WEBVTT 00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:05.860 Howdy Well today is Trinity Sunday as you may 00:00:05.860 --> 00:00:09.359 have noticed We do this each year and it's an 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:12.560 opportunity to know a little bit more about God 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:15.619 and for Trinity University to get some free advertising 00:00:15.619 --> 00:00:18.780 So but one of the things that's wonderful about 00:00:18.780 --> 00:00:22.600 this Sunday is that while each time that we celebrate 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:26.359 it We learn just a little bit more about God. 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:29.059 We also realize that everything that we've already 00:00:29.059 --> 00:00:32.109 known about God is still amazing and beautiful 00:00:32.109 --> 00:00:36.149 and gives us the hope that we truly have. You 00:00:36.149 --> 00:00:38.869 see, this is a day that the church sets aside 00:00:38.869 --> 00:00:42.429 each year to celebrate one of the most mysterious 00:00:42.429 --> 00:00:46.250 and foundational aspects of our faith. That God 00:00:46.250 --> 00:00:51.630 is one, yet three persons. Father, Son, and Holy 00:00:51.630 --> 00:00:57.109 Spirit. Christians have long tried to explain 00:00:57.109 --> 00:01:01.359 the Trinity. St. Patrick used to have his three 00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:04.760 -leafed clover. And he would show that the father, 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:08.319 the son, the spirit are all each different parts 00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:10.000 that leaves that are there, but they're all the 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:13.260 same clover. And there have even been times where 00:01:13.260 --> 00:01:16.280 people would take the idea of water, the living 00:01:16.280 --> 00:01:21.640 water, and show the three persons as ice, liquid, 00:01:21.859 --> 00:01:26.780 and vapor. All water, different aspects of seeing 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:30.500 it. One that I'll oftentimes use is the idea 00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:33.620 of thinking about a person and that who they 00:01:33.620 --> 00:01:37.019 are, the words that they speak, and the way that 00:01:37.019 --> 00:01:40.280 those words affect and shape the world are all 00:01:40.280 --> 00:01:44.900 one being, but expressed in different ways. See, 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:48.659 all of these are just metaphors and metaphors 00:01:48.659 --> 00:01:53.120 go only as far as metaphors go. Trying to understand 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:58.530 who God really is. But as helpful or as flawed 00:01:58.530 --> 00:02:03.510 as our analogies may be, the purpose of the Trinity, 00:02:03.730 --> 00:02:07.590 this idea that we share, it's not to fit into 00:02:07.590 --> 00:02:11.849 something that we truly can fully explain. The 00:02:11.849 --> 00:02:16.310 Trinity is how God has revealed himself to us. 00:02:17.129 --> 00:02:20.909 It isn't about what makes sense to us on our 00:02:20.909 --> 00:02:26.580 own, it's about who God is. and how God has chosen 00:02:26.580 --> 00:02:31.500 to show himself in history, in scripture, and 00:02:31.500 --> 00:02:36.219 ultimately as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But 00:02:36.219 --> 00:02:41.120 you see, the world doesn't understand. See, in 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:45.460 John 8, we see Jesus in the middle of a heated 00:02:45.460 --> 00:02:48.949 exchange with the religious Establishment I'm 00:02:48.949 --> 00:02:52.409 sure none of us have ever had a heated exchange 00:02:52.409 --> 00:02:55.590 with people I'm sure at all and there's never 00:02:55.590 --> 00:02:58.710 been anything like this at all You see Jesus 00:02:58.710 --> 00:03:03.129 tells them he honors his father and he is doing 00:03:03.129 --> 00:03:06.830 the father's will He offers them eternal life 00:03:06.830 --> 00:03:10.189 if anyone keeps my word. He will never see death 00:03:10.189 --> 00:03:14.110 and their response Aren't we right in saying 00:03:14.110 --> 00:03:17.840 you're a Samaritan and demon possessed? I'm sure 