DAILY DEVOTIONALS: IT'S ALL ABOUT GOD... SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EDITION

GodIs Faithful �God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.� (1Corinthians 1:9) When we place our trust in Jesus Christ as omnipotent Creator and gracious Redeemer, He then faithfully undertakes to provide everything we need to live an effective, fruitful, victorious Christian life. For example, when we are tempted to sin or are tested in any other way, �God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it� (1Corinthians 10:13). In this connection, He undertakes to ground us firmly in His truth and to keep us from moral and spiritual harm. �The Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil� (2Thessalonians 3:3). When we do sin, however, He assures us that �if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness� (1John 1:9). With all our failings, He has undertaken to eventually perfect us in Christ, and He faithfully will continue this until it is done. �And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;...Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it� (1Thessalonians 5:23-24). All that He has promised, He will do. Even when we are unfaithful to Him, He remains faithful to us. �If we believe not [that is, �are unfaithful�], yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself� (2Timothy 2:13). Today�s verse above, assuring us of God�s faithfulness, follows the promise that He will �confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ� (1Corinthians 1:8). Therefore, we seek also to be faithful. �Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)� (Hebrews10:23). HMM ------------------------------ SeekYe First But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.� (Matthew6:33) This has become a favorite memory verse for millions and has even been set to music by a number of artists. Indeed, its truth is of foundational importance. Let us look with care at what it says. First, notice that the tense of the verb seek� in Greek implies a command to establish an ongoing habit or lifestyle of seeking the things of the kingdom. We are commanded to put first things first on a continual basis and watch Him take care of the items ofsecondary interest. We should strive to make His priorities our priorities �to so mold our thinking by the Word of God that we think as He does on every issue. Our lives should exhibit the purity and righteousness that He exhibited when on Earth. While it is true that we willnever fully achieve such perfection this side of heaven, we should be striving, i.e., seeking,� to do so by the power of His Spirit living in us. The chapter surrounding today verse is permeated by the concept of proper priorities in relation to pride (vv. 5-8, 16-18), treasures on Earth (vv. 19-21), singleness of purpose (vv. 22-23), serving two masters (v. 24), or anxious thoughts about the future(vv. 25-32, 34). Remember, your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things� (v. 32). If we reverse the proper order, not only will we not attain kingdom priorities and His righteousness, but we will probably miss the secondary things� as well. The word added,� a mathematical word, implies the prior existence of something to which other thingscan be added. Surely in our seeking� we should also adopt the prayer Jesus taught His disciples: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven� (v. 10). JDM ----------------- ANew Name He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that over cometh willI give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.� (Revelation2:17) This intriguing promise is one of seven promises in Christ's letters to seven representative churches �promises made unto him that overcometh.� Although there are various opinions as to who constitute these overcomers, 1 John 5:4 would indicate that whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. On this assumption, all who have been truly born again through faith in Christ will someday be given a new name by their Lord. No one will know what his new name will be until he receives it, and even then it may remain unknown to everyone else. It would be reasonable to assume, however, that each new name will reflect the Lord's evaluation of the character and service of the one who receives it. We have the primitive examples of Abram, Sarai, and Jacob being given new names by God, perhaps to serveas types of this coming investiture. Abram became Abraham� (meaning Father of Multitudes�), Sarai became Sarah� (meaning Princess�), and Jacob became Israel� (meaning Prevailing Prince with God�). See Genesis 17:5, 15; 32:28. Whatever each of our new names will turn out to be, our Savior will also know them, of course, and this will perhaps be how we will be addressed by Him from then on in the new earth. This should be a great incentive to godly living and faithful service hereon this present earth, for we surely desire to receive a good name there from our Lord on the future earth. HMM --------------------- BlessedAre the Poor in Spirit Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.