Trinity Series - Sermon #4

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
God the Father

My father has dementia. That is a shame for so many reasons, but one of the reasons is because he always had such a quick mind. He was a funny man. No, let me rephrase that – he is a funny man. He still has his sense of humor. He also was a great singer. He especially loved singing with his granddaughter, who is my daughter, Autumn. One day at lunch, Autumn asked my dad of all the songs that he had sung through the years what his favorite song was. He said that his favorite song of all time was I Feed my Baby Onions So I Can Find Her in the Dark. When we quit laughing, Autumn asked him what his second favorite song was. He said, “When that’s your number one, you don’t need a number two.”

You know, I think God has a good sense of humor. I also tend to think that He likes music. While there is biblical support for both assertions, I guess the main reason I think about God that way is because that’s the way my father is. We tend to do that, you know – project the image of our earthly fathers onto God the Father. If our fathers were fun and free-spirited, that is most likely the way we see our heavenly Father. If our earthly fathers were overbearing and controlling, that’s how God is to us. If our fathers were absent, where is God when you need Him?

But, God is not like our human fathers. Now, if we are very blessed, our earthly fathers are godly, or – like God. Our heavenly Father, though, is the perfect Father. And this morning, we are blessed to think about the one we call the first Person of the Trinity – God the Father.

At the end of the message today, we will read from Matthew 6 and marvel at our perfect Father. We must look first, though, into the role that God the Father has in the Trinity and why it is we call Him the first Person of the Trinity. Our text, today, is Ephesians 1:3-14. There is much truth here that we will not pursue because our focus is on God the Father’s position in the Trinity and His work in relation to the Son and the Spirit, and His work in our lives. There will be no trouble spotting those truths in this text and in several more I will mention today. As we read, look for all three Persons of the Trinity. Would you please stand as we read from God’s Word, Ephesians 1:3-14? (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4 even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love
5 He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will,
6 to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,
8 which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
9 making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ
10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.

I cannot emphasize enough just how important this week’s Home Fellowship study is. There is so much – and much in the way of application of this truth about God the Father – that we will not possibly be able to cover this morning. If you are not attending a Home Fellowship, you can find the notes for this week’s lesson on my blog – next week. Everything there is a week behind. If you regularly attend a Home Fellowship and can’t be there this week or if you don’t attend but you want those notes while this message is fresh on your mind, e-mail me and I will send you a copy of the notes that will be published next week on the blog.

This morning we begin talking about the Persons of the Trinity. Though God is one, He is three Persons. Today we are going to focus on God the Father, the first Person of the Trinity.

Now, if God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are coequal and coeternal, why we would label them as first Person, second Person, and third Person? Is Jesus as much God as the Father? Is the Holy Spirit as much God as the other two? Yes. Then, why the order? Well, some shy away from doing so today, but it is not incorrect to identify them this way because, Scripture presents a very clear order within the Trinity. There is tremendous love and respect among the Persons of the Trinity – and we will cover that before this series is over – but each has His particular role to play and there is order, which includes authority and submission.

Did you pick up the clear references to all three Persons of the Trinity in our text? Did you also notice the priority given to the Father as the architect of our redemption? Next week we will talk about the preeminence of Christ – He is, after all, the centerpiece of history. He is so, though, because it is the Father’s good pleasure for Him to be in the spotlight. It is the Father, in our text, who is at the beginning of all that is good for us and in the end, He rightly receives glory.

Ephesians 1 is often used to make a point about election. It is, indeed, a good text for that purpose. But, may I encourage you to put aside those theological ruminations as we work our way through this text and instead, concentrate on the blessings of God’s calling on your life? If you have trusted Jesus as your Savior, you are the apple of His eye. Focus on the blessing of election, adoption, and redemption, all part of the Father’s plan for you in Jesus.

It is the Father who is the author of these blessings to us. (vv 3-6) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as HE (the Father) chose us in Him (Jesus) before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” It was God the Father who planned that we should become His children, who blessed us in Christ, which means that He sent Jesus to die for us. It was the Father’s design that we become holy and blameless, something we have no hope of doing on our own.

We often speak of how much Jesus loved us by going to the cross for us. That is so very true! It is also true that God’s Word often tells of God the Father’s love in sending Jesus to die in order that we might have eternal life. It seems like there is a verse that starts off, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. . .” Have you ever heard that one? :)

Then, according to the purpose of His will, God the Father adopted us as His children through Jesus Christ. Praise His name! Praise His glorious grace! He has blessed us greatly in the Beloved – in Jesus! What a loving Father!
God the Father’s plan provides for our redemption through the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice. (vv 7-10) What is the significance of this statement? If you were not here last week, you should get the disc from last week or listen online to Law Professor Jim McLaughlin’s clear explanation of why it was necessary for Jesus to die and absorb the Father’s righteous wrath, even though Jesus is every bit as much God as the Father is. Jesus often said that He had come at the direction and pleasure of His Father, and He did only that which His Father directed Him, through the Spirit, to do. It was the Father’s plan to lavish His grace upon us and to reveal the secret plan of salvation that is now known to us, but is a mystery, nonetheless.

