Would you turn back to 1 John
chapter 5 verse 3, I mean verse 7. For there are three that bear
record, that testify in heaven, the father, The Word and the
Holy Ghost, and these three are one. The older I become, and I was
just sitting there thinking about making that statement, and I
remember when I was 26 years old, 1986, the year Aubrey was
born, Brother Henry Mahan brought a
message entitled Reflections of 60 Years. And I remember listening
to that message and thought, well, I'll never make it that
far. I won't be bringing a message like that, and I might not, but
I'm pushing 60 now. And the older that I get, the
more mysterious the gospel becomes to me. The more mysterious, the more
I understand the gospel. And my life is trying to find
out what the gospel is from the Lord and preach it. And the more
I understand, the more mysterious the gospel becomes. His word
is transcendent because He is transcendent. What's that word
mean? It means beyond or above the range of normal or merely
physical human experience. God is not one that I understand. I can't comprehend it. But I believe Him. I believe everything in this
book. I believe everything which is
revealed concerning the Lord God. And if I could understand
Him, there wouldn't be much to it, would there? If I could understand Him, I
could worship Him. Because if I could understand
Him, that'd make Him do much like me. But I can only worship
a God that I cannot understand but believe. Now, there's nothing
more mysterious in the Bible than the Trinity. That verse
of Scripture I just read. Now, the word Trinity is not
found in the Scriptures. You know, there are people who
promote Jesus only, like he's the only God, and there's not
a Trinity. Well, and they say the word Trinity
is not found in the scriptures, and that's true, but it's certainly
taught in the scriptures. The word sovereign is not found
in the scripture, but it's on every page, isn't it? God is
sovereign. The word substitution is not
found in the scriptures, but the doctrine is on every page. Yes, the word Trinity is not
found in the Bible, but it's certainly the teaching. And in
our text, we have the Trinity. Look, once again, for there are
three, verse seven, 1 John chapter five, there are three that bear
record in heaven. I got to thinking about this
place called heaven. One thing we know about it is
it's the third heavens. Do you remember when Paul said
I was brought into the third heavens? The third heaven. Now
there's the heaven that we're breathing the air, the atmosphere
where the birds fly. There's the second heaven, space,
the universe, where the stars are, where the galaxies are.
Ever expanding or ever contracting? I don't know. Staying the same?
I don't know. But there's the universe, the
second heavens, and then there's the third heaven. where the Lord
Jesus Christ is. Where's that? I don't know, but
I know it's outside of the first and second heavens. And in heaven,
there are three that bear witness. Bear witness to what? Well, look
in verse six, this is what we looked at last Wednesday. This
is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ. not by water only, but by water
and blood. And it's the spirit that bears
witness because the spirit is truth. Now the three in heaven
who bear witness to this, that salvation comes by water and
blood, the water and blood that flowed from Christ's side. I
think it's interesting. I got a letter from a man this
week about last Wednesday night's message, and he said the message
was lopsided. He said you preached antinomianism
and sinless perfectionism at the same time. I've never had
anybody accuse me of that, and I'm still trying to figure out
what he meant. But at any rate, this is what God the Holy Spirit
gives testimony to, the blood and the water that comes from
Christ's side. And that is the gospel. Justification,
sanctification, all of salvation comes from the cross. And this is what the three in
heaven bear witness to. the complete salvation that's
in Christ. They're bearing witness to this.
Look in verse eight, there are three that bear witness in earth,
the spirit and the water and the blood. And these three agree
in one. If we receive the witness of
men, the witness of God is greater for this is the witness of God,
which he testified of his son. He that believeth on the son
of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath
made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave
of his Son. This is all speaking of the same thing. This is the
record. This is the testimony that God
hath given to us. Eternal life and this life is
in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life,
and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Now this
is what the three in heaven are bearing witness to. the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost. Now, how would we know that God
is one God in three distinct persons if it were not for the
scriptures? And this is a great mystery that
we would never have known, and we can't understand, we can only
believe, but how would we have ever known this had not God made
it known in his word. We worship one God who is manifest
in three distinct, separate persons. One God, three persons. God the Father, the Word, God
the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Question, does the Bible teach
that God is one person? The answer is no. He's one God. but He's three persons, three
distinct persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Turn with me to John 1. Verse one, in the beginning was
the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten
of the Father. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God. He's a distinct person. The Word
was with God, and the Word was God. The same was, eternally
was in the beginning with God. Genesis chapter one, verse 26
says, let us, make man in our own image. You know, the Trinity is actually
taught in the opening verses of the Bible. Turn with me to
Genesis 1. Verse 1, in the beginning, God
created the heaven and the earth. Now I believe that that is God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit all created
the heaven and the earth. But I think this is specifically
at this time speaking of God the Father. And here's why, let's
go on reading. And the earth was without form
and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the
spirit of God. moved upon the face of the waters. There we have God, the Holy Spirit.
