Turn with me, if you would, to
1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5. We've been going
through Romans 12 for our Bible studies, but I was led to another
text for today. I'd like for us to look at something
that I believe has been confusing to all of us at one point or
another. And I pray that this will not
only be insightful, but I pray this will be a blessing. I pray
the Lord will make this a blessing to our hearts. Before we read
the text, let me ask this question. How many gods are there? How many gods are there? I'm
talking about true and living gods, reigning and ruling gods. How many gods are there? Look
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 watch this last line here.
It says, and these three are one. These three are one. Now, how
many gods are there? Here's the answer. There is one
God in three persons. There's one God. in three persons. Now we will
never in our simple, foolish, pitiful flesh, we will never
fully understand God. Man thinks he has God figured
out. He does, he thinks he knows what
God's will is and what God's, you know, purpose is for our
lives. And he has a wonderful plan for
your life and all those kinds of things. We will never understand
God, never fully, totally understand God. He has revealed some things
about himself to us in his word. But even in that, this is what
Job 11 verse seven says. It says, canst thou by searching
find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty
unto perfection? No. He said, God is higher than
the heavens, deeper than hell, longer than the earth, broader
than the sea. What could man possibly understand
about him? Really, what could man possibly understand about
Him and about His will and about His ways, His purposes in all
things? Never are we gonna ever obtain
a complete and total understanding of the fullness of God. But this
is my prayer for today, this is my prayer. I pray that in
what he has revealed to us here in his word, he will give us
a clearer understanding than we currently have. I pray he
will open up some things concerning himself. I pray he will reveal
a little bit more of himself in his three persons, in their
three persons. It's hard to even say that. But
I've titled this Bible study, These Three Are One. These three are one. I want us
to see that. And then I want us to ask the
question, why is that? Why is that? Why is there one
God in three persons? Why is that? Now let's start
with the fact that there truly is only one God. Turn with me to Isaiah 45. And
I'm going to warn you, we're going to turn a lot. We turn
a lot anyway, but we're going to turn a lot. I want us to see
this with our own two eyes and we're going to start here in
Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45 verse five says, I
am the Lord and there is none else. There is no God beside
me. I girded thee though thou has
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's none
else. There's none else right here
in this chapter, verse 21 says, tell ye and bring them near. Yay. Let them take counsel together
who hath declared this from ancient time and who hath told it from
that time have not either Lord. And there is no God else beside
me, a just God. and a Savior. And that's our
first insight as to why there are three in one. That's our
first insight to it. He said, I'm a just God and a Savior. And then he went
on to say, there is none beside me, only one. Only one God, that's
it. All right, now turn with me to
Genesis chapter one. Genesis 1 verse 24. It 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 said that it was good. Now verse 26 says, and God said,
Let us make man in our image after our likeness. Now in this, we are going to
see the glory that is due unto the Son of God. Man's great error,
I'll tell you the great error of man, the great error of false
religion, is man does not glorify the Son as the very God that
He is. The very true God that He is. So we see right here that God,
the one God said, let us make man in our image. God is three
separate but equal persons. Three separate but equal persons. One God made up of three persons. All right, let's see that. There's
one God. Now let's see the three persons. Starting with the Father. No one has trouble believing
that the Father is God. No one has trouble believing
that. That's when people think of God, they automatically think
of the Father. That's who they believe God is. And that's so. That's right.
