WEBVTT 00:00:01.489 --> 00:00:05.269 Welcome to the house of the Lord on this Sunday, 00:00:05.429 --> 00:00:11.250 Trinity Sunday, where we commemorate the important 00:00:11.250 --> 00:00:13.910 doctrine of the Trinity. Let us now pray together 00:00:13.910 --> 00:00:16.390 and ask for the Lord's blessing of the preaching 00:00:16.390 --> 00:00:20.530 of his word. Glory be to you, O God the Father, 00:00:20.710 --> 00:00:23.690 God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, who of 00:00:23.690 --> 00:00:26.129 your grace and mercy has made us a people in 00:00:26.129 --> 00:00:30.730 Jesus Christ and has surrounded... with us your 00:00:30.730 --> 00:00:33.789 mercies and your providential care, and you have 00:00:33.789 --> 00:00:36.509 given us such great and marvelous promises in 00:00:36.509 --> 00:00:39.729 your word. Bless us this day that we may grow 00:00:39.729 --> 00:00:42.990 in terms of your word and by your spirit. Grant, 00:00:43.189 --> 00:00:46.090 O Lord, that the words of my mouth and the meditations 00:00:46.090 --> 00:00:48.570 of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, 00:00:48.909 --> 00:00:52.350 O Lord, our nearest kinsman redeemer, Jesus Christ. 00:00:52.869 --> 00:01:00.679 Amen. Our text today, Is our epistle reading 00:01:00.679 --> 00:01:04.579 from 2nd Corinthians chapter 13. We will add 00:01:04.579 --> 00:01:13.620 an extra verse verse 14 to the reading Finally 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:18.620 brethren farewell become complete Be of good 00:01:18.620 --> 00:01:23.359 comfort be of one mind live in peace and the 00:01:23.359 --> 00:01:26.400 God of love and peace will be with you Greet 00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:29.920 one another with a holy kiss and all the saints 00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:33.780 greet you and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:37.120 The love of God and the communion of the Holy 00:01:37.120 --> 00:01:41.760 Spirit Be with you all and it ends with amen 00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:46.359 These are the words of Almighty God receive them 00:01:46.359 --> 00:01:50.280 in your hearts There are three things. I want 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:55.819 you to get out of our sermon today First of all 00:01:55.819 --> 00:02:01.019 the triune God has existed before creation The 00:02:01.019 --> 00:02:07.140 triune God has existed before creation second 00:02:07.140 --> 00:02:12.960 We are made in the image of the triune God we 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:19.120 are made in the image of the triune God and Finally 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:25.479 the life of the triune God is a shared life The 00:02:25.479 --> 00:02:32.039 life of the triune God is a shared life. Today 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:35.099 is the day that has been set aside historically 00:02:35.099 --> 00:02:39.379 in the church to meditate on the Trinity. The 00:02:39.379 --> 00:02:42.159 Trinity is certainly a teaching or a doctrine, 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:46.840 but it actually has real implications for our 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:52.000 lives. That is a real meaning for our day -to 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:57.680 -day lives as Christians. The Westminster Confession 00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:02.460 in chapter 2 .3 says this, in the unity of the 00:03:02.460 --> 00:03:07.159 Godhead there be three persons of one substance, 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:12.180 power, and eternity. God the Father, God the 00:03:12.180 --> 00:03:17.139 Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of 00:03:17.139 --> 00:03:21.159 none, neither begotten nor proceeding. The Son 00:03:21.159 --> 00:03:24.650 is eternally begotten of the Father. The Holy 00:03:24.650 --> 00:03:27.810 Ghost is eternally proceeding from the Father 00:03:27.810 --> 00:03:32.169 and the Son. Well, there you go. We can go home. 00:03:35.629 --> 00:03:38.349 Well, I want us to understand that we need to 00:03:38.349 --> 00:03:40.949 know some practical things about what the Trinity, 00:03:41.030 --> 00:03:44.870 who God is as the Triune God. And then, how then 00:03:44.870 --> 00:03:48.849 does it affect how we live? We need to worship 00:03:48.849 --> 00:03:53.009 the Triune God and all Persons of the triune 00:03:53.009 --> 00:03:56.469 God are to be worshiped and glorified by his 00:03:56.469 --> 00:04:00.650 people. In our sermon passage today, we hear 00:04:00.650 --> 00:04:04.969 the apostle Paul give his closing thoughts in 00:04:04.969 --> 00:04:09.030 this very fatherly and pastoral letter written 00:04:09.030 --> 00:04:12.689 to the troubled but maturing church in Corinth. 00:04:13.180 --> 00:04:16.680 The Corinthian church had problems in the church. 