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The Trinity Perspective | Pastor Kami Palmer | Faith Church · Faith Church Podcast

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I have been looking forward to preaching this
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morning this message because it is one that I
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have been just sitting in and meditating, living
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and breathing myself. I am no great theologian
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at all. I love Jesus, and I love to find out
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as much of him as I can in my life and to know
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him better and better. There is this word, though,
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that we hear, and sometimes we hear these things
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and think everybody knows just what it is in
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the church, and that word is trinity. It's actually
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not even a word that's in the Bible, but it conveys
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what is in the Bible. So we have the Father,
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the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And my goal today
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is not to explain the mystery of the Trinity.
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In fact, I feel a little trepidation in approaching
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it because I feel like it is so beyond my understanding
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this relationship of the Father, the Son, and
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the Holy Spirit. Yet I want to know it because
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the truth is, is that I'm a part of it now. And
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so here's what we're going to do this morning.
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We're going to quickly just walk through some
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verses. I hope you have your Bible because you're
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going to need to jot some things down because
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I'm not going to take a lot. I want to get us
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to a couple of ideas and the table of the Lord
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this morning. Because I feel that he's going
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to really do something in you as we look at this
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understanding of the Trinity that really was
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not even an English word until the 13th century.
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Obviously, we have the Latin word. It came into
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being in the French language, and then in the
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13th century became part of the English language.
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But I want to begin in Deuteronomy chapter 6,
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and you are, I'm sure, very familiar with this.
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Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one. Love
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the Lord your God with all your heart, all your
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soul, and all your strength. Hear this declaration.
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Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God. God is one.
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When we look at these titles here, we have the
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Lord, which is Yahweh, the Lord, our God. That
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name there is actually Elohim, which I love this
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because it expresses the Trinity so beautiful.
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It is plural in form, singular in meaning. That
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name, Elohim, is plural, Father, Son, Holy Spirit,
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but in its meaning, it is singular. It is one.
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Isn't that beautiful? Right there, we see that
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this plural God is yet one God. This is the Trinity.
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And we can even see a little bit at work in Hebrews
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chapter 1, where it is saying, this is what God
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says about angels and such. And it also says,
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this is what he says about the Son, Jesus. And
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so God the Father says about the Son, your throne,
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O God, will last forever and ever. And so even
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in this passage, we see Father God calling Jesus
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God. It's plural, yet it's singular. It is this
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beautiful mystery that I want us to look at today.
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And hear my heart in this. My heart is not that
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you go away with some kind of greater knowledge.
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My heart is this. I love the passage where, in
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the Old Testament, where Isaac, Abraham's son
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Isaac, is out in the field, right? His wife,
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Rebecca, is on his way to him. And where is he
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found? Out in a field in Genesis, meditating.
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He had gone out to the field to meditate. Now,
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I know sometimes we get a little weird about
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that word because of Eastern religions. But can
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I just simplify what this means for you? It's
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very simple. And here in cow country, we will
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understand it. Meditation is to chew the cud.
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To meditate is to chew the cud and extract. The
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real nutrient from the mental food. That's meditation.
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So we're just going to chew on the beauty of
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the Trinity to extract what we need, the life
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-giving nutrient that we need from it. That is
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what I want for you today. Is for you to begin
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a process of meditation on the beauty of the
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Trinity. And so here I'm going to walk really
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quickly. Because I don't want to spend a lot
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of time here. But I want you to see. Because
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the word is not in there, I want you though to
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see where we find the Trinity at work. And it's
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at the very beginning in Genesis chapter 1, at
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the creation of the world. In the beginning,
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God, Elohim, plural yet singular, created the
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heavens and the earth. The earth was... formless
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and empty, darkness over the deep, and the Spirit
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of God was hovering. And God said, and what do
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we know from John chapter 1? Jesus is the Word.