� (Matthew5:3) The Lord Jesus calls the poor in spirit blessed,� a rich adjective in the Greek (makarios) that describes someone as being a privileged and happy recipient of divine favor. But who are these poor in spirit? We have the direct opposite of this blessed condition as an example to us in Christ's rebuke to the lukewarm church at Laodicea in Revelation 3:17, where He says, Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.� The sobering and forewarned end result of this perilouscondition is because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I [Jesus] will spue thee out of my mouth� (Revelation3:16). Thus, to be poor in spirit is to be humble, lowly minded, and well aware of our sinful nature in the sight of a holy God, because no flesh should glory in his presence (1Corinthians 1:29). After the apostle Paul listed the various failings of the children of Israel in their wilderness wanderings, he told the church, These things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come� (1Corinthians 10:11). He then follows with wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall (v. 12). Thus, the poor in spirit are not wise in their own eyes or holy in their own sight, but obey and trust in Christ Jesus, who of God is madeunto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption (1Corinthians 1:30). JPT ------------------ BlessedIs He Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORDimputeth not iniquity.� (Psalm32:1-2) What true believer is there who is not eternally thankful for the truths found in today's verse? Sins of omission, sins of commission, sins of deliberate action, sins of the heart, youthful sins, covert sins, big� sins, little� sins, etc. What a thrill to knowthat the penalty for our sins has been paid in full if we but accept His free gift. What rejoicing and freedom forgiveness brings. Note that there are three different expressions for wrongdoing in today's verse �transgression, sin, and iniquity. The differences in these words are not insignificant, but precise differentiation is beyond the scope of this discussion. Suffice it to say thatthey can be understood to mean the whole gamut of sinful activity. Likewise, there are three separate aspects of God's forgiving grace mentioned: forgiven...covered...not imputed.� In every way possible, our sin is removed from us, and no more payment is necessary. However, God's forgiveness must be conditioned on the individual's action. A lack of action results in the bearing of the sin, the guilt, and the consequences, again specified in a threefold manner. My bones waxed old...my roaring...thy hand was heavy uponme� (vv. 3-4). In keeping with the pattern of the psalm, three such actions are mentioned. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD (v. 5). The result? And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.� Because of all this, we should have a threefold response: Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart� (v. 11). JDM ------------------- ForgetNot His Commandments My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments. (Proverbs3:1) It is vitally important that even though we are saved by grace and not by the works of the law, we never forget that God's law is essentially a statement of God's holiness. We should desire to know and follow God's commandments simply because they are holy,and just, and good� (Romans7:12), not because we seek salvation through them. It is noteworthy that the anonymous writer of the longest chapter in the Bible (Psalm119), in which practically every verse refers to the Scriptures, stressed seven times that he would never forget the laws and commandments of his Lord. May the Lord teach us to share the same determination. Note: I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word� (v. 16). For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget thy statutes� (v. 83). I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me (v. 93). My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law� (v. 109). I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts (v. 141). Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law� (v. 153). I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments(v. 176). This seventh reference is actually the closing verse of this remarkable 119th Psalm. It beautifully points up the urgency of not forgetting the commandments of God. He will seek us when we stray and bring us back home to Him, for we remember and love His law.HMM ------------------ BelievingGod Wherefore,sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. (Acts27:25) Most people believe in God �some kind of god �but it's a different thing altogether to believe God! And our text makes it clear that believing God simply means believing what He says, that it shall be even as it was told me� Paul spoke these words at the heightof a terrible storm at sea, when it appeared certain that all hope that we should be saved was then taken away� (v. 20). But God had spoken otherwise, and Paul believed God rather than adopting the fears of those around him. Abraham, the father of all themthat believe.