00:04:16.939 --> 00:04:19.720 You can't help but read first and second Corinthians 00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:24.800 and come to the conclusion, man, that church, 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:29.680 it has problems. I promise you that in the more 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:33.740 than 25 years that this church has existed, almost 00:04:33.740 --> 00:04:36.980 every one or maybe even every one of those great 00:04:36.980 --> 00:04:41.500 sins has been confronted and dealt with. Some 00:04:41.500 --> 00:04:46.300 may even be among us now But they didn't just 00:04:46.300 --> 00:04:49.060 have problems in the church there was also persecution 00:04:49.060 --> 00:04:54.319 from the high priests and their deputized tormentors 00:04:54.319 --> 00:05:00.360 Not yet realized but known to God and soon coming 00:05:00.360 --> 00:05:04.439 was to be the more intensified harassment torture 00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:08.060 and martyrdom of the church all across the Roman 00:05:08.060 --> 00:05:13.220 Empire In the inspired words of Paul that is 00:05:13.220 --> 00:05:16.459 not inspired by Paul, but by the Holy Spirit 00:05:16.459 --> 00:05:23.279 The words of Paul were directed To the very relational 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:28.339 Trinitarian call to maturity commitment to one 00:05:28.339 --> 00:05:34.360 another in peace and relational love For the 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:38.040 grace of the Lord Jesus Christ the love of God 00:05:38.250 --> 00:05:41.730 and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with 00:05:41.730 --> 00:05:47.089 you all. You know, we're living in an ever -increasingly 00:05:47.089 --> 00:05:51.589 difficult time in history. Or excuse me, let 00:05:51.589 --> 00:05:54.050 me back that up. They were living in an ever 00:05:54.050 --> 00:05:56.470 -increasing... I mean, we feel that way too. 00:05:56.490 --> 00:05:59.029 I'm gonna get to that in a second. But they were 00:05:59.029 --> 00:06:01.410 living in an ever -increasingly difficult time 00:06:01.410 --> 00:06:05.529 in history. In fact... When Jesus spoke of that 00:06:05.529 --> 00:06:08.370 time in Matthew 24, he says this, for then there 00:06:08.370 --> 00:06:12.470 will be great tribulation such as not been since 00:06:12.470 --> 00:06:15.970 the beginning of the world until this time, nor 00:06:15.970 --> 00:06:20.050 shall there ever be. So they're at the precipice 00:06:20.050 --> 00:06:25.089 here of this tribulation. It's the late 50s and 00:06:25.089 --> 00:06:29.470 the early 60s. Rome aligns itself with the persecutors 00:06:29.470 --> 00:06:32.009 of the church, the Jewish high priests and all 00:06:32.009 --> 00:06:35.600 those who rejected Christ. And they partnered 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:39.819 together. And they brought horrible, horrible 00:06:39.819 --> 00:06:47.819 persecution, martyrdom to the church. And it 00:06:47.819 --> 00:06:50.040 says, Jesus said, it's never going to be worse 00:06:50.040 --> 00:06:53.480 than this. And it even says, it's going to be 00:06:53.480 --> 00:06:56.480 so bad in verse 22 that unless those days were 00:06:56.480 --> 00:07:00.560 shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:04.819 elect's sake, those days will be shortened. So 00:07:04.819 --> 00:07:09.139 it's something God is permitting and Here we 00:07:09.139 --> 00:07:14.879 see In all this great tribulation He's pointing 00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:17.279 Paul by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is 00:07:17.279 --> 00:07:21.220 pointing to the trinitarian God and the implications 00:07:21.220 --> 00:07:27.180 in our lives of this Right now we live in both 00:07:27.180 --> 00:07:32.459 one of the most blessed times in a history Right 00:07:32.459 --> 00:07:35.089 don't we agree with that? I mean, after all, 00:07:35.430 --> 00:07:38.829 how many of you had to go down to the well this 00:07:38.829 --> 00:07:43.610 morning or the creek and pull out water? Yesterday 00:07:43.610 --> 00:07:46.230 and later this evening, are you milking the cows 00:07:46.230 --> 00:07:52.829 and goats? Are you hoeing for and tending to 00:07:52.829 --> 00:07:57.310 your vegetable garden that if it isn't a good 00:07:57.310 --> 00:08:02.769 year, you may starve to death? None of you ladies. 00:08:04.329 --> 00:08:09.470 had to go grab a chicken and clean it and cook 00:08:09.470 --> 00:08:14.129 it for Sunday lunch. Right? All that's on our 00:08:14.129 --> 00:08:18.990 easy fingertips. We live in a very blessed time. 00:08:21.470 --> 00:08:25.529 And yet, if we look around us, we see the decline 00:08:25.529 --> 00:08:30.269 in our nations and communities and even the church. 00:08:32.139 --> 00:08:35.639 It may not be as difficult as what those in Corinth 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:38.139 and the Christians across the Empire were about 00:08:38.139 --> 00:08:43.419 to experience But we can benefit from how Paul 00:08:43.419 --> 00:08:46.679 instructs them in preparation for their future 00:08:46.679 --> 00:08:52.379 So here it is let's think about the Triune God 00:08:52.379 --> 00:08:56.080 and its implications So first of all the eternal 00:08:56.080 --> 00:08:59.179 God has always been the Triune God. This is not 00:08:59.179 --> 00:09:03.240 a new development It's not a development out 00:09:03.240 --> 00:09:05.220 of the New Testament. Although it is a little 00:09:05.220 --> 00:09:10.200 more clearer and repeated more often But you 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:13.080 see because God has always been the triune God 00:09:13.080 --> 00:09:15.860 this should be a great assurance to his church 