WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:05.320 Thanks so much, Esther, and my name's Archie. I'm the pastor in training here at Brunsfield, 00:00:05.419 --> 00:00:10.820 and it's a real joy to be preaching on this wonderful topic this evening. We're in this 00:00:10.820 --> 00:00:16.440 series, This Is Our God, and this evening we're going to be thinking especially about 00:00:16.440 --> 00:00:25.160 our God as a triune God, one God, three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit, Trinity in unity, 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:31.120 triune. And I think that this is maybe one of those, you know, we all know it's true, 00:00:31.420 --> 00:00:36.439 and we pay lip service to it, but we try not to think about it too much. It gives us a bit of a 00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:41.500 headache, right? But it really is worth thinking about, and though it's tricky, it really is worth 00:00:41.500 --> 00:00:49.320 thinking about. Shall we pray before we begin, as it is a tough one? Heavenly Father, thank you so much 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:57.079 for all that you have given us through your Son and by sending your Spirit. And I pray this evening, 00:00:57.179 --> 00:01:02.299 as we think a little bit about you and who you really are, that you would be with us by your 00:01:02.299 --> 00:01:07.640 Spirit, helping us to understand and helping us to apply these wonderful truths to our lives. 00:01:08.500 --> 00:01:16.920 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let me begin with a story. It's a story about a rugby player. It's not 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:22.219 about me, I promise, but I do think it's a true story. So it's a Saturday, Saturday, that's game 00:01:22.219 --> 00:01:29.599 day for rugby players, and the bus was leaving at 10 a.m. But this rugby player slept in, and he missed 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:34.859 the bus. Doing some quick research, he realized that he could get a train and still get there in 00:01:34.859 --> 00:01:39.700 time. So he did that. He jumped on the train. He found a seat. It was a table seat, which is good. 00:01:39.700 --> 00:01:45.540 We like a table seat. But then a couple of stops in, the train's getting pretty busy, 00:01:46.340 --> 00:01:52.540 and this really, really tall man comes and sits opposite him, like really tall. And it becomes 00:01:52.540 --> 00:01:57.659 very obvious quite quickly that this really tall man does not have enough room, and he's not happy 00:01:57.659 --> 00:02:04.340 about it. And then the food trolley comes along, and the rugby player, he orders himself a black coffee, 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:10.219 get a bit of a pregame caffeine fix. And then he gets a phone call, and as he goes and twists to 00:02:10.219 --> 00:02:14.659 his pocket to pick up his phone, he knocks this cup of coffee, and it just goes all over this really 00:02:14.659 --> 00:02:20.120 tall man sitting opposite him. He's getting really annoyed now, you can imagine. There's hardly an 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:26.539 apology from the rugby player, just a sort of mumbled excuse about a busy train. And then that phone call 00:02:26.539 --> 00:02:31.580 that he's just picked up, it's one of his teammates. Doesn't take long before they're talking tactics 00:02:31.580 --> 00:02:36.320 about the game, laughing and joking about the opposition, about what they might do to the 00:02:36.320 --> 00:02:42.040 opposition whilst the referee's back is turned. And then talking about the referee, you see rugby 00:02:42.040 --> 00:02:47.080 teams, they always get told who their referee is going to be, and they'd heard this guy's name before, 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:52.140 but they'd never been refereed by him. They've heard all about him though, and on the phone, 00:02:52.220 --> 00:02:57.460 they're just mouthing off, slating this referee to each other for the next 10 minutes or so. 00:02:57.460 --> 00:03:04.540 A couple of hours later, our rugby player, he's made it to the game, he's warming up with his team, 00:03:04.600 --> 00:03:08.879 and then this unknown referee, the one that he's just been talking about on the phone to his friend, 00:03:08.980 --> 00:03:15.140 comes out of the changing room, and he's really tall, right? You can guess who it was. It's the 00:03:15.140 --> 00:03:22.100 guy from the train, the guy that he'd failed to give any space to, the guy that he'd spilt his 00:03:22.099 --> 00:03:26.900 coffee all over, the guy he'd spent 10 minutes chatting about on the phone with his teammates. 