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:20.780 that nobody in today's world ever calls anybody 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:24.199 else names or ever assumes that they're much 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:26.639 better at knowing what God wants than anybody 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:32.000 else. But you see, the Son of God, standing before 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:36.879 them, offering them life, and they think He's 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:41.879 crazy. Why? Because Jesus didn't match their 00:03:41.879 --> 00:03:46.360 expectations. He wasn't conquering Rome. He wasn't 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:50.039 seizing power. He wasn't affirming their cultural 00:03:50.039 --> 00:03:54.379 pride. Instead, he revealed a God who serves, 00:03:55.080 --> 00:04:00.460 who suffers, who saves through humility. Instead 00:04:00.460 --> 00:04:04.400 of giving them the Messiah they wanted, he was 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:07.539 giving them the Messiah that they needed, the 00:04:07.539 --> 00:04:11.969 Messiah that he truly was. And when Jesus finally 00:04:11.969 --> 00:04:18.709 says before Abraham was, I am, they know exactly 00:04:18.709 --> 00:04:23.790 what he's claiming. That he is God. And they 00:04:23.790 --> 00:04:27.370 pick up stones to kill him. And this would make 00:04:27.370 --> 00:04:33.269 sense for those who aren't open to seeing God 00:04:33.269 --> 00:04:37.649 for who he really is. This is what happens when 00:04:37.649 --> 00:04:43.220 we meet the true God though. God's ways are not 00:04:43.220 --> 00:04:48.079 our ways, so we don't easily follow Him. It is 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:51.079 not easy at all for us. Without listening to 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:55.740 the Spirit, we can't recognize Him. How often 00:04:55.740 --> 00:04:58.040 is it that the Spirit is trying to convict us, 00:04:58.060 --> 00:05:00.899 and because it doesn't make sense what the Spirit 00:05:00.899 --> 00:05:05.399 is saying, then we push Him away. Without trusting 00:05:05.399 --> 00:05:10.029 God's ways in Christ, we won't accept Him. Instead 00:05:10.029 --> 00:05:13.310 of realizing that God was truly doing these things 00:05:13.310 --> 00:05:17.110 in the Savior right in front of them, they instead 00:05:17.110 --> 00:05:20.069 wanted to hold on to what they were expecting 00:05:20.069 --> 00:05:25.430 and hoping for. The things of God are not naturally 00:05:25.430 --> 00:05:29.550 grasped by human logic or power. They're only 00:05:29.550 --> 00:05:34.970 received by faith through the Spirit, if we're 00:05:34.970 --> 00:05:39.949 willing. See, we need to remember what we learned 00:05:39.949 --> 00:05:44.589 about last week with Pentecost. See, the disciples, 00:05:45.250 --> 00:05:49.050 they're proclaiming the gospel in every language. 00:05:49.889 --> 00:05:54.930 Some people, they're amazed. Wow. Not only is 00:05:54.930 --> 00:05:56.670 it that I get to hear it in my own language, 00:05:57.149 --> 00:06:01.089 but the gospel, it's fulfilled. How wonderful 00:06:01.089 --> 00:06:04.509 this is. But you see, others just mock them. 00:06:05.069 --> 00:06:08.639 They must be drunk. I don't understand them, 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:11.839 so clearly whatever they're saying must not be 00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:16.620 worth listening to. Peter stands and says, no. 00:06:17.319 --> 00:06:20.199 What you're seeing and what you're hearing is 00:06:20.199 --> 00:06:23.660 the fulfillment of God's plan. And he tells a 00:06:23.660 --> 00:06:27.899 story that God the Father attested to everything 00:06:27.899 --> 00:06:31.019 Jesus is through the miracles he did. Just look 00:06:31.019 --> 00:06:35.420 at him. He allowed him to be handed over to death. 