Sermon Tone Analysis

* *

Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn 1:9)

 

 

You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with the Holy Spirit and ready to learn Truth from the Word of God.

 

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth," (John 4:24)

* *

* *

*            THE EXISTENCE OF GOD*

 

       THE BIBLE DOES NOT SEEK TO PROVE the existence of God; it assumes it to be true.

Only the fool denies His existence.

(Psa 14:1) Both the Scriptures and the operational Divine laws’ attest to the fact of a Supreme Being.

Likewise, the Doctrine of the Trinity and the Doctrine of Divine essence are well-defined throughout the Word of God.

Although the word Trinity itself is not found in Scripture, it best expresses the threefold personality of God.

Divine essence is the description of the characteristics which belong to all three members of the Godhead.

God is declared in many passages to be One God; (Exo 20:3; Deut 6:4; 1Ti 2:5-6) but the Bible no less clearly reveals that there are three to whom all the attributes of Divine essence are ascribed: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

(Isa 48:16; Mat 28:19; 2Co 13:14; 1Pe 1:2) To deny the existence of the three members of the Trinity is to deny the credibility of Scripture itself.

However, it is not my purpose to embark upon any lengthy arguments to establish proof of this fact, but to present the facts in as simple a manner as possible.

Before we can begin, we must first of all recognize that man has certain limitations in dealing with the subject of God or in perceiving Spiritual phenomena.

There are only three systems of human perception: rationalism, empiricism, and faith.

Everything you have ever learned has been through one of these three systems or a combination of them.

Rationalism simply means that the mind is the criterion for reality.

This is perception through reason.

Empiricism brings the sensory system into the picture — perception through observation and experimentation.

This is the scientific method.

Reality in empiricism is what you smell, see, hear, taste, or feel.

Faith is the means of perception which accepts an established standard as the basis of reality; hence, it is tantamount to confidence or belief in the authority and veracity of another.

Faith is the only system of perception common to all members of the human race, as well as the only non-meritorious system; therefore, it is the sole means of perceiving Spiritual phenomena.

(2Co 5:7; Heb 11:1) To try to comprehend the Idea of the Trinity or the Idea of Divine essence by either rationalism or empiricism would inevitably result in rejection.

They must be accepted on the authority of the Word of God.

 

*       THE ONENESS OF GOD*

 

       Any discussion of the Truth of the Trinity must include three Concepts: the Oneness of God, the three modes of being of the One and Only God, and the equality of each of the Three.

When the Bible speaks of the Oneness of God; it is in no way contradictory to the Divine Concept of the Trinity.

The Oneness of God refers to His essence (Act 17:29; Rom 1:20; Col 2:9) God is One in essence.

God has one essence.

This means that all the characteristics of Divine essence are resident in each member of the God-head.

Sovereignty, righteousness, justice, love, eternal life, omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, finesse, generosity, severity, immutability, lovingkindness, Truth, happiness and contentment, objectivity, humility and a perfect sense of humor --- are possessed equally by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

In Their essence They are absolutely the same.

However, this is the only way in which God is One.

Since each person in the Trinity possesses identical essence, these characteristics are what unite the Three as One God.

 

*THE CHARACTERISTICS OF DIVINE ESSENCE: SOVEREIGNTY*

 

       God is, first of all, sovereign.

That is, God has supreme volition.

His volition has always existed, and there is no higher volition in the universe.

Sovereign God is the Supreme Being of the universe: “Know therefore TODAY, and take it to your heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.”

(Deut 4:39; cf.

1Sa 2:1-10; 1Ch 29:11; 2Ch 20:6; Psa 83:18; Isa 45:5-6; Act 17:24).

He is also said to be the king of heaven and earth; (Psa 47:2; Psa 93:1; Mat 6:13; Heb 8:1; Rev 4:2-3) eternal; (Psa 93:2)

infinite; (Psa 8:1; Act 5:39; Heb 6:13) and self-determining; (Job 9:12; Psa 115:3; Psa 135:6; Prov 21:1; Dan 4:35).

The Scripture states certain expressions of Divine volition: “. . .

My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.”

(Isa 46:10; cf.

