Class Lesson March 14, 2021

 

Question 1:

What’s your least favorite household responsibility?

THE POINT

God created us to serve

and honor Him.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

One of my responsibilities around the house is to take out the trash.

And let me tell you, I am horrible at it.

When I enter the house at night, I can tell by a single look from my wife whether I’ve fulfilled my end of that bargain. Sometimes, it’s not even a look; it’s an outright, straight-to-the-point question: “Did you take out the trash, Robby?”

Taking out the trash is not even a difficult task. The trash bins are right by the back door, but somehow I always manage to forget to do this one simple, obvious thing.

As kids, many of us dreaded responsibility, and we know firsthand that responsibility is handed to us in greater measure, as we get older. But responsibility is not a bad thing! God has built responsibility into us. He gave it to us when He put us on the earth. He coded us for it and gave us the tools to carry it out. And it is up to us to recognize what our responsibility is—and carry it out.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Genesis 1:1-5

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” There was an evening, and there was a morning: one day.

Question 2:

What impacts you most about

this first day of creation?

When we want to communicate with an audience, we have to keep three things in mind: 

• What are they familiar with?
• What do we need to tell them?
• How do we bridge the gap between those two things?

With this in mind, think about the original audience who would have read Genesis 1. Moses wrote the book, which means the people who first read it were still wandering in the desert after being freed from slavery in Egypt. These Israelites had never known a place to call home that didn’t include either the desert or slavery. What they knew about God had been passed down orally, the way most things were passed down in those days: they taught their children, who taught their children, who taught their children. 

The Israelites were surrounded by groups of people in settled and established civilizations: Egyptians, Canaanites, and Hittites. If these groups were perceived as more “civilized,” the Israelites would be tempted to think the stories of their gods were more established too. Maybe the Egyptians were right: the world was birthed out of a cosmic egg. And perhaps they should consider the Mesopotamian belief, that all we know was created out of the carcass of one of the deceased gods.

Genesis 1 reveals a wholly different account, one that quickly cuts to the chase. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” It’s almost as if the writer were saying, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Listen, I know you’re hearing all kinds of confusing things from all kinds of people. Let me tell you about who is really in charge, what He did, and how you can know Him.”

The biblical worldview is unique in that not only do we know who created everything, but we can also have a personal relationship with Him. God invites us to have a relationship with Him. Through Jesus, we have access to the Father, the Creator of the universe. Jesus is in a special position to do that for us because, not only is He one with the Father, He was actually present at creation.

• The Word (Jesus) was with God in the beginning (John 1:1-2).
• Not a single thing that has been created was created apart from Jesus (Col. 1:16-17).

If you look up at the night sky, you will see a carpet of stars, most of which would make our sun look tiny. If you look down below your feet with a microscope, you will see an entire ecosystem of bacteria that work together to make sure plants can grow. God did all that simply by His word. And the Creator of all of that has invited us into a relationship with Him, to know Him deeply, and to remain in Him forever.

Genesis 1:26-27

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.

In Genesis 1:26-27, the word translated image is the Hebrew word selem. The word is used sixteen times in the Old Testament, and most of the time it is used negatively. However, in Genesis 1, God was not talking about stone images or icons. He was talking about us, and He said something amazing about how He made us. 

To be made “in the image of God” means we were made with something the rest of creation doesn’t have. Our ability to think, reason, and process morality is different. We have the capacity to adapt and tame the land around us, no matter what that land looks like. But the most unique thing about us is that we were created to be God’s representatives.

God made everything, but He made humanity with the unique responsibility of being His representatives on earth.

Question 3:

Why is it significant that we were created in the

image of God?

As His image-bearers, we were created to rule over the animals and over the earth. The Hebrew word rada is translated rule and means “to subjugate, to have dominion, or to reign.” Humans made in God’s image are capable of thinking, discerning, and making choices as God’s ruling representatives—of governing the earth in His place. In caring for God’s creation, including its creatures, we should seek to use—not abuse or misuse—what God has provided us. 

God has blessed the use of the planet’s renewable and nonrenewable natural resources. As God’s appointed rulers, we should seek His wisdom as we make decisions about the use of the earth’s resources. If we make decisions selfishly and with shortsightedness, we cannot expect to “rule . . . the whole earth” (v. 26) with integrity the way God intended.

God gave all of us the responsibility to care for the earth; at the same time we are to use the earth’s resources for the betterment of humanity. Prayer and godly  counsel are needed as we seek to rule the earth and its resources with wisdom. When the world looks at us, they shouldn’t see people living for themselves, but people carrying out the highest calling imaginable: displaying the image of the God who made us, doing everything we can to bring Him honor and glory.

Genesis 1:28-31

28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” 29 God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you, 30 for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day. 

