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Muskegon SDA Church

The Doctrine of God

Kameron DeVasher

The Trinity, Part 1 (The Trinity in the Old Testament)

We're studying this quarter, in fact all year we've been studying certain aspects about God, but this time for this quarter we want to actually study God Himself as a being.

What does it mean when we say the word God?

Particularly Father and Son and Holy Spirit, these different persons, what does it all entail?

And we're going to roll up our sleeves and do a pretty in-depth study of that this quarter.

And today our message is entitled, Come Let Us, and if you notice in parentheses, to Trinity Part 1.

And I was preparing these originally, I had 2 parts to the Trinity series I believe we're gonna expand that to 3 But I figured someone would question only 2 parts to a Trinity series to come on you got after 3 sermons so We're gonna have 3 messages on the Trinity and then move on from that to each Individual member of the Godhead God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and breaking down what Scripture does or doesn't say about these 3 persons of the Godhead.

I'm gonna have an extended introduction today to this message and this series to set the platform for the next several messages.

I would prefer not to be rushed and if I try to cram it into 1 or 2 sermons I'm going to be frustrated and you're going to be sitting there too long and things are going to get said too fast and I'll get emails.

So we don't want any of those things happening.

But in the Seventh-davening Christian Church as a whole, but even in the Seventh-davening Church in particular, there has been recent agitation on the question of the nature of God, particularly about the Trinity or things like the personhood of the Holy Spirit or the divinity or humanity of Christ or the personality of God the Father.

All these different questions are kind of humming around and there's a somewhat significant portion of people inside even the Seventh-Davening Church who are sincerely questioning the concept of the Trinity.

Is this a biblical construct or is it just a tradition of men?

Or yet worse, is it even a part of the wine of Babylon that we're drinking into the pure remnant faith?

The word, for instance, you'll hear things like, well, you know the word Trinity is not in the Bible.

Adventist pioneers, argument number 2, were overwhelmingly anti-Trinitarian, Which is true, they were.

Some would, as I said, even see it as evidence of a move back to Babylon, Catholicism polluting the purity of the remnant faith.

As we begin to discuss this issue, as with every other issue, we need to recognize the limitations of language.

Again, all of this is preliminary, setting a foundation and introduction to our message today.

There's a difficulty, and sometimes even a danger, in language in that it's limited.

Same word can mean different things to different people.

The classic example I like to use is, you know, a child with snack.

And we're both excited, but for different reasons, over the same word.

And the same way the trinity, the term trinity, can mean different things to different people.

But you're using the same language, and you're getting frustrated.

Though you're using the same word, you're saying different meanings.

So we want to break that apart as much as possible.

We have to respect and understand that there's only so much that language can do for us.

We're limited in the fact that we have these words.

And we go back to that idea, well, the word Trinity is not found in the Bible, and that is true.

However, neither are the terms millennium, incarnation, heterosexual monogamy, or investigative judgment.

Yet we have no problem affirming those biblical doctrines because those teachings, even if those specific terms are not employed, the teachings themselves are clearly set forth through the whole of the Bible.

Everything we know about the nature of God, the person of God, His being, comes to us from what God Himself has revealed in His Word.

And I want to emphasize the importance of this.

When we talk about any issue, any issue at all, but particularly 1 that might be debatable or just dialogue might erupt.

When something could be a touchy issue, we need to be sure to use all of Scripture and no more than Scripture.

All of Scripture and no more than Scripture.

We need to go with what God has revealed.

That's why we had Brother Emelander come and present a message on the importance of Scripture.

Because that is our framework for every position of doctrine or practice in our lives must be what does the Word of God say.

And we need to understand how we know what we know.

Everything as Christians that we know about God is revealed by God to us in his word.

Thus, and here's your hundred dollar word for the day, what we're talking about is epistemology.

Already some of you are like, all right, these are big words, I'm done.

Epistemology is simply the study of how you know the stuff you know.

There are certain things that I've been trying to teach my son that he yet does not know, but I know they're in there.

He just won't get it out right, you know.

123, 04:11, 12:13, just skips right past 567, but I know they're in there when I count out to 5, like, oh yeah, he can say it back, but he's not coming out right.

However, there are other things that he, though I've sat there and tried to teach him, 1234567, Nothing there.

On the other hand, there are certain things that he knows I have no idea how he came up with it.