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Jesus, and it is, and we're going to see this,
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that Jesus, as the Word, holds it all together,
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this world. It's powerful. From the very beginning,
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it took the three in one to create the heavens
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and the earth. In Matthew 3, we see the baptism
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of Jesus. So we see the Son of God himself being
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baptized. We see the heavens being opened and
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the Father affirming, this is my Son. And we
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see the Holy Spirit coming down as the dove.
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We see the three in one at work at the baptism.
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In Acts chapter 7, we have the first martyr,
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Stephen. And Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit,
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it says in Acts 7. And so is he alone in this
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moment? No. The Trinity is surrounding him in
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his martyrdom. Did it mean he got rescued? Did
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it mean he didn't get stoned? It sure didn't.
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He surely did die at the hands of man. But in
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it, he's surrounded by the Trinity. He's full
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of the Holy Spirit. And he looks up and he sees
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into heaven the glory of God and Jesus standing
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at the right hand of God. Can you imagine being
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surrounded by the Trinity? The three in one.
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In Ephesians chapter one, you'll see if you take
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time to read through that passage, you will see
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the Trinity at work here. You'll see that the
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Father chooses us. You will see that Jesus redeems
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us. And you will see that you are sealed by the
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Holy Spirit. Our deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.
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You see the three in one at work in Ephesians
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1. In Galatians 4, and we're going to be breaking
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this down in a moment, but in Galatians 4 it
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says, when the set time had fully come, God sent
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his son, born of a woman under law, to redeem
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those under the law that we might receive adoption
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to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent
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the spirit of his son into our hearts. The spirit
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who calls out Abba Father. We see the three in
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one. And in our last commission in Matthew 28,
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before Jesus is ascended, what do we have? Go
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and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
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them in? The name of just Jesus? No. The Father,
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the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three in one.
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It's such a beautiful relationship. I found it
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interesting. How many of you have heard of Nikki
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Cruz? I'm just trying to get a picture here.
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Okay. I feel like it's all of us older ones.
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How many of you have heard of David Wilkerson?
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More of you. Okay, if you have not read the book
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or seen the film, The Cross and the Switchblade,
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you should do that this week. The Cross and the
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Switchblade. Nikki Cruz was led by David Wilkerson
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to the Lord in New York. Nicky Cruz was one of
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the most, he was a leader of one of the most
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violent gangs in New York. Radically changed
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by the gospel of Jesus Christ through David Wilkerson's
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ministry. Nikki Cruz went on to write, you may
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not, many of you may have heard the cross and
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the switchblade. See, all of you young people,
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this is the stuff that Darren and I were fed
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upon when we were in youth group. This is what
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you did in youth group back in the early 90s,
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late 80s. You watched the cross and the switchblade,
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then you went out on the streets. He went on
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to write a book called The Magnificent Three.
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I have not read the book, but I'm going to quote
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a little bit out of it today. And Nicky Cruz,
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notorious gang leader, said this about the Trinity.
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Something has emerged in my walk with God that
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has become the most important element of my discipleship.
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It has become the thing that sustains me, that
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feeds me, that keeps me steady when I am shaky.
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I have come to see God, to know him, to relate
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to him as the three in one. God as Trinity, God
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the Father, the Savior, and Holy Spirit. He has
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given to me over the years a vision of himself
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as three in one. And the ability to relate to
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God in that way is the single most important
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fact of my Christian growth. Can you imagine
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coming off the streets as a major gang leader
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in New York City? Your spiritual growth that
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you would go through. He describes as this, God
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is magnificent father. God is a magnificent savior,
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Jesus Christ. But if it were not for the magnificent
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Holy Spirit, I would still be a wretched, hateful
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sinner. It is not enough. Catch this, that he
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said. To have a Father God who loves and provides
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for me, it is not even enough to have a Savior
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who died for my sins. For any of those blessings
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to make a difference in our lives, there must
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also be present in this world the third person
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of God, the Holy Spirit. And so often the American
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church has been guilty of saying the Holy Spirit
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is okay if you go to a back room to encounter
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him when he is part of the Godhead, the three
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in one. He is no less important than God the
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Father. He is no less important than Jesus the
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Savior. He is Holy Spirit. And Jesus left and
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was ascended that the Holy Spirit might come.