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:41.759 for you God raised him from the dead who does 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:46.060 that and He exalted him to his own right hand 00:06:46.060 --> 00:06:51.579 who else would be worthy of this honor and then 00:06:51.579 --> 00:06:56.459 Peter and then he says Jesus now exalted poured 00:06:56.459 --> 00:06:59.980 out the promised Holy Spirit from the Father 00:06:59.980 --> 00:07:03.480 upon those who are sharing the Good News in every 00:07:03.480 --> 00:07:07.019 language. What you see at Pentecost is Jesus 00:07:07.019 --> 00:07:10.439 sending the Spirit after having been sent by 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:13.899 the Father Himself. The Father sends the Son, 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:17.399 the Son pours out the Holy Spirit, which is truly 00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:21.300 from the Father. The Trinity is fully at work 00:07:21.300 --> 00:07:25.839 here. The Father plans and raises. The Son obeys 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:29.629 and reigns. The Spirit is poured out and empowers 00:07:29.629 --> 00:07:33.970 and all of this leads to Peter's conclusion that 00:07:33.970 --> 00:07:37.589 he shares with them. Let all Israel be assured 00:07:37.589 --> 00:07:43.329 of this. God has made this Jesus whom you crucified 00:07:43.329 --> 00:07:50.009 both Lord and Messiah. You cannot be the Lord 00:07:50.009 --> 00:07:54.110 over David and the Messiah greater than David 00:07:54.110 --> 00:07:58.980 as a mere descendant of David. Okay, the descendant 00:07:58.980 --> 00:08:02.160 of David, there's no way he could be David's 00:08:02.160 --> 00:08:05.639 Lord or the Messiah who is greater than David 00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:08.879 just by being the descendant of David, but you 00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:14.399 can when you are also the Son of God. Now, I 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:17.639 know we get into the weeds and all of this, but 00:08:17.639 --> 00:08:21.740 the thing with the truth of the Trinity is that 00:08:21.740 --> 00:08:25.639 each part exactly as God has given and shown 00:08:25.980 --> 00:08:30.399 are necessary to know who God truly is. As difficult 00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:33.559 as all of this may be at times to understand, 00:08:33.860 --> 00:08:38.179 we cannot substitute what is easier to understand 00:08:38.179 --> 00:08:42.940 for what is actually true. I'm going to pause 00:08:42.940 --> 00:08:46.299 for a moment with that. I think I may have told 00:08:46.299 --> 00:08:48.740 you all this example, but it's really relevant 00:08:48.740 --> 00:08:53.779 for today. See, in my mind, I've always thought 00:08:53.779 --> 00:08:56.600 that it'd be great to be better at baking, not 00:08:56.600 --> 00:09:00.279 all of us naturally do it all the time, just 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:02.659 saying. And also some people are a little bit 00:09:02.659 --> 00:09:07.019 better than I am. But, you know, for me, I was 00:09:07.019 --> 00:09:09.360 thinking, you know, it'd be great if I could 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:12.559 make brownies and not have to have it as a box. 00:09:13.500 --> 00:09:16.820 I can figure out the ingredients, can't I? I'm 00:09:16.820 --> 00:09:20.220 sure, I'm sure it's doable. But as I was going 00:09:20.220 --> 00:09:21.980 through all these things and looking at what 00:09:21.980 --> 00:09:25.320 was in my fridge, I realized something. I didn't 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:28.500 have any eggs. Rumor has it you're supposed to 00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:31.840 have those for brownies, but I thought I had 00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:34.340 read somewhere in the back of my mind, I was 00:09:34.340 --> 00:09:37.740 25 at the time, and I was thinking, I think you 00:09:37.740 --> 00:09:40.580 can substitute mayonnaise for eggs, can't you? 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:45.159 Except I didn't have mayonnaise, I had Miracle 00:09:45.159 --> 00:09:47.799 Whip. I'm like, that should be good enough, right? 