The other day we were riding in a vehicle, and he looks out the side and he sees the shadow of the vehicle against the road or the landscape beside us, and he was moving right along, and he says, look, the shadow of our car is moving with us.

And I've never sat down and taught him with concepts of light and shadow and how you obstruct something and an eclipse is beyond, but somehow he just inherent, some picked it up.

I don't know how he picked up the language, somehow.

How do we know the things that we think we know?

Too many Christians know stuff that they don't particularly know from here.

They might, oh, everybody knows that, it's just common sense, or I grew up thinking that, or I believe this, you know.

For instance, the idea of an eternal burning hell.

It's just common knowledge to most Christians.

And this is why the Bible instructs us to test how many things, all things, and hold fast to that which is good.

The filter for all knowledge, especially the knowledge of God, is in His own Word.

So we have to understand what the Word says and don't go beyond it and don't limit it less than that.

As Bible-believing Seventh-day Adventists, Or we should at least, as Bible believe being 7th day Adventists, arrive at truth by affirming what the scripture actually says, not by merely rejecting what other churches happen to teach.

For instance, if there's a doctrine that is held by some other church, we don't say, hey, we're gonna be different from them, so we're just not gonna believe that.

For instance, take the Roman Catholic Church.

People will say, well, I'm against the Trinity because that's a Catholic doctrine.

But Catholics, for instance, believe in the existence of God.

Because they teach it, we have to be against it, and our goal is to be different.

Friends, our goal as Christians, as Bible-believing Christians, is not to be different.

So whatever the Word says, we want to go there, and anything that goes beyond the Word, we want to stop there.

The Trinity, Part 2 (The Trinity in the New Testament)

This quarter we're studying not just something about God or something that God does, but who God actually is, the very nature of God, the essence and being of what makes God, God, the doctrine of God.

In this particular part of the series, we started last week with part 1 of the Trinity, come let us.

We found that phrasing rooted in the Old Testament scripture.

And today we continue on with that same examination of the Trinity doctrine.

We're going to be going to Genesis chapter 1 in just a moment, so I want to give you a heads up so you can start going there yourselves.

Hopefully every text that we go to is a text you can go to as well.

But just as a quick form of review, what we saw outlined in the Old Testament alluded to, hinted at, strongly suggested a Trinity, though there is no statement in the Old Testament talking about Father and Son and Holy Spirit.

But it does whittle us down from the, remember that spectrum of belief about God, from atheism of no belief in God to pantheism on this side where everything is God.

That what the Bible teaches is that God, though being 1 God, is in plural, and we're going to see today specifically, 3 persons of the Godhead.

And so last Sabbath we looked at that from the Old Testament.

And again, you're not going to find that boom, boom, boom, God the Father, God the Son, the Holy, but you see, for instance, starting with Genesis 1, let us, then we go to the Tower of Babel, let us go down and then there's holy, holy, holy, there's reference to plurality, even the word God, Elohim, is not a rigid singularity, but it's a unity of beings.

And so we want to explore that further into God's Word as we go now into the New Testament.

But of course, before we do any study of God's Word, we need to start with a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, thank you for this beautiful day.

Thank you that it's a Sabbath day and thank you that we can fellowship together.

And now as we study your word, we ask that your Holy Spirit be sent.

The same 1 that inspired its writing to now inspire our understanding and our thinking, guide our minds to see God more clearly.

So again, we're in Genesis chapter 1, and just as a quick form of review, the Bible in the very first book, the very first chapter, the very first verse, starts this explanation of God.

In fact, it doesn't, it just starts stating things about God.

It introduces us to God right off the bat, which of course the Bible should do that.

It's God's book about himself and it says right there, Genesis chapter 1 and verse 1, in the beginning whom God, and what's the, did what, what's the action verb?

You see, you're introduced to God as a creator and as he creates something in his image we got under verse 26 we find this then God said Let us make man in our image.

And of course he makes man as male and female, a plurality which in Genesis chapter 2 would come together as 1 flesh, yet be 2 distinct persons.

And he said that is in the image of us, that is who we are, and us as God, as God singular, 1 what God, but plural whose, let us.

So we're introduced in scripture in the Old Testament to God as creator and plural.

Of course, the New Testament starts with 4 parallel books of the Bible, each introducing us to God made flesh, Jesus Christ, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and then John.