00:09:15.860 --> 00:09:21.259 This gives us a steadfast spirit knowing that 00:09:21.259 --> 00:09:27.019 God never changes Just to name a few we see this 00:09:27.019 --> 00:09:34.470 in Malachi 3 Hebrews 13 James 1 and Psalm 102 00:09:34.470 --> 00:09:40.230 Many of you are familiar with Genesis chapter 00:09:40.230 --> 00:09:44.769 1 through 3 Right in the beginning God created 00:09:44.769 --> 00:09:47.529 the heavens and the earth the earth was out form 00:09:47.529 --> 00:09:50.649 and void and darkness was on the face of the 00:09:50.649 --> 00:09:54.269 deep and The Spirit of God was hovering over 00:09:54.269 --> 00:10:01.159 the waters Then God said let there be light Jesus 00:10:01.159 --> 00:10:04.419 the word let there be light by the authority 00:10:04.419 --> 00:10:11.139 of the Father by the power of the Spirit Farther 00:10:11.139 --> 00:10:14.379 down in chapter 1 in verse 26 it says let and 00:10:14.379 --> 00:10:18.279 God said let us make man in our image according 00:10:18.279 --> 00:10:24.580 to our likeness But you know the Trinity existed 00:10:24.580 --> 00:10:30.889 before creation in Proverbs chapter 8 Begins 00:10:30.889 --> 00:10:34.610 with I but this is Jesus speaking the word I 00:10:34.610 --> 00:10:37.690 have been established from everlasting From the 00:10:37.690 --> 00:10:42.570 beginning before there was ever in earth Dropping 00:10:42.570 --> 00:10:47.429 down to verse 26 While as yet he had not made 00:10:47.429 --> 00:10:51.409 the earth or the fields or the primal that is 00:10:51.409 --> 00:10:56.009 the very first dust of the world When he prepared 00:10:56.009 --> 00:11:01.289 the heavens I was there When he drew a circle 00:11:01.289 --> 00:11:06.970 on the face of the deep The triune God has existed 00:11:06.970 --> 00:11:11.970 before the universe was made and we was there 00:11:11.970 --> 00:11:15.850 at creation Then of course there are the third 00:11:15.850 --> 00:11:18.389 person pluralities that we see throughout the 00:11:18.389 --> 00:11:23.750 Old Testament in Genesis chapter 3 and Chapter 00:11:23.750 --> 00:11:30.330 11 and Isaiah 6 and very clearly in Isaiah 48, 00:11:30.370 --> 00:11:35.470 16. The son, Jesus says prophetically this, come 00:11:35.470 --> 00:11:39.529 near to me, hear this. I have not spoken in secret 00:11:39.529 --> 00:11:43.570 from the beginning. From the time that it was, 00:11:44.049 --> 00:11:48.590 I was there. And now the Lord God and his spirit 00:11:48.590 --> 00:11:53.509 have sent me. And of course, the New Testament 00:11:53.509 --> 00:11:57.309 brings clarity to this. Our gospel reading today 00:11:57.309 --> 00:11:59.990 in Matthew 28. It says this and Jesus came and 00:11:59.990 --> 00:12:02.789 spoke to them That's the disciples all authority 00:12:02.789 --> 00:12:05.730 has been given to me in heaven and on earth Go 00:12:05.730 --> 00:12:10.429 therefore and make disciples of all nations Baptizing 00:12:10.429 --> 00:12:12.370 them in the name of the Father and the Son and 00:12:12.370 --> 00:12:15.429 the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all 00:12:15.429 --> 00:12:19.309 things that I have commanded you and Low I am 00:12:19.309 --> 00:12:23.070 with you always even to the end of the age and 00:12:23.070 --> 00:12:27.590 it finishes with the words Amen We see of course 00:12:27.590 --> 00:12:31.669 the Trinity at Jesus's baptism in Matthew 3 we 00:12:31.669 --> 00:12:38.990 see in in John chapters 13 through 17 on the 00:12:38.990 --> 00:12:42.570 night before the Lord's betrayed over and over 00:12:42.570 --> 00:12:47.350 and over again the Father Jesus speaking as the 00:12:47.350 --> 00:12:51.129 Son and the Spirit being spoken of over and over 00:12:51.129 --> 00:12:55.500 and over again again At the time where the disciples 00:12:55.500 --> 00:12:58.039 think they're at the worst day of their life, 00:12:58.059 --> 00:13:02.799 what is Jesus saying to them? The triune God 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:07.720 loves each other and is doing all of these relational 00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:15.100 things for you, for his church, for their deliverance. 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:19.740 Even Ephesians chapter four tells us this. There 00:13:19.740 --> 00:13:23.169 is one body. and one Spirit, just as you were 00:13:23.169 --> 00:13:25.929 called in the hope of your calling, one Lord, 00:13:26.110 --> 00:13:30.169 one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of 00:13:30.169 --> 00:13:33.529 all, who is above all and through all and in 00:13:33.529 --> 00:13:38.250 you all." And finally, we see in passages like 00:13:38.250 --> 00:13:41.889 2 Corinthians chapter 13, our text this morning, 00:13:42.669 --> 00:13:46.190 right? We see the Trinity very clearly. It's 00:13:46.190 --> 00:13:51.500 very much in focus. In summary of this, Idea 00:13:51.500 --> 00:13:56.559 there is one God in eternal community fully divine 00:13:56.559 --> 00:14:00.440 and eternally distinct and each person of the 00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:04.139 Godhead delights in giving gifts to one another 00:14:04.139 --> 00:14:09.539 The triune God existed before time and creation 00:14:09.539 --> 00:14:15.299 in full loving fellowship God the Father created 00:14:15.299 --> 00:14:18.179 all things he created all things by the word 00:14:18.179 --> 