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:34.299 If only he'd known, right? If only he'd known who'd come and sat opposite him, he'd never have done 00:03:34.299 --> 00:03:42.299 any of those things. It's true, isn't it, that knowing who someone is, this is just a really basic 00:03:42.299 --> 00:03:49.419 fact, knowing who someone is, is really important for how we relate to them. And that's really the 00:03:49.419 --> 00:03:55.059 heart behind this series that we're in together. This is our God. It's for us to really get to know 00:03:55.059 --> 00:04:02.379 our God and watch as the way that we relate to him is transformed. And so friends, wherever you're 00:04:02.379 --> 00:04:06.979 at with this, as we think about the Trinity, especially tonight, and as we journey through 00:04:06.979 --> 00:04:11.500 this whole series together, we've just got to see that as we get to know our God, it's going to 00:04:11.500 --> 00:04:16.399 transform the way that we relate to him. As we get to know him, the better we're going to be able to 00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:23.839 delight in him, and the better we're going to be able to love and know that we are loved by him. 00:04:25.139 --> 00:04:31.379 But more than that, because I think it's only really by knowing this triune God that we can grasp 00:04:31.379 --> 00:04:40.379 who we are as humans, and importantly, as Christians. As the Bible introduces us to this God, and as we 00:04:40.379 --> 00:04:46.179 explore that in this series, we're actually being invited to get to know ourselves better at the 00:04:46.180 --> 00:04:53.400 same time. Let me illustrate how this works. There she is, Katie, my wife. Any excuse to talk about her? 00:04:53.459 --> 00:04:58.259 She's beautiful, isn't she? We've been married for two and a half years, and it's been this weird sort 00:04:58.259 --> 00:05:03.399 of roller coaster. I suppose like any relationship, I've spent more time with Katie, though, than any 00:05:03.399 --> 00:05:08.399 other human being. I mean, we literally live together, don't we? We share a bed. And I've just 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:15.240 gone to know Katie to a depth that I never have any other human being. But as I'm getting to know her, 00:05:15.240 --> 00:05:23.000 I'm also getting to know myself. Marriage, it's revealed a depth of selfishness in me that I never 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:31.560 knew existed. My dream scenario of an evening watching sport or at the pub with some friends, 00:05:32.579 --> 00:05:37.819 or my morning reading punctuated with the annoying conversation and the buzz of the news in the 00:05:37.819 --> 00:05:45.639 background. I get frustrated at these things. I get annoyed. I don't want to, but I do, because I'm just so 00:05:45.639 --> 00:05:53.339 selfish. Yet at the same time, I've also discovered a new capacity in me for self-giving, for doing things 00:05:53.339 --> 00:05:59.980 that are inconvenient to me, that yet in my better moments, I don't even think about it, because I love her. 00:05:59.980 --> 00:06:07.280 Getting to know Katie, it's revealed, and it continues to reveal both my flaws and some more of my redeeming 00:06:07.280 --> 00:06:11.800 features, too. And here's the point. In this relationship that I have with my wife, I'm getting 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:18.140 to know myself as much as I'm getting to know her. And I think that's true for all of us. I mean, I'm sure 00:06:18.140 --> 00:06:22.520 any of you could put a picture of one or some of the most significant people in your lives on the screen. 00:06:22.600 --> 00:06:28.879 We'd love to hear those stories. But one of the things would be that somehow your relationship with 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:34.180 this person, somehow it's also leading to more awareness and growth in yourself as well. 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:42.399 And in the same way, as we get to relate to this triune God, we get to know ourselves better at the 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:48.699 same time. And even as we begin, it's just worth acknowledging one of the first things that we 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:53.219 learn about ourselves as we look at this God, I think we saw this last week with Alistair, 00:06:53.220 --> 00:07:00.820 we as creatures are going to struggle to understand how the triune God works, especially in a sort of 00:07:00.820 --> 00:07:07.140 tidy, joined-up way. In fact, I think if we do think that we've got there, I think it might be quite a good 00:07:07.140 --> 00:07:13.160 sign that we just don't know this God at all. Because we're creatures, and the one we're trying 00:07:13.160 --> 00:07:20.120 to get to know is Creator. He's just so different from us. And so you might be sitting there and 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:25.319 thinking, okay, well then what's the point? Why would we even try? But it's the same with our 00:07:25.319 --> 00:07:29.259 relationships with each other. I'm never going to know Katie completely. I'm never going to know 00:07:29.259 --> 00:07:34.300 everything that goes through her head or everything she's ever thought. She's very different from me 00:07:34.300 --> 00:07:40.340 in very many ways. But that doesn't mean it's not worth getting to know her. Or that getting to know 00:07:40.340 --> 00:07:46.939 her won't help me understand myself better too. And so with all that