The Triune God

Let me add my hello to you and my welcome to church.

My voice is particularly bassy tonight and I apologise for that.

I'll do my best not to cough over the microphone.

We are beginning a new series tonight which is very exciting.

It's exciting because of the topic.

It's also daunting as a preacher.

We're beginning a series called Knowing God

which we are going to sit in for the next six weeks.

And the goal of this series is, like it sounds,

for us to really reflect on and soak in who God is,

to look at his character, to try and understand him better.

I want to recommend a couple of books to you right up front.

We stole the title from this book, Knowing God by J.I. Packer

which is a sensational read.

We're not following the book necessarily

but it is a great book for the sort of things

that we're going to be looking at and wrestling with

over the next couple of weeks.

And this slightly smaller book by Bruce Ware

called Father, Son and Holy Spirit

I have found particularly helpful

as I have wrestled with the doctrine of the Trinity

which we are going to do over the next six weeks.

It may feel daunting even to use that word Trinity

as we get ready for six weeks of wrestling with it.

And you may be sitting there thinking, why this?

Surely there are many other series that we could look at.

There might be really specific practical concerns

that you would love us to wrestle with.

Maybe your work-life balance.

Maybe your finances.

Maybe any number of other things.

But we have chosen this

and it's worth us asking the question why.

Because there is a danger in a series like this.

There is a danger when we wrestle with who God is

when we wrestle with theology ultimately.

That's what we're doing.

There's the danger that we approach it

simply with the goal that we will know stuff.

That we will have more anecdotes about who God is.

That we will have more ammunition to shout back at people

when we get in arguments at work or uni or school.

There is of course the danger that we are just doing this series

so that we know more stuff about God.

If that is our goal, if that is your goal,

you are on a path to self-satisfaction,

self-condemnation and self-righteousness

which are all of no value.

And so we need to be really careful about our motivations

when we look at something like the character of God.

We need to ensure that we're coming at this

for more than just information.

Theology is one of those nerdy words

which sometimes immediately gives us a picture

of just library, university, high pants,

whatever other things you're thinking of.

We need to ensure that that's not our goal for this series.

It's not our goal ever when we open the Bible

and particularly as we wrestle with knowing God,

we don't just want to know more stuff about God at the end.

If that's where we get to,

we will have wasted six weeks of time together

and six weeks of opening the Bible together.

So theology, which is basically the study of God,

is a gift.

It is something in which we can find great encouragement.

Let me read to you the words of a very, very great preacher,

Charles Spurgeon, when beginning a sermon at the age of 20,

which is slightly intimidating.

But let me read you very briefly his introduction

as he began wrestling with this topic specifically.

He said that the most excellent study for expanding the soul

is the science of Christ and him crucified

and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity.

Nothing will so enlarge the intellect,

nothing so magnify the whole soul of a man

as a devout, earnest, continued investigation

of the great subject of the deity.

And whilst humbling and expanding,

this subject is eminently consolatory.

Oh, there is, in contemplating Christ,

a balm for every wound.

In musing on the Father, there is a quietus for every grief.

And in the influence of the Holy Ghost,

there is a balsam for every sore.

Would you lose your sorrow?

Would you drown your cares?

Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead's deepest sea.

Be lost in his immensity,

and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest,

refreshed and invigorated.

I know nothing which can so comfort the soul,

so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief,

so speak peace to the winds of trial

as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead.

He finds in his study of God

comfort, encouragement, challenge, rebuke,

healing, inspiration,

and that is why we're going to spend some time

wrestling with what is a difficult topic.

I want to acknowledge that it'll be hard

for the next six weeks,

but it's worth it for those reasons

that he has just articulated for us.

Theology is a gift to us for our sake.

It's not a pointless exercise.

It is a gift that God has given us,

but more than a gift, it is a necessity.

According to Jesus himself,

the eternal life that we have is knowing God.

In John 17, he says it explicitly,

this is eternal life that they may know you,

the one true God.

And so we must do theology,

because that is the life that Jesus has died

and risen again to give us.

But as well as being a gift

and as well as being a necessity,

theology is, as Spurgeon has said,

incredibly practical.

You might think of other places you want to start,

thinking about the character of God

may appear abstract,

but we need to remember that God

is the ultimate reality in the universe.

