Three in One

It might be stating the obvious, but God is not human.

God is not a created being.

God is not someone that we can change or we can shape into our image.

God is not something that we can contain.

In John chapter 4, Jesus has this verbal interaction,

John 4 · chapter mention

I guess sort of a stoush, with a woman

who is trying really hard to stop him getting too close to her,

trying to hold him at a distance.

And he's already exposed her vulnerable side

when he tells her to go and call her husband

and she says, I don't have one.

And he says, you're right, you've had five

and the bloke you currently live you're not married to.

Live with you're not married to.

And she tries to turn the conversation to anywhere but herself

and she just goes all religious.

As you do.

And part of Jesus' reply is, God is spirit

and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.

So God is not human.

Jesus tells us that he is spirit.

The scriptures say that the universe shouts at us

displaying his glory.

We use words to describe God, all-powerful, all-knowing,

and present everywhere.

We sing songs like, immortal, invisible, God-only wise,

or indescribable, uncontainable.

God is spirit.

God is spirit.

God is not human.

He is vastly greater than it is possible for us to conceive or to imagine.

He is almighty God who shows us just enough of himself

that we might know him and have eternal life.

Perhaps we only see a minuscule bit of God, but it's plenty.

And in our naivety, people make lesser things God.

So Romans chapter 1 says,

Romans 1 · chapter mention

We worship and serve created things rather than the creator

who is forever blessed.

We worship our understandings of the world.

We make humanity and our thought life the pinnacle of the universe.

Lawrence Krauss, the physicist on Q&A the other week,

was glorying in science

and his own extravagant understandings of nothingness.

You see, without God,

we don't think of ourselves as specks in a vast universe.

We have an exalted view of our capacities and our intelligence,

and we exalt ourselves over everything, including God.

Now we've seen some awesome things about God

from the scriptures as we've worked through this series.

We have seen that God, who is spirit, who is hidden,

that he has chosen to reveal himself to us, his creatures.

God has put on flesh.

He has voluntarily accepted human limitation.

He has entered into time at a particular place.

He was born into a human family.

He entered his creation as a flesh and blood person,

Jesus Christ, God in the flesh.

And so the hidden God of the universe is revealed

as a gracious heavenly father

in the words and ministry of his son.

Jesus teaches us to pray to the father.

He tells us that God the father loves the world.

He says, if you have seen me, you have seen the father.

And we've been saying that the only way that we can begin to know

what God is like, the true God of the universe,

is through his son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus himself said, John 14,

I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the father except through me.

Jesus is the son who serves his father.

The son of man did not come to be served,

but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus said in John 16,

The father himself loves you

because you have loved me

and have believed that I came from God.

The bishop, Glenn Davies, spoke to us from John 16 last week

and he said that Jesus sends his spirit to us.

The spirit knows his father's business.

When Jesus goes back into heaven,

the spirit continues the ministry of Jesus

into all the world.

And Jesus tells us what that ministry will be

in John 17, verse 8.

John 17:8

When he comes,

he will convict the world of guilt

in regard to sin

and righteousness and judgment.

You look at the Lord Jesus as a man

and his ministry was restricted

to one town and one village at a time.

It's wherever his two feet took him.

And he said to his disciples

that it's good for me to go away.

It's for your good that I go away

because when I go,

I will send my spirit.

And the ministry of Jesus

would be continued by his spirit at work

in the hearts of all God's people everywhere.

And so in Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Peter preaches that this is the fulfilment

of Old Testament prophecy

where God would pour out his spirit

on all flesh.

What God has revealed to us

about himself impacts life.

I was sitting on the headland

down at D.Y. Beach

nearly two weeks ago

and reading my book,

having some quiet time,

enjoying the peace,

enjoying the beauty,

the rainstorms over the water

and the sun peeking up from behind.

Beautiful place to be.

And a young man about Sam's age,

Cameron, very polite,

came up to me and he said,

can I show you my photos

of the sun this morning?

And he's got his iPhone

or whatever it was in his hands

and my reaction inside,

sort of like,

oh no, what do you want?

And he says,

can I share with you

what I believe about God

who made this beautiful creation?

And it soon became clear

he was a Jehovah's Witness.

And I think I'm ashamed to say

that some of my history with them

is to have a point scoring debate

over the nature of God,

blow for blow,

so you can win,

who can come off with the most

or the least bruises,

whatever it is.

But this time was different.

We had a delightful conversation,

man to man,

person to person,

that went on for more than an hour.

I got sunburned.

The cloud had gone.

But it felt like a God-given time.

Later on, Cameron said

that he'd been sitting

where I was earlier in the morning,

and he was heading home

in his van

and he prayed that God

would give him someone

to share with,

so he came back

and saw me sitting

where he had been.

And God brought Cameron

to a pastor

that is in the middle

of a preaching series

about the nature of God.