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We need Holy Spirit. We need not two in one.
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We need three in one. Amen? And so as we are
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looking at how the Trinity relates both with
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one another and with creation, us, let's take
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just a quick overview. This is not exhaustive
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at all. I just want us to get a little picture
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of how they begin to relate with one another,
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and we have it beginning with God the Father.
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God the Father. In 1 Corinthians 11, it says
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that God the Father is the head of Christ. He
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is the head of Christ. This is the mystery to
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me of the Trinity because they are all God, yet
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they all have these roles. I believe we see these
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roles because it begins to teach us earthlings.
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How to relate. And we do relate to God the Father
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in an authoritative manner. He is. The Father
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is the one that carries authority, doesn't he?
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And so the Father in the functioning of Jesus'
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ministry on earth operated in an authoritative
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way. That is his role. And so God the Father
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is authority. God the Father is the one that
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sent the Son. He's also the one who sends the
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Holy Spirit. We read this in Galatians 4. At
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the right time, God sent the Son, didn't he?
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So he's the sender of the Son, but also in John
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14, Jesus said this. I will ask the Father. Isn't
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that interesting? Even Jesus says, Asking the
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Father, and he will give you another advocate
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to help you and be with you forever. The Spirit
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of truth. But the advocate, the Holy Spirit,
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whom the Father will send in my name, will teach
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you all things and remind you of everything I
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have said. And so even Jesus is recognizing that
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the Father, is the one that sends both himself
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and the Spirit. We're going to see this more
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when we look at the role of the Son. But the
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first thing that we know that is the most obvious
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role of the Son in the Godhead is our Redeemer,
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right? Why did the Father, the Father's kind
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of the architect of the plan, and so he sent
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the Son. Why did he send the Son? Just to teach
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us how to be good people? No. He's the Redeemer.
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He's the one that was offered up as the sacrifice.
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We read it there in Galatians 4, that he came
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to redeem us under the law that we would receive
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adoption. It is the primary thing he redeems.
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I love, though, the other thing that the Son
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does. And that is that the Son reveals the Father.
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The Son reveals the Father. I think this is so
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beautiful. And I want to encourage you, if you
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haven't been memorizing one of these verses in
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here, I should surely encourage you to meditate
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on it and memorize it this week. But there are
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three verses here that portray such a beautiful
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thing that Jesus does in revealing the Father.
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John chapter 1, no one has ever seen God, verse
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18, but the one and only Son. And here is that
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interesting mystery. Who is himself God. And
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so nobody has seen God but Jesus. Who is God.
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And is in closest relationship with the Father.
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Has made him known. Has made him known. You know
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you can't see God. But Jesus walked this earth
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to reveal the one that he's in closest relationship
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with, the Father. Later on in John 17, he said,
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I have revealed you, he's talking to the Father,
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I have revealed you to those whom you gave me
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out of the world. This is one of his purposes,
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revealing the Father. In Hebrews 1, and it says
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there at the beginning in verse 1, in the past,
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God spoke, Old Testament, God spoke to our ancestors
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through the prophets at many times in various
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ways. This is the only way they knew God was
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through the prophets of old. In verse 2, it says
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this, though. But in these last days, he has
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spoken to us, not by the prophets, by the Son,
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whom he appointed heir of all things, and through
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whom he also made the universe. There at the
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beginning, remember, Jesus was at the beginning.
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Jesus was not created to be our sacrifice. Jesus
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was and is and forever will be. And then there's
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this beautiful verse three. The son is the radiance
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of God's glory and the exact representation of
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his being. sustaining all things by his powerful
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word. That would be a great verse to memorize.