In the beginning of John's gospel, here at the beginning of the New Testament, introducing us once again to God, notice the striking similarities to the introduction of God in the Old Testament.

Again, the Old Testament starts with God as Creator saying, let us make man in our image, plurality.

In the beginning, where do you think he lifted that phrase?

From Genesis chapter 1, and from the beginning, that's right.

In the beginning was the Word, capital W, and of course all the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are introducing us not to just God in a general sense but specifically the Son of God Jesus Christ and here he calls him the Word.

In the beginning was the Word and notice this now and the Word was with God so if you stop right there you would have God over here and you'd have the Word And they're together, they're with each other.

In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, but then the next statement says, and the word was God.

So already, there's, what you have is an introduction to God as plural yet at the same time 1.

I'm sorry verse 2 he was with God in the beginning, verse 3, all things were made through him and without him nothing was made that has been made.

Here in the New Testament introducing us to God, we had the same formula as we had in the Old Testament introducing us to God.

Let us, God was with, he was with God and was God at the same time.

Both Testaments of Scripture open up with an introduction of God with the same 3 characteristics.

There's God, and he's a creator, and he works as a plural.

Matthew chapter 3, at the beginning of his gospel, as he introduces Jesus, in fact, as Jesus is being introduced in his life in his public ministry, because you recall that Jesus was not just born as a fully mature adult, He was born as a baby, grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man.

At a certain point in the fulfillment of time, he stepped forth and began his public works.

And Here at his baptism, the Gospel of Matthew records what happens.

When he had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him." Now, I'm not going to try to break this down too much, but I want to make it clear.

And the Spirit was in the form of a dove, and it came down from heaven, and it alighted upon him.

Open heaven, dove came down, lights on him.

Now, verse 17, and suddenly a voice came from where?

So the dove, heaven's opened up, the dove descends and the light, so there was, apparently there was God in heaven, the Spirit of God, but comes down in the form and lands on Christ.

So here we have Christ in the water, comes up out of the water, the Spirit comes down and connects with him, a light's on his shoulder, but apparently up in heaven something God is still going on, correct?

And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.

Now, by implication, if that was his son, who is that 1?

So you have the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit all present at the same time, at the same place, yet individuals doing different roles, having different responsibilities, okay, all with the same task, all the same purpose, but each doing a different aspect of that chore.

So you have 3 distinct beings and what's fascinating about this is here we have another introduction.

Here Christ is being introduced in his life, in his public ministry, and once again you have God as plural.

Now go to the other end of Matthew, chapter 28.

At the conclusion of Jesus' ministry on earth, I want to be careful to always say Jesus' ministry on earth.

It definitely was not the conclusion of Jesus' ministry.

Jesus is still ministering in the heavenly sanctuary, amen?

But at the close of his earthly ministry, just like in the beginning of his earthly ministry, he begins it with baptism and you have the plurality of God and now not just eluded at with us, now we have distinct.

There's the voice in heaven, there's the double lighting, there's the Son in the water, you have 3, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And now look what Jesus does as he's ready to go back into heaven to continue his ministry there, people are supposed to continue his ministry on earth in his behalf.

And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them.

Now, by the way, why did Christ need to be baptized?

It's for an example for those who would be baptized, right?

Baptizing them, and how does he say to do it?

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The Trinity, Part 3 (Adventism and Trinitarianism)

I want to review with you because today we're going to be wrapping up our part 3 on the Trinity.

And we're taking our time on this concept because I want us to have a pretty broad, solid foundation for our faith on this particular topic.

And if you recall, we started off talking about how some people today are prone to reject a belief in the Trinity for reasons such as, well, the Bible never uses the word.

But the counter to that is but the Bible clearly teaches the concept of the Trinity and we walked through the Old Testament and the New Testament seeing reference after reference what's alluded to or hinted at in the Old Testament and is made much more explicit in the New Testament.

In the Old Testament you have the very beginning of Scripture with Genesis chapter 1, let us make man in our image.

You have the Tower of Babel, come let us go down, and undo their work, of course.

You have other times where God is speaking and he says, who will go for us?

You have the very interesting thing I find very interesting is Sodom and Gomorrah when the destruction came, the Lord was down on the ground and it says that the Lord rained fire from the Lord from heaven.

So you have the Lord in 2 places yet doing 1 activity.