Isn't that amazing?

But you know,

it was challenging for me as well

to sit and talk to someone

who believed in the creator God

of the universe,

who believed in significant things

about Jesus Christ,

who certainly believed

in the Holy Spirit of God,

was refreshing

because you don't even get

to first base with atheists.

And I taught scripture

after scripture

with Cameron

and most of them

are fresh in my mind

because that's what

I've been preaching.

And I tried to avoid

old chestnuts

where I just knew

we'd differ

and I knew his Bible

would say it different

from what my Bible

was.

It was a waste of time

going there.

And at an incredible

number of points,

Cameron would nod his head

and he'd say,

we believe that.

We believe that.

I keep saying

the scripture says,

not what we believe.

The scripture says,

Anglicans,

it doesn't matter

what Anglicans believe,

it matters what

the scriptures say,

doesn't it?

And I got to a point

where I said to him

that even though

we have much in common,

I suspect we think

about Jesus and God

differently.

And I'll say it quickly,

it took a long time with him.

You think Jesus is created.

I think he is

fathered by God.

That was a big issue

in the early church,

the Nicene Creed

that we say

in the communion service

was an attempt

to put things right

and express clearly

what the scriptures

are teaching.

We believe in one God,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sorry,

we believe in one Lord,

Jesus Christ,

the only son of God,

eternally begotten

of the father,

true God from God,

light from light,

true God from true God,

begotten,

not made,

of one being

with the father.

And I said

a second thing to him.

I said,

I think the scriptures

show that Jesus is king.

If you'd been here

the last few weeks,

you would have heard us

look to Revelation

and the lamb

and the father

worshipped on the throne

of God

at the end of the Bible.

He is God

and it is right

for us to worship him.

And thirdly,

you think the Holy Spirit

of God is a force,

a power that God sends

that we all plug into.

You know,

the force be with you,

Star Wars type movies,

all that sort of stuff.

And you look at the scriptures

and you can see why people

would say a thing like that.

But he is that

and he is more.

He is a person.

So in John 16,

Jesus speaks about his spirit

and he says that

when he comes,

the spirit that is,

when he comes,

he will convict the world

of sin and righteousness

and judgment.

The spirit is a he

on Jesus' tongue.

In Acts 5,

Ananias and Sapphira

are accused of

lying to the Holy Spirit,

lying to the person of God.

In other places,

we can grieve

and quench the Holy Spirit

of God.

He is a person.

So Cameron and I

had this really respectful

conversation,

a delightful conversation.

And I think it was

provocative and it was

challenging for both of us.

I had to go away

and reflect on some of the

stuff we talked about.

We had much in common

but we differed on Jesus.

And I would have loved

to have prayed with that

young man at the end

of the conversation

but I felt constrained

because I would have

wanted to pray,

Dear Lord Jesus

or Father.

names by which God

reveals himself to us

and names that

Cameron was not

able to own.

The Lord Jesus

has shown us

that God can be

approached very

personally

and those

of us who have

come to know

those of us

who have come

to know him

have come through

Jesus

but we have come

to call him

Father.

I would have loved

to have had unity

with Cameron

but we didn't.

We had significant

differences about

Jesus Christ.

True unity

is to be found

in Jesus Christ.

I worship

Jesus as Lord

and God

and King.

Cameron wanted to

hold Jesus

as important

but he thought

it was wrong

to worship him.

The biggest

impact this series

has had on me

personally

and let me tell you

I've had the

opportunity to tell

a number of people

this over the last

few weeks

and it's just been

an absolute delight

for me.

I hope it's been

a delight for them

but it's the

privilege that we

have in calling

God Father.

We only understand

God as Father

only through faith

in the Lord Jesus.

I am the way

the truth

and the life

no one comes

to the Father

except through me.

John 1 says

as many as

receive Jesus

to those who

believed in his name

God gave the right

to be called

children of God.

Not everyone

gets to call

God Father

only those who

receive

and believe

in the Lord Jesus.

The Lord Jesus

is the one

who brings us

into God's family.

William's baptism

this morning

is about trusting

in the promises

of the Lord Jesus

and entering

into the safety

and the security

of God's family.

I think it's

an absolute joy

and it is for me

at the moment

to see that

the Christian life

is a journey

in getting to know

the Father

and we do that

by believing

in the Son

that he has

sent into the world

and he is the one

who gives us

a true view

of his Father

who is hidden

from us in heaven.

I'm still learning

what it means

to trust him

day by day

but in the security

of his Son.

Jesus prayed

in John 17

Righteous Father

though the world

does not know you

I know you

and they know

that you have sent me

I have made you

known to them

and will continue

to make you

known to them

in order that

the love you have

for me

may be in them

and that I

myself

may be in them.