00:09:47.870 --> 00:09:51.169 That's what I have. And so I did. I put them 00:09:51.169 --> 00:09:53.649 in there. By the way, don't do that. Just don't 00:09:53.649 --> 00:09:56.950 do that. But you see, just to be honest, the 00:09:56.950 --> 00:10:02.590 brownies, they came out a little strange, offensive 00:10:02.590 --> 00:10:06.269 even. They looked like brownies and they smelled 00:10:06.269 --> 00:10:10.470 like brownies. But one bite told you something 00:10:10.470 --> 00:10:14.610 wasn't right. And the previous church where I 00:10:14.610 --> 00:10:17.620 was working at, never trusted anything I brought 00:10:17.620 --> 00:10:22.679 for them to eat ever again. See, that's the thing 00:10:22.679 --> 00:10:26.279 about what happens when we try to substitute 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:30.440 one person of God for another or worse, when 00:10:30.440 --> 00:10:33.980 we try to replace one person of God with something 00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:38.799 of our own choosing. When we leave out the Father's 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:42.799 holiness, the expectations of what it is to do 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:46.269 what is good and right, When we leave out the 00:10:46.269 --> 00:10:50.330 Son's grace, mercy, and forgiveness knowing that 00:10:50.330 --> 00:10:54.490 all of us are flawed. When we leave out the Spirit's 00:10:54.490 --> 00:10:58.250 transformation, getting stuck and just staying 00:10:58.250 --> 00:11:03.049 where we are and ignoring our need to grow in 00:11:03.049 --> 00:11:06.529 the way God would desire. If we leave out any 00:11:06.529 --> 00:11:09.649 part of God, then we end up with a version of 00:11:09.649 --> 00:11:14.110 faith that does not feed the soul. It confuses, 00:11:14.350 --> 00:11:19.370 It offends and it even repels. See, the world 00:11:19.370 --> 00:11:23.429 notices when we as the church, when we promote 00:11:23.429 --> 00:11:27.009 a version of God, too much like what others would 00:11:27.009 --> 00:11:31.070 expect or promote. They can tell it doesn't taste 00:11:31.070 --> 00:11:34.850 right. When we offer judgment without mercy. 00:11:35.629 --> 00:11:39.169 When we offer spirituality without truth. When 00:11:39.169 --> 00:11:43.820 we offer accountability without love. The gospel 00:11:43.820 --> 00:11:47.539 can only nourish and bring life when it includes 00:11:47.539 --> 00:11:53.379 the entirety of God. And that's why when the 00:11:53.379 --> 00:11:55.740 people ask Peter what to do, what does he say? 00:11:57.039 --> 00:12:01.639 Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ 00:12:01.639 --> 00:12:07.299 and you will receive the Holy Spirit. See, baptism 00:12:07.299 --> 00:12:12.419 brings us into the life of the Trinity of God. 00:12:13.159 --> 00:12:17.299 We are baptized in the name of the Father and 00:12:17.299 --> 00:12:20.740 the Son and the Holy Spirit and from that point 00:12:20.740 --> 00:12:25.340 forward We are called to live not by what makes 00:12:25.340 --> 00:12:29.460 sense to the world Not by power or by might or 00:12:29.460 --> 00:12:34.480 control, but by love fellowship prayer mercy 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:39.460 by the Spirit sayeth the Lord now some of you 00:12:39.460 --> 00:12:43.659 were baptized as you were children and Whenever 00:12:43.659 --> 00:12:46.820 we see those who are adults and they're baptized 00:12:46.820 --> 00:12:51.159 and they're asked directly, do you repent of 00:12:51.159 --> 00:12:55.919 your sins? But even when we've been baptized 00:12:55.919 --> 00:13:01.700 as children, we are still meant to repent each 00:13:01.700 --> 00:13:06.179 and every day. Because Peter very clearly later 00:13:06.179 --> 00:13:10.559 on writes in his first epistle, Baptism is not 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:14.639 the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge 00:13:14.639 --> 00:13:18.100 of a clear conscience toward God through the 00:13:18.100 --> 00:13:21.580 resurrection of Jesus Christ. You are called 00:13:21.580 --> 00:13:27.019 to repent, to clear your conscience, and to then 00:13:27.019 --> 00:13:30.360 follow the Spirit of God because He fills you. 00:13:31.159 --> 00:13:33.879 This is not just looking at the Father sending 00:13:33.879 --> 00:13:37.340 the Son, but also remembering that the Spirit 00:13:37.340 --> 00:13:41.360 is ours as well. Every day should be another 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:44.639 time when you repent of where you've been and 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:48.580 desire to pursue Christ with your life. Because 00:13:48.580 --> 00:13:53.620 without this, then our view of God is wrong. 