And God said, let there be light. And there was light. Now the
sun and the moon were not created into the fourth day. So this
is not talking about that kind of light. This is the light that
Paul spake of when he said, God who commanded the light to shine
out of the darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This is that one who is the light
of the world. So here we have all three persons
of the Godhead in the very opening verses of the scripture. In Isaiah
chapter 6 verse 8, God said, whom will I send and who will
go for us? John chapter 14 verses 16 and
17, this is the Lord Jesus speaking to the Son. He says, I will pray
Father. Now there we have the Son and
the Father, and He shall send you another Comforter, even the
Spirit of truth. Now here all three persons are
mentioned by the Son of God at that time. Now does the Bible
teach that there is a Father, that there is a Son, and that
there is a Spirit? Most definitely. Turn with me
to Matthew chapter 3 at the time of the Lord's baptism. Verse 13. Then cometh Jesus from
Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. But John
forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest
thou to me? And Jesus answered and said unto
him, Suffer to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill
all righteousness. Now, just a note on that statement. Who's the us? Well, John the
Baptist and all of the elect. When Christ fulfilled all righteousness,
every single believer fulfilled all righteousness, completed
all righteousness. And don't you love the way he
says, thus it becometh us, not just me, but us, to fulfill all
righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus,
when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water,
and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him. And he saw the Spirit
of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him, and, lo,
a voice from heaven saying, this is the Father speaking, this
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Turn to Matthew
chapter 28, verse 19. Go ye therefore and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Ghost. John chapter 15, verse 26, but
when he, the Comforter, this is the Lord Jesus Christ speaking,
When he, the Comforter, God the Holy Spirit, shall come, whom
I shall send, he's sent by Christ, whom I shall send unto you from
the Father. See, there's all three persons
of the blessed Trinity, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth
from the Father, he shall testify of me. Now, God is one God. in three distinct persons." Now,
if God is three persons, is the word one used in reference to
God? If He is three distinct persons,
and He is, understand that? Of course not. Believe it, yes. Is the word one ever used with
regard to God? Yes, it is. Zechariah 14, nine,
and the Lord shall be king over all the earth. In that day, there
shall be one Lord and one name. Matthew 12, 29, here, O Israel,
the Lord thy God is one Lord. Now this one God revealed in
three distinct persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
is one in unity, one in heart, one in purpose. The Lord said,
I and my Father are one. One with God. Not subordinate
to God. He thought it not robbery to
be equal with God. Didn't you love it when Moose
was preaching Sunday night and he portrayed the way the son
of the lamb, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the lamb, he
came up to the father and the scripture says he took the book
as equal with the father. He took the book. "'cause he thought it not robbery
to be equal with God." And when he preached, men knew exactly
what they're saying, because one time they picked up stones to
stone him. And he said, what are you stoning for me? He said,
well, because thou being a man, make us thyself God. Turn to
John chapter 17. Verse 20. Neither pray I for these alone.
Remember in verse nine where he says, I pray for them. I pray
not for the world, but for them, which you have given me for they
are gone. Now the Lord, I'm glad he put this because somebody
says, well, that's just talking about the apostles. No, no, it's talking
about all the elect. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also, which shall believe on me, not that they
might, but they shall through their word that they all may
be one. As Thou, Father, art in me, and
I in Thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world
may believe that Thou hast sent me, and the glory which Thou
gavest me I have given them." Jewel Knight, the glory that
the Father gave the Son, He gives to every one of His people. You
have it. You possess it right now. Somebody
says, Say it! I don't either, but I believe
it because God's Word says it. Verse 22, And the glory which
thou hast given me, I have given them, that they may be one, even
as we are one. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit, I in them, and thou in me, that they
may be made perfect in one, that the world may know that thou
hast sent me, and thou hast loved them as thou hast loved Now,
I wouldn't dare ever say anything like that except the Word of
God says it. Thou hast loved them as thou
hast loved me, one with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, can anybody
understand this? Of course not. Of course not. If somebody said they could understand
this, I would know that they're crazy. No man can understand
this. We just believe it. God, the
Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit. You see, there
is nothing that we can compare God to. He's other. He's unique. There's no one like
him. I said this in the last few months.
If you would say, is God most like an archangel or a grasshopper? The answer would be neither.
Neither. There is nothing. There's no
one. There's no thing that he can
be compared to. I've read where some people said,
well, you can compare him to water. Water is liquid, water
can be vapor, water can be solid when it becomes ice. The H2O
has three different vapor, liquid, and solid. What's that got to
do with the Trinity here? I mean, I think that's silly.