Earlier on

in John 17

Jesus speaks

to his Father

just before

he is arrested

and he says

Father the time

has come

glorify your Son

that your Son

may glorify you

for you have

granted him

authority

over all people

that he might

give eternal life

to all those

you have given him.

Now this is

eternal life

that they may

know you

the only true God

and Jesus Christ

whom you have sent.

I have brought

you glory on earth

by completing

the work

that you gave

me to do

and now

Father glorify

me in your

presence

with the glory

that I had

with you

before the world

began.

There is unity

there is love

there is mutuality

there is order

there is submission

and there is delight

within God

himself.

Father

Son

and Holy Spirit

work with

a wonderful

love and unity.

You come to the

scriptures and

Jesus is not

the grudgingly

obedient Son

that most of us

have been

or that we have

at home

who stomps off

saying

what do I have

to do this for?

He's in on the

plan

he trusts his

father

he delights

to do God's

will

he wants his

father to be

seen as the

great and loving

God that he is.

In John 17

it is only his

father who

understands him

his father

knows the

cost

he knows

the glory

that Jesus

left behind

in heaven

to come to

earth and

to ransom

for our

sins.

Jesus is

the obedient

son

he exercises

his God

given authority

to give

eternal life

to those

the father

has given

him.

Glorify me

he says

that I may

glorify you.