He is the defining true thing.

He is the measure for all other things.

He is the means and the necessary means

by which we can look at other things,

look at our finances,

look at our work-life balance,

look at whatever else it may be.

It doesn't appear attractive at first.

It's like when you're designing a house

or going to look at a house that you want to buy.

You don't start with the sewage system.

You start with the veneer on the outside

or what gardens you might have.

The sewage system doesn't appear appealing or attractive,

but a house is not functional

if it doesn't have some sort of sewage system.

Fairly soon, if you completely neglected

to ensure that it was working,

it would destroy the nice grass

and the nice veneer and the nice carpets in your house.

Now, of course, there's a problem there

because we're saying that God is like sewage,

but the point is it doesn't appear attractive

in a setting like this with the Bible open

to go straight to just thinking about who God is.

We want to jump to the more interesting stuff,

the stuff that really touches us immediately,

like sexual purity,

like generosity,

like love.

But unless we understand the character of God,

we can't do those things

because the character of God is central.

He is the thing that defines the way we use our finances,

the way we treat one another,

the way we use our time.

And so we will begin this year

by wrestling with what appears abstract,

with what might be intimidating,

with what might be scary,

and we will wrestle with our God who is Trinity.

The passages that Tim read out for us before

in the Philippians passage,

Paul expresses a deep desire that he might know God.

And I want to begin,

you may think I've already begun,

I want to begin by asking the question,

what can we actually know about God?

As Christians,

we love to talk about having a relationship with God.

That sounds fantastic,

but what do we even mean by that?

I mean,

God is

up there,

isn't he?

So when we describe a relationship with God,

do we mean the same thing that we mean

when we talk about relationships with one another?

How do relationships work when you meet somebody?

You initiate them by slowly getting to know them.

The relationship only works if both parties

are gradually giving more of themselves,

and giving more access of themselves to the other person.

And progressively,

as you learn more of what things excite them,

and what things upset them,

and what things anger them,

and you become invested in those things,

and you become excited by what excites them,

and saddened by what saddens them,

and offended by what offends them,

your relationship grows,

and is strengthened,

and you come closer together.

I don't mean merely romantic relationships.

This might be just a friend that you meet,

this might be an acquaintance,

this could even be a family member.

I am enjoying getting to know my son at the moment.

We've only had him for 10 months,

and progressively,

as he discovers more of who he is,

he's able to disclose more of who he is

to me and Sal as well.

And so as we get to know him,

he gets to know more of us,

and the relationship grows.

For a relationship,

there needs to be some sort of access given.

And when there's a superior in the relationship,

the access is entirely one directional.

Imagine for a second

that you have won some sort of lottery,

and you are given the opportunity to meet the queen.

And not just that meet the queen

where you stand in a queue,

shake the hand,

or curtsy,

or whatever,

and then she moves on

and pays no attention to you,

but meet the queen

in a way where you get to sit down with her,

have some face time,

just you and her.

And initially,

you sit down,

and if she was to insist

that you referred to her as her majesty,

if she was to limit the discussion

to the weather,

or the current affairs that were going on,

you might walk away a little bit disappointed,

because even though you had met her,

and you had spoken to her,

and you knew her name,

you probably wouldn't say

you had a relationship with her.

But if she was to invite you in,

and as you sat down,

she said,

please call me Liz.

And she began to give you a little bit more access

to who she is.

She began to share her frustration

at the comical version of a family that she has.

She began to talk about and discuss

the things that have been difficult in her lifetime.

She began to share some of her personal experiences.

She began to let you in

to see who she is

and what matters to her.

Only then

would you begin to feel like

there was some sort of relationship.

And can you see that

you can only have a relationship

in so much as she

reveals herself to you?

It's entirely her prerogative.

As the queen,

she could just ring her secret service

and probably find out

everything there is to know about you.

But for you to know her,

she needs to make a decision

that she will show herself to you.

Only what is revealed can be known.

And the same is true of us and God.

There is a relationship between us and God,

but it's not a relationship between equals.

Our relationship with God is limited

to what He shows us of Himself.

And so really quickly,

I want to have a look at how He shows us Himself.