in mind, as we unpack a bit 00:07:46.939 --> 00:07:52.240 about the Trinity from God's Word this evening, just three things for us to see, three things 00:07:52.240 --> 00:08:00.779 that show us just how wonderful it is that we have a triune God. Because a triune God really loves you. 00:08:01.660 --> 00:08:09.879 And as a result of that, a triune God really does not need you. And a triune God can really adopt you. 00:08:09.879 --> 00:08:16.959 So let's begin as we explore this truth that the triune God really loves you. And to do that, 00:08:17.019 --> 00:08:25.659 we're going to start with Jesus. Because it's here with the Son that we see that the triune God is 00:08:25.659 --> 00:08:33.500 fundamentally a loving God. What does the fact that Jesus is the Son of God reveal? 00:08:33.500 --> 00:08:42.120 Well, it means, doesn't it, that God is a Father. Importantly, He didn't become a Father, but He is 00:08:42.120 --> 00:08:48.679 eternally a Father. I wonder if you've ever asked a good question to ask, what was God doing 00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:56.279 before the creation of the world? Maybe you noticed the answer to that question in the passage we've just 00:08:56.279 --> 00:09:05.120 had read. What does Jesus pray in verse 24? Father, because you loved me before the creation 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:14.759 of the world. You see, God has eternally been Father. And what does He do as a Father? Well, a Father is 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:25.399 life-giving, self-giving, loving. And we'll see that He does that by His Spirit. But let me just say at 00:09:25.399 --> 00:09:30.659 this stage that it's not always the earthly experience of fathers in this world that we have, 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:36.620 is it? Maybe your Father was nothing like that. Maybe you're a Father and you know that you're 00:09:36.620 --> 00:09:46.000 nothing like that. And that's hard. That can be really painful. But I just want us to see tonight 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:54.199 what that pain points to. Because it hurts precisely because we feel that there should be a perfect Father. 00:09:55.399 --> 00:10:05.000 And because we are creatures and He is Creator, this is the perfect Father, loving His Son eternally. 00:10:06.059 --> 00:10:13.439 And that means that His creation then isn't a random accident. No, creation is a wonderful 00:10:13.439 --> 00:10:19.500 outpouring of that eternally self-giving nature. It's an overflow of love. 00:10:19.500 --> 00:10:26.600 Genesis chapter 1. I think it's worth briefly turning to Genesis chapter 1. It won't be difficult 00:10:26.600 --> 00:10:32.419 to find. It's right at the beginning of your Bible. And here is this account of creation. 00:10:33.259 --> 00:10:43.059 And this account of creation is just dripping with Trinity language. Notice in Genesis chapter 1 verse 2, 00:10:43.059 --> 00:10:53.500 it's the Spirit of God hovering over the waters. And do you see how God creates? The actual process of 00:10:53.500 --> 00:11:03.539 creation, how does it work? In almost every paragraph it says this, and God said, and it was so. And God said, 00:11:03.539 --> 00:11:13.679 and it was so. And God said, and it was so. It is by His Word that God creates. It's by His Word. Park that idea. 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:17.459 We'll come back to that idea in a second. But just while we're here, while we're in Genesis, 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:23.439 for another hint of the Trinity, check out verse 26 of chapter 21. 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:26.940 Verse 26, 00:11:27.720 --> 00:11:33.780 Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness. Notice the plural there. 00:11:35.180 --> 00:11:40.620 This triune God creates humans, humans that are different to one another, 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:44.300 because they're created in the image of a triune God. 00:11:44.700 --> 00:11:47.660 You see how we're getting to know ourselves as we're getting to know Him? 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:51.040 And see what God does next. He blesses them. 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:55.099 He loves them. And out of His overflowing love, He says, 00:11:55.259 --> 00:12:01.059 go and do likewise. Overflow with love yourselves to be fruitful and increase in number, 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:04.860 living and loving in community, just like He is. 00:12:06.360 --> 00:12:09.539 Just before we leave Genesis, come to chapter 2 with me. 00:12:10.059 --> 00:12:14.219 Chapter 2 is a sort of retelling of the creation of humanity from another angle. 00:12:14.719 --> 00:12:17.980 This is really cool. It's another hint of the triune God. 00:12:17.980 --> 00:12:21.220 In verse 7, chapter 2, verse 7. 00:12:22.820 --> 00:12:30.300 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. 00:12:31.639 --> 00:12:34.940 Breath there is literally wind or spirit. 