A lot of people spend their lives hoping that they will get lucky with the lottery or in Vegas or that a previously unknown relative will die and leave them a large sum of money. The inheritance we have in Jesus (vv 11-12) is astounding beyond imagination, but when we understand the power and majesty and wisdom of God the Father, especially with regard to His plan of salvation through Jesus, it really should not be that much of a surprise. We can do little more than marvel at the Father’s goodness to us – bringing us into His family, cleaning us up and making us worthy to be in His presence, a promise that we have for all eternity!

And it is no empty promise. (vv 13-14) If it was not enough that the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins, He also sent the Holy Spirit to guarantee that He is not a whimsical God who will change His mind about our place in His family. When we believe in Jesus, He seals us with the Holy Spirit – a seal, by the way, that cannot be broken. He gives the Holy Spirit as a non-refundable down payment, or deposit, of our salvation and inheritance. No wonder we praise Him so!

God the Father is the chief architect and instigator of our salvation. He sent the Son and the Holy Spirit as agents of His plan. He exercises authority over them, even though they are 100% God, just as the Father is. And, there is not a hint of jealousy or rebellion from Jesus and the Holy Spirit, only loving submission to the Father’s plan. This truth is proclaimed over and over and over in the New Testament. If you will look for it, you will see it everywhere.

If you attend a Home Fellowship, a few weeks ago you spent time in John 14-16 where Jesus’ last instructions to His disciples before His crucifixion were given. Chapter 17 records Jesus’ prayer to the Father in which we discover even more about the Father’s relationship with Jesus and with us, His children. Jesus’ lesson for His disciples that night was about the Trinity. I want to take a few minutes and talk about the Father’s role with regard to Jesus and with regard to us. I will give you a list for each with references – you may want to write these down and take a look at them later – we will not take time to read these verses, but I wish you would write them down and investigate them on your own. If you will, I am confident that your understanding of the Trinity will grow. All of the verses are from the Gospel of John.

First, with regard to Jesus, the Father:

Ø hands all things over to the Son (13:3; 17:2)
Ø has sent Jesus (13:20; 15:21; 16:5, 28, 30)
Ø glorifies Jesus (13:31, 32, 17:1, 5, 22)
Ø reveals Himself through the Son (14:6-11; 17:6, 11)
Ø is in Jesus (14:10-11, 20)
Ø instructs Him what to say and do (14:24, 31; 15:10, 15)
Ø grants His requests (14:16)
Ø is greater than Jesus (14:28)
Ø loves Jesus (15:9; 17:23, 26)
Ø gives people to Him (17:6, 9)
Ø is one with Jesus (17:10, 11, 21-22)

In order to give those who are writing time to get this list on paper, I want to read one of the passages referred to in this list – John 14:6-11: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.’ Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does His works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”

Did you catch that Jesus said, “I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does His works?” Jesus recognized the Father’s authority and submitted to it. But, God the Father works in our lives, also. Let’s consider how He works with regard to believers. Once again, all of these verses come from John’s Gospel and were spoken by Jesus to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion and these are all promises about the Father’s relationship with His children.

Ø there is adequate space for them in His house (14:2)
Ø He will send the Holy Spirit to them (14:16, 26; 15:26)
Ø He will love His children (14:21, 23; 16:27)
Ø He will come and stay with them (14:23)
Ø He will care for them in order that they may bear more fruit (15:2)
Ø He will grant their requests (15:16; 16:23)
Ø He will protect them from the evil one (17:15)
Ø He will enable them to be one (17:21-22)

We are getting just a glimpse of God the Father this morning. There is a little more to come, but the real application will come at the Home Fellowships this week. If you cannot get there, then let me encourage you next week – not this coming week, but next week – take a look at my blog, which you can access through our church’s website.

Before we finish with one closing thought, I wanted to read a passage from Matthew’s Gospel in which Jesus tells us of our heavenly Father’s tender care for us. We will look at Matthew 6:24-34 in the New Living Translation as Jesus speaks at the Sermon on the Mount:

25 So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn’t life consist of more than food and clothing?
26 Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than they are.
27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not.
28 And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,
29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.
30 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t He more surely care for you? You have so little faith!
31 So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing.
32 Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs,
33 and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
34 So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

We were not naturally the children of this loving and caring heavenly Father. When we trusted Jesus as our Savior, we were brought into His family. We were adopted as His sons and daughters. Adopted!

Years ago, a young mother sent a note to a national magazine telling about a visit with her parents. Here is what she said: “I stayed with my parents for several days after the birth of our first child. One afternoon, I remarked to my mother that it was surprising our baby had dark hair, since both my husband and I are fair. She said, ‘Well, your daddy has black hair.’ ‘But Mama, that doesn’t matter because I’m adopted.’ With an embarrassed smile, she said the most wonderful words I’ve ever heard: ‘I always forget.’”

Let’s pray.