Wirksworth | 10/05/26 | The Trinity | Andy Hassan

Thank you, Joe.

Joanne?

Or is it Joanna?

Or is it Josephine?

I'm Andy.

Or as some of you might know, I'm Andrew, as my mum probably called me.

But for ages of seven and a half till when we actually got married, I was actually called by my middle name.

So names are important, aren't they?

It's Phil.

Even at our best man at our wedding talked about Phil.

And my family were completely confused as to Josephine married.

But as we put up here, you know, we're thinking about names.

And as we've been worshipping, which is amazing as well.

Thank you so much, Sheldon and Dawn.

I'm absolutely spot on.

Probably don't mean the original name, but just sort of all songs about the Trinity and the immenseness of God.

But I work in the business world, and the business world is so confusing and so difficult.

When I send an email to people in India or different parts of the world, they instantly reply, Hi Hassan, because that's their surname.

So they don't recognise my name's Andrew or Andy or Phil.

They write Hassan, Tom.

And it's like how do you respond to that?

And obviously, what we've seen at proliferation recently is that I see this on the bottom of emails.

People want to be referred to correctly when you speak to them when you write to them.

So they want to be known as a she, they want to be known as her, they want to be known as he or him.

And obviously, we've got those that obviously want you to feel as though you've not given them a gender, and they refer to them as they, them or theirs.

Who started it all?

Now I don't think the queen did start it all, but um she didn't like to be referred to as I.

She liked to be referred to as one.

And um the we apparently was relating to her and the whole Commonwealth.

That's why she used the phrase we.

Does anyone think where's the gone with this?

You've learned a bit.

Joseph.

Phil.

No, that's not practicing.

Um so I've been saying I've been asked to speak back to chosen this topic.

Um, yeah, chose this topic.

I'd rather choose this topic.

Right, why did I choose this topic?

They're easy ones, weren't they?

On the list.

I'm not a theologian.

Um any theologians in the room?

Oh lovely, right.

We can have a discussion afterwards about that.

Um and obviously I'm aware we've got lots and lots of different people here from lots and lots of backgrounds and traditions.

And obviously, the last thing I want to do is kind of offend anybody, and I might have already offended people by putting up pronouns about gender.

So you can call me they if you want, but I don't really want to.

So, Trinity.

You probably know this already, the word Trinity is not in the Bible.

So, why am I preaching about something that actually the word itself is not in the Bible?

So we can again, theologian, we can chat about what is in the Bible.

Are there any tri-words that are in the Bible?

Um, so we can talk about that.

Um, but there is a definition.

So, one God existing as three distinct, co-equal persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

We'd all agree with that, would we?

Right, so we're on the same starting page at least.

So, and what we know from the very, very beginning is the commandments that we were given.

So, back in Exodus, Moses went up onto the mountain and he was given the first commandment.

If you recognise this as the first commandment, I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery.

You must not have any other god small to you but me.

I always check these things, theologians do, wouldn't they?

Is it big to small to you?

So, no other god but me.

Why was that important for the Israelites as they left Egypt?

Who they just drowned in the river Nile.

They drowned the god, didn't they?

They drowned the Pharaoh.

The Egyptians definitely believed in lots and lots and lots and lots of gods.

And what was happening at the very point that God was giving this commandment to Moses?

They were making a golden calf, yes.

They were actually making a god that they could worship while the mountains were shaking and thunder and lightning was happening.

There's a clue up there somewhere, but anyway.

Um and obviously a repetition from Jesus.

So he was asked about out of ten which are the most important.

And he replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.

Wow.

That's powerful, isn't it?

So everything.

Everything.

Were there any gods around when Jesus was walking in Israel?

So run the colonization, weren't they?

Romans loved a god or two, or three, or four, or a little niche in the corner over there of a godnet, a little niche in the corner over there of a godnet, but surrounded.

And obviously it wasn't just that, other people.

Palestine also had their gods, they they worship gods and things like that.

So I think this is just a reference to the fact that God is a jealous god, not jealous as in a nasty, evil green stripe running down the back.

A jealous god in terms of how you would worship one God and only one God and have no other gods but him.

Okay, now, yeah.