Turn with me to John 6. John 6, 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. God the Father. The Father is one of the three
persons of God. When we speak of the Father,
we pray to the Father. When we speak of Him, we're speaking
of God. God. He is one of the three persons
of God. Alright, now look with me at
John 4. Verse 24 says, God is a Spirit, and they that
worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. All through the Word, it speaks
of the Spirit of God. And this is how man thinks of
God. Man thinks of the Father, and
then man thinks of the Son, and man thinks of the Spirit. or
father, son, and spirit. That's not how it is. It's father,
son, and spirit. If you divide the three persons,
it's father, son, and spirit. God. This word constantly speaks
of the spirit of God in the form of a person. We just read him. Look with me. Turn over to John 14. Verse 17, it 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. He's a person. Look at John 15,
verse 26. John 15, 26 says, but when the
comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the father,
even the spirit of truth, which proceeded from the father, he
shall testify of me. 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 said I that he shall take of
mine and show it unto you. So the Spirit is a person. Spirit
is a person. And when we speak of the Spirit,
we're speaking of God. We're speaking of God, one of
the three persons of the Godhead. The father is God himself. The spirit is God himself. Now turn with me to John chapter
one. John 1 verse 1 says, in the beginning
was the Word, that's speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse
14 tells us that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us,
that's Christ. We beheld His glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth,
that's Christ. So verse 1 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 the spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ was
God. He did not start 2,000 years
ago, 2,020 years ago, or however many years that was. In the beginning, God. Genesis
1.1 is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the beginning, God. In the beginning, God. The Lord
Jesus Christ is God. Philippians 2 says that the very
one who came to this earth, the Lord Jesus Christ, Was equal
with God, equal with the father, equal with the spirit. First
Timothy three 16 says great is the mystery of godliness. God. was manifest in the flesh. People
think of him as God's son, God's ambassador, God's helper, God's
lesser, somebody who knows God and can tell you who God is and
can get you to God. God was manifest in the flesh. They said, you call, that angel
said, you call his name Emmanuel because God is with you. All
those angels, when they broke out into singing, they said,
glory to God in the highest. Peace has come to earth. God
has come down. I don't know if it can be said
any plainer than this. Look with me back in 1 John 5.
1 John 5, verse 20. It 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. and eternal
life. He is the true God and eternal
life. And then verse 21 says, little
children, keep yourselves from idols. What's an idol? What is
an idol? Anything other than the Lord
Jesus Christ. Anything other than him worshiping
and bowing down to and looking to and trusting to I tell you
the number one idol on this earth is the flesh of man Self men
look to themselves men hope in themselves men trust in themselves
I'm gonna get me to heaven. That's what man says in his mind,
buddy. I'm resolved. I'm resolved no
longer to linger I'm gonna get me to heaven Idols. Idols. Keep yourselves from idols.
Anything other than Christ. Well, why would I say that if
I say that the Spirit is also God and the Father is also God?
Why would I say anything other than Christ? Anything other than
Christ? Here's the answer to that. Here's
the reason. Turn with me to Colossians 1. This is speaking of Christ. Colossians
one verse 18. Well, let's start in verse 16
by him were all things created that are in heaven that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions,
principalities or powers, all things were created by him and
for him. And he is before all things and
by him, all things consist. And 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. Verse 19
says, for it pleased the father that in him should all fullness
dwell. In Him, if you look at Colossians
2 verse 9, speaking of Christ, it says, for in Him 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
to be known and to be worshiped in the person of God the Son.
This is what he said in John 5. He said, if you want to honor
me, honor the Son. If you want to honor me, give
all the honor to the Son. I'll only be honored in Him.
That's what pleases me. God the Spirit said, I want the
exact same thing. That's what pleases me. This
is what God the Spirit said. I will not speak of myself. I will only speak of Him. I will
only point men and women to Him. That's it. So in Christ, in the
person and in the body of Christ, these three are one. They're one. Now, let's ask one
more question in regard to this subject. Why? Why are these three one? Why are they one? Why did it
please this one God to be three persons? What has this word revealed about
the Father, the Son, and the Spirit? Why is there a Father
and a Son and a Spirit? Here's the answer. Election. redemption and regeneration. That's the reason. That's the
whole reason. It was the only way that God
could be just and the justifier of his people at the exact same
moment in time. Have you ever wondered We're
all sinners. You all are sinners, and I'm
a sinner. Okay, we've sinned, but we say there's hope of eternal
life. We say God is a holy God, and he's gonna punish sin, and
we're sinners, and he can't sweep anything under the rug, and he
said he will by no means clear the guilty. I'm guilty. Have
you ever wondered, well, why do I just get a free pass? I
don't. I didn't get a free pass. God
slayed me in the person of his son. God slayed me. God looked at me and looked at
what I've done. He looked at my life and he said, you don't
stack up. You're going to die. In Christ, God can be just on
his people. Justly, rightly. What if a man
murdered somebody in your family and went before the judge and
you were sitting in the courtroom and the judge said, yeah, you
did it, you're guilty, but I'm not gonna put it on the books.