00:13:55.019 --> 00:13:58.480 In Acts 2, 42, we were hearing that the fruit 00:13:58.480 --> 00:14:01.960 of the Spirit's work was that the believers were 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:05.389 devoted to the Apostles' teaching They were devoted 00:14:05.389 --> 00:14:08.029 to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and 00:14:08.029 --> 00:14:11.470 to prayer. That's what spirit -led community 00:14:11.470 --> 00:14:16.610 looks like. Is that what we have been looking 00:14:16.610 --> 00:14:21.309 like? Not domination, not fear, but shared life 00:14:21.309 --> 00:14:27.929 rooted in the whole truth of who God is. His 00:14:27.929 --> 00:14:32.389 Word, His Spirit. If we look at our lives and 00:14:32.389 --> 00:14:37.509 what we stand for, And we can't see all three 00:14:37.509 --> 00:14:41.950 of the persons of God in our lives. If we cannot 00:14:41.950 --> 00:14:45.250 see at all times all three of those persons, 00:14:46.409 --> 00:14:50.830 then we're worshiping the wrong God. We say it's 00:14:50.830 --> 00:14:55.190 God, it's not God. If we see God as only the 00:14:55.190 --> 00:14:57.429 judge but not the grace and mercy, then we're 00:14:57.429 --> 00:15:02.129 wrong. If we ignore our own need to repent and 00:15:02.129 --> 00:15:05.549 think that we can somehow follow God, by pretending 00:15:05.549 --> 00:15:08.809 that we're already in the right, then we're wrong. 00:15:09.750 --> 00:15:13.250 If we see faith as a series of statements just 00:15:13.250 --> 00:15:17.629 to say yes to, but then we ignore the need to 00:15:17.629 --> 00:15:22.129 follow God, to follow His Word, to follow His 00:15:22.129 --> 00:15:25.370 Spirit by faith each and every day, then we're 00:15:25.370 --> 00:15:30.029 wrong. Without the true fullness of all of God, 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:33.399 then we will always be proclaiming the wrong 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:39.779 God to the world. Because the living water that 00:15:39.779 --> 00:15:43.179 we've been given, it's not just looking at Jesus, 00:15:43.940 --> 00:15:50.659 it's looking at all of God. How do we then bring 00:15:50.659 --> 00:16:00.200 true refreshment to a thirsty world? There are 00:16:00.200 --> 00:16:04.539 the times whenever you have a glass of ice water 00:16:04.539 --> 00:16:07.840 on a hot day And you know that part where you 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:09.740 know that they had just dropped the ice cubes 00:16:09.740 --> 00:16:12.720 in there and the vapor is just coming right off 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:16.080 You can tell it's fresh. You can tell it has 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:19.019 just come out. It has just been flowing It has 00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:23.559 just been living You can see the ice You can 00:16:23.559 --> 00:16:26.500 feel the vapor rise to your face. You drink the 00:16:26.500 --> 00:16:33.250 water and you're refreshed The Father is solid, 00:16:33.830 --> 00:16:39.129 unchanging, foundational. The Son is water that 00:16:39.129 --> 00:16:43.490 we drink, and as He enters into us, He has also 00:16:43.490 --> 00:16:47.149 been poured out for us. The Spirit is the vapor 00:16:47.149 --> 00:16:51.210 that surrounds and awakens and enlivens us, reminds 00:16:51.210 --> 00:16:57.350 us of who we are. You need all three for living 00:16:57.350 --> 00:17:02.399 water. Because together, the Father, the Son, 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:06.680 the Holy Spirit refresh. Together, they bring 00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:12.700 life. That's what the world needs from us. Not 00:17:12.700 --> 00:17:17.339 substitutes, not shallow imitations, but the 00:17:17.339 --> 00:17:21.200 real thing and all of it. The whole truth, the 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:26.859 full God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So as 00:17:26.859 --> 00:17:31.019 hard as it may be sometimes to understand, may 00:17:31.019 --> 00:17:35.940 we worship Him, walk with Him, and share Him 00:17:35.940 --> 00:17:41.019 fully with the world around us. Thanks be to 00:17:41.019 --> 00:17:41.220 God.