So you probably recognise our scholars in the room have recognised that Lord has got the word Adonai after him, and God has got the Elohim after him.

So these are words that we have to learn as scholars.

So, how many times do we think Elohim is in the Bible?

Well, it's the word for God, so it's two and a half thousand times it occurs in the Bible, God is written as Elohim, and Adonite is written 439 times as Lord.

And obviously, what we don't understand because of our use of pronouns and language is that these are both plural forms of God, plurality, lord, plurality.

Is that correct, our psychology?

And what's really important, and I think we've we've definitely spoken about it, is that the Trinity, the Godhead, was there at the beginning.

It's quite important, isn't it?

So uh we're looking at creation, so I've taken the first book of the Bible, Genesis chapter 1, 1 and 2.

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

So I think most of you are very familiar with that.

Um the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered, deep waters, and the spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

So right at the very, very beginning, first verse, it says the Spirit of God was there.

And then in Genesis 1, chapter 26, it said, Let's make human beings in our image, our plural, to be like us.

And in John's Gospel, it explains it very, very clearly that Jesus was there as well at the beginning of time, at creation.

Not only was he there at creation, but Jesus was the creator.

We're gonna hear a bit more about creation, aren't we, from Stephen a few weeks back.

So I don't want to steal much more.

But it says God created everything through Jesus, and nothing was created except through him.

And if you really want it clear, so the word, which he's talked about in one and three, became human and made his home for 30-ish years amongst us.

So the Trinity was right there at the very, very beginning of time.

So thinking about the Alpha and the Omega and the beginning and the end, they've been doing Revelation.

Oh, those have been doing Revelation and preaching Revelation.

So you haven't got to chapter 22 yet.

But then it's really important, isn't it, to understand that in the very last book of the Bible, Revelation 22, the Holy Spirit is there in heaven.

Not only in there in heaven, but with us as the church, the bride, saying come.

So still at that point, the last chapter of the Bible, it says, anyone can come, still, come, come.

If you're thirsty, come.

Jesus will still give you that drink, still give you that living water.

So that's really clear, then, isn't it?

So the Trinity's there at the beginning, the Trinity is there at the very end.

So, how about in Jesus' life?

So, so we have the Gospel account of Jesus' baptism.

Really important, mentioned in all four Gospels, that makes it kind of important.

Um, so if you see there in Matthew, I've just chose Matthew, first book of the Gospels.

So after his baptism, Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, settling upon him.

And a voice from heaven said, This is my dearly loved son who brings me great joy.

So in that very moment, we saw all three persons of Godhead together in one place.

As already said, it's mentioned in all four Gospels, which makes it important.

It's also really important that this is at the very, very beginning of Jesus' ministry.

So that demonstration of the Trinity is actually there when Jesus actually starts.

Um anyone know what he goes to do straight after his baptism?

What happens straight after his baptism?

He goes into the desert for 40 days and is tempted.

And I put here about in Mark, it uses slightly different language.

So it doesn't say heavens open.

The wording is that heavens are actually torn apart.

So if you imagine the edges of heaven being like a sheet that's been absolutely ripped apart, it's never to be repaired, it's never to be put back together, it's actually open over Jesus' life all the time.

And we see the Holy Spirit flowing from heaven to earth to bless and anoint Jesus in the work he was about to do.

God's voice.

So Malachi was the last book of the Old Testament.

It was written about 400 years before Jesus' life.

God had been silent.

It took about 400 years of silence.

The voice of God hadn't been heard for 400 years.

It brings me great joy.

I delight in him, whatever version it is of your family.

So we have the Trinity at that very, very point where Jesus starts his ministry with your demonstration.

So I had a practical demonstration.

And I apologise for anyone seen this practical demonstration before.

Chemists and probably others need in mind now like this in the water.

Water.

So how many forms of water are there?

Three.

Chapter 1, verse 1, we've seen the water covering the earth.

So here's an example of a form of water known as ice.

And in Psalm 46, verse 1, which I'm guessing, you're all very, very familiar with.

Psalms 46:1

It says God is our refuge.

God is our I'll leave that on my phone.

God is our refuge in strength, always ready to help us in times of trouble.