00:14:22.820 his son and by the power of the Spirit. In the 00:14:22.820 --> 00:14:25.679 fullness of time, He sent His Son to be a man 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:30.720 without relinquishing His divinity, but became 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:34.320 fully man by the power of the Spirit. Through 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:37.080 the life and death and resurrection and ascension 00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:42.220 of Jesus the Son, the Father reconciles the world 00:14:42.220 --> 00:14:45.960 to Himself. He draws all men from death to life 00:14:45.960 --> 00:14:49.610 by the power of the Spirit. By the power of the 00:14:49.610 --> 00:14:53.169 spirit men are united to the son and given life 00:14:53.169 --> 00:14:55.850 and brought back into relationship with the father 00:14:55.850 --> 00:15:01.350 and the son and the spirit This is real important 00:15:01.350 --> 00:15:06.309 God gives his son and covenant all love Because 00:15:06.309 --> 00:15:11.950 he is the triune God of love as one commentator 00:15:11.950 --> 00:15:19.039 explains three persons all one God mutually exhaustively 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:23.679 indwelling one another, bound together in a dynamic, 00:15:23.879 --> 00:15:32.299 living, vital relationship of love. And we are 00:15:32.299 --> 00:15:38.320 created in the image of the triune God. Remember 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:41.700 what it said in Genesis 1? Let us make man in 00:15:41.700 --> 00:15:46.049 our image according to our likeness. So God created 00:15:46.049 --> 00:15:48.490 man in his own image in the image of God. He 00:15:48.490 --> 00:15:51.649 created them and then it says male and female 00:15:51.649 --> 00:15:55.149 he created them So for anybody out there who 00:15:55.149 --> 00:15:58.409 is asking what is a man or what is a woman there 00:15:58.409 --> 00:16:03.409 it is You distinctive persons of people out there. 00:16:03.409 --> 00:16:05.669 There are men. There are women. There are no 00:16:05.669 --> 00:16:11.470 more genders than that He created us that way 00:16:11.470 --> 00:16:18.379 our purposes are in these things And we are created 00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:22.200 in his image, both men and women. The eternal 00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:26.259 self -sacrifying, excuse me, excuse me, I have 00:16:26.259 --> 00:16:28.600 to say the whole line again. The eternal self 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:32.799 -sacrificial and glorifying triune God has been 00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:36.440 in a loving relationship within himself, and 00:16:36.440 --> 00:16:40.980 he has created us in his image. God is not a 00:16:40.980 --> 00:16:44.980 monad. This is why Allah can't be loving. He's 00:16:44.980 --> 00:16:49.200 singular. Love does not emanate. He's capricious. 00:16:49.960 --> 00:16:52.960 The triune God, though, indwells together in 00:16:52.960 --> 00:17:00.559 a loving, reciprocal relationship. And so, being 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:03.600 made in his image, it's no wonder that God says 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:07.700 in Genesis chapter 2 verse 18, Yahweh God said, 00:17:07.819 --> 00:17:10.500 it is not good that man should be alone. I will 00:17:10.500 --> 00:17:15.829 make him a helper comparable to him. You see, 00:17:15.890 --> 00:17:21.210 the life of God is a shared life. We cannot enjoy 00:17:21.210 --> 00:17:26.890 life in isolation. We know this because the triune 00:17:26.890 --> 00:17:31.390 God lives in mutual respect, reciprocal love, 00:17:31.970 --> 00:17:36.109 and service to the persons of the Godhead. He 00:17:36.109 --> 00:17:39.829 exists in communion with himself. He expresses 00:17:39.829 --> 00:17:48.099 love within himself, exalting. others. God is 00:17:48.099 --> 00:17:52.559 not a solitary being. Each person of the triune 00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:56.539 God goes about glorifying himself in adorning 00:17:56.539 --> 00:18:02.500 himself with self denial and self giving sacrificial 00:18:02.500 --> 00:18:07.359 relations with one another. The scripture teaches 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:10.740 that there's always been a relationship between 00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:16.329 the Godhead. The scripture teaches that God is 00:18:16.329 --> 00:18:20.529 love in 1 John chapter 4. That doesn't mean that 00:18:20.529 --> 00:18:28.230 God is loving. He is loving. But it means, it 00:18:28.230 --> 00:18:31.069 also doesn't mean that he needed something to 00:18:31.069 --> 00:18:36.849 love so he created us. That's a lie. The Bible 00:18:36.849 --> 00:18:42.470 teaches that God in his own nature is love. That 00:18:42.470 --> 00:18:45.289 means he must have within himself someone to 00:18:45.289 --> 00:18:50.069 love in relationship love involves a personal 00:18:50.069 --> 00:18:55.930 commitment a Sacrificial service a devotion to 00:18:55.930 --> 00:19:00.869 one another and we see that Right in Jesus towards 00:19:00.869 --> 00:19:04.609 the father towards the spirit and out of that 00:19:04.609 --> 00:19:07.789 abundance of the triune love and glorification 