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The stuff that you deal with, what it does and
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what the enemy would want to do through the stuff
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you're dealing with. And listen, I'm not minimizing
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the stuff you're going through because we all
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go through stuff and it's hard. But see, the
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enemy uses your stuff as an excuse to get your
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gaze lowered, to get weight pushed down on you,
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for you to begin to be oppressed, and to forget
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where you come from, who you belong to, and who
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you're in relationship with. And it's verses
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like this that should lift up your gaze. Throw
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off the oppression because the son is the radiance
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of God's glory, the exact representation of his
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being. He sustains all things of this world and
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your world by the powerful word that is him.
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The enemy would want you to forget that. He would
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want you to forget that the one who holds the
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universe together by his powerful word holds
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your universe together, who holds your family
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together, your job, your struggle with sin, your
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struggle to overcome. He sustains you. He holds
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you together. The minute we think we're holding
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ourselves together, we lose it. It's a beautiful
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thing what Jesus does. It is more than just the
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redemption of the world. It's the revelation
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of the Father to us. The Father he's trying to
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unite us to. It's hard to be united to a God
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whom we cannot see. So Jesus reveals this God
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whom he has redeemed us to. He's also in this
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showing us his interaction, how to interact with
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this God, the Father. And in John 14, he says
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that the world may learn, because we have to
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learn it, that I love the Father and do exactly
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what my Father has commanded me. We see this
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interaction with the Father, relationship and
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obedience. In chapter 5, he says this, the son
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can do nothing by himself. He can only see what
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the father is doing. Because whatever the father
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does, the son does. He's revealing an interaction
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with God because this is our interaction with
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God. He's teaching us. that we might learn what
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it is to interact with this Father of ours, whom
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we have been adopted into because of his redemption.
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The last thing here that I want us to focus on
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with Jesus is that he's the baptizer. Now, we
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read that the Father sent the Holy Spirit, but
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here we read that Jesus is the one. John the
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Baptist said in Matthew chapter 3, there is one
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coming, right? And he's saying he is going to
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baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
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This is the role of Jesus. He baptizes with the
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Holy Spirit and with fire. So if you need a little
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more Holy Spirit, if you need a little more fire
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in your life, the Son wants to give you more.
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He wants to give you a fresh dunking. Dunking
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in there. I'll take all the dunk and he thinks
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I need, right? I need a little more. This world
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and the enemy tries to throw water on your fire.
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And Jesus is ever ready to ignite it. He doesn't
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care about water on you. We learned that from
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Elijah the prophet. No, it was Elisha. He came
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and dumped all that fire or that water on the
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offering. And then he called down fire and it
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came and consumed. It doesn't matter what this
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world and the enemy is trying to douse you with.
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The fire of Jesus can consume it. And so if you're
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in this place today and you're saying, man, I
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feel like I've just been dumped on. I feel like
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I've been doused. With weariness, with doubt,
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with struggle, with depression. Jesus will come
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and he will baptize you in the spirit and with
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fire. Jesus does a lot, doesn't he? Now, the
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Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit. I love the Holy
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Spirit and what he does. And this is what Nicky
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Cruz got, I think. In John 15. Verse 26. It says,
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when the advocate, the Holy Spirit, comes, whom
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I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit
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of truth who goes out from the Father. Wow, we
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really need the Spirit of truth, don't we, today?
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He, the Spirit, will testify about me. This is
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the beauty of the, this is why they are so interdependent,
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the Trinity. Because now we have the Holy Spirit
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who reveals Jesus. We have the Holy Spirit who
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testifies of the Son. And then it goes on, because
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how does the Holy Spirit testify? Can we see
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the Holy Spirit? We can see it manifested through
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us. Does the Holy Spirit just start talking into
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the air? No, the next part of that verse says
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this. And you also must testify. For you have
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been with me from the beginning. You've been
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with Jesus. And the role of the Holy Spirit through
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the church, through you and me, is to testify.