The Bible tells us in Romans chapter 1

Romans 1 · chapter mention

that in nature,

we get a bit of a glimpse into God.

In nature,

we begin to see that God is powerful and immense.

We get to see that God is sovereign,

that God is in control,

that God looks after and sustains

even the little things,

that God can control the storms

and the seasons

and the days

and the nights

and the years

and the generations.

But it's not until we get to Jesus

that we begin to see

some serious revealing,

some serious revelation.

There is a verse at the beginning

of the book of Hebrews.

Sorry,

I should have bookmarked lots of these,

but I'll flick around.

There is a verse at the very beginning of Hebrews

in Hebrews chapter 1

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

which says this,

In the past,

God spoke to our forefathers

through the prophets

at many times

and in various ways,

but in these last days

He has spoken to us

by His Son

whom He appointed

heir of all things

and through whom

He made the universe.

God gives Jesus

so that we can see Him,

so that we can get

a fuller picture of Him.

Colossians 1

talks about Jesus

being the exact representation

of the Father in heaven,

that the point of Jesus arriving,

the point of Jesus coming to earth

is so that we can see

what bits of God

He wants us to see,

so that there will be

something on show

that we can begin

to relate to.

He already knows us,

He made us,

He's the Creator,

but the bit that we relate with

is the bit that God

has shown us

and the bit that He has shown us

is His Son, Jesus.

But the amazing good thing

about our God,

even though He is far above us,

even though He is far beyond us,

is that He actually wants

to be known.

Sometimes there is this inkling

that maybe God is happier,

separate from us,

that maybe God kind of humors us

by just dangling a carrot,

but repeatedly throughout Scripture,

God shows us that His desire

is for people,

humans,

to know Him.

In Jeremiah chapter 31,

Jeremiah 31 · chapter mention

God makes a covenant

with His people.

Jeremiah 31, 33 says this,

This is the covenant

I will make with the house of Israel.

After that time,

declares the Lord,

I will put my law in their minds

and write it on their hearts.

I will be their God

and they will be my people.

No longer will a man

teach his neighbor

or a man his brother

saying,

Know the Lord,

because they will all know me

from the least of them

to the greatest,

declares the Lord.

God's plan from the beginning

was that people would know Him.

People have been missing it

and rejecting it,

but even from way back here

before Jesus,

God's agenda was

that all people would know Him,

not know about Him,

not have some idea who He is,

not be able to spell His name,

but have a relationship with Him.

We flick forward

into the New Testament,

into John chapter 17,

John 17 · chapter mention

and this time we have Jesus praying.

John 17 is a chapter

we're probably going to go back

to a couple of times

over the next few weeks,

but in John 17 and verse 6,

Jesus says this,

I have revealed you,

talking to His Father in heaven,

to those whom you gave me

out of the world.

The job that Jesus was given

by God

was to reveal God,

to show God,

and so everything He does on earth

is to show us

the God of heaven

so that we might know Him.

The relationship

is not to be just information,

the relationship is to be

information and response.

It's to be head and heart

and hands and feet

and whole of life.

God shows us who He is

that that might shape

who we are

and that that might shape

the lives that we live.

The end point that we see

in Scripture

is every tongue

confessing that Jesus is Lord,

is every knee bowing

because finally they know

who God is,

because finally they are

confronted with His majesty.

God is not hiding,

God's goal is not to be

hard to find,

His goal is that people

would know Him.

So what can we know of God?

We can know what He has revealed

and what has He revealed?

He has revealed Himself

in His Son,

He has revealed Himself

in His creation

and for us He has compiled

those things in Scripture

so that even thousands of years

after Jesus' life,

death and resurrection

we still can meet God.

We can still have Him speak to us.

Our relationship with God

is not exactly like

our other relationships.

relationships.

We can't see God

but we can have Him

speak to us every day.

We can have Him show us

more of His character

through the people around us.

We can have a relationship

with Him.

One thing that we're going

to wrestle with in particular

over the next few weeks

is that God has revealed Himself

as Trinity.

He hasn't used the word

Trinity

and the word is sometimes

something that we trip over

but He has revealed Himself

as a God who is three

and a God who is one.

This is the bit

where we start to get concerned,

our heads start to spin,

we start to get nervous

but the testimony of the Bible

is that God is Father,

God is Son

and God is Holy Spirit.