� (Romans4:11), had set the example. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform (Romans4:20-21). God does not speak to us audibly today as He did to Abraham and Paul, but He does speak far more comprehensively to us through His written Word, and we have even less excuse for unbelief than they might have had. It is a terrible offense against our Creatorto question His Word. This, indeed, was the very sin of pride that led to Satan's fall and then to the fall of Adam and Eve. All scripture is given by inspiration of God [literally, �is God-breathed (2Timothy 3:16) and thus should be fully believed and explicitly obeyed, for he that believeth not God hath made him a liar� (1John 5:10). But what about those Scriptures that modern scientists claim to be wrong? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar� (Romans3:3-4). For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth� (Psalm33:4). HMM ------------------------- TheDivine Designer Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehendedthe dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?� (Isaiah 40:12) The answer to this rhetorical question can only be God, the divine Designer of all the intricate interrelationships of His great creation. Four of the disciplines of natural science are implied here, and in each case a key principle of that science is anticipated. The emphasis is on the precision of the divinely allocated quantities of each component. First, there is the precise balance of the waters of the earth between the oceans, rivers, groundwater, and atmospheric waters. Hydrology is the science of Earth's waters,and life on Earth is dependent on the fine-tuning of the components of the hydrologic cycle. He looketh to the ends of the earth....To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure� (Job28:24-25). The atmospheric heaven also has been carefully dimensioned in size and composition to make life possible, as formulated in the science of meteorology. The dust of the earth� is nothing less than the basic chemical elements out of which all things are made. The accuracy with which elements combine with each other is based on their valences, and all of this is involved in the study of chemistry. The principleof isostasy (equal weights�) is the fundamental principle of the science of geophysics, involving the weights of mountains and hills, continents, and ocean basins. God does not deal in chance and caprice, even with inanimate physical systems such as mountains and waters. Not even a sparrow can fall on the ground without your Father� (Matthew10:29). HMM - God in Three Persons: A Doctrine We Barely Understand Do all Christians believe the doctrine of the Trinity? If one does not believe in the Trinity�that is, if a person has come to a settled conclusion that the doctrine of the Trinity is not true�does it make him a heretic? SIDE NOTE FROM TERRY. ALTHOUGH THE TRINITY IS SCOFFED AT, PERHAPS A LITTLE INSIGHT MAY HELP TO EXPLAIN THE NATURE OF CREATION. MANY SCOFF AT THE IDEA THAT GOD, JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE THE ESSENCE OF GOD. WE CAN SEE THE TRINITY IN CREATION. HERE ARE JUST A FEW: 1. WATER, ICE AND STEAM ARE ELEMENTS OF WATER WITH 3 DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS. TAKE AWAY ANYONE OF THEM, THEN LIFE CANNOT SUSTAIN ITSELF. 2. THREE MAIN COLORS OF THE RAINBOW ARE 3primary colors: red,yellow, and blue.3 secondary colors: orange, green, and violet. 6 tertiary colors: red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet. We need these elements to see color. (who wants to see black and white). 3.BODY, SOUL, SPIRIT.WITHOUT THIS ONE, YOU ARE NOT BORN-------- NOTE:IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT CREATION, YOU CANNOT DENY THE THREE BASIC FUNCTIONS THAT SUSTAINS LIFE AND THE UNIVERSE. SOME REJECT THE VERY NOTION THAT GOD, JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE ONE. THIS IS SUCH A REJECTED CONCEPT FOR MANY. IFYOU REJECT THE CONCEPT OF THE TRINITY, THEN YOU REJECT LIFE, WATER, AIR, PHYSICALITY AND SO MUCH MORE. THETRINITY IS PROOF OF EVERYTHING THAT EXIST. WITHOUT IT, WE ARE NOTHING MORE THEN COSMIC DUST. MANYREJECT THAT GOD CAN BE ALL THREE IN THE TRINITY. WE CAN SEE IN GENESIS 26 ThenGod said, �Let us make mankind in our image. WHOIS THE (US AND OUR) IN GENESIS?. THE US AND OUR CANNOT BE THE ANGELS SINCE THEY WERE ALSO CREATED. THE ONLY LOGICAL SOLUTION IS THAT JESUS AND GOD AND THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE ONE IS ESSENCE. JESUS SAID THAT WHEN YOU HAVE SEEN ME, YOU HAVE SEEN THEFATHER. WHY WOULD JESUS SAY THAT UNLESS HE IS IN THE SECOND PERSON SCHIZOPHRENIC. TOOSUM THIS ALL UP. JESUS IS THE PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTE OF OUR UNSEEN GOD. JESUSDOES NOTHING ON HIS OWN ACCORD. JESUS, GOD AND THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE ONE WITH THREE SEPARATE ATTRIBUTES. NOTE.I APOLOGIZE FOR GRAMMAR. IT IS NOT MY STRONG POINT. CHRISTMAS:THE REASON FOR THE SEASON........... All Christians believe the doctrine of the Trinity. If you do not believe this�that is, if you have come to a settled conclusion that the doctrine of the Trinity is not true�you are not a Christian at all. You are in fact a heretic. Those words may sound harsh,but they represent the judgment of the Christian church across the centuries. What is the Trinity? Christians in every land unite in proclaiming that our God eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Those who deny that truth place themselves outsidethe pale of Christian orthodoxy. Having said that, I admit that no one fully understands it. It is a mystery and a paradox. Yet I believe it is true. I can think of at least three reasons for believing in the Trinity: 1. The Bible teaches this doctrine. 