We can understand that and give a scientific reason for it and
even control something like that. I can make it vapor, I can make
it water, I can make it ice. You can't compare the Trinity
to anything. There are no illustrations for
the Trinity. God is utterly unique. He is other, God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He said, with whom will
you compare me? Like I said, I don't need a God
I can understand. If I could understand him, there
just wouldn't be much to him. But isn't it, this makes you
just bow before His glory. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. Canst thou by searching find
out God? The answer is no. Now, here's
another question. And I don't even know what this
means. I sort of do, but bear with me. Does the Bible teach
that the Father, Son, and the Spirit are three distinct persons,
yet with one essence. Now, here's the problem with
that. If I try to talk about what's
the essence of God, I don't know, nor does anybody else. We can't
tell what his essence is, he's God. We can't tell what his essence
is. But I know this, John 3.35 says,
the father loveth the son. One person, distinct person,
is said to love the other person. Matthew 11, 27, no man knows
the son but the father, neither knows any man the father save
the son. The persons of the Godhead are
said to know one another. They address one another. Hebrews
1.8, under the sun, he saith. This is God speaking to the sun.
This is the father speaking under the sun. Under the sun, he saith,
thy throne, O God, is forever. That's what the Father says to
the Son. They're said to sin one another,
and he shall sin the comforter. John 6, 29, this is the work
of God that you believe on him whom he has sent. They're even
said to glorify one another. I've glorified thee, this is
Christ speaking, I've glorified thee on the earth. I have finished
the work that thou gavest me to do. Therefore, glorify me
with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before
the world was. Said God the Holy Spirit, he
shall glorify me. Now, did God have a son before
Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem? Oh yes, He is the eternal Son
of God. I love that scripture in Isaiah
9, verse 6, where the prophet says, unto us a child is born.
And Christ was born in Bethlehem's manger 2000, over 2000 years
ago, or not quite 2000, I don't know which. But unto us the Son
is given. You see, that son was never born. That's the eternal son who was
given. Turn with me to Proverbs chapter
30. Proverbs chapter 30. Verse 4. Who hath ascended up to heaven
or descended? Well, who does that describe? The Lord Jesus Christ. He ascended
up. He descended, didn't he? Who
hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters
in a garment? Who hath established all the
ends of the earth? What's his name? And what's his
son's name, if thou canst tell? What's his son's name? I'll tell
you one of the most awe-inspiring passages of scripture in the
Word of God is when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused
to bow before Nebuchadnezzar's image. And Nebuchadnezzar said,
what is this I hear about you not bowing before my image? He
said, if you don't bow, you're going to burn. And who is that
God who's going to deliver you out of my hand? I'm going to
burn you in the fire of thorns. And he said, our God's able to
deliver us. He's able, no question about
that. He's able, but if he doesn't,
be it known unto you, we will not bow to your image. And he was so angry, he had the
furnace heated up seven times, and he had those men bound, tied
up, and thrown into that furnace. And then we read where Nebuchadnezzar
makes this statement. Did we not cast three men into
the fire? They answered, true, O king. He answered and said, lo, I see
four men, loose, walking. And the fourth is like unto the
son of God, You know our relationship with
God is seen wholly in what we think of His Son. What God thinks
of you can be seen by what you think of His Son. I love what Thomas said, my Lord
and my God. That's who Christ is to every
believer. My Lord and my God. Now, like I said, he's not subordinate
to God. He's equal to God. He's God's
son, but he's equal with God. Listen to this scripture. Feed
the church of God. Acts 20, 28, feed the church
of God, which he purchased with his own blood. In the beginning was the Word,
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Hebrews 1.8, thy
throne, O God, endures forever. Jesus Christ, and listen to me,
Jesus Christ possesses all the attributes of absolute deity. In him dwelleth the fullness
of the Godhead in a body. Now this is God in a body. God manifests in the flesh and
yet in that body He is all the fullness of God's, even God's
incommunicable attributes. Those are attributes that are
not passed on to me and you. The Lord Jesus Christ has all
of God's attributes. Let me give you some examples.
Eternality. He said before Abraham was, I am. I am the Alpha and the Omega
the beginning and the end, which was and is and is to come the
Almighty. That's what Christ calls himself. He has immutability. Hebrews chapter 13, verse eight,
Jesus Christ, the same. Yesterday, today, and forever. Turn to Hebrews chapter one for
a moment. I've quoted this several times, but this is such a glorious
passage concerning his person. Beginning in verse 8. But unto the Son, he saith, God
the Father, thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. A scepter
of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved
righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore, God, even thy God,
hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
And thou, Lord, in the beginning, this is the father speaking to
the son, thou, Lord, in the beginning has laid the foundation of the
earth and the heavens are the works of thy hands. They shall
perish, but thou remainest. They all shall wax old as doth
a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall
be changed. But thou art the same, and thy
years shall not fail. This is the immutability of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And what about omnipresence?