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:39.980 And so God, out of His overflowing love, in His glorious creation, 00:12:40.460 --> 00:12:44.759 breathes His spirit, His life-giving breath. 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:52.580 Friends, it's by His wonderful grace, in the Father's love for us, overflowing love. 00:12:53.100 --> 00:12:56.799 And it's only by that that we even have life itself. 00:12:57.819 --> 00:12:59.039 Isn't that a wonderful truth? 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:02.500 Now we parked that idea, didn't we? 00:13:02.599 --> 00:13:04.379 And God said, and it was so. 00:13:04.500 --> 00:13:06.539 Come back to John chapter 1 with me then. 00:13:07.579 --> 00:13:10.480 John chapter 1, start at the New Testament. 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:12.379 Sorry, I know we're jumping around a lot. 00:13:15.699 --> 00:13:18.379 John chapter 1, verse 1 says this. 00:13:18.379 --> 00:13:34.720 Suddenly then, that apparently impersonal attribute of God, His words, as He speaks creation into being, 00:13:34.820 --> 00:13:36.419 they're described in this verse, aren't they? 00:13:36.779 --> 00:13:42.360 Like a person, an eternal person, both with God and God Himself. 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:50.620 And then in verse 14, if you track down the page, the Word became flesh. 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:53.779 We've just sung about it, conceived by the Holy Spirit. 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:56.039 John is talking about Jesus. 00:13:57.240 --> 00:14:00.460 This is the Son whom the Father has loved eternally. 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:04.539 The Son who He sent out of His overflowing love. 00:14:04.899 --> 00:14:07.360 The Son who was there at creation, before creation. 00:14:08.060 --> 00:14:11.360 And then at creation, He was there, deeply involved. 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:15.120 Because He was God's very words. 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:19.320 And God said, and it was so. 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:24.120 It's by His Word, by His Son, that He creates. 00:14:25.460 --> 00:14:30.100 And then, of course, He so loved the world that He sent that very word, His beloved Son, 00:14:30.220 --> 00:14:32.240 into the world that they created together. 00:14:33.340 --> 00:14:35.879 In Mark chapter 1, you don't need to turn there, 00:14:35.879 --> 00:14:38.080 but in Mark 1, we get Jesus' baptism. 00:14:38.500 --> 00:14:43.080 And the Spirit descends on Jesus, on the Son, like a dove. 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:47.639 It's the Father declaring His love for the Son. 00:14:48.200 --> 00:14:50.080 So this is how the Father loves His Son. 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:54.700 The Father pouring His love on His Son by His Spirit. 00:14:55.500 --> 00:14:56.919 And that is true in eternity. 00:14:56.919 --> 00:15:02.679 Friends, if we see nothing else this evening, let it be this. 00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:07.299 Our God is outrageously loving. 00:15:08.379 --> 00:15:12.159 And He's outrageously loving because He is a triune God. 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:20.000 He is and always has been completely self-giving, life-sharing, outpouring love. 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:23.419 This is our God. 00:15:24.279 --> 00:15:25.759 And so He loves you. 00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:29.360 Because of who He is. 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:31.779 Because He is a triune God. 00:15:31.860 --> 00:15:34.100 Not because of who you are. 00:15:35.340 --> 00:15:39.460 This isn't contingent on whether you feel loved by Him. 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:43.600 He doesn't love us because we're at church this evening. 00:15:44.539 --> 00:15:47.980 He doesn't love us because we gave a tithe this month. 00:15:47.980 --> 00:15:51.220 Or because we're about to come to the bread and the cup together. 00:15:51.420 --> 00:15:53.120 Or because we read our Bibles this week. 00:15:53.220 --> 00:15:55.659 Or because we avoided that nagging temptation. 00:15:56.800 --> 00:16:01.240 Our obedience to Him does not earn us His love. 00:16:02.779 --> 00:16:06.980 In the same way, He doesn't stop loving us when we skip church. 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:12.560 Or when we leave church and we spend our whole week ignoring the poverty around us in the streets. 00:16:13.539 --> 00:16:16.080 When we give in to temptation this week. 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:24.379 Our God loves us because He is outrageously self-giving, overflowing, outpouring, life-giving of Himself. 00:16:26.180 --> 00:16:31.780 And of course He desires us to live for Him in obedience to Him. 00:16:32.420 --> 00:16:35.440 Which means being transformed into His likeness. 00:16:35.580 --> 00:16:38.639 But friends, He loves us even when we don't image Him. 