Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church,
located at 2709 Rock Springs Road in Kingsport, Tennessee,
would like to invite you to listen to a message of Sovereign Grace
by their pastor, Gabe Stoniker. For information and service times,
visit www.ksgc.church. And now, Gabe Stoniker. I will be speaking to you today
from 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5. And I'd like for us to look at
something that I believe has been very confusing to all of
us at one point or another. I know it has been for me and
I'm sure it has been for most everyone. I pray this will not
only be insightful, I pray the Lord might teach us something
and cause us to truly learn and understand something, but I also
pray this will be a blessing to us. I pray the Lord will make
it to be a blessing. Before we read the text, let
me ask this question, okay? How many gods are there? How many gods are there? living
gods, I'm talking about reigning, ruling gods. How many are there? Well, look with me at 1 John
5, verse 7. It says, for there are three
that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Ghost. And these three are one. These three are one. Now, let me ask that same question
again. How many gods are there? There
is one God in three persons. We will never in our simple,
foolish, pitiful flesh We will never fully understand God. Man in all of his simpleness
cannot, we cannot fully understand God. People try. They think they can
get God figured out. It's not going to happen. We
will never fully understand God. He has revealed some things about
Himself to us in His Word, most definitely. But even in that,
this is what Job 11, verse 7 says. It says, Canst thou by searching
find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty
unto perfection?" He said, no. God is higher than heaven, deeper
than hell, longer than the earth, broader than the sea. What could
man possibly understand about Him? What could man possibly
understand about Him and His will and His ways and His purposes
in all things? Never will we obtain a total
understanding of the fullness of God. Never. But my prayer
for this message is, In what he has revealed to us in his
word, may he give us a clearer understanding than we currently
have. That's what I pray will take
place. I pray that he will make some things clearer to us than
we already know. I pray he will reveal just a
little bit more of himself and his person, their persons in
himself. I've titled this, These Three
Are One. I pray that really sinks in come
the end of this message. These three are one. I want us to see that and I want
us to ask the question, why is that? That's where we're going
with this. Why is that? Why is there one God in three
persons? Just think about that question
for one second. Why is there one God in three
persons? Why? Well, let's start with the fact
that there truly is only one God, okay? Turn with me, if you're
following along, turn with me to Isaiah 45. And we are going
to turn to quite a few scriptures here. You can turn quickly with
me, or you can write these down and go back and look at them
later. But I would strongly encourage you to look at these. I would
strongly encourage you to get a Bible and read these for yourself. Isaiah 45 verse 5 says, I am
the Lord, and there is none else. There is no God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast
not known me, that they may know from the rising of the sun and
from the west that there is none beside me. I am the Lord and
there is none else. I am the Lord and there's none
else. Verse 21 right here in Isaiah 45, he said, Tell ye and
bring them near. Yea, let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient
time? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I the Lord? and there
is no God else beside me, a just God and a Savior, there is none
beside me." None. That's our first insight as to
why there are three in one. He said, I am a just God and
a Savior. That's what he said. I am a just
God and a Savior, but he said, there is none beside me, only
one, only one God, that's it. Now, Genesis chapter one, this
is very important to see. Genesis chapter one, verse 24
says, and God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature
after his kind, cattle and creeping thing, and beast of the earth
after his kind. And it was so. And God made the
beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their
kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind.
And God saw that it was good. Now Genesis 1 verse 26 says,
And God said, Let us make man in our image. Let us make man in our image
after our likeness. Now in this, we're going to see
the glory that is due to the Son of God. the absolute glory
that's due to the Son of God. This is the truth right here.