00:19:07.789 --> 00:19:11.970 of the others What happens? That abundant love 00:19:11.970 --> 00:19:17.049 grows so large that it pours itself out onto 00:19:17.049 --> 00:19:26.930 us, his people. The Trinity is inescapably personal 00:19:26.930 --> 00:19:32.150 and is reciprocal. Thus, it implies that he loves 00:19:32.150 --> 00:19:35.349 the world, which is true. He loves mankind, which 00:19:35.349 --> 00:19:39.869 is also true. But that love exists first. within 00:19:39.869 --> 00:19:44.569 his own being. He did not become loving at some 00:19:44.569 --> 00:19:49.349 point after creation. He has always been love. 00:19:50.609 --> 00:19:54.769 Love has always been eternally present in God. 00:19:56.789 --> 00:19:59.910 This is true because he's eternally existed as 00:19:59.910 --> 00:20:05.839 three persons. He is not a solitary being. The 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:10.660 triune God lives in loving society with one another 00:20:10.660 --> 00:20:16.759 in communion. Now we cannot comprehend this nor 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:21.619 fully explain this. The eternally existent triune 00:20:21.619 --> 00:20:25.720 God in this loving society is especially important 00:20:25.720 --> 00:20:31.500 to understand because it is essential in properly 00:20:31.500 --> 00:20:36.250 understanding the world and life. The world and 00:20:36.250 --> 00:20:39.349 life are bound up in the nature of God Himself. 00:20:40.269 --> 00:20:43.390 The fact that the Trinity is real and true is 00:20:43.390 --> 00:20:46.250 essential if we're going to understand creation. 00:20:47.390 --> 00:20:50.009 You cannot understand creation or anything apart 00:20:50.009 --> 00:20:54.990 from the Trinity. And that part is real important. 00:20:55.009 --> 00:20:57.789 How many of you guys maybe have seen in the last 00:20:57.789 --> 00:21:01.849 year or so unbelievers, pagans, maybe some sort 00:21:01.849 --> 00:21:04.349 of video shorts or statements they're making? 00:21:04.730 --> 00:21:07.569 where they're sort of getting things right. In 00:21:07.569 --> 00:21:10.369 other words, they don't have the world all figured 00:21:10.369 --> 00:21:13.470 out. Natural law is revealing certain things 00:21:13.470 --> 00:21:18.970 in creation. So they say, well, it does seem 00:21:18.970 --> 00:21:22.690 that men and women are different. Right? And 00:21:22.690 --> 00:21:25.890 so, yes, a man should be the protector and the 00:21:25.890 --> 00:21:28.890 strong one and the leader. And the woman should 00:21:28.890 --> 00:21:31.319 be bearing children, and many should do that 00:21:31.319 --> 00:21:33.779 earlier. And you see a lot of women who are much 00:21:33.779 --> 00:21:36.059 older looking back saying, oh, I messed that 00:21:36.059 --> 00:21:39.140 up. I waited too long. And they're sort of putting 00:21:39.140 --> 00:21:43.259 the world together, but they don't fully get 00:21:43.259 --> 00:21:48.099 it. Why? Because it's a part from the triune 00:21:48.099 --> 00:21:53.000 God. They can only get so far in the way that 00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:55.359 they view the world or in their science or their 00:21:55.359 --> 00:21:58.599 methodologies because They're not in relationship 00:21:58.599 --> 00:22:01.779 with the triune God who has made all things and 00:22:01.779 --> 00:22:06.900 is eternally existed and a loving as a loving 00:22:06.900 --> 00:22:12.400 triune God from before the world You know Proverbs 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:17.319 8 goes on and it says this and I this is again 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:22.160 Jesus Was daily his delight of the father The 00:22:22.160 --> 00:22:25.619 object of his delight and he was rejoicing this 00:22:25.619 --> 00:22:30.039 this word in hebrews Eight here rejoicing is 00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:34.960 playing laughing and making merry And he was 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:41.299 before the father Always before him all creation 00:22:41.299 --> 00:22:45.160 including mankind comes out of the joyous merriment 00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:49.769 of the loving triune god This has huge implications 00:22:49.769 --> 00:22:52.450 in taking dominion and filling the earth to the 00:22:52.450 --> 00:22:56.549 glory of God, which includes feasting and enjoying 00:22:56.549 --> 00:23:00.269 his good gifts, including all the raw materials 00:23:00.269 --> 00:23:04.130 to make and transform the world to his glory 00:23:04.130 --> 00:23:07.150 and the benefit of others. Just think about this 00:23:07.150 --> 00:23:09.430 for a second. If I were to poll across this crowd 00:23:09.430 --> 00:23:11.930 today and I were to ask, what is your favorite 00:23:11.930 --> 00:23:15.299 food? And I didn't like... I don't create the 00:23:15.299 --> 00:23:16.880 categories. I just pointed at random people. 00:23:16.940 --> 00:23:19.359 What's your favorite food? We might have a few 00:23:19.359 --> 00:23:22.180 that overlap. And we might be shocked at what 00:23:22.180 --> 00:23:27.700 the favorite food is for some. And God gave us 00:23:27.700 --> 00:23:31.740 so many spices and so many different kinds of 00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:35.920 foods to eat, plants and animals. Think about 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:39.480 this. What about all the flowers that are out 00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:43.380 there? Right? Did God need to make all those 00:23:43.380 --> 00:23:50.960 flowers? Or is it in His enjoyment and merriment 00:23:50.960 --> 00:23:54.299 and enthusiasm? What about all the different 00:23:54.299 --> 00:23:58.299 woods that we can make things out of? Right? 