And you're looking at those images and you're thinking, okay, so I can kind of understand where Andy's going with this.

Igloos, igloos, inuits.

So today apparently the older Inuits do still go out, and if they get into trouble and they're out hunting and they need shelter, they can throw up an igloo.

But they can quickly build a place of refuge and a place where they can be protected.

How about this one here?

Does anyone know what that is?

It's a glaciated ice.

Incredible how smooth the sides of that valley have been made.

See, ice has pushed through.

Almost infinitesimal speed, from what we believe.

We know glasses are now going back the other way, but basically that would have some point had rocks and all sorts of things sticking out into it.

Literally, the ice has just pushed straight through and out, pushed all the topsoil out and made all these fertile lands beyond the mountains.

That's why I learned geography.

So that's our first form.

Um I think you probably can guess not beer.

So second form.

This is interesting.

How many run the tap before you pour drink water?

How many of you have done your bed of grills and they're not drink from stacking water?

I'd love to add a hose pipe in here, but I think Helen might have told me off.

But I mean obviously it should really be pouring, shouldn't it should be like that?

It should be refreshable.

And you've we've heard this so much already in works with uh I might think oh Andy, you've just stolen this from what we've been hearing.

So streams of living water.

So I'm sure some of you have heard the prophecy that we've had about streams of living water drying or watering a parched desert land, and that we then see amazing beautiful wildflowers, and then trees was was mentioned to.

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, anyone who is thirsty may come to me.

Anyone who believes in me may come and drink.

And the scriptures declare rivers of living water will flow from his heart.

Ooh, final one.

Yeah, final one, final, final one.

Final one, right.

Trixie, Trixie.

Um Missbent Youth.

Steam engine.

Very apt today, is that?

Yes.

Steam engines.

Missbent youth.

Missbent Scots.

Missbent Youth until I then went to my home group and found out two other people in the house group also had printers.

Boys like their training cents.

That is the flying Scotsman.

Where's he going with this?

Yeah, you always think, where's he going with this?

I fly with this.

Let's put the slide up.

So steam.

Amazing.

Absolutely amazing steam.

But obviously, in terms of the Trinity, we've been thinking about the power of the Holy Spirit.

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

You will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere.

Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria.

It works with.

And and not always a great biology.

And to the ends of the earth.

So George Stevenson.

He ran a competition.

I don't know if he was an engineer or whatever it was, but he he came up with the rocket, the first thing the train ran in Merseyside.

He then worked in Crich, whether we joke.

With him in Crich, yeah.

George Stevenson had a house and lived in Crich and set up a company there because he was trying to work out how to get stuff from the top of the hill down to the canal at the bottom of the hill.

And obviously he was still mucking around with steam.

The flying Scotsman set a world record in 1934, 100 mile an hour.

But then I reflected and I thought, hang on, even Crich.

We're in a very old mill.

There's mills scattered all through the Derwent Valley, isn't there?

The UNESCO World Heritage Site has said this is a particular place that should be kept because of its historical significance.

And some people say the Derwent Valley was part of the start of the beginning of the whatever.

We had a long chat about that, didn't we?

The Industrial Revolution.

And I thought about it and I thought, well, actually, in the Industrial Revolution, most of what was run, this was a water mill, wasn't it?

It was water that ran here.

And obviously most of the mills along the day would use the water.

But we do see the steam coming in later on.

So if you ever want to go to the Cromford Mill, you can see where the steam was actually being used at blood and water up.

So steam then came in.

There's an interest in water first and then steam.

And we're praying for revival, aren't we?

We're praying for revival.

And what is revival?

It means that people's hearts are turned around.

They're going that way.

Back to Jesus to come that way.

What relevance is that to us here?

So I'll let you have a look at these pictures for a few minutes.

Does anyone know this one here?

So yeah, it's a cathedral one.

It's Western Track.

The middle one?

Um it could really be anything almost because essentially what I looked for was um churches that were taking place either in coffee shops or in uh pubs.

Or it could be a shopping centre.

It's next to a church.

Yeah, well, yeah, yeah.

And the final one.

So what do you think the final one is?

Because again, there were no photographs at the marketplace in Jerusalem at time of Pentecost.