Mankind's greatest error, the greatest error of man is in the
fact that he honors not God the Son as the very God that he is. Mankind does not honor Jesus
Christ to be the high, holy, eternal God that he is. Not at
all. So we see right here that God,
the one God, said, let us make man in our image. God is three
separately, but equal persons from the beginning. Three equal
persons, one God made up of three persons. All right, now let's
see that. No one has trouble believing
that the Father is God. Nobody has trouble believing
that. When people think of God, they think of the Father. I do,
I'm sure you do too. Okay, God the Father, no one
has trouble believing that. But I want us to read it in the
Word anyway, I want us to see it anyway, okay? So John chapter
six says, this is John six verse 27, It says, labor not for the
meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto
everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you, for
Him hath God the Father sealed. God the Father. The Father is
one of the three persons of God. When we speak of the Father,
we're speaking of God, okay? When we speak of the Father,
we're speaking of God. He's one of the three persons
of God. Now, John chapter four, verse
24, it says, God is a spirit, and they that
worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." All through this word it speaks
of the Spirit of God and it speaks of the Spirit in the form of
a person. Whenever we read what this word
has to say about the Spirit, God the Spirit, it's worded in
the form of a person. John 14 verse 17 says, Even the
Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth
him not, neither knoweth him. But you know him, for he dwelleth
with you, and shall be in you." He, Him, a person. A person. He, Him. John 15 verse 26 says, But when
the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father,
even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He
shall testify of me." He. Most people believe that God
the Father is God and then God has a son, Jesus Christ, and
then somewhere off to the side is another element or the spirit. The spirit is a he. The Father
is a he, the Son is a he, the Spirit is a he. John 16 verse
13 says, How be it when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will
guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself,
but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will
show you things to come. He shall glorify me. for he shall
receive of mine and shall show it unto you. All things that
the father hath are mine, therefore sayeth I that he shall take of
mine and shall show it unto you. So the spirit is a person. And when we speak of the spirit,
we are speaking of God, the eternal God. one of the three persons
of the Godhead. The Father is God Himself. The Spirit is God Himself. And now in John chapter one,
it says in John chapter one, verse one, In the beginning was
the Word. Speaking of Christ, because verse
14 says, The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth. So verse one says, In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. That verse is saying, in the
beginning was the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Lord Jesus Christ
was with the Father and with the Spirit, and the Lord Jesus
Christ was God, with the Father and with the Spirit. The Lord
Jesus Christ is God. Philippians 2 says that the very
one who came to this earth, Jesus Christ, was equal with God. That's what it says, equal with
God. First Timothy 3.16 says, Great
is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. God, I don't know if it can be
said any plainer than this right here. Back in 1 John 5, which
is where our text is, in 1 John 5 verse 20 says, And we know
that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding
that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that
is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ, this is the true God
in eternal life." This is the true God in eternal life. You
say, well, why does it call Him the Son of God? Well, the Spirit
is the Spirit of God, and the Father is the Father of God.
You have God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit. People
see them in their mind as a vertical line, the Father, the Son, and
the Spirit. That's not so. It is one entity,
the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Jesus Christ is the true
God in eternal life. Verse 21 says, little children,
keep yourselves from idols. Keep yourselves from idols. What
is an idol? Anything other than the Lord Jesus Christ, anything
other than worshiping and bowing down to and looking to, trusting
in the Lord Jesus Christ, anything other than that is an idol. You say, well, Gabe, why would
you say that? You just said the Father is God and the Spirit
is God. Why are you saying the Lord Jesus Christ? Why are you
saying bow down and worship the Lord Jesus Christ? Why would
we single all of our focus in on the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ? Here's the answer to that. Colossians
chapter 1, Colossians 1, this is speaking of Christ, verse
18, it says, he is the head of the body. The church, who is
the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things
he might have the preeminence. That means be on top, the highest,
number one. Verse 19 says, For it pleased
the Father that in Him, in Christ, should all fullness dwell. God
the Father, it pleased Him that in Christ all fullness should
dwell. Colossians 2 verse 9 says, For
in Him, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead, Father, Son,
and Spirit in Christ, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily." God the Father said, I want all the fullness of our
three persons to be seen and known and worshiped in the person
of God the Son. He said, if you want to honor
me, honor the Son. I will only be honored in the
Son. That's what pleases me. That's
what the Father said. If you want to honor me, honor
the Son. When we honor Christ, we're honoring
the Father. God the Spirit said, I want the
exact same thing. I want the exact same thing.
That's what pleases me. I will not speak of myself. That's what God the Spirit said.
I will not speak of myself. I will only speak of Him. Don't you love the unity of God,
the oneness of God? In all three persons, there's
only one mind, one heart, one will, one desire. None of them
differ from the other. God the Spirit said, all I want
is to point men to Him. That's it. All I want is to point
women to Him. So in Christ, in the person and
the body of Christ, these three are one. Now let's ask one more
question in regard to this subject. Why are these three one? Why are these three one? Why
did it please this one God to be three persons? Why did it
please these three persons to be one God? Why? Why? What has the word revealed about
this? Why a father, a son, and a spirit? Why? Here's the reason. Here's the answer. Election,
redemption, regeneration. That's the answer. Why a father? Why a son? Why a spirit? Election, redemption, regeneration. It was the only way that God
could be just and the justifier. It was the only way. A just God
and a Savior at the same time, at the exact same time. It was
the only way God could rightfully, legally be the judge of His people. See, His people are sinners.