2. Christians everywhere have always believed it. 3. No other explanation makes sense. Someone has said it this way: If you try to explain the Trinity, you will lose your mind. But if you deny it, you will lose your soul. Let's take a look atthe definition of the Trinity and what the role of the Trinity is today The Trinity Defined There are many places we might go to find a suitable definition. Any of the great ecumenical creeds would serve us well in this regard. However, let's stick closer to home and simply reprint Article B�The True God from the Calvary Memorial Church Articles ofFaith. We believe in one living and true God who is the Creator of heaven and earth; who is eternal, almighty, unchangeable, infinitely powerful, wise, just and holy. We believe that the one God eternally exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, co-equal and co-eternal, having precisely the same nature and attributes, and worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence,and obedience. Matthew3:16, 17; Matthew28:19, 20; Mark12:29; John1:14; Acts5:3, 4; II Corinthians 13:14. While I am sure that this statement is biblically accurate, I also understand that it can seem very intimidating. Let's break it down into six smaller statementsabout the trinity that's easier to understand: • One God and One Only • Exists in three Persons • Equal and Eternal • Worthy of equal praise and worship • Distinct yet acting in unity • Constituting the one true God of the Bible As you might imagine, the early church struggled mightily over this doctrine. They eventually reduced their belief in the Trinity to two short statements. They concluded that God is � One in Essence • Three in Person When we say these things we mean that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, but they are not three gods but only one God. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, the Spirit is not the Father, but each is God individuallyand yet they are together the one true God of the Bible. Have you ever seen the word "Godhead?" Theologians sometimes use that term when they want to refer to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as three divine Persons in one God. At this point I think we should acknowledge the chief objection to the doctrine of the Trinity, which is that it is absurd. Sometimes the Jehovah's Witnesses (who pointedly deny the Trinity) ridicule it with this little equation: 1 + 1 + 1 = 3. In their mindsChristians worship three Gods, not one. The answer is quite simple. The doctrine of the Trinity is not absurd if that's what the Bible teaches. Furthermore, there is more than one way to play with equations. You could also say it this way: 1 x 1 x 1 = 1! The Trinity Explained What exactly do we mean when we speak of the Trinity? Let's start with the negative and work toward the positive. A. What we don't mean First of all, Christians don't believe in three Gods. That's a heresy called Tritheism. Second, we don't believe that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are three "forms" of God�like, steam, water and ice. That's the heresy called Modalism. Third, we don'tbelieve that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are "parts" or "pieces" or God. That would imply that Jesus is 1/3rd God, the Father is 1/3rd God, and the Holy Spirit is 1/3rd God. B. Where do we find the Trinity doctrine in the Bible? I would answer that the Trinity is taught in both the Old and the New Testaments. It is taught by implication in the Old and by direct statement in the New. For instance, the Bible contains numerous clear statements regarding the unity of God: Deuteronomy6:4 tells us that "the Lord is one." 1Corinthians 8:4 adds that "there is no God but one." 1Timothy 2:5 explicitly says "there is one God." All Christians heartily affirm this truth. However, the Bible also contains clear statements regarding diversity within that unity. For instance, in the very first verse of the Bible we are told that "In the beginning God." The Hebrew word for God is elohim, which is actually a plural form of the wordel. It's a word that in other contexts is sometimes translated as "gods," referring to heathen deities. Later in the same chapter we have one of the most striking statements of diversity-in-unity: Then God said, ��Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his