Showing that, isn't it?

I'd love a photograph of that.

I think it'd be stunning.

Yeah?

Well, there wasn't a photograph, so what do we think the final one is?

Because again, it's a very bad approximation of what I had in my mind.

It's actually a flash mob in a park in the open air.

And I think in my mind when I was looking for the image was there's people having a picnic and sitting around during the sunshine, and all of a sudden people are up and filled with the Holy Spirit, and then some people respond and some people don't respond, and some people join in and don't respond.

I don't know if that's what it was like in the marketplace in Jerusalem.

So here I thought about this.

I thought that's my tradition.

Quiet boy from seven called Phil.

Too many Andrews fairly probably Phil in the quiet.

So paint scene, sang in cathedrals.

Do you anyone know what the structure here is called?

It's a screen, and behind it's called the sanctuary.

I thought we did away with sanctuaries when the veil was tall in half.

But here's a cathedral with a sanctuary with only certain individuals can pass through.

And Jesus would be here, wouldn't he?

I think Jesus would be here.

So he'd be there in pubs, he'd be there in coffee shops, he'd be there in shopping centres.

And he'd be there with the homeless, he'd be there with the added.

He could probably be there with the refugees.

Because we know from the time that he was there, he spent time as phrase from the Pharisees, he spent time with the sinners.

So that's where we believe that Jesus would be.

Then the final one: exuberance, excitement, noise, whatever your understanding of what a spirit-filled church, probably not contained by building, which is why I kind of went for a part.

So what kind of church are we?

What kind of church are we aiming to be?

Secretary.

Yeah.

All of them.

Thank you.

All of them.

All of them.

Balance in all things.

They have balance.

Balance.

Equality.

Cross them.

So why?

Because we look at the character of God, don't we?

We look at the character of God.

That's just a few.

Don't forget and pick up the article and miss that one out.

So we all agree that God the Father is loving.

We'd all agree Jesus is loving.

We'd all agree the Holy Spirit is loving.

We'd all agree that God Almighty in heaven is holy.

We'd all agree that Jesus was holy, set apart, without sin.

Holy Spirit kind of gives a look at the spirit.

So all of these characters apply to all of the Godhead.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

And there's other ones on there that we probably want to get out from.

Omnipotent.

All powerful.

Omniscient.

All knowing.

Omnipresent.

God is with us now.

Not only here, but Matlock.

In Buckston.

Everywhere.

Amazing.

I can't get my head around that.

And when I took on this topic of speaking about the Trinity, I couldn't get my head around that, so I've decided just not even to put it on the slide.

It's just some omnis, there's some omnis that God and they're all at once as well.

You know, this isn't as I've shown three different forms.

They're all present at the same time.

They've shown I have no information.

I have a book recommendation.

You've seen this book before.

This is Neil's second favourite book.

I'm still going to do it live.

Oh, it's very cool.

So this is Neil's second favourite book.

As we all know, its first favourite book is the Bible.

His third favourite book, as we all know from last week, is Prime Prejudice.

So I'm just going to read to finish with from day 32.

I hope you all like this set.

Some of you, as you said, you may be familiar with this.

A couple of 365 passages in here.

There's definitely two in here that refer to the Trinity, but this is wonderful.

I'll just read it out to you.

So what is the number of love?

How many do you need in order to have love?

A subject, I said.

The subject is the I, he replied.

But what else?

An object, he said.

The object is you.

And what else?

A verb.

Love, he said.

Put it together, and what does it become?

It becomes I love you.

The most basic expression of love.

And how many words were needed?

Three.

And yet at the same time, love is one.

So love is one and love is three.

It is one and three at the same time.

Love is triune.

In the scriptures, it is written that God is love.

If God is love, then God is triune as well.

One and three, all at the same time.

Who is the source of love?

The I, the Father, the source of all love.

Who is the object of his love?

The you, the Son, the Messiah, who is called in Scripture the beloved.

And the love that emanates from the Father to the Son, the Spirit, the lover, the beloved, and the love itself.

The tri-unity of love.

Both three and one at the same time.

The tri-unity of God.

Yes, said the teacher.

As incomprehensible and yet as simple as I love.