Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 26th of May, 2024 - Trinity Sunday.  A recording of our service should be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams.

Additional note:  Today's service included the recognition of our scholarship winners and of all our graduates, and the receiving of two returning members back into our church family.  And again, the editor will not let me change text color. <sigh>]

Family, today is Trinity Sunday, when we recognize and celebrate the Three Persons of God.  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  This has already been a long, jam-packed service, so I’ll keep this as brief as I can, letting our Father speak mostly through His inspired scripture.

And since this is Trinity Sunday, I chose scripture that tells of a time when the Son of God is speaking to a man of God about the Spirit of God and of God the Father sending His Son.  So please listen and follow along as I read from the 3rd chapter of the Apostle John’s Gospel account, verses 1 through 21, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

--John 3:1-21 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, we thank You for making Yourself available and accessible to us in three distinct persons.  Each of Your persons provides a different and needed perspective for us.  As the Father, You comfort us and care for us and provide for all our needs.  As the Son, You redeem us of our sin and will come again some day to call us home and to judge the whole world.  And as the Holy Spirit, You live in us and join with our spirit to encourage us and strengthen us and guide us through this life.  Sadly though, Father, not everyone believes in You, they can’t accept any of Your three persons, and so they condemn themselves.  Satan is hard at work in this world, keeping people blind to the truth.  Please help us reach out to the non-believers of the world, sharing the Good News of salvation through Jesus.  Help us show Your love to all we encounter.  And please forgive us when we hesitate to serve You when we have no real reason not to.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand Your message today.  Thank You for being our Father.  Thank You for Your Son.  And thank You for Your Holy Spirit.  Help us share Your love with all the world.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

A little girl walks up to the preacher one Sunday after the service dragging her younger brother by the hand along with her.  She implores of the pastor, "Could you please straighten my stupid brother out?  He has the Holy Trinity mixed up with Larry, Moe, and Curly Joe."

I don’t believe I’ve ever heard anyone confuse the Holy Trinity with the Three Stooges, but in this world anything is possible.  Many people have trouble understanding the concept of three persons in one.  But I like to look at it as being three roles, three areas of responsibility, filling three different needs.

For instance, a man can be a father, seeing to the needs of his family, providing care and comfort for them as best he can.  At the same time, he can be a fireman or policeman or first responder, risking his life to save others.  And he can also be an Elder in his church, helping others with their spiritual needs, strengthening their faith, encouraging them in their personal ministries.

This is how the Almighty God gives of Himself for His creation.  He provides for us, redeems us, guides us.  All praise and glory to God our Father, God the Son Jesus, and God the most Holy Spirit.  Amen.

We all know John 3:16.  It’s the most well known, often repeated verse in the Bible.  People of all faiths, and of no faith, of all walks in life, know this verse.  They may not believe it, but they know it.  But I bet few know why Jesus spoke those words, or to whom, or all the rest of the scripture surrounding that one verse.

Nicodemus knew about Jesus.  He’d heard about the mighty deeds this teacher had performed and the words He’d spoken.  Nicodemus may have even witnessed Jesus in action.  He certainly knew enough to acknowledge that Jesus came from God.  And we know that eventually, Nicodemus became a believer and follower of Jesus, although a secret believer for he kept his position as a leader among the Pharisees.

So he is granted a chance to speak with Jesus and immediately our Lord confuses the poor man.  Jesus does go on to explain that one must be reborn of the Holy Spirit to gain entry into heaven.  And we know that the Holy Spirit comes to us when we accept Jesus as our Lord.  This is the rebirth Jesus spoke of, baptism by God’s Spirit.

During this conversation, Jesus even foretold His own role, that He must be lifted up, like the serpent was lifted up by Moses so that the people could be healed and saved.  Jesus must be lifted up, on the cross, so that all people might be healed of their sin and saved.

And then Jesus tells of the loving Father, who sent His only Son into the world to offer it salvation.  Jesus did not come to condemn us – He didn’t need to.  We condemn ourselves by our disbelief.  He came to save us, to shine the light of truth into the darkness.  And yet, so many love the darkness and shun the light, because they think the darkness hides their sin.

This brief conversation describes the Father who loves us, the Son who redeems us, and the Spirit who gives us new life.

Now I think we can agree that we owe God a lot, in each of His Three Persons.  And not just for what He provides in earthly, worldly goods and services, not just what we receive in the flesh.  The Apostle Paul – who was given great insight into the truth by none other than Jesus – speaks of God’s Three Persons and our debt to Him.  Hear what Paul wrote in chapter 8 of his letter to the church in Rome, verses 12 through 17…

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

--Romans 8:12-17 (NKJV)

God’s own Spirit encourages us to call God “Abba”, Father.  “Abba” is actually a little more familiar term for our male parent, closer to what we might say as “Dad”, or “Daddy”.  And it is indeed comforting to think of the all-powerful, all-knowing God, the Creator of all the universe, as “Daddy”.

But we do owe a great debt to our heavenly Father, to His Son and our Brother Jesus, and to the Holy Spirit, for without them we would be forever lost and doomed.  So let us rejoice and celebrate all three persons of God, giving thanks for what They have given us.  In the blessed name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much that You not only sent Your only Son to die for us and atone for our sin, but then You sent Your own Holy Spirit to live within us and be our constant helper and companion.  You comfort us and provide for us.  Jesus redeems us and shows us the truth.  And the Spirit guides us and speaks for us when we can’t find the words.  We owe You so very much for all Your loving kindness.  Sadly though, Father, we don’t always show our gratitude.  We too often fail to do as we are commanded.  We’re too timid, too shy, too afraid to approach someone and tell them about Jesus.  Please forgive us these times, Father.  Help us share the Gospel message.  Help us take up the work Jesus gave us.  And as we do so, please help us be more forgiving, more merciful in our dealings with others.  And Father, guide us around any pitfalls in this life and strengthen our spirits to do Your will.  And please help us do a better job of sharing Jesus with others so that they too may be saved by Your mercy and His sacrifice.  

Father, please shield us from Satan as he attacks our faith, trying to make us his own.  Help us be better servants, glorifying You in all we do so that the world can see You in us, through our deeds, in how we live.  And help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things, no matter what the world throws at us or holds out before us.

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 came to redeem us of our sin and then You left us to return to heaven so that God’s Holy Spirit could come to be with us for the rest of our lives.  This is all part of our loving Father’s will that we never be alone.  As we walk through this life, please help us understand that all that happens around us is part of God’s plan.  Help us work for change where You want change, and help us accept what must be left as is.  Help us be more understanding, more merciful, more giving and forgiving of others, knowing that this is our Father’s will for us.  Help us reach out to the non-believing world with the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.  Give us the words to say, show us what to do to help bring the lost to You.

Lord Jesus, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations and all the false teachings.  Help us fend off his attacks.  Please help us be faithful and true to You, putting all our trust in You, all our hope in You.  Heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.