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:41.299 Just as He loves us when we do. 00:16:43.159 --> 00:16:46.699 Friends, a broken man like me just finds that truth so comforting. 00:16:46.840 --> 00:16:48.000 And I hope you do too. 00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:54.379 Do you see how getting to know our God like this, do you see how it transforms the way we relate to Him? 00:16:56.860 --> 00:17:00.639 And it leads to another surprisingly comforting truth. 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:04.879 Because the truth is, a triune God really does not need you. 00:17:05.619 --> 00:17:08.720 It might not sound comforting, but hopefully you'll see how it is. 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:15.240 It's easy, I think, to slip into thinking of our God as three different gods. 00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:19.740 That because our God is three, He isn't really one. 00:17:19.740 --> 00:17:24.400 But as Christians, we really do believe in one God. 00:17:24.859 --> 00:17:26.460 And that's hard to wrap our heads around. 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:28.279 It's a mathematical impossibility. 00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:32.839 Folks have tried for years to come up with analogies to help explain it. 00:17:32.920 --> 00:17:36.700 Taking things from creation, like an egg, right, has three parts. 00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:38.620 The shell, the white, the yolk. 00:17:39.180 --> 00:17:39.940 Or the sun. 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:43.259 It's a star, but it's also light and heat. 00:17:43.259 --> 00:17:49.160 But whatever analogy you use to try and explain the Trinity, you quickly run into problems. 00:17:49.420 --> 00:17:51.519 There's this hilarious video on YouTube. 00:17:51.700 --> 00:17:52.940 I'm sure some of you will watch it. 00:17:52.980 --> 00:17:54.940 We don't have time to watch it together now. 00:17:55.420 --> 00:17:58.240 It's called, I think, St. Patrick's Bad Analogies. 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:00.079 Genuinely, it's really worth watching. 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:00.680 It's hilarious. 00:18:02.180 --> 00:18:05.599 But why is it that all these analogies are so problematic? 00:18:06.299 --> 00:18:12.700 Well, at its heart, for each of them, it's because God is not like us. 00:18:13.259 --> 00:18:16.200 Yes, we're a bit like him, but he's not like us. 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:17.140 He is creator. 00:18:17.339 --> 00:18:18.440 We are creature. 00:18:18.700 --> 00:18:24.359 And so there's nothing in created order that could possibly do him justice in that way. 00:18:26.339 --> 00:18:30.420 But Christians everywhere do believe in the Trinity, right? 00:18:30.539 --> 00:18:31.579 Three persons. 00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:34.160 And yet we do believe in one God. 00:18:34.279 --> 00:18:35.940 The Bible is very clear on that. 00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:37.960 Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 4. 00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:42.400 Again, you don't need to turn there, but Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 4 says this. 00:18:43.259 --> 00:18:44.879 These might be familiar words. 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:50.240 Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is what? 00:18:50.839 --> 00:18:51.799 Not three. 00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:53.779 The Lord is one. 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:57.640 It's just so clear we believe in one God. 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:03.180 Of course, we see hints of a triune God in creation and so on. 00:19:03.180 --> 00:19:09.340 But it is true that the emphasis in the Old Testament is very firmly on one God. 00:19:10.060 --> 00:19:11.420 So what do we do with that? 00:19:12.360 --> 00:19:15.240 Well, theologian, there he is, B.B. Warfield. 00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:16.519 Look at that beard. 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:18.299 He puts it like this. 00:19:18.299 --> 00:19:25.480 The Old Testament may be likened to a chamber, richly furnished but dimly lighted. 00:19:26.119 --> 00:19:30.419 The introduction of light brings into it nothing which was not in it before, 00:19:31.220 --> 00:19:34.740 but brings out into clearer view much of what is in it, 00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:38.799 but was only dimly or even not at all perceived before. 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:44.379 In other words, though the Trinity is not clearly revealed in the Old Testament, 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:45.919 there are hints of it, 00:19:46.200 --> 00:19:49.940 but it is nonetheless foundational to how the Old Testament hangs together. 00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:53.299 And so the New Testament doesn't come and correct the Old Testament. 