I want to put it out there

straight away.

this is a truth

that is incomprehensible.

This is a truth

that is beyond us

but it's still true

which means it still matters

and the reason it matters

is because

we can only have a relationship

with what God has revealed to us

and God has revealed to us

that He is Trinity.

So if we're going to have

a relationship with God,

it needs to be

with the God

who is Trinity.

Over the next few weeks

you're going to find

that I repeat myself a lot.

I'm not doing it by accident

hopefully.

There are things

that Scripture testifies to

over and over again.

We will go to verse

after verse

that tells us

that there is one God

and one God alone

and so I will keep telling you that.

We will go to verses

that tell us

that Jesus is God,

that the Spirit is God,

that the Father is God

over and over again

because that is what Scripture tells us.

We are still then standing

in that awkward position

of saying there's one

but there's three

but there's one

but there's three

but we need to be clear

Scripture keeps saying them

so they're true.

What we want to wrestle with,

what do we do with that fact?

That there is a oneness in God,

a unity that cannot be broken,

that cannot be separated

but there is also a distinction,

there is a threeness in God.

So again,

what do we do with that?

Well,

it's okay for us to acknowledge

that it's hard to understand.

We need to remember

that we are trying to

contain a God

who is infinite,

a God who is outside

of this apparently infinite galaxy

that we live in.

He created it

and yet we're trying to collect

all of that power

and majesty

and condense it

into our little brains.

That's never going to work.

I was trying to think

of an illustration

to show us

the difference

between something finite,

trying to understand

something that's infinite

and I couldn't come up

with anything

because there is nothing

that is that ridiculous

and that far apart.

Seriously,

I was asking around

and I was just looking

for something that showed

that the immense gap

between finite and infinite

and finite being contained

and infinite being uncontained

and that trying to understand.

You can't do it

because it is just

so overwhelmingly unrealistic

but yet that is what

we're trying to wrestle

with right now.

And that might be frustrating

and discouraging

but just be reminded

that God wants to be known.

That's His goal

and so He will give us

what we need

to know Him.

He will give us enough

that we can understand

who He is

and that we can have

a relationship with Him.

And so to this point

in terms of what we can know

about God

and the relationship

that we can have

all I want to say

for tonight is

that God has revealed Himself

in nature,

in His Son,

in Scripture

and that revelation is

that God is triune.

that God is one

and God is three

and that's the God

that we are in

a relationship with.

The testimony

of 1 Corinthians 13

which Tim read out,

you might have been wondering

why are we reading

this wedding passage?

If you've got it

in front of you,

have a look

at 1 Corinthians 13.

Verse 9,

We know in part

and we prophesy in part

but when perfection comes

the imperfect disappears.

Now I want to go

down to verse 12.

Now we see

but a poor reflection

as in a mirror.

Then we shall see

face to face.

Now I know in part.

Then I shall know fully

even as I am fully known.

The barrier for us now

is not just

our finiteness

and God's infinity.

The barrier for us now

is the fact

that we are imperfect

and He is perfect.

It is complex.

There's no denying it.

It is difficult.

There's no denying it

but it is true

and the barrier for us

to this truth

is the fact

that we are sinful people

and that is why again

this relationship

we have with God

starts with Him

revealing Himself

not us finding Him.

Not us grasping

who He is.

Not us studying

to a point

where suddenly

we can understand it.

It's necessarily

His initiative

to choose

to reveal to us

and to enable us

to understand

enough of Him

that we might be shaped by it

and that it might change us.

Now because of

the fun that we are going to have

wrestling with the Trinity

for the next six weeks

I wanted to flag for you

that in week five

I know it sounds like

a long way away

in week five

we are actually going to

give some time

in our service

for questions.

Now you might be

a little bit shy

about asking questions

in the service

at any point

between now and then

you can email me a question.

I won't name you

I won't

it would be anonymous

that's fine

but chances are

if you're wrestling with it

there's other people as well

so please be brave enough

to throw it up there

and it will bless all of us

to wrestle with it.

I want to tell you

in advance

I won't have all the answers

but it will be good for us

to see what things

that we are grasping

and what things

we're missing as well together

so that's going to be

in a few weeks.