ownimage, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis1:26-27 Notice the shift in pronouns. "Let us � in our image � So God created man in his own image. � he created him." From us and our to he. Why the shift? Commentators speak of a literary form called the plural of majesty or the "editorial we." This much is certainlytrue. If Genesis1 does not explicitly teach diversity-in-unity within the Godhead, it certainly leaves room for it to be developed later in the Bible. Isaiah48:16 seems to explicitly refer to all three Persons of the Trinity (with my additions in parentheses): "And now the Sovereign LORD (the Father) has sent me (the Son), with his Spirit (the Holy Spirit)." I'm not suggesting that Isaiah fullyunderstood the Trinity or that the Jewish readers would have understood what it meant, but I do think that in the light of the New Testament, we can say that this seems to be a clear statement of the Trinity in the Old Testament. Consider further this line of evidence. All Three Persons are called God in different places in the Bible. • Father � Galatians1:1 • Son � John20:28 • Spirit � Acts5:3-4 How could the Son and the Spirit be called God unless they somehow share in God's essence? But if they share in God's essence, they are God alongside the Father. Finally, all three Persons are associated together on an equal basis in numerous passages: • Jesus' baptism�Matthew3:13-17 (voice of the Father, Son baptized, Spirit descending like a dove). • Salvation�1Peter 1:2 (chosen by the Father, sanctified by the Spirit, sprinkled with the blood of Jesus). • Sanctification�2Corinthians 13:14 (grace of the Lord Jesus, love of God, fellowship of the Holy Spirit). • Christian Baptism�Matthew28:19 (baptized in one name, yet three Persons�Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). • Prayer�Ephesians3:14-21 (strengthened by his Spirit, know the love of Christ, filled with the fullness of God). • Christian Growth�2Thessalonians 2:13 (chosen by God, loved by the Lord, sanctified by the Spirit). This list of passages might be extended. It simply shows how easily the writers of Scripture passed from one Person of the Trinity to another, doing so in a way that assumes their equality of nature while preserving their distinct personhood. If the doctrineof the Trinity is not true, it would seem to be blasphemy to speak so freely of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in one and the same breath. The Trinity Examined In this section of the message I want to examine some of the common questions about the Trinity. A. Where in the Bible do you find the word Trinity? The word "Trinity" is not in the Bible. Neither is the word "Inerrancy" but we don't discard it simply because it isn't found in the Bible. The issue is not the word, but the concept or the idea. We don't believe in the Trinity because of the word, but becauseof what the Bible teaches. B. Is there another word we could use? Yes there is. Theologians sometimes speak of the Tri-Unity of God. That's a good word�even though it sounds odd to our ears�because it combines the two ideas of unity and diversity in one word. There is a third word you should know. Sometimes we speak of the"Triune" God. That's also another word that means the same thing as Trinity. C. How can we illustrate the Trinity? A number of illustrations have been suggested. They all are useful as long as you remember they are only illustrations. For water can exist as solid, liquid, or steam. That's okay, but usually water only exists in one state at a time. However, there is a physicalcondition in which water can exist as solid, liquid and steam at the same time�which would be a much better illustration of the Trinity. There are others we could mention. An egg is made up of a shell, the eggwhite, and the yolk. All three are needed for an egg to be complete. One of the more interesting illustrations note the different roles a person can play. I am a father, a son and a husbandat one and the same time. Yet I am only one person. Perhaps a more biblical approach is to consider that a husband and wife are two persons yet in God's eyes they are "one flesh." Add children and then you have the family as a miniature (and very imperfect)version of the Trinity. Tony Evans commented that the pretzel is a good illustration because it consists of one piece of dough with three holes. Take away any one of the holes and the pretzel isn't really a pretzel anymore. (According to some people, the pretzel was actually inventedin Europe several hundred years ago by a monk who wanted to illustrate the Trinity to the children of his village so he took some dough, looped into the familiar three-hour shape, based it, and gave it to the children as an edible object lesson.) My personal favorite illustration comes from noted scientist Dr. Henry Morris. He notes that the entire universe is trinitarian by design. The universe consists of three things: matter, space, and time. Take away any one of those three and the universe wouldcease to exist. But each one of those is itself a trinity. • Matter = mass + energy + motion • Space = length + height + breadth • Time = past + present + future Thus the whole universe witnesses to the character of the God who made it (cf. Psalm19:1). It's important to remember that all illustrations fail eventually. They don't "prove" the Trinity, they simply help us understand the concept. The Trinity Applied I am sure that many Christians think this doctrine has no practical value. That is, even if it's true, it doesn't and shouldn't matter to them. However, that simply isn't true. Let me suggest five important ramifications of this truth. A. The Trinity helps us answer the question, "What was God doing before he created the universe?" This is a question little children like to stump their parents with. But skeptics like to ask it as well. You may remember Augustine's answer: "He was preparing Hell for people who ask questions like that!" But the Trinity teaches us that before the foundation of the world, God was having fellowship within his own being. That's why the Bible tells us that the Father loves the Son (John17:24). In some sense we can never understand that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have forever communicated and loved each other. Francis Schaeffer emphasized this point in his books. This, he says, is where the human desire for intimacy and communication comes from. We were made to communicate. That design is part of the image of God within each of us. It also teaches us that God is never "lonely." He didn't create us because he "needed" us. God could have existed forever without us. That he made us at all is a statement of his great love and the wisdom of his plan. B. The Trinity sets the limits on human speculation about the nature of God. There is so much we would like to know about God, but our finite minds cannot comprehend it. We are not free to create God in our own image. The Trinity sets the limits for human speculation. God is more than the Trinity, but he is not less than that. C. The Trinity teaches us that God is beyond all human comprehension. After all, if we could explain God, he wouldn't be God. I have no doubt that God is much more than "one in essence, three in Person," but since I can't even understand those simple phrases, I don't worry at all about what else might be true about God. If youfeel baffled by the Trinity, join the crowd. The greatest minds of history have stood in amazement before a God so great that he cannot be contained by our puny explanations. D. The Trinity exalts the Son and the Spirit. We all know that God the Father is to be worshiped. But what about Jesus Christ? If he is God, should we not also worship him? The answer of course is yes. But that truth leads us back to the Trinity. He is not merely the Son of God but also God the Son. Thesame thing may be said about the Holy Spirit. He is not just a "force" but a Divine Person. Not an "influence" or some vague power, but the Third Person of the Trinity. Let me draw one important inference. Since all Three Persons of the Trinity are equally God, we may pray to any member of the Trinity. That, by the way, is the number one question I have been asked about the Holy Spirit since writing Names of the Holy Spirit.Many Christians simply do not feel comfortable praying to the Spirit even though we often sing songs that are essentially prayers to the Spirit, such as "Spirit of God, descend upon my heart" and "Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me." Surely if wemay sing to the Spirit, we may also pray to him. If he is God, our prayers may be directed to him. I do agree that Christian prayers will customarily be made to the Father (e.g. The Lord's Prayer). But let us not quibble or imagine that the Father is slighted if we direct our prayers to the Son or to the Spirit, according to the need of the moment. Thereis no jealousy among the members of the Trinity nor could there ever be. E. The Trinity helps us understand what really happened at the Cross. At the climax of Jesus' suffering, he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" What do those strange, tortured words mean? We have a hint of the answer in that every other time Jesus prayed, he used the term "Father." But at that moment, whenhe bore the full weight of the sins of the world, when all that is evil and wretched was poured out upon him, in some way we cannot begin to fathom, God�who cannot look upon sin�turned his back on his own Son. Sin as it were (though not in ultimate reality)caused a rupture in the Trinity. Instead of "Father," Jesus cries out, "My God, my God!" It is God speaking to God. The eternal Son cries out to the Father at the moment when the penalty of sin has been laid upon him. If it be asked, how could one man payfor the sins of the entire race, we find the answer in the doctrine of the Trinity. Only an infinite God could bear the sins of the world! A Doctrine that Unites and Divides The doctrine of the Trinity has been called the most puzzling doctrine in the Christian faith and the central truth of the Christian faith. Which is it? Inscrutable