Omnipresence, now he is confined to a body. He is in a body. How can he have omnipresence
if he's in a body. Well, listen to this scripture
from John chapter three, verse 13. No man hath ascended up to
heaven, but he that came down from heaven. He's talking about
himself, even the son of man, which is in heaven. While I'm
talking to you right here on the earth, I'm in heaven. Somebody
says, how could that be? I don't know, but he is. He's omnipresent. You can't be
somewhere where he's not. omniscience. We know that God
knows everything. He's never learned anything.
He's never been taken by surprise. He knows all things. There's
nothing he doesn't know. When it's said of the Lord Jesus
Christ in John chapter two, verse 24, he knew all men, but that
word men is in italics. He knew all. You know, He can
read your thoughts right now. He's in control of them. He knows
all things. There's nothing hid from Him.
He has omnipotence. All power is given unto Me. In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. That's why He can save. Because
of who He is. That's everything Paul meant
when he said, who is he that condemneth? It's Christ that
died. What value, what eternal value,
what eternal merit is in his blood? Oh, what a glorious Savior
we have, who has all the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in his
body. The Holy Spirit is a person who
is God. Now, the Holy Spirit isn't a
force. The Holy Spirit isn't an influence. The Holy Spirit is a person. Now, you don't have to have a
body to be a person. Remember when the Lord said,
a body hast thou prepared for me? Before his incarnation, when
he became flesh, he didn't have a body. You don't have to have
a body to be a person. And the Holy Spirit is a person
that does not have a body. He knows. He knows. The Spirit knows all things,
yea, the deep things of God. He wills. The wind blows where it wills. You hear the sound thereof, you
can't tell from whence it comes or whether it goes, even so is
everyone that's born of the Spirit. He testifies. He. God the Holy Spirit shall testify
of me. That's who he's going to testify
of. He's not going to speak of himself.
He can be grieved. Grieve not the Holy Spirit of
God, whereby you are sealed into the day of redemption. He intercedes
for us before the Father. When we can't pray, he groaned
with groanings which cannot be uttered and the Father hears
what he says in our place. You know when you can't pray?
God the Holy Spirit's praying for you, and he's representing
you to the Father. When you feel like you can't
do anything, he can, and he does. He's God the Holy Spirit. Now,
do the persons of the Trinity possess distinct self-awareness,
knowing who they are? Well, of course they do. Of course
they do. God the Father knows he's the
Father. The father said concerning the son, this is my beloved son
in whom I'm well pleased. God, the son certainly had awareness
when he said, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? It said of God, the Holy Spirit,
he should not speak of himself. He knows his purpose is to glorify
the son and testify of him. He should not speak of himself.
Isn't that amazing? He's God. And he should not speak
of himself. He shall testify of me. That's
his purpose. Now we have, for lack of a better word, we
have a Trinitarian salvation, don't we? You can't talk about salvation
without talking about the covenant the father made before the time
began and gave the Son of people to save. You can't preach the
gospel and not preach the eternal covenant the Father made with
the Son. That's where the gospel begins
in the mind and purpose of God. You can't preach the gospel and
not preach the Son accepting I will be surety for them and
taking full responsibility for my salvation. And when he came
on the earth, everything he did, he did as in us. He kept the
law for me. He died for me and put away my
sins for me and was raised again for me and now seated at the
right hand of God for me. You can't preach the gospel and
not preach the work of the son. And you can't preach the gospel
and not preach the work of God, the Holy Spirit, the author of
regeneration, the author of the new birth, the one who gives
life, gives faith, gives repentance. Every experience you have of
grace is caused by God, the Holy Spirit. Every view you have of
Christ being all is caused by God, the Holy Spirit. Every time
you see yourself as your are, nothing but sin and your need
of a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, that's God, the Holy Spirit.
He's the one who teaches. There are three that bear record
in heaven. The Father. The Word. And the Holy Ghost. And these
three are one. We believe, we worship, we adore, we give
thanks, we're utterly humbled at the greatness of God the Father. God, the son. And God, the Holy
Spirit. Let's pray. Lord, we ask that this. Prayer. Would be accepted. Through that
blessed son. Lord, we give thanks for who
you are. We worship you as God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit. And Lord, we give thanks for the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. And Lord, we would not diminish
by our, we would not, we desire not to diminish any of the work
of the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit in salvation. And
Lord, we confess from the very depths of our heart that salvation
is of the Lord. It's of the Father. It's of the
Son. And it's of God, the Holy Spirit. And we give thanks. In Christ's
blessed name, we pray. Amen.