Christ came to save sinners. Christ died for the ungodly.
And God is holy and God is just. He had to judge His people. And
it was the only way that God could be the judge of His people
and the advocate of His people. John said, My little children,
these things write unto you that you sin not. And if any man sin,
we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
This was the only way that God could be the judge of His people
and the advocate for His people, all at the same time, all at
the exact same moment in time. It was the only way that He could
sentence for sin and set free from sin all at the same time.
Bring death. You know what had to come to
God's people? Death. The wages of sin is death. He
had to. He's a just God. It was the only
way he could bring death and life at the exact same moment
in time. It was the only way he could
condemn sin and create righteousness in His people, all at the same
moment in time. The Father chose a people to
save and gave them to the Son. First Peter 1 verse 2 says they
were elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father, all of God's
people elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father.
Christ the Son took all of those chosen people from the Father
and He bore the judgment of their sin in Himself. The Father placed
all of them in Christ and Christ bore them and bore the sin of
His people and bore the judgment for that sin in Himself. He removed it from them and gave
it to Himself. Philippians 2 verse six, six
to eight, it says, he was equal with God, but made himself of
no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was
made in the likeness of man and being found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross. The person of God the Father
poured out His judgment on His people in the person of God the
Son. And in that, God was holy and
God was just. And in that, God was merciful
and God was forgiving in the person of Christ. And with the
work of the Father being finished and the work of the Son being
finished, all of those people that the Father gave to the Son
The Son has now given them into the hands of the Spirit. Every
soul the Father elected, every soul the Father chose, and every
soul that the Son redeemed, every soul that the Son washed in His
own blood and paid the debt for and forgave. All of them have
now been placed in the hand of the Spirit to quicken each one
of them and to call each one of them through the preaching
of this gospel, the gospel of God, back to the fellowship and
family of God. That's the responsibility of
the Spirit. Our Lord said, it is expedient that I go away so
that the Spirit will come to you. Romans eight says he will
bear witness to you that you are the children of God. That's
his job. That's what he will do. The father
chose the son redeemed and the spirit will call and he will
tell each one of his people, the father chose you, the son
redeemed you, and I'm calling you. You're the children of God. How will he do that? Galatians
4 says He will enter the hearts of His people and He will start
crying for them, Abba, Father, whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved. Well, how can a dead sinner,
dead in trespasses and sins, how can a dead sinner do that?
Here's the only way. God's Spirit enters that person
and cries and calls on their behalf for them with groanings
that cannot be uttered. Christ in His people, the Spirit
of Christ in His people, that's the hope of glory. Crying for
them, Abba, Father, that's the reason for the Godhead. I pray
that this has been made clear. I know it's such a confusing
subject, but I pray this has been made clear. Every time we
speak of God, if we say God did this, we're talking about three
persons. And every time we think of God and think of the person
of God, we're talking about Jesus Christ. He said, if you want
to see the Father, look at me. If you want to know what the
Father looks like, just look at Jesus Christ. If you want
to know what the Spirit looks like, how can you see something
that can't be seen? Look at Jesus Christ, the Spirit
of God. The fullness of the Godhead is
found in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's the
work of the Godhead. all seen in the person of the
Lord Jesus Christ. That's what each person covenanted
to do, promised to do in order to save their people. And that's
what they did. And even though there are and
will forever be three persons in the Godhead, They are and will forever be
united in the one person of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'll say this
in closing. There are not three thrones in
heaven. When we get there, we're not going to see three thrones.
We're not going to see two thrones. People have it in their mind
that the father sits on one and the son sits on his right hand.
There's only one throne. And the fullness of the Godhead
is sitting there in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. All
the glory goes to Him. All the praise goes to Him. His throne is forever and ever. Amen. You have been listening
to a message by Gabe Stoniker, pastor of Kingsport Sovereign
Grace Church in Kingsport, Tennessee. If you would like a copy of this
message, or to hear other messages of sovereign grace, you can call
or write to the number and address on your screen, or visit www.ksgc.church. Tune in at this same time next
week for another message of God's free and sovereign grace.