As beings created in His image, God didn’t just place us in an elevated position in creation to sit and bask in it; He tasked us with being caretakers and to live in a way that brings honor to Him. 

We are tasked with filling the earth and  tending to it. But these commands went far deeper than just populating the earth; it is about spreading God’s image far and wide. Moreover, these commands didn’t go away after sin entered our world. We are still in charge of the earth, but after sin it would require hard work. Ruling over the creatures also comes with its own set of unique challenges. The work can be exhausting, but it can also be very rewarding. God blesses us as we take charge of what He’s given us—and when we do it in a way that honors Him.

Question 4:

How would you describe the

responsibility humanity was

given at creation?

God not only gives us direction on what to do, however, He also provides what we need to sustain life. God ensures both man and animals will have all they need to survive. The “self-made person” is a myth, but the God blessed person is a reality, because of His abundant provision. 

As soon as His creation was complete, God appraised it like a craftsman looking over His work. He had only one judgment: “it was very good indeed” (v. 31). As we live as Christians in the world God made, we have the unique opportunity to exemplify the kind of life God created us to live. Think of how blessed we are: we get to know our Creator in a personal way, we get to care for His creation, and we get to be His image-bearers. This realization leads us to see things differently.

Question 5:

How do these verses summarize

our mission and purpose as

stewards of God’s creation?

GOD’S IMAGE-BEARERS

God created us in His image. That means we are bearers of His image—

or we are reflections of His nature and qualities. Choose one of the

pictures below that best represents bearing God’s image.

Now jot down why you chose that image.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for

good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”

EPHESIANS 2:10

LIVE IT OUT

Being made in the image of God is a great blessing, but it’s also a huge responsibility. Choose one of the following applications:

• Praise. Take a few minutes to thank God for creating you—and then thank Him for creating you in His image. Ask for His help to live out this great privilege and responsibility.                                                                                                            
• List. Write down a few characteristics that God’s image bearers should have and evaluate yourself on them. How can you better represent the Lord?                                             
• Disciple. We are to lead others to know and grow in Christ, the One who restores the sin-marred image of God in us. Who are two other people in your life with whom you can begin meeting regularly so that you can help them to be like Him? Make a plan to reach out to them this week.

Whether it’s a mundane task like taking out the garbage or designing a ship that can sail the deepest ocean, we are God’s creation; it’s an honor to be His image-bearers and represent Him well.

Teacher's Notes:

The Purpose of Humanity

 

We all have responsibilities—in our families, work, or church—accompanied by expectations for ways to accomplish those responsibilities. In general, most people are pleased to have something to do; work to accomplish; a purpose for being. That innate desire for purpose was instilled in human beings at creation. That truth becomes evident in the creation account.

 

When God created the first man and woman, He gave them the responsibility for caring for all His creation. Through the assignment given to them, we learn that God created us all to serve Him and honor Him; that is our purpose for being.

 

What responsibilities are new to your current season of life?

 

The Point: God created us to serve and honor Him.

 

Genesis 1:1-5

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” There was an evening, and there was a morning: one day.

 

What impacts you most about this first day of creation?

God created everything.

·        All things have their beginning in the powerful word and creative execution of eternal, almighty Creator God

·        God’s creation was orderly, with purpose, and according to His plan.

 

Through Jesus, we have access to the Father, the Creator of the universe. Jesus is in a special position to do that for us because, not only is He one with the Father, He was actually present at creation.

·        The Word (Jesus) was with God in the beginning (John 1:1-2).

·        Not a single thing that has been created was created apart from Jesus (Col. 1:16-17).

 

If you look up at the night sky, you will see a carpet of stars, most of which would make our sun look tiny. If you look down below your feet with a microscope, you will see an entire ecosystem of bacteria that work together to make sure plants can grow. God did all that simply by His word. And the Creator of all of that has invited us into a relationship with Him, to know Him deeply, and to remain in Him forever.

 

 

Genesis 1:26-27

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.

 

God created us in His image.

·        Human beings are God’s special creation having been created in His image and likeness.

·        God has placed human beings on the earth to fulfill His purpose and bring Him glory.

 

What does it mean that both male and female were created in the image of God?

·        To be made “in the image of God” means we were made with something the rest of creation doesn’t have. Our ability to think, reason, and process morality is different. We have the capacity to adapt and tame the land around us, no matter what that land looks like. But the most unique thing about us is that we were created to be God’s representatives. God made everything, but He made humanity with the unique responsibility of being His representatives on earth.

 

 

 

Genesis 1:28-31

28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” 29 God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you, 30 for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.

 

How would you describe the responsibility humanity was given at creation?

·        As beings created in His image, God didn’t just place us in an elevated position in creation to sit and bask in it; He tasked us with being caretakers and to live in a way that brings honor to Him. We are tasked with filling the earth and tending