanted you to be part of his family,
to be adopted into sons and daughters of the
emperor of all of creation. Maybe this is just
a reminder, something to remember, that God doesn't
just call you to bring value to those around
you, but through the fruit of the Spirit, that
very same God lives directly inside you, producing
those very fruits. So if you hear nothing else
today, I would just ask that you remember that
you are loved, you are worthy, and you are valued.