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of the Savior, Jesus. It's such a beautiful interdependence,
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and we see in this passage that we've been brought
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in to this interdependence. The invitation has
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been given, and he said, hey, the Holy Spirit
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has to testify, but guess what? He needs you
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to do it through. He needs you to be part of
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the testifying. This is such a beautiful thing
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that it's saying, hey, come on. The work of the
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Trinity, you're now, as sons and daughters, you're
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now part of. The interdependence of the Father,
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the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord.
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I'm excited to be part of this interdependent
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relationship. And we see it in such a beautiful
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way in 2 Peter chapter 1. Oh, man. You guys,
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you got to like just sit in this verse this week.
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We see in verse 3. His divine power. That word
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power is dunamis power. It's the same power we
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see in Acts chapter 2. The power of the Holy
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Spirit. And so, his divine power, that of the
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Holy Spirit, we see this part of the Trinity
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at work, has given us everything we need for
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godly living. Oh. And this is what Nikki Cruz
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was talking about. How do I go from being the
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leader of the most violent gang in New York to
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become a Christ follower living godly? The divine
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power of the Holy Spirit. He's given us everything
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for godly life through our knowledge of him who
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called us by his own glory and goodness. Through
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these he has given us his very great and precious
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promises. So that through them you, okay, everybody
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ears, you're open. So that you may participate.
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Everybody say participate. Okay. In the divine
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nature. Just meditate on that for a little while.
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You feel like life is falling apart. You need
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to remember. You need to remember what you're
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participating in. The divine nature. Okay, do
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you want to know what participate means? It's
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simple. It means to be. It means. It means to
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come into existence. So think about that for
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a minute. The divine nature. We are able to come
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into existence in the divine nature. are invited
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in not just to know about not just to admire
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this three in one we have been granted access
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to become part of that relationship of God the
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Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. This
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is not some junior high clique where everybody
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else gets to participate with God the Father,
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God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He has
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opened the door to whomever should desire to
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participate in the divine nature, should become
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part of, to become one with. And if you think
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about those high school cliques, those junior
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high cliques, and we think that we age out of
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that, we don't. I'm shocked when I hear pastors
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talking about it at district council. Darren
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and I are very intentional at district council.
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We'll try to like find two people sitting alone
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that we don't know to go and meet. But you will
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find some of that even there. We don't always
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outgrow that. See, the enemy wants you to think
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that you're the exception. That everybody else
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is invited and wanted into the divine nature.
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When the truth is, is that he has come and given
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his life for each one of you sitting in the seat.
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Not one excluded. His desire is for each and
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every one of us to become part of the existence
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of the divine nature. Having escaped the corruption
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in the world caused by evil desires. We live
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in this world, but friend, we are not of it.
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We are not of it. We're part of the divine nature.
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One of my favorite sermons to preach was that
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our ordinary should look different, right? Our
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ordinary should not be just ordinary. And I love
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that idea because this is why we are part, we
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have become part of the divine nature. And so
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the things of this world, man, we let them have
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power over us because we forget. If I am focused
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on relationship, on being with the Father, the
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Son, and the Holy Spirit, why do I allow things
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in my life that would cause me separation from
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them? And yet we do. It isn't just that God is
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saying, hey, I want you to quit doing this and
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this and this. I don't want you to have fun in
34:24
life. What he's saying is, no, hey, let's get
34:26
rid of the stuff in life that caused division
34:30
from the divine. That caused division from being
34:34
part of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
34:41
This is the Holy Trinity. And it's not just a
34:46
doctrine. This is our life. It's more than just
34:55
a mystery. It is our God. This is our God. We
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said that out of Isaiah today. This is our Elohim,
35:11
three in one. And the sooner we have revelation
35:19
of what it is to know that communion, the easier
35:26
it is to walk through the pitfalls of this life.