00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:03.460 You know, what this podium is made out of wouldn't 00:24:03.460 --> 00:24:08.619 make good little planes for us to throw and put 00:24:08.619 --> 00:24:11.460 rubber band little propellers on. Balsam wood 00:24:11.460 --> 00:24:13.519 is good for that, but balsam wood is not a good 00:24:13.519 --> 00:24:15.660 wood to build a house out of or to make beautiful, 00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:23.720 long -lasting furniture. All of this comes out 00:24:23.720 --> 00:24:27.039 of the abundance of the love of the triune God. 00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:36.319 You see. And it is inhabited world out of the 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:39.400 abundance of love joy and peace the eternally 00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:43.160 existent Triune society of love created all things 00:24:43.160 --> 00:24:48.980 and as such creation teaches us about God and 00:24:48.980 --> 00:24:53.099 again think of all those unnecessary Provisions 00:24:53.099 --> 00:24:56.539 all those unnecessary provisions think of all 00:24:56.539 --> 00:25:00.420 the things we can do with a pig. I Like bacon, 00:25:00.420 --> 00:25:06.200 you know that Finally, we see that God's Son 00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:10.500 was the delight, was God the Father's delight, 00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:15.640 and His delight was with the sons of men. Again, 00:25:15.799 --> 00:25:19.259 that's Proverbs 8. At creation, God judges His 00:25:19.259 --> 00:25:22.759 work each day as good, and when He made man, 00:25:22.839 --> 00:25:28.059 He declared it very good. The life of God is 00:25:28.059 --> 00:25:31.740 a shared life, our fellowship. is in communion 00:25:31.740 --> 00:25:35.460 with God and others. We cannot enjoy life in 00:25:35.460 --> 00:25:42.980 isolation. We know this because of the triune 00:25:42.980 --> 00:25:47.019 God who lives in mutual respect, reciprocal love, 00:25:47.640 --> 00:25:51.259 and service to the persons of the Godhead. He 00:25:51.259 --> 00:25:54.599 exists in communion within Himself, and He expresses 00:25:54.599 --> 00:25:58.319 love within Himself, exalting others. Again, 00:25:58.319 --> 00:26:00.740 God is not a solitary being. See, this is a real 00:26:00.740 --> 00:26:06.359 problem. We end up in some tense situation, and 00:26:06.359 --> 00:26:09.779 we want to isolate ourselves. We want to withdraw, 00:26:10.940 --> 00:26:17.700 right? We want to break fellowship with our husband, 00:26:18.119 --> 00:26:23.880 our wife, our children, all these other people 00:26:23.880 --> 00:26:30.380 God puts around us. rages against the Triune 00:26:30.380 --> 00:26:33.319 God and the fact that we're made in His image. 00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:37.119 There is one God in eternal community, a fully 00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:40.059 divine and eternally distinct. Each person of 00:26:40.059 --> 00:26:43.599 the Godhead delights in giving their gifts to 00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:47.400 another. The Triune God existed before time in 00:26:47.400 --> 00:26:52.279 creation in full loving fellowship. God the Father 00:26:52.279 --> 00:26:55.000 created all things and He created all things 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:58.980 by the Word. the Son, and by the power of the 00:26:58.980 --> 00:27:02.460 Spirit. And being made in God's image means that 00:27:02.460 --> 00:27:06.079 we too are to live delighting in one another, 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:09.039 and delighting in giving gifts to one another, 00:27:09.180 --> 00:27:13.440 even a great sacrifice. Think of the work of 00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:16.319 Jesus whose delight was in mankind, and while 00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:20.680 we were yet sinners, he came for us, his church. 00:27:22.740 --> 00:27:25.099 We know that in the fullness of time, the Father 00:27:25.099 --> 00:27:28.329 sent his Son Be a man without relinquishing his 00:27:28.329 --> 00:27:30.690 divinity, but becoming fully man by the power 00:27:30.690 --> 00:27:38.609 of the Spirit Now Proverbs 18 one tells us this 00:27:38.609 --> 00:27:40.690 talking about isolation talk about how we want 00:27:40.690 --> 00:27:44.289 to Sinfully break up now. I want to be upfront 00:27:44.289 --> 00:27:49.150 sometimes We're just worn out We need some rest 00:27:49.150 --> 00:27:52.150 we need to withdraw Jesus himself would go away 00:27:52.150 --> 00:27:56.569 and pray and fast and be restored And sometimes 00:27:56.569 --> 00:27:58.670 he was so tired. In fact, you know, remember 00:27:58.670 --> 00:28:01.130 that one time he was asleep in a boat, and there's 00:28:01.130 --> 00:28:03.769 this huge storm, this great squall going around 00:28:03.769 --> 00:28:09.230 so much so that the boat is sinking. And I must 00:28:09.230 --> 00:28:13.650 say, I can't even imagine that, being so tired. 