[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday after Pentecost, the 12th of June, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church. Our YouTube streaming channel is:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]
Family, today is the first Sunday after Pentecost, when God’s Holy Spirit first came down to live within those who truly believe in and follow God’s Son Jesus. Now the Pentecost occurred 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, after the forty days He walked the earth again, witnessed by hundreds, after He was lifted from the earth onto a cloud and ascended back into heaven. The actual event was well reported by the Apostle Luke in the 2nd chapter of his Book of the Acts of the Apostles.
But Jesus told His followers all about it while He was still with them. He also warned them of a few other things that they could expect to happen once He returned to heaven. If we look closely at what He said, I think we can gain a better appreciation of our relationship with God.
Please listen and follow along to the words Jesus spoke as recorded by the Apostle John in chapter 16 of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 15, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…
1 “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. 3 And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. 4 But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.“And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”
--John 16:1-15 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Father God, thank You for being such as loving, merciful Father. Thank You for giving Your Son to redeem us. And thank You for sending Your Spirit to always be with us. Forgive us, please Father, when we buckle and stumble under the weight of the world and its woes. Forgive us when we fail to exercise our faith and it weakens. Please help us remember that when we accept Jesus as Your Son and our Master, that Your own, all-powerful Holy Spirit comes and makes His home within us, to remain always with us and guide us and pray for us. Help us to feel Your power within us. Remind us that with You, nothing is impossible. And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who carry out his divisive, evil works. Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.
Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand the message You have for us this day. Show us how important each of Your Persons is to our relationship with You. This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Reader's Digest once published this little anecdote by Ann Spivack:
While our friends from India traveled around California on business, they left their 11 year-old daughter with us. Curious about my going to church one Sunday morning, she decided to come along. When we returned home, my husband asked her what she thought of the service.
"I don't understand why the West Coast isn't included too," she replied. When we inquired what she meant, she added, "You know, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the whole East Coast."
The concept of the Trinity can be quite confusing, even to those raised in the church. Bruce L. Shelley, in his book Christian Theology in Plain Language, explains it this way:
Within his own mysterious being God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The designations are just ways in which God is God. Within the Godhead there are three "persons" who are neither three Gods nor three parts of God, but coequally and coeternally God.
God is God. When Moses asked God His name, He simply replied, “I AM WHO I AM”.
How else can you describe someone so incredibly more than just a person, the most powerful being in existence, the Creator of all there is? We simply do not have the words, nor the imagination. But someday, when we stand before Him, then we will see, and know Him for Who He truly IS.
While He still walked among us, Jesus promised that the Father would send His Spirit to us, to be our constant Companion and Guide. Like I said, today is one week after the fulfillment of that promise on Pentecost.
Today is also Trinity Sunday, when we recognize and celebrate God in His three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We affirmed that belief this morning through the Nicene Creed.
Now I know that some folks struggle with the concept of the three Persons of God, but I like to compare it to a normal person. Let’s take the example of Joe Doaks. Let’s say Joe is a Sergeant in the North Carolina State Patrol. In that job, Joe has certain tasks to do and a responsibility not only over a group of troopers but to the state and her people, too. Joe is also a husband, with definite responsibilities to his wife and duties he must perform in that role. And lastly, Joe is a father, with a family to support. Each of those roles are quite different in nature and responsibility, but each are handled by one person: Joe, although we can hope not all at the same time.
So it is with God, in a very simplified way. He is out heavenly Father, adopting believers into His great family, watching over them, providing for their needs, loving them no matter what. He is the Son of God, who came to live among us as one of us, to be the Spotless Lamb, sacrificed so that our sins might be forgiven and our lives redeemed, who someday will return to judge the world. He is the Spirit of God living within us, always there for us, guiding us, nudging us in the way we should go, praying for us when the words just will not come. Each role is different, but all handled by the one true God, and all at the same time.
I believe the Apostle Paul also gives us a nice glimpse into how the three Persons of God interact with us in our relationship with God.
The church in Rome, predominantly Gentile in membership, was already well established and widely known when Paul was in Corinth. He was anxious to minister to the church, so he wrote them a letter to serve as an introduction before his visit, that he unfortunately never got to make until it was in chains under arrest. This letter was a little more formal than most, probably because he wanted to share the doctrine of justification by faith to them, to better prepare them for what they would learn later.
Please listen to what Paul wrote to the Romans in chapter 5 of this letter, verses 1 through 5…
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
--Romans 5:1-5 (NKJV)
By our faith and belief, we have peace with God through Jesus. Faith is a gift from our loving Father because we believe in Jesus as His Son and accept Him as our Lord. It is our faith that gives us the strength and courage to face the trials and tribulations that come our way, to persevere and build character, to fill our beings with a hope that does not and will not disappoint.
The love of our heavenly Father has been proven by the sacrifice of His Son on our behalf, and by the pouring of His own Spirit into our hearts.
In our scripture reading from the 16th chapter of John’s Gospel account, Jesus told His followers of the coming of God’s Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. But this wasn’t the first time Jesus spoke of this approaching event.
A little earlier, John recorded Jesus once again speaking to His disciples, foretelling of what was soon to happen. Please listen to the words Jesus spoke as saved for us by John in the 14th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 25 and 26…
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
--John 14:25-26 (NKJV)
Because Jesus will ask it, our Father God will send His Holy Spirit to be our Helper. He will teach us what we can understand, and remind us of what Jesus said to us. Jesus promised it, and it was fulfilled, starting at Pentecost and continuing even today, with each person who truly accepts Jesus as Lord receiving God’s very own Holy Spirit.
The one true God is so much more than we mere mortals could ever understand or explain. But we can relate to the Father, the Son, and the Spirit of life. We are loved by our Father, washed clean of our sin by the blood of His Son, and baptized with the Holy Spirit of God, who lives within us.
I believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, and in the Holy Spirit, our Guide and Companion. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, thank You for so great a love that You would accept us unconditionally, adopt us into Your own divine family simply because we believe in Jesus as Your Son and accept Him as our Lord and Master. By Your love we are shown mercy and given faith, that we may be washed clean by the blood of Jesus and so live forever with You in paradise. Thank You, Father, for Your great mercy and grace. Father, sometimes we lose sight of how important each of Your three Persons is in our lives. Sometimes we will listen to our friends or supposed world authorities while ignoring the urgings of Your Holy Spirit within us. Forgive us, Father, when our relationship with You suffers from these failings. Forgive us when we mistake worldly wisdom for truth. Please continue to guide us and remind us of what is truly important to You, and therefore to us. And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.
Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…
Lord Jesus, You are God’s Son. You have been with Him since before time began and will be with Him for all eternity, long after time ceases. Thank You, Jesus, for giving of Your mortal Self so that we might also live forever with You in all Your glory in our heavenly Father’s kingdom. Through You and by God’s mercy, we are baptized by the Holy Spirit who makes His home within us, to be our Guide and our Companion until You return. Thank You for so great a gift. Please, Lord, forgive us when we fail to carry out the mission You gave us. Help us be better witnesses to the truth You brought to mankind. Remind us that our relationship with God is brought to full life through our interactions with all three of His Persons. Show us how we can better serve You. And Lord Jesus, please heal the hurts that separate and divide us. Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through. Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on what this life might offer. This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior. Amen.
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