puzzle or central truth? The answer is, both are true. This doctrine unites all true Christians and separates us from those who are not Christian. You may believe and still not be a Christian, but if you deny this doctrine in your heart, you are not a Christian at all. I come now to the end of my sermon. In so doing I end where I began. The Trinity is a doctrine that all Christians believe but no one really understands. That much should be clear from this message. If you try to explain the Trinity, you will lose your mind.But if you deny it, you will lose your soul. Someone asked Daniel Webster, who happened to be a fervent Christian, "How can a man of your intellect believe in the Trinity?" "I do not pretend fully to understand the arithmetic of heaven now," he replied. That's a good phrase�the arithmetic of heaven. The Trinity should cause us to bow in humble adoration before a God who is greater than our minds could ever comprehend. Let us rejoice that we have a Triune God who has provided for a Trinitarian salvation. When we were lost in sin, our God acted in every Person of his being to save us. The Father gave the Son, the Son offered himself on the Cross, and the Holy Spirit broughtus to Jesus. We were so lost that it took every member of the Godhead to save us. In 1774 a man named Ignaz Franz wrote a hymn of praise to the Trinity: Holy God, We Praise Your Name. Verse three may serve as an apt conclusion to this message. "Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit, Three we name you; While in essence only one, undivided God we claim you. Then, adoring, bend the knee, and confess the mystery." Indeed it is a mystery, and with all the saints we bend the knee in worship before our great God�Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. --------------------- WhatPaul Knew �And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.� (1Corinthians 8:2) There are many things that none of us can know�not even the apostle Paul. Yet even with his realistic modesty, there are certain key truths that Paul could affirm with certainty, and so can we on the same grounds as he. One essential thing each of us should know first of all is this: �I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing� (Romans7:18). A person needs to know that he is a lost and hopeless sinner before he will ever really come to Christ for salvation. Once a lost sinner does receive Christ as Savior, however, he then should be able to declare with Paul the certainty of his own salvation. �For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him againstthat day� (2Timothy 1:12). The Christian life, once begun, is not necessarily easy. With Paul, in fact, it involved �labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent,...In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often,in cold and nakedness� (2Corinthians 11:23, 27). Yet he could say with confidence, �We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose� (Romans8:28). Because of such an assurance, he could also say, �I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound� (Philippians4:11-12). Whatever life might bring, it could never shake his certainty of the life to come. �For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens� (2Corinthians 5:1). HMM ------------------------------------ Old Testament Prophecy �Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace thatshould come unto you.� (1 Peter 1:10) Our verse today and the verses that follow tell us a good deal about Old Testament prophecy and, rightly understood, answer many of the questions raised by modern �scholars� who scoff at the divine authorship of Scripture. First, we can see that much prophecy was devoted to the theme of �the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow� (v. 11), long before the events took (or will take) place. That these prophecies were not mere human contrivances is seen in the claimthat they were due to �the Spirit of Christ which was in them.� Furthermore, the prophets themselves didn�t fully understand what they were writing. For instance, Isaiah wrote both of the glory of the coming Messiah (chapter 11) and His sufferings and death (chapter 53) with no indication that he knew how to put the twotogether. Peter claims the prophets �enquired and searched diligently� (1 Peter 1:10) �what, or what manner of time� (v. 11) these things would come topass. Indeed, even �the angels desire to look into� (v. 12) these mysterious passages and doctrines. Finally, the prophets evidently knew that the mysterious prophecies were not for them to understand but for us to understand (v. 12). Much of what so puzzled them has been revealed to us �by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sentdown from heaven� (v. 12). Because of the ultimate authorship by the Holy Spirit, and the eventual explanation by the same Spirit, these prophecies have never failed. They provide irrefutable evidence for the inspiration of Scripture, clear reasons to trust in the message of Scripture,and a grounded faith in the consummation of God�s plan for the ages. JDM