00:28:15.230 --> 00:28:17.369 But here he was, he was worn out. That's not 00:28:17.369 --> 00:28:19.049 the kind of isolation we're talking about. You 00:28:19.049 --> 00:28:21.049 know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm mad 00:28:21.049 --> 00:28:24.589 at you. You aggravated me, so I'm going to isolate. 00:28:24.730 --> 00:28:27.089 My spouse, I'm going to isolate my children. 00:28:27.609 --> 00:28:31.849 I'm going to flee from it. Proverbs 18 .1 tells 00:28:31.849 --> 00:28:35.109 us, a man who isolates himself seeks his own 00:28:35.109 --> 00:28:39.970 desire. He rages against all wise judgment. A 00:28:39.970 --> 00:28:44.289 fool has no delight in understanding, but in 00:28:44.289 --> 00:28:48.210 expressing his own heart. When we isolate from 00:28:48.210 --> 00:28:51.009 others, this means we are simply wanting to live 00:28:51.009 --> 00:28:54.799 seeking our own selfish desires. When we live 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:58.059 this way we rage against all wise judgment and 00:28:58.059 --> 00:29:01.619 this is the same word that is used in Psalm 2 00:29:01.619 --> 00:29:04.559 When it says that the heathen why do the heathen 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:07.559 nations rage? And they say I want to break the 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:12.799 bonds that are oppressing me from God And we 00:29:12.799 --> 00:29:15.819 do that so many times in our relationships God 00:29:15.819 --> 00:29:20.359 has given us relationships and we rage against 00:29:20.359 --> 00:29:27.980 God When we seek our own desires, we will, for 00:29:27.980 --> 00:29:30.859 our own self -preservation, attempt to break 00:29:30.859 --> 00:29:35.680 the constraints of God's law. We will hate and 00:29:35.680 --> 00:29:38.539 kill others who get in the way of our pleasures 00:29:38.539 --> 00:29:42.599 and desires. This leads to violence, killing 00:29:42.599 --> 00:29:46.079 babies, and killing off the old and affirmed 00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:50.259 and those who are otherwise unproductive. Why? 00:29:50.319 --> 00:29:55.660 Because it's against our selfish lives. God has 00:29:55.660 --> 00:29:57.960 called us to live in community with one another 00:29:57.960 --> 00:30:02.559 Now let's be honest What keeps us from being 00:30:02.559 --> 00:30:07.220 conformed to the image of the triune God? I Know 00:30:07.220 --> 00:30:10.680 most of you in this room pretty well, and I know 00:30:10.680 --> 00:30:16.980 it isn't because you don't know what to do In 00:30:16.980 --> 00:30:22.220 Jesus love is demonstrated expressed and manifested 00:30:22.220 --> 00:30:24.980 in obedience to the commands of Yahweh, because 00:30:24.980 --> 00:30:30.539 the commands of Yahweh are themselves instruction 00:30:30.539 --> 00:30:35.839 in the way or ways of love. Right? We see in 00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:38.960 John 14, but that the world may know that I love 00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:41.019 the Father, and as the Father gave me commands, 00:30:41.259 --> 00:30:45.400 I do. And in John 15, if you keep my commandments, 00:30:45.420 --> 00:30:48.849 you will abide. You go down that. We've preached 00:30:48.849 --> 00:30:52.410 on those sections already this year. It's not 00:30:52.410 --> 00:30:55.109 an issue about whether or not you know what's 00:30:55.109 --> 00:30:59.809 right, what you are to do. It's that you choose 00:30:59.809 --> 00:31:04.809 to disobey. And God in our relationships to one 00:31:04.809 --> 00:31:07.410 another tells us this in Colossians 3, beginning 00:31:07.410 --> 00:31:10.809 in verse 12. Therefore, as the elect of God, 00:31:11.250 --> 00:31:15.029 holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, 00:31:15.690 --> 00:31:19.859 humility. meekness, long -suffering, bearing 00:31:19.859 --> 00:31:23.119 with one another and forgiving one another. If 00:31:23.119 --> 00:31:26.180 anyone has a complaint against another even as 00:31:26.180 --> 00:31:32.200 Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But 00:31:32.200 --> 00:31:35.859 above all these things put on love and let the 00:31:35.859 --> 00:31:38.599 peace of God rule in your hearts to which you 00:31:38.599 --> 00:31:44.559 were called in one body and be thankful. Are 00:31:44.559 --> 00:31:47.880 you with Thanksgiving abiding in the love of 00:31:47.880 --> 00:31:52.480 the triune God towards your husband, your wife, 00:31:52.759 --> 00:31:56.819 and your children? What about the others in this 00:31:56.819 --> 00:31:59.500 church? Are you loving and serving one another 00:31:59.500 --> 00:32:05.099 within the communion of our triune God? Or when 00:32:05.099 --> 00:32:07.359 you see a certain person, do you run the other 00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:10.779 way? If they text you, do you not communicate 00:32:10.779 --> 00:32:16.619 with them? Because I can't deal with them. No, 00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:22.619 no, I don't want to deal with them As one commentator 00:32:22.619 --> 00:32:26.400 puts it if you ignore and despise God's church 00:32:26.400 --> 00:32:30.720 You are not worshiping the true God