Eph 1:5) God’s pleasure resulted in a plan for humanity.

(Psa 24:1-10; John 3:16; Heb 6:17)

 

       In harmony with His sovereign decree that man be allowed freedom of choice, God will never use His absolute will to force the free choice which He gave man to believe in Him, His Words and His Thoughts!

(John 7:17) God honors your decisions, whether they are for or against Him.

(Prov 8:35-36) As far as the believer is concerned, God's plan for your life is to take in Truth; (1Ti 4:16)---under the provisions of grace by means of a pastor-teacher filled with the Holy Spirit, and positive volition transferring that Truth to the human spirit; in the right lobe of the mentality.

You can choose to accept His will and move on into a fantastic “greater grace” life in which God pours out His blessings, (Jas 4:6) or you can choose to go against that will and wind up under Divine discipline.

(Heb 12:6)

       As far as the unbeliever is concerned, God’s will is that all should be saved.

(1Ti 2:4; Rev 22:17) Those who accept His will for salvation and believe in Jesus Christ receive everlasting life; those who reject Him, everlasting condemnation.

/He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him/.

(John 3:36)

 

       *RIGHTEOUSNESS*

 

       God is /absolute/ righteousness or holiness: (Integrity) “There is no one holy like the Lord . .

.” (1Sa 2:2; cf.

Lev 19:2; Psa 22:3; Psa 47:8; Psa 111:9; John 17:11; Rev 3:7; Rev 6:10) God is not simply righteous by comparison with someone else; His righteousness is independent and incomparable.

We call some people “good” and some people “bad.”

Yet when we get to know people, we must admit that the “bad people” have some good in them, and the “good people” have some bad in them.

What, then, is our standard?

It is a matter of relativity or comparison.

(2Co 10:12) At best, man’s righteousness is only relative.

(Psa 39:5; Psa 94:11)

       Now immediately this poses a problem for man, as far as having fellowship with God is concerned.

+R, (Absolute righteousness) cannot have fellowship with -R (Relative righteousness).

If we are to have any relationship with God — be it temporal or eternal — we must have +R.

God took cognizance of this barrier in eternity past and made provision for it through the cross:

 

       /He [The Father] made Him [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him/.

(2Co 5:21)

 

       /Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction./

(Rom 3:22)

 

       God’s righteousness is free from sin. (2Co 5:21; 1Jn 1:5) I don’t know what your concept of sin is — perhaps you have been hit all your life with “wine, women, and song” as the example of sin.

But the sins listed in the Bible are far more complete.

(Prov 6:16-19) Here is one description of sin: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23) The “glory of God” is the essence or perfect character of God.

We do not measure up to His perfect righteousness; yet we are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

(Rom 3:24)

       Being “justified” means that we receive +R freely.

We do not work for it; we do not earn it or deserve it.

It is credited to our account when we believe in Jesus Christ; and that’s grace, It is free to us; but like most things which are free, someone pays for them.

In this case, Jesus Christ “picked up the tab” at the cross.

He purchased us out of the slave market of sin.

Under the righteousness concept, God is also said to be “good.”

(Psa 25:8-10; Psa 34:7-9; Psa 119:67-68; Luk 18:19) His character and His person are perfect (Deut 32:4; Psa 11:7; Psa 97:6; Psa 111:3; Psa 119:137; Jer 23:6; Rom 1:17; Rom 10:3; 1Jn 2:29) It is impossible to have perfect righteousness without having perfect character and a perfect personality!

Many of you think that scintillation and animation are the keys to personality.

But the key to personality is righteousness.

People are being hired in business today on the basis of their personality rather than on the basis of righteousness.

This results in crooked business practices and unreliable personnel.

Righteousness is the key to character; but in our day righteousness is ridiculed.

Only tenacious righteousness keeps young people today from succumbing to the pressures of experimenting with drugs, sex, alcohol, etc.

       Now I am not talking about self-righteousness.

God’s perfect righteousness rejects human standards of self-righteousness.

(Isa 64:6) Many people find great stimulation in looking down their noses at others who appear to be worse than themselves.

God is not fooled by any such phony righteousness.