00:19:53.440 --> 00:19:57.240 It simply casts light on what is already there. 00:19:58.659 --> 00:20:01.379 And so the one God that we believe in is three. 00:20:01.380 --> 00:20:03.960 And that's really good news. 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:05.520 Here's why. 00:20:06.780 --> 00:20:13.520 Because a single person God would be dependent on his creation to be loving. 00:20:15.180 --> 00:20:16.680 Let me show you why. 00:20:17.240 --> 00:20:26.480 See, if God exists in eternity and exists in eternity on his own with no one and nothing to love, 00:20:27.840 --> 00:20:29.560 well, then he's not eternally loving, is he? 00:20:29.559 --> 00:20:32.279 He is eternally lonely. 00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:39.379 Now, you might say that he could exist eternally with an anticipation of his creation, 00:20:39.579 --> 00:20:41.500 loving that which he looks forward to. 00:20:42.339 --> 00:20:44.079 But even if that were true, 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:49.419 he would still be dependent on the creation that he has yet to create in order to be loving, 00:20:50.419 --> 00:20:55.359 to be who he is, dependent on his creation, dependent on us. 00:20:55.359 --> 00:21:04.519 But friends, our God, a triune God, does not need his creation, does not need us. 00:21:05.579 --> 00:21:10.979 Why? Because he is a father eternally loving the son by the spirit. 00:21:10.980 --> 00:21:19.720 It can be really helpful, I think, as we speak to our atheist friends about God or our agnostic friends about God 00:21:19.720 --> 00:21:22.240 to find out what sort of God they don't believe in. 00:21:22.299 --> 00:21:25.000 I had a conversation like this just this weekend. 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:29.339 Because the chances are we don't believe in that God either. 00:21:29.339 --> 00:21:39.559 And this is where we would want to lovingly say to our Muslim friends that their God, Allah, is logically impossible. 00:21:39.559 --> 00:21:46.879 How can he be, as they claim, as the Quran, their holy book, claims that he is, 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:53.519 be both eternally loving and eternally self-reliant without being triune? 00:21:55.759 --> 00:21:59.500 Our God does not need us to be who he is. 00:22:00.179 --> 00:22:02.619 And friends, that is an incredibly freeing truth. 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:05.799 It completely transforms the way that we relate to this God. 00:22:05.799 --> 00:22:09.720 Imagine if God relied on us. 00:22:10.980 --> 00:22:15.519 I don't know about you, but I would find the weight of that to be unbearable, I think. 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:20.259 It means that all that God asks of us, 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:23.619 though it shows him to be glorious, 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:27.359 it does not make him anything that he isn't already. 00:22:29.240 --> 00:22:32.759 Instead, we serve this outrageously loving God, 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:36.440 because in doing so we can freely enjoy 00:22:36.440 --> 00:22:39.460 his life-giving love. 00:22:41.539 --> 00:22:44.480 Having a God that is outrageously loving 00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:45.740 and that doesn't need us, 00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:46.779 a triune God, 00:22:46.779 --> 00:22:49.900 it also has massive implications for the gospel. 00:22:50.019 --> 00:22:52.019 This is our last point this evening. 00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:54.579 It has implications for the gospel 00:22:54.579 --> 00:22:57.640 because it also means that he can really adopt us. 00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:01.720 It's very easy for us to think like this. 00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:05.380 The Father was the God of Israel in the Old Testament, 00:23:06.140 --> 00:23:09.319 and then Jesus came in the New Testament to die for our sins, 00:23:09.740 --> 00:23:10.980 and then the Spirit came, 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:12.519 and he's the one that's with us now 00:23:12.519 --> 00:23:16.640 to separate the works of God like that. 00:23:16.700 --> 00:23:18.880 But the truth is, in all those works of God, 00:23:19.700 --> 00:23:22.339 in his rescue of the Israelites in the Exodus, 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:26.039 in his salvation of the world in the gospels, 00:23:26.039 --> 00:23:28.599 his presence with us today, 00:23:28.599 --> 00:23:30.039 in all of those works, 00:23:30.460 --> 00:23:33.559 it is the triune God who is at work. 00:23:34.639 --> 00:23:37.000 Theologian Michael Horton puts it like this, 00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:40.299 it's not different works, 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:43.579 but different roles in every work 00:23:43.579 --> 00:23:45.539 that the divine persons perform. 