Because God 00:32:30.720 --> 00:32:33.859 loves his people and he will not be separated 00:32:33.859 --> 00:32:39.650 from them Salvation is fed Jesus alone It is 00:32:39.650 --> 00:32:42.609 worked out by the power of the spirit as he works 00:32:42.609 --> 00:32:47.190 through his people in our lives using them That 00:32:47.190 --> 00:32:50.869 is his people to conform us fully to his image 00:32:50.869 --> 00:32:54.369 God's ordinary means of sanctification in your 00:32:54.369 --> 00:32:59.829 life is other people The people God has sovereignly 00:32:59.829 --> 00:33:03.829 and providentially put in your life Starts in 00:33:03.829 --> 00:33:08.329 your home, of course But it's also in your workplace 00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:12.579 All these things exposed is what's in our hearts 00:33:12.579 --> 00:33:18.519 when we react to them. Why do you need the church? 00:33:19.299 --> 00:33:22.420 God uses His people by the Spirit to save and 00:33:22.420 --> 00:33:24.920 sanctify us. Not one of you came to the knowledge 00:33:24.920 --> 00:33:29.140 of Christ by yourself. God used other men, other 00:33:29.140 --> 00:33:31.640 people in your life to proclaim the Gospel to 00:33:31.640 --> 00:33:37.059 you. To print a Bible, to ship it off. For you 00:33:37.059 --> 00:33:41.640 to hear a particular podcast or sermon God was 00:33:41.640 --> 00:33:45.079 using his people to save you to proclaim his 00:33:45.079 --> 00:33:50.880 truth and God uses his people to sanctify you 00:33:50.880 --> 00:33:53.940 apart from the love and perfect will of the Father 00:33:53.940 --> 00:33:57.160 there is no life apart from the love and perfect 00:33:57.160 --> 00:33:59.859 obedience and the work of the Son there is no 00:33:59.859 --> 00:34:03.180 life apart from the love and power and grace 00:34:03.180 --> 00:34:07.789 of God the Holy Spirit there is no life Salvation 00:34:07.789 --> 00:34:11.230 is sharing the glorious life that is the love 00:34:11.230 --> 00:34:15.110 of God and by that being conformed to Jesus and 00:34:15.110 --> 00:34:21.309 his love Salvation is by the triune God We have 00:34:21.309 --> 00:34:26.010 no choice but to love one another First John 00:34:26.010 --> 00:34:28.550 tells us this in chapter 4 beloved. Let us love 00:34:28.550 --> 00:34:32.469 one another For love is of God and everyone who 00:34:32.469 --> 00:34:35.409 loves is born of God and knows God he who does 00:34:35.409 --> 00:34:40.789 not love does not know God for God is love in 00:34:40.789 --> 00:34:45.409 This the love of God was manifested towards us 00:34:45.409 --> 00:34:48.170 That God sent his only begotten son into the 00:34:48.170 --> 00:34:51.429 world that we might live through him in this 00:34:51.429 --> 00:34:54.429 love not that we loved God But that he loved 00:34:54.429 --> 00:34:57.710 us and sent his son to be the propitiation our 00:34:57.710 --> 00:35:03.280 substitute for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved 00:35:03.280 --> 00:35:08.639 us, we ought to love one another. Now all this 00:35:08.639 --> 00:35:12.360 may seem overwhelming. How can I deal with all 00:35:12.360 --> 00:35:15.780 of this? Remember in the very beginning what 00:35:15.780 --> 00:35:19.980 did we talk about? All of the stresses, all of 00:35:19.980 --> 00:35:22.139 the circumstances in your life, all of these 00:35:22.139 --> 00:35:27.619 difficulties. What did Paul tell the church in 00:35:27.619 --> 00:35:32.500 Corinth? In verse 13, it says, all the saints 00:35:32.500 --> 00:35:38.880 greet you. Remember, all the saints greet you 00:35:38.880 --> 00:35:41.920 in this room and across the world. I sat at a 00:35:41.920 --> 00:35:44.599 wedding yesterday with someone who I'd never 00:35:44.599 --> 00:35:46.739 met before, but turns out we know a bunch of 00:35:46.739 --> 00:35:49.780 people in common. And I've never been near this 00:35:49.780 --> 00:35:55.000 guy. All the saints greet you. Be strengthened 00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:59.829 by the saints in the church. And then the grace 00:35:59.829 --> 00:36:03.610 of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God 00:36:03.610 --> 00:36:06.929 and the communion of the Holy Spirit will be 00:36:06.929 --> 00:36:14.869 with you all. Be encouraged by the saints. And 00:36:14.869 --> 00:36:17.369 what will happen? The grace of the Lord Jesus 00:36:17.369 --> 00:36:19.030 and the love of God and the communion of the 00:36:19.030 --> 00:36:22.949 Holy Spirit will be with you all. And it finishes 00:36:22.949 --> 00:36:29.239 with a solid amen. That is, so be it. Let us 00:36:29.239 --> 00:36:33.619 pray Heavenly Father help us to understand these 00:36:33.619 --> 00:36:37.039 things for us from error the ignorance of our 00:36:37.039 --> 00:36:40.780 age and the deceits of Satan Hope think clearly 00:36:40.780 --> 00:36:43.820 and faithfully according to word Forgive us of 00:36:43.820 --> 00:36:47.099 our sins and despising you by despising your 00:36:47.099 --> 00:36:50.460 people and help us We pray to honor you by one 00:36:50.460 --> 00:36:54.159 another to love you loving one another and to 00:36:54.159 --> 00:36:57.429 serve you by serving one another Hear our prayers 00:36:57.429 --> 00:37:00.409 and uphold us for Jesus' sake. Who reigns with 00:37:00.409 --> 00:37:03.670 you and the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.