Go ahead. Would you say justice was served?
That's not a holy judge. It's not a righteous judge. This
was the only way that God could rightfully and legally be the
judge of his people. and the advocate for his people
at the exact same moment in time. The punisher, the forgiver, and
the sustainer, all at the exact same moment in time. It's the
only way he could sentence and acknowledge the truthfully what
you are, what you did, and set us free. It's the only way He
could bring death and life at the exact same moment in time.
Exact same moment in time. It was on one mighty blow at
the cross. Death and life at the same moment
in time. It was the only way that He could
honestly condemn sin. and create righteousness at the
same moment in time. The Father chose a particular
people to save. When men and women don't understand
that, they say, that's harsh, and that's mean, and that's unfair,
and that's not right. God chose who would be saved,
but once God reveals what sinners we all are, And once God reveals
that we're all destined for hell and we're all rebellious and
running against him and nobody deserved to be saved. And if
he left us alone, not one soul would end up in heaven. As soon
as we hear that in spite of us, God chose to save some, we think
that's the most loving thing I've ever heard in my life. That's
the sweetest, kindest. Boy, that's a loving God. The
Father chose a particular people to save. 1 Peter 1 says, they
were elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Christ the
Son, God the Father, took all those souls He chose and He gave
them to His Son. And God the Son took all of those
chosen people from the Father and He bore all of their sin
and He bore all of the judgment for their sin in Himself. Philippians 2 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 men,
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. Oh, God judged
me. And if we're in Christ, He judged
all of us. We didn't stack up. The anger,
the wrath, the hatred on sin. God hates sin. Do you know what
I am? Do you know what that means?
In my flesh, you know what God's thoughts are toward me outside
of Christ? And that's what He did to me. And Christ bore that. He bore
it. The person of God the Father
poured out His judgment on His people in the person of God the
Son. And with that work now being
finished, with His person now having finished His work. The
Father chose them, and that work is finished. And Christ redeemed
them, and that work is finished. God the Father selected and put
them in the hands of Christ, and Christ redeemed them. And
now Christ has taken them and put them in the hands of the
person of the Spirit. And that Spirit is going to quicken
each one through the preaching of His Word. That Spirit is gonna
come through the words of this scripture and He's gonna make
it alive. He's gonna make it living. And
God's people are gonna hear it and they're gonna say, I hear
you. They're gonna say, I believe you. He's gonna call them back into
the fellowship and into the family of God. Our Lord said, it is
expedient that I go away so that the Spirit will come to you.
Romans 8 says, he will bear witness to you that you are the children
of God. And how will he do that? He will
prove to you what a sinner you are. He will not say, you're
a good little boy, don't worry about it, you shouldn't have
done that, but now straighten up and fly right. He'll say, you're
a sinner and you deserve to die. Now look to my lamb that was
slain for you and give thanks. And that's what
will happen. They'll cry, thank you, Lord,
for saving my soul. Galatians 4 says, the Spirit
will enter the hearts of God's people and will cry for them,
Abba, Father. So that's the reason for the
Godhead. That's the work of the Godhead. That's what each person
covenanted to do in order to save their people. And even though
there are, and there will forever be, three persons in the Godhead, they are and they will forever
be united in the one person of the Lord Jesus Christ. There
are not three thrones in heaven. There are not two thrones in
heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ is not
sitting next to and slightly behind God, the father. There
is one throne in heaven and Jesus Christ is sitting on it. And
in him, the father is sitting there and in him, the spirits
are sitting there and in him, his people are sitting there. Hebrews 1 verse 8, God the Father
said to God the Son, thy throne, oh God, is forever and ever.
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. So
we honor the holy and blessed Father. We pray to him, our Father,
we honor him. And we honor the holy and blessed
Spirit. Lord, Spirit, please come to
us. We desire you. But we do all
that by honoring the holy and blessed Son of God, the Lord
Jesus Christ. All praise goes to Him. All praise
goes to Christ the King. All praise. And in that, the
Father cries, Amen. And the Spirit cries, Amen. And
so do we. Amen. All right, you're dismissed.