00:23:45.539 --> 00:23:49.819 It might be helpful then to think of it like this, 00:23:49.899 --> 00:23:51.460 in the works of God, 00:23:51.899 --> 00:23:52.899 generally speaking, 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:55.879 the Father initiates, 00:23:56.220 --> 00:23:58.159 the Son accomplishes, 00:23:58.420 --> 00:24:00.220 and the Spirit applies. 00:24:00.460 --> 00:24:03.259 I think that can sometimes be a helpful way to think, 00:24:03.359 --> 00:24:05.579 initiates, accomplishes, and applies, 00:24:05.659 --> 00:24:08.680 and we're just going to see how that works in salvation. 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:12.259 We tend to think of the gospel in quite simple terms, 00:24:12.320 --> 00:24:12.680 I think. 00:24:13.140 --> 00:24:14.400 God created us good, 00:24:14.980 --> 00:24:16.320 but we did bad, 00:24:16.740 --> 00:24:17.759 and so we die, 00:24:18.320 --> 00:24:20.519 but Jesus paid the price for our sin, 00:24:20.660 --> 00:24:22.320 and so we get to live forever. 00:24:23.500 --> 00:24:25.480 And friends, that's not wrong, is it? 00:24:25.940 --> 00:24:28.160 But God's purposes through that gospel 00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:30.640 are so much more wonderful for us. 00:24:31.180 --> 00:24:32.980 And I think it begins with the fall. 00:24:33.720 --> 00:24:36.080 See, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, 00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:39.500 we tend to think of that as just like a plain old rebellion, 00:24:39.899 --> 00:24:41.019 breaking the rules. 00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:44.619 But really, it's all about love. 00:24:46.119 --> 00:24:50.500 See, God lovingly created us in His image. 00:24:51.679 --> 00:24:54.500 That means that we were created to be self-giving, 00:24:55.039 --> 00:24:57.299 loving, overflowing creatures, 00:24:57.720 --> 00:25:00.419 living and loving in community like Him. 00:25:02.039 --> 00:25:03.679 See how we're learning about ourselves 00:25:03.679 --> 00:25:04.939 as we learn about God? 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:07.659 But what we see in the fall 00:25:07.659 --> 00:25:11.240 is that that outgoing love is bent inwards 00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:14.519 as humans begin to make selfish, 00:25:15.220 --> 00:25:18.559 self-glorifying, inward-loving decisions. 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:22.059 And so we see that Jesus' death 00:25:22.059 --> 00:25:24.939 doesn't simply pay the price for our rebellion, 00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:29.720 but it paves the way for our love to be reordered 00:25:29.720 --> 00:25:33.039 and for us to be adopted as children of God. 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:37.339 1 John 3, verse 1 says this, 00:25:37.380 --> 00:25:38.779 it's a wonderful truth. 00:25:40.059 --> 00:25:43.640 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, 00:25:44.039 --> 00:25:47.279 that we should be called children of God. 00:25:47.940 --> 00:25:49.799 And that is what we are. 00:25:49.799 --> 00:25:55.039 That we might be progressively restored to His image 00:25:55.039 --> 00:26:00.079 of living and loving in community as the human race, 00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:01.799 as children of God. 00:26:01.799 --> 00:26:04.940 And why does He want to do that? 00:26:05.759 --> 00:26:08.139 Well, did you notice in John chapter 17, 00:26:08.139 --> 00:26:09.519 as it was read for us, 00:26:09.960 --> 00:26:12.180 in verse 25, what did Jesus pray? 00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:15.340 Righteous Father, 00:26:16.080 --> 00:26:17.880 though the world does not know you, 00:26:17.980 --> 00:26:18.820 I know you. 00:26:19.779 --> 00:26:21.740 And they know that you have sent me. 00:26:22.460 --> 00:26:24.060 I have made you known to them 00:26:24.060 --> 00:26:25.860 and will continue to make you known 00:26:25.860 --> 00:26:28.420 in order that the love you have for me 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:29.620 may be in them 00:26:29.620 --> 00:26:32.519 and that I myself may be in them. 00:26:33.799 --> 00:26:37.140 The Father loves to love His Son 00:26:37.140 --> 00:26:41.420 so much that He wants all those who believe in Him 00:26:41.420 --> 00:26:43.360 to share in that love, 00:26:43.900 --> 00:26:46.360 to share in that eternal, outrageous, 00:26:46.700 --> 00:26:49.240 self-giving, outpouring love. 00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:51.840 And He applies that love 00:26:51.840 --> 00:26:54.400 by sending His Spirit to those who believe. 00:26:54.500 --> 00:26:55.779 This is eternal life. 00:26:56.400 --> 00:27:00.320 To share in God's love as His children. 00:27:01.620 --> 00:27:04.400 The theologian J.I. Packer puts it like this, 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:07.880 if you want to judge how well 00:27:07.880 --> 00:27:09.940 a person understands Christianity, 00:27:09.940 --> 00:27:12.539 find out how much He makes 00:27:12.539 --> 00:27:14.440 of the thought of being God's child 00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:16.880 and having God as His Father. 