Of course, even our scripture reading today, the inferences, they're singing to the Lord and they say, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.

All of that is an inference in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament, it becomes much more explicit.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Somehow you can be God and with God at the same time.

You have the concepts of when the apostles would sign off their letters, you know, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

You see, especially in the baptisms, and I say baptisms plural, Christ's baptism, he was of course the Son of God on earth, the Holy Spirit like a dove alights on him, and the voice of God comes from heaven saying, this is my son.

You have all 3 members of the Godhead doing the same activity, but each having a different role in that activity.

And then when Christ sends out his apostles, he says, go make more.

Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

So what is alluded to in the Old Testament is made much more explicit in the New Testament.

And 1 other thought I wanted to interject here that we didn't talk about before, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

1 way, not the only way, of course, but 1 way that you can tell, a good kind of a litmus test, a little rule of thumb as to whether something is on or off.

If Satan's trying to counterfeit it, it must be based on something that's true.

For example, you've heard that you never see counterfeit $7 bills, because there's no original $7 bill.

So when you go and do this real quick, I know this is just preliminary but go to revelation 13 And I want to show you something fascinating Revelation has you know The great end time battle between Christ and Satan is is listed out there and everything that God has true Satan has a counterfeit God has a true city Satan has a true city God has a false city counterfeit God has a a true day of worship Satan has his counterfeit day of worship.

And you see it just as there is Jesus Christ, there is the Antichrist.

And just as Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, the Antichrist has his day, you know, that wants the world to wander after.

And in Revelation 13, you see, interestingly enough, we're not going to go through it exhaustively, but in chapter 13, it starts off with the beast from the sea, then it moves to the beast from the earth, right?

So you have the dragon and the beast from the sea, and then the beast from the earth is the spokesman for the beast from the sea.

So you have the dragon, the beast, and what's going to be the false prophet.

And go to Revelation chapter 16 now, verse 13.

Again, Satan's counterfeits of God's truth.

And I saw 3 unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

And it's almost as though the Lord said, baptized in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, in the name of the Holy Spirit, and out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the...

It's almost everything that God does correct, that he does, because everything he does is correct to start with, everything God does, Satan counterfeits to peel off allegiance to himself.

So wherever Satan has a counterfeit, you should know that God has a corresponding truth.

Okay, so if Satan has gone so far as to counterfeit a Trinity, Does it not infer that there is a legitimate triune God that's original?

Yet despite what I, and hopefully many of you along with me, regard as incredibly solid biblical evidence for a triune God, 1 God in 3 persons.

Early Adventist pioneers were staunchly anti-Trinitarian.

This is why we have 3 messages on this, because I wanted to pull it more closely to our time and see the relevance for today.

But before we dive into the study of the Word and history, let's bow our heads for a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, Lord, I ask that you Bless us now.

Open our hearts to be soft, open our minds to be sharp.

Teach us the lessons you want us to know, for we pray it in Jesus' name, amen.

With such strong biblical evidence, as we've reviewed for several weeks now, why would our Adventist pioneers write, not just personally hold but be adamant against, staunchly, vigorously, vehemently anti-Trinitarian?

And again, this is 1 of those things that I have seen personally Seventh-day Adventists get caught up into even today.

They will say things like, well the Bible never says Trinity and did you know?

And usually when someone says, did you know?

That's never gonna be a fun conversation.

But that Our Adventist pioneers were completely against the Trinity as well.

Even in our publications, the Review and Herald, the Science of the Times, they would write out their objections to the Trinity.

And here we are in 2013, or whenever they're having this discussion with you, and they will say, our church now teaches the Trinity.

Therefore, this is evidence that we are in apostasy.

Let me address some of these things just because part of my job apparently is to help shepherd the flock and guide.

Sometimes, given the end time scenario that we have and the weight of biblical evidence and the wonderful blessing of the Spirit of Prophecy, We're very head knowledge people.

And sometimes we can get so looking for this and looking for that that we start wandering off the path.

We get so, we're driving down the path so fast that we just jump the tracks all together.

And conspiracy theory starts being very, very appealing.

Like as soon as, ooh, I found an inside knowledge, I'm going to hunt down that.

We were on the truth, but the next shiny thing showed up, and we're off after it.

And this has become 1 of the most recent ones I've seen floating around the social media just in the last few weeks.

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