See

Jesus

shines this

massive light

on how great

his father

is by

doing the

work that

his father

gave him

to do

and then

Jesus

prays

father shine

your light

on me

glorify me

in your

presence

with the

glory that

I had

before the

world even

began

bring me

home

bring me

back into

your presence

shine your

light on me

that I might

be seen

for who I

am before

the world

even began

Westminster

Capitacism

the Anglicans

almost adopted

it the

Presbyterians

took it

it's first

question

it's teaching

to teach the

Christian faith

the first

question is

what is the

chief end

of man

and the

answer is

to glorify

God and to

enjoy him

forever

Jesus the

perfect man

did just

that

everything

about him

his whole

life put

his father

in the

spotlight

he gave

him the

glory

he was

hungry to

be in his

presence

forever

he was

praying to

his father

to bring

him home

he wanted

to be safe

in the

presence of

his father

he wanted

to be

reunited

with him

in heaven

so you

see that

there is

this

tremendous

unity

and oneness

in the

way that

God

relates

within

himself

father

son

holy

spirit

all

different

in

role

but one

in

unity

and

purpose

and that

dynamic

has

implications

for a

lot of

things

but two

God

given

institutions

in

particular

church

and

marriage

in

church

we aren't

united

by brand

being

Anglican

is not

what gives

us

unity

unity

is found

by belief

in a

message

John 17

John 17:20

verses

20

21

Jesus

prays

my prayer

is not

for them

alone

I pray

also for

those

who will

believe

in me

through

their

message

that all

of them

may be

one

father

just as

you

are in

me

and I

am

in

you

may

they

also

be

in

us

so that

the world

may

believe

that

you

have

sent

me

Jesus

prays

for us

the

bishop

said

that

last

week

he's

praying

for

us

2000

years

ago

we

have

come

to

know

Jesus

if

we've

come

to

Christ

that's

an

answer

to

Jesus

prayer

we

have

which

has

been

empowered

by

the

spirit

of

the

living

God

not

united

by

brand

Anglican

Baptist

Pentecostal

isn't

what gives

us

unity

unity

comes

from a

common

belief

in

Jesus

Christ

we

have

come

to

know

God

through

the

scriptures

it

is

a

spirit

empowered

work

that

turns

the

lights

on

and

hand

in

hand

with

unity

comes

love

verse

26

chapter

17

John

17

I

have

made

you

known

to

them

and

will

continue

to

make

you

known

in

order

that

the

love

that

you

have

for

me

may

be

in

them

and

that

I

myself

may

be

in

them

Jesus

is

about

to

be

executed

and

he

is

totally

confident

how

much

his

father

loves

him

John

John 3 · chapter mention

chapter

3

the

father

loves

the

son

and

has

placed

everything

in

his

hands

John

John 5 · chapter mention

chapter

5

the

father

loves

the

son

and

shows

him

all

that

we

talked

about

this

at

staff

the

other

day

I

was

supposed

to

say

a

wise

Christian

said

this

but

I

think

it

was

Steve

and

he

said

this

is

like

a

group

hug

or a

love

in

the

father

loves

the

son

the

son

loves

the

father

and

Jesus

brings

us

into

the

hug

in

order

that

the

love

you

have

in

me

may

be

in

them

may

be

in

us

one

of

the

own

for

the

way

that

we

love

one

another

that

the

culture

of

this

congregation

would

be

the

interconnection

and

love

and

care

that

exists

between

the

members

of

this

church

family

widely

across

generations

across

cultures

and

I

would

not

dare

say

that

we

have

arrived

but

what

a

good

thing

for

us

to

shoot

for

true

love

and

unity

between

us

that

reflects

the

greater

love

and

unity

which

is

to

be

found

in

God

himself

it

bears

witness

to

our

heavenly

father's

love

and

goodness

and

it

gives

him

the

glory

marriage

is

similar

you

can

take

for

granted

that

love

should

be

central

in

a

marriage

people

don't

talk

about

weddings

without

talking

love

you

know

wedding

cards

have

happy

couples

surrounded

by

love

hearts

don't

they

and

we

know

from

our

own

marriages

I

know

from

my

own

marriage

that

lots

of

marriages

come

up

short

people

are

bruised

expectations

aren't

met

roles

are

confused

trust

is

shattered

the

focus

shifts

from

a

servant

hearted

care

of

one

another

of

the

other

and

for

some

of

us

marriage

is a

war

zone

with

damage

and

rubble

which

is

all

over

the

place

love

is

lost

and

unity

is

nowhere

to

be

seen

Kerry

and

I

needed

considerable

help

a small

number

of

years

ago

to

work

through

a lot

of

damage

grace

of

God

we

had

huge

help

great

show

on the

ABC

at the

moment

Thursday

nights

don't

look at

next

week

go back

and

look

from

the

beginning

watch

from

the

beginning

but

called

making

couples

happy

and

it

follows

four

couples

whose

marriages

are in

chaos

and in

real

danger

of

all

age

husbands

and

wives

and

the

roles

they

play

or

1

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

Peter

chapter

1

like

verse

3

1

1 Peter 3:1

Peter

chapter

3

verse

1

wives

in

the

same

way

submit

yourselves

to

your

own

husbands

so that

if any

of them

do not

believe

the

word

they

may

be

won

over

without

words

by the

behaviour

of

their

wives

passages

like

that

are

very

abrasive

when

you

view

them

from

the

actuality

of the

broken

landscapes

that

we're

living

in

and the

potential

for abuse

and the

experience

of that

by both

husbands

and wives

is real

and it

is extremely

painful

God

has not

called us

to order

and to

roles

to inflict

pain

he has

called us

to the

sheer

beauty

of love

and unity

that he

is

the

father

who loves

his son

the

son

who

delights

to

submit

to

his

father

the

holy

spirit

who

does

the

bidding

of

the

father

and

the

son

working

powerfully

in

and

through

us

equals

as

God

unified

in

purpose

different

in

how

they

do

their

work

within

the

team

there's

no

quick

fix

to

a

badly

damaged

marriage

if

that

is

you

you

may

need

significant

help

and

assistance

and

you

need

to

submit

to

it

and

we

can

point

you

in

a

few

directions

but

it

is

a

word

to

all

of

us

who

are

married

that

unity

and

love

are

there

to

be

built

and

perhaps

to

be

rediscovered

and

a

constructive

place

to

start

is

in

meditating

on

who

God

himself

is

the

son

who

is

so

confident

of

his

father's

love

that

he

submits

to

his

will

and

he

lays

down

his

life

for

the

church

the

father

who

glorifies

his

son

the

son

who

delights

to

glorify

his

father

a

husband

and

a

wife

who

are

looking

out

for

the

other

a

husband

and

a

wife

who

delight

in

each

other

a

husband

and

a

wife

who

are

full

equals

a

husband

and

a

wife

who

delight

to

take

different

parts

in the

marriage

a

husband

and

a

wife

who

do

not

abuse

the

power

of

leadership

or

the

power

of

submission

a

husband

and

wife

who

glory

in

the

other

marriage

finds

its

true

purpose

in the

nature

of

our

God

who

created

it

may

God

richly

bless

our

marriages

and

our

church

as

we

seek

to

reflect

the

glory

of

God

Father

Son

and

Holy

Spirit

in

these

most

crucial

of

all

relationships

may

the

love

of

God

be

seen

in

our

marriages

may

it

be

seen

in

our

church

the

Lord

Jesus

says

by

this

everyone

will

know

that

you

are

my

disciples

if

you

love

one

another

I

will

be

glorified

if

you

love

one

another

Amen

Lord

Jesus

please

help us

to love

one

another

we

know

that

when

we

look

at

you

in

all

your

perfect

magnificence

we

just

come

up

so

far

short

and

yet

we

thank

you

that

you

have

revealed

yourself

to

us

and

something

of

the

magnificence

of

who

you

are

and

that

as

we

look

to

you

Lord

Jesus

you

help

us

to

make

sense

of

the

most

intimate

of

human

relationships

and

marriages

but

also

in

this

most

essential

of

relationships

that

you

have

brought

your

people

into

which

is

your

church

and

so

father

in

mercy

and

forgiveness

and

with

grace

and

with

kindness

might

we

relate

with

love

to

one

another

in

our

marriages

and

also

in

this

church

Amen