The Trinity

is a stumbling block

for some of us

because for some of us

we have had different illustrations

thrown at us

over the years

that can be less than helpful.

Well intentioned

but not necessarily helpful.

The water one

is the first one

that came to mind.

We think of the Trinity

as water, steam and ice.

H2O has its three forms.

It's a good idea

there is threeness

but there's not oneness

in the water, steam and ice

because God is one

and three at the same time

whereas water can be water,

ice or steam.

Now someone very smart

in our congregation

has apparently pointed out

to me that it is

actually possible

for water to be the three

at the same time

but I've never heard

that version

of the illustration

with God

so when I was told

the illustration

it was unhelpful.

The point is

the reason the Trinity

can be confusing

is as soon as somebody

gives you something

to help you understand it

you suddenly realise

that that's completely inadequate

and it's actually distracting

and that's kind of encouraging.

If God could be explained

in water, steam and ice

I'd be kind of disappointed.

I don't know

how much confidence

I could have in this

water, steam and ice God

to save me from my sins

and give me eternal life.

It is hard.

It is frustrating.

But the majesty of God

is an encouragement.

It's who He is.

He's not going to dumb it down for us.

He's giving us

enough of Himself

that we might know Him.

And then that verse

in 1 Corinthians 13

Now I know in part

then I shall know fully

even as I am fully known.

Once we have been

fully transformed

once Jesus has come back

then we will get to

grasp and bask in

and rejoice in

and enjoy

God in His fullness.

Without the blinkers

required to stop us

from becoming overwhelmed

we will get God fully

when He finally comes back.

Trinity is who God is

and to reject it

or to avoid it

because it's difficult

is to reject

or avoid God.

Because this is Him.

There is no other version.

To have a different God

than this

is to have a God

that you've made up.

A God who is not God at all.

And so it's important

that we wrestle with this

and so we will.

And we probably will continue to

for many more years

in our lives.

In Matthew 28

the disciples are instructed

to go into all the nations

baptizing into the name

of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

One name.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The God we worship

His name is

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The God who you follow

His name is

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

And so

we are going to wrestle with

we are going to ask God

to give us eyes to see

hearts to understand

that we might be shaped

by who He is

and by His character.

But lastly

tonight was

looking at

what we can know

about God

the relationship

that we can have

and it's kind of

introductory

because we're going to

start looking

at each member

of the Trinity

going forward

but I wanted to

before we finish

quickly wrestle with

what it means

to be known by God

because a relationship

is two way.

God has

the seat

of authority

He's the one

who initiates

He's the one

who reveals

but it is

a relationship

where we know Him

and He knows us.

So what does that mean?

What's so unique

about that?

Because on one level

you could say

God knows everyone

God made everything

God made everyone

Psalm 139

testifies that God

knits us together

in our mother's womb

that He knows

every step

before we take it

and so what do we mean

when we talk about

being known by God

in a relationship

with Him?