00:27:18.920 --> 00:27:20.779 What that means is that tonight, 00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:22.259 if you're a Christian, 00:27:22.920 --> 00:27:25.100 the way that you relate to this God 00:27:25.100 --> 00:27:27.000 has been totally transformed. 00:27:28.279 --> 00:27:30.500 Because you're not just a creature of His, 00:27:30.600 --> 00:27:32.480 but a son and a daughter. 00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:35.620 That means that you can say, 00:27:36.200 --> 00:27:37.940 I have a wonderful inheritance 00:27:37.940 --> 00:27:42.059 and that is eternal life with the Trinity. 00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:46.420 Because I receive all that the Father has for the Son. 00:27:47.480 --> 00:27:49.259 Because I have been adopted. 00:27:49.420 --> 00:27:50.680 That means it's mine. 00:27:50.779 --> 00:27:52.059 I have a right to it. 00:27:52.180 --> 00:27:53.019 I am entitled. 00:27:53.200 --> 00:27:54.799 No one can take it away from me. 00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:58.879 What a wonderful hope that we have. 00:27:59.980 --> 00:28:01.759 What a wonderful gospel. 00:28:03.019 --> 00:28:05.339 What a wonderful, loving, life, 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:07.700 and self-giving triune Savior, 00:28:08.659 --> 00:28:11.059 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:28:13.399 --> 00:28:16.519 Friends, is this the God that you know? 00:28:16.519 --> 00:28:20.799 Remember our hapless rugby player, 00:28:20.900 --> 00:28:23.420 how he related to that referee on the train? 00:28:24.539 --> 00:28:27.099 How we relate to someone depends, doesn't it, 00:28:27.099 --> 00:28:28.660 on how we know them. 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:32.440 Well, how well do we know our God? 00:28:33.740 --> 00:28:35.460 This triune God. 00:28:36.879 --> 00:28:39.200 And look, we don't need to get this right all the time. 00:28:39.259 --> 00:28:41.819 In fact, and I think this really is a wonderful thing, 00:28:41.819 --> 00:28:43.819 I don't think that we're ever going to arrive 00:28:44.420 --> 00:28:46.440 at a complete knowledge of our God. 00:28:47.259 --> 00:28:50.279 But no matter how far we've gone on this journey, 00:28:50.500 --> 00:28:54.200 there are unplumbed depths for us to enjoy. 00:28:55.460 --> 00:28:58.460 There are lots of resources that we can access 00:28:58.460 --> 00:28:59.460 to help us do that. 00:28:59.539 --> 00:29:02.019 I've found this book, The Good God, by Michael Reeves, 00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:05.480 really especially helpful in thinking about the triune God. 00:29:05.559 --> 00:29:07.500 Do try and get hold of that, the good God. 00:29:08.759 --> 00:29:10.139 And the creeds are great as well. 00:29:10.139 --> 00:29:12.700 We just sung some of one of those. 00:29:12.819 --> 00:29:15.839 The Athanasius Creed, you might find especially helpful 00:29:15.839 --> 00:29:17.099 in thinking about this. 00:29:17.879 --> 00:29:20.139 And of course, as we read our Bibles, 00:29:20.139 --> 00:29:23.599 we can just be paying attention to the language of the Trinity 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:25.039 as we've been doing this evening. 00:29:25.939 --> 00:29:27.899 John chapter 17 is brilliant for that. 00:29:27.959 --> 00:29:29.419 The few chapters that run into it, 00:29:29.459 --> 00:29:30.980 if you want some bedtime reading tonight, 00:29:31.099 --> 00:29:34.059 read from John chapter 14 to John chapter 17. 00:29:34.059 --> 00:29:38.659 There is a treasure trove of riches for us 00:29:38.659 --> 00:29:41.799 to get to know our God in his word. 00:29:42.440 --> 00:29:44.460 Are we going to keep digging at them? 00:29:44.460 --> 00:29:48.740 And then echo the prayers of Paul for the Ephesian church. 00:29:48.819 --> 00:29:51.460 This is what Paul prays for the church in Ephesus. 00:29:52.660 --> 00:29:56.200 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:29:57.279 --> 00:29:58.720 the glorious Father, 00:29:59.480 --> 00:30:02.400 may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:05.680 so that you may know him better. 00:30:05.680 --> 00:30:10.420 Will we resolve to be a church that never gives up 00:30:10.420 --> 00:30:13.960 on getting to know our God better and more deeply? 00:30:16.500 --> 00:30:17.519 Shall we pray? 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:19.980 Why don't we pray like that this evening? 00:30:25.880 --> 00:30:29.000 Heavenly Father, we long to know you. 00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:34.680 We thank you that because you have sent your son, 00:30:34.779 --> 00:30:36.660 we can know you. 00:30:38.420 --> 00:30:41.500 Jesus, we thank you for all that you have done for us. 00:30:44.240 --> 00:30:46.880 We thank you, Father, for sending your Holy Spirit 00:30:46.880 --> 00:30:48.500 to be present with us. 00:30:51.559 --> 00:30:54.420 We pray that you would help us to know you better this evening 00:30:54.420 --> 00:30:58.200 as we pray in Jesus' name. 00:30:59.000 --> 00:30:59.799 Amen.