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It's a lot less easy to get tripped up in sin
35:37
when we know what it'll cost us relationship
35:42
with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
35:50
In John chapter 16, Jesus is beginning to set
35:55
the stage for the disciples. And one of the things
36:00
he says is a time is coming. And in fact, it
36:05
has come when you will be scattered, each to
36:08
your own home. And you will leave me all alone,
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he said. And then he says this one sentence that
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I think portrays the power of the Trinity. Yet
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I am not alone, for my Father is with me. Why
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was Jesus able to face betrayal and such mutilation
36:40
of the flesh and the nailing on the cross and
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being forsaken, knowing he was going to be forsaken
36:48
by the Father? This, I feel like, understanding
36:52
the interdependence of the Trinity helps us to
36:56
understand what was really happening on the cross.
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And when Jesus said, if it's possible, let this
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cup pass from me, I don't necessarily think it
37:08
was what he was going to go through physically,
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as hard as that is. I think he knew there was
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going to be a moment on the cross when he took
37:17
my sin. And because he took my sin, the Father's
37:23
gaze turned away from him. And in that moment,
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The unity of the Trinity was broken because of
37:33
my sin. So that I could come into the Trinity
37:38
relationship. I think that's what Jesus was dreading.
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That moment of separation because of sin. There's
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an interdependence. This is a relational. Trinity.
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They are interdependent in their working with
38:03
one another for you and for me. They don't operate
38:09
of their own accord. They operate interdependently.
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And see, a lot of cultures can understand that
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because a lot of cultures are community -based.
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But see, we're not. We are an independent culture.
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We don't like to have to rely on other people.
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I know this because so many of you love to give
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to other people, but when it comes time to receiving
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from other people, it's very hard. It hurts our
38:42
pride. And what does that speak of? Independence.
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We are an independent culture. There is never
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a time when the Trinity will not be interdependent.
38:58
And that means there will never be a time that
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we are able to be independent of it. We will
39:07
always, always, always need to be dependent upon
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the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And
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so this morning, as we've become partakers, as
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we have come into existence with this relational,
39:27
interdependent interaction of the Trinity, I
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could think of no better place to really align
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ourself that than the table of the Lord. And
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so this morning, the ushers are going to come,
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and they're going to begin to distribute the
39:47
bread and the cup. And as they do, often when
39:54
we take a communion, we think of the Savior,
39:58
Jesus. But what did Jesus say on the night he
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was betrayed? He said, as often as you do this,
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do what? Remember me. But when we think about
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how much the Father played into the redemption
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of humanity, when we think of how much the Holy
40:22
Spirit is required, when we think, you cannot
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think about one without it being all three. Because
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they're not separate. They are God the Father,
40:34
God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. To remember
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Jesus is to remember the Father whom we've been
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brought into adoption with. To remember Jesus
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is to remember that he has baptized us with the
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Holy Spirit. Interdependent. And as we come to
40:55
this table today, we are coming. Remembering
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not just Jesus, but remembering the Father, the
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Son, and the Holy Spirit. And in a moment here,
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as I've been praying for this morning, I felt
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the Lord as we are about to partake of communion.
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I felt him give me a verse. Our response today
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to this word is going to be taking the bread
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and the cup and allowing the word of the Lord
41:41
to begin to wash over us. Because there are some
41:44
in here where you did come in very heavy, very
41:48
burdened, carrying maybe deep grief or deep sorrow.
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And this morning, I believe that he has a word
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to release over you that is going to enable you
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to walk out these doors and keep walking and
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to keep getting up and to keep getting up and
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to keep getting up. And as much as we are loving
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one another, one another is not enough. We need.
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the divine Godhead. We need the Father, we need
42:31
the Son, and we need the Holy Spirit. Amen? And
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so, in these moments, and if one of the ushers,
42:42
when you're done, I still need some communion,
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please. These moments, I want you to begin to
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let the, as the old song says, the things of
42:53
earth grow strangely dim. And I want you just
42:57
to turn your gaze to this Godhead that you are
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a part of. And as you do, the passage that I
43:10
felt him give me to read over you is from Isaiah
43:13
chapter 40. And I want you just put away your
43:22
notes, put away your Bibles, put away your phones.