Let me take you

to two examples

really quickly

if you're fast

jumping through

your Bible

flick back to

Exodus 33

if not

you can just

listen in

you might be

faster than me

anyway to be honest

with you

Exodus 33

this is an incident

involving Moses

talking to God

and in Exodus 33

beginning at

verse 12

Moses said to the

Lord

you have been

telling me

lead these people

but you have not

let me know

whom you will

send with me

you have said

this is quoting God

I know you

by name

and you have

found favour

with me

if you're

pleased with me

teach me

your ways

so I may

know you

and continue

to find favour

with you

remember that

this nation

is your people

the Lord replied

my presence

will go with you

and I will

give you rest

then Moses

said to him

if your presence

does not go

with us

do not send

us up from here

how will anyone

know that you

are pleased

with me

and with your

people

unless you go

with us

what else

will distinguish

me and your

people from

all the other

people on the

face of the

earth

he's really

keeping it

verse 17

and the Lord

said to Moses

I will do

the very thing

you have asked

because I am

pleased with you

and I know

you by name

God's knowing

of Moses

here is not

simply a

knowledge

about

it's not

simply a

knowledge of

here God's

knowing of

Moses

is directly

connected to

God's saving

work in

Moses

circumstance

God's saving

work in

Israel's

history

God

knowing

Moses

is directly

connected

with God

leading

Israel

out of

Egypt

of his

presence

going

with them

and continuing

to look

after them

really quickly

in the New

Testament

just to show

you that this

isn't just the

Old Testament

before we get

to Jesus

John 10

John 10:14

verse 14

Jesus says

I am the

good shepherd

I know

my sheep

and my

sheep know

me

just as

the Father

knows me

and I

know the

Father

and I

lay down

my life

for the

sheep

I know

my sheep

and my

sheep know

me

there's the

two-way

relationship

that God

has designed

for us

and then at

the end

there I

lay down

my life

for the

sheep

Jesus does

not lay

down his

life for

the sheep

because the

sheep know

him

it's his

knowledge of

the sheep

that moves

him to lay

down his

life

God's

knowing of

us

God's

knowledge

of us

God's

side of

the

relationship

is directly

connected to

his saving

mercy in

our lives

this is an

amazing blessing

because as you

wrestle with

things like

theology and

difficult concepts

like the

trinity

it's easy to

feel inferior

to maybe people

who have

read more

than you

or have

studied more

than you

or know

more than

you or

can use

bigger words

than you

but here

we are

seeing

that the

thing that

saves you

is not

your

knowledge

knowledge

is not

your level

of understanding

it's God's

knowledge

of you

it's God's

knowing of

you

it's God's

choosing of

you

it's God's

loving of

you

and so that

means that as

we begin this

series we can

take away that

burden of I

need to reach a

point of

knowing a point

of understanding

a point of

knowledge of

this trinity

thing to

really be a

Christian

what God

is saying

is I

know you

I love

you

I know

you inside

out and

I've still

chosen to

love you

even though

I know

everything about

you there is

nothing that

could stop me

from loving

you and so

your knowledge

of him is

just a gift

that he has

given you

the reason it

is worth

wrestling with

things like the

trinity is

because in the

character of

God just like

Spurgeon encourages

us and like

scripture shows us

we find comfort

when we're alone

we find strength

when we are weak

we find healing

when we are sick

our knowing of

God is a gift

because he saved

us not something

that in some way

could earn his

saving for us

it matters that

we wrestle with

the character of

the God that we

follow and serve

because he is the

one who will

shape us to live

life the way he

has designed it

it's God's

knowledge that

saves us

and our

knowledge of

God is merely

a gift for

our joy

for our sake

that we might

know the God

who is love

that we might

know the God

who is hope

that we might

know the God

who is so far

above and beyond

our understanding

that sometimes it

hurts our head

to think about

that is God's

gift to give

us access to

the greatest

thing that there

is himself

as we move

into this series

over the next

few weeks I

want to encourage

you that in the

times where maybe

you're feeling a

little bit

overwhelmed or

discouraged please

persevere

please put up your

hand if you've got

questions please let

us know if you're

struggling to

understand things

because the point

of wrestling with

who God is is

not to know

stuff is not to

show off but is

that all of us

might have our

lives changed

is that all of

us might as we

get to know God

better love him

more and feel

loved by him

more might grasp

more of just the

lengths that he

went to just how

amazing it is that a

God who is one and

three at the same

time would choose to

become human for us

the goal is that he

gets glory and that

we progressively become

more like his son

I'm going to pray for

us and then in just a

second Danny's going to

continue for us

Father God we

acknowledge that there

are aspects of theology

and there are aspects of

studying you and your

character that are

intimidating and

maybe appear

abstract and

potentially even

unhelpful but God

give us the patience

and the perseverance to

push through in those

moments and to

recognize that there is

nothing better than

knowing you

Lord keep us from

settling for a less

version of you than

the one that you have

revealed in scripture

and in your son

Lord as we come up

against things that we

don't understand give us

the humility to

acknowledge it and to

ask for your help

God and I pray that the

result of looking at you

as Father Son and Holy

Spirit will be that we

are more confident in the

forgiveness you have for

us more confident in the

love that you have worked

in Jesus and more excited

to love and serve you with

every minute that you give

us Father we thank you for

your word and pray that by

it you might show us

yourself more clearly and

might change and shape us

that we might shine you

into a world that doesn't

know you

Amen

have a selfish dream

all right

って awesome

tom