Trinity 18
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Main point: Understanding the Trinity is essential to understanding God, his character and his work
We are in the Gospel of Matthew.
We are in a section where the religious leaders are working hard to catch Jesus getting something wrong, to discredit him in some way. They are trying to portray it like they are zealous to protect God’s nature and revelation of himself, but the scripture constantly reminds us that they are working from a place of jealously. Here is this outsider, did not go through their system has no respect for their pecking order, having huge success when he teaches the crowds.
So here are the questions he answers so far.
Why does he eat with sinners, Lawful behavior on the sabbath, Show us a sign,Why don’t they ceremonially wash, When is it okay to divorce, Whose Authority does he teach with, Paying Taxes to Caesar, Marriage and the resurrection, What is the greatest commandment.
They cant stump him…in fact they are amazed that he can teach with such authority.
So now its time for him to ask a question...Matthew 22:41–42 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, [42] saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” (ESV)
First thing, He ask about the Christ. Christ is the greek word meaning chosen, or anointed one, pronounced in Hebrew Messiah. So the Christ is Chosen, anointed and messiah. King David, was the most beloved king is Israel, he was chosen by God, he was anointed with oil by Samuel, he was told that the there would always be a king from his line on the the throne. The people of Israel looked to the Davidic lineage as the place where the next chosen and anointed king would come. They expected a son of David for their king. So Jesus gives them a softball question and they answer correctly, like if I asked you who was the first President of the US you would knee jerk George Washington.
But now he gives the Harder question…well trained rabbis would have known that Psalm 110 is a Messianic Psalm. They would have looked to is as a great comfort because of the greatness of the Messiah, so he asks them about the the Characters in the Psalm Matthew 22:43–44 [43] He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, [44] “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? (ESV)
David is writing a devotional poem/Song but is in the Spirit so it is Inspired. And he references The Lord Talking to his Lord.
David is at the top of the food chain. Obviously there is God…but who is God talking to that is David’s Lord? This is a Messianic Psalm so its the Messiah.
So if Jesus, claiming to be the messiah turns out to be correct, he is not just the Son of David, he is the Lord over David. The messiah has an authority not yet seen in a man. The messiah will have all enemies under his feet. If Jesus is correct he is not just a man but the Long awaited Son of Man from the book of Daniel who is given dominion.
Jesus is not just a wise teacher, he is not just a rabbi with authority he shows them that if he proves to be who he says he is…he is the authority, even David, even Daniel would attest to his greatness. He is God in the flesh, second member of the Trinity. His authority is that he is the one who spoke creation into existence.
Main point: Understanding the Trinity is essential to understanding God, his character and his work
Well as long as we are in a passage of Scripture with strong Trinitarian content, this would be a good Sunday to review the Classical Christian view of the trinity.
Definition
What do the Thirty nine articles say about the trinity: And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
What about the Westminster confession of Faith? : In the unity of the Godhead there be three Persons of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.
Augsburg Confession: yet there are three Persons, of the same essence and power, who also are coeternal, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And the term “person” (Source: https://bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession/of-god/#ac-i-0003 )
Catechism of the Catholic Church 253 The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons, the "consubstantial Trinity".83 The divine persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God whole and entire: "The Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is, the Father and the Son that which the Holy Spirit is, i.e. by nature one God."84 In the words of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), "Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature."85
What it is and what it isnt...
It is not Three distinct Gods...
It is not God in three costumes
There is hierarchy, and yet there is co-equalness.
It is a mystery: God is three, and yet God is one. We can take this fog of mystery and find some clarity, but we cannot fully comprehend.
We can know the following things!
Jesus has full equality with God. I had some Jehovah Witnesses at my door two weeks ago…we where yelling in Spanish at each other…mostly because Spanish was both our second languages and because we were both insisting on our point of view…I would not concede this point to them or to anyone. Jesus is God, he was in very nature God, St. Paul said. He said before Abraham was, I am, my father is always working so am I. \
Second thing. Sin has an eternal consequence. meaning infinite consequence, and needed some kind of infinite sponge to absorb it…to propitiate. Jesus being the infinite God accomplishes that.
When Jesus speaks, God speaks, the words of Christ have that level of authority.
The victory of God in the last days will be the subjugation of all enemies under his feet. That means Death will yield and cease, sin will yield and cease, the devil will yield and cease.
Main point: Understanding the Trinity is essential to understanding God, his character and his work
The reason this should be a comfort is that it allows our salvation to be effective. Remember that I said the punishment for sin is eternal. When we betray the eternal God with out rebellion he has to be eternally satisfied. He cant just let it go. And the sin of humanity must have a human object to punish. We cannot lock up the Dog when our kids are disobedient, we have to discipline our kids. You cant take the sins of a society and take it out on nature. We can not sin against God and expect the sacrifice of animals to suffice. So Jesus becomes a Man while remaining God. There fore the sin of man is visited on a man, and it is eternally satisfied because that man is God.
So when you have lied to a love one, and you feel that guilt, that is real, and even worse you sinned against the God of all truth even more. But Jesus satisfies that, because he is able. When you steal something and you feel guilt, and the guilt is real, and even worse you harmed. sinned against the God of all truth even more. But Jesus satisfies that, because he is able. When you sin against neibor and you feel guilt, and the guilt is real, and even worse you harmed. sinned against the God of all righteousness even more. But Jesus satisfies that, because he is able.
Brothers and sisters Jesus is the Lord, he is able, he loves you and he dies for you…trust in him…he is able.