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I want you just to hold the cup and the bread.
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And I want you to hear the words of the Lord
43:32
from Isaiah 40. Comfort. Comfort my people, says
43:43
your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim
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to her that her hard service has been completed.
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That, I'm going to add this, through Jesus, her
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sin has been paid for. There's no more striving.
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There's no more attempting. It's been paid for.
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Be comforted today in that. She has received
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from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.
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A voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare
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the way for the Lord. Make straight in the desert
44:35
a highway for our God. Every valley shall be
44:43
raised up, every mountain in your life and hill
44:47
made low. The rough ground shall become level.
44:55
rugged places a plain and the glory of the Lord
45:03
will be revealed and all people will see it together
45:08
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken a voice
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says cry out and I said what shall I cry All
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people are like grass and all their faithfulness
45:24
like the flowers of the field. The grass withers,
45:27
the flowers fall because the breath of the Lord
45:31
blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The
45:35
grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word
45:38
of our God endures forever. You who bring good
45:46
news to Zion go up on a high mountain. Bring
45:51
good news to Jerusalem. Lift your voice with
45:54
a shout. Lift it up. Do not be afraid. Say to
45:59
the towns of Judah, here is your God. Here is
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your Elohim. Three in one. See, the sovereign
46:10
Lord comes with power. And he rules in your life
46:16
with a mighty arm. His reward is with him and
46:23
his recompense accompanies him. He pays back
46:29
to you. He rewards you for everything your sin
46:33
stole from you. He tends his flock like a shepherd.
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He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries
46:44
them close to his heart. Listen to this, parents.
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He gently leads those that have young. Man, take
46:54
a deep breath. He leads you gently with all your
46:57
young children. And then here is your God. Your
47:04
problems, your mountains seem so high, but listen
47:07
to this. Who has measured the waters in the hollow
47:12
of his hand? Or with the breadth of his hand
47:16
marked off the heavens? in a basket or weighed
47:25
the mountains on the scales and the hills in
47:29
a balance? Who can fathom the spirit of the Lord
47:33
or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did
47:38
the Lord consult to enlighten him and taught
47:41
him the right way? Who was it that taught him
47:44
knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?
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Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket.
47:53
They are regarded as dust on the scales. He weighs
48:00
the islands as though they were fine dust. My
48:05
friends, your problem is not too big for your
48:09
God. Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
48:16
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. For
48:19
him all the nations are as nothing, and they
48:24
are regarded by him as worthless and less than
48:27
nothing. This is God the Father, God the Son,
48:33
God the Holy Spirit. You are partakers of this
48:36
God. With whom then will you compare God, Elohim?
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To what image will you liken him? A metal worker
48:50
casts it. A goldsmith overlays it with gold and
48:55
fashions silver chains for it. A person too poor
48:58
to present such an offering selects wood that
49:02
will not rot. They look for a skilled worker
49:05
to set up an idol that will not topple. But there
49:08
is no one that can be compared to God but Jesus.
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It is Jesus. Hallelujah. Do you not know? Have
49:23
you not heard? Has it not been told to you from
49:26
the beginning? Have you not understood since
49:29
the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above
49:33
the circle of the earth and its people are like
49:38
grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like
49:42
a canopy and spreads. Introduces the rulers of
49:51
this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted.
49:55
No sooner are they sown. Nor sooner do they take
49:58
root in the ground. Then he blows on them and
50:01
they wither. And the wind sweeps them away. To
50:06
whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?
50:10
Says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look
50:15
to the heavens. Who created all these? brings
50:21
out the starry host one by one and calls forth
50:25
each of them by name. Don't you want to know
50:27
what God has named them? I would love to know
50:30
that. Because of his great power and mighty strength,
50:35
not one of them is missing. Why do you complain,
50:39
Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, my way is hidden
50:42
from the Lord. My cause is disregarded by my
50:49
God. Listen, I felt this, that some of you today
50:52
have been asking this. God, why is my way hidden
50:57
from you? Why have you disregarded me, God? And
51:05
here's his answer. Do you not know? Have you
51:09
not heard? The Lord... is the everlasting God,
51:17
the everlasting Elohim, the three in one, the
51:21
creator of the heavens, the ends of the earth.
51:24
And he will not grow tired or weary. His understanding
51:28
no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary
51:33
and increases the power. love that verse. This
51:49
is like the theme for the older people, this
51:52
passage. But listen, it is not just for the older
51:56
people because we live in a day and age when
51:59
our young families are exhausted from running
52:04
here and there and everywhere and trying to keep
52:07
up. Even, it says, youths grow tired and weary.
52:13
And young men stumble and fall. Young people,
52:19
even you, grow tired, you grow weary, you stumble
52:24
and you fall. But here's the good news for you.
52:29
When you do stumble and fall, when you do grow
52:32
tired and weak, here's the good news. Those who
52:36
hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They
52:41
will soar. like eagles. They will run and not
52:47
grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.
52:51
Hallelujah. Hallelujah. And the enemy wants you
52:55
to think you're too tired to run anymore. The
52:58
enemy wants you to think you've stumbled and
53:00
fallen too much. Listen, get your hope in God
53:04
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
53:07
Get your hope in Him. He will not let you fall.
53:11
He will cause you to soar. like an eagle. He
53:15
will cause you to run and not be faint. And so
53:22
we come to the table of the Lord and we take
53:25
the bread, the body of Christ. And as we take
53:33
the body of Christ, we say, Lord, I have felt
53:41
disregarded. I have felt overlooked. I have felt
53:44
like I haven't been seen by you. But as I hold
53:48
this body, as I hold this broken body, I hear
53:57
the truth that it is for me that you died. You
54:01
saw me and you died on the cross. You saw me
54:08
in my life and my stuff and you died on the cross
54:11
for me. You took my sins for me. And Father,
54:17
we thank you that you sent the Son. We thank
54:22
you for sending him to redeem mankind. Jesus,
54:28
we thank you for walking in obedience to the
54:30
Father, even death upon a cross. And Holy Spirit,
54:36
thank you that you have revealed to us our Redeemer,
54:40
that you have empowered us in godliness. And
54:45
so we remember Jesus and the Father and the Holy
54:50
Spirit and with joy we partake this morning.
54:55
Let's do that together. And as we take the cup,
55:13
the blood, for every covenant that was made in
55:16
the Bible, blood was shed. Blood is what sealed
55:21
the covenant. And this morning, as we hold the
55:26
sealing of this covenant, your shed blood on
55:29
the cross. Our hearts are full of thankfulness.
55:41
into the divine nature, into the relationship
55:43
of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is tied in
55:50
through the shed blood of Christ. There's no
55:55
undoing it. You made a way for me to be part
55:59
of this divine nature and you did it through
56:04
your blood. You did it in such a way that that
56:08
cannot be broken. And so we stand in confidence
56:13
and boldness in the throne room as partakers
56:16
of the divine nature because our trust is not
56:20
in our own selves, in our own works, in our own
56:23
independence. It is in the blood of Jesus. Let's
56:29
partake of this blood together, the shed blood.
56:37
Praise the Lord. Can you just stand with me?
56:43
We're going to worship for a few moments here
56:45
before we leave. I don't know about you. Every
56:48
time I think of the Trinity now, I just get so
56:51
overwhelmed by the power of it and the fact that
56:54
they want me to be part of them, that the Father
56:58
wants me to be part, that the Son wants me to
57:01
be part, and that the Holy Spirit wants me to
57:03
be in relationship with them. You are not alone.
57:08
You are not alone. You are surrounded. by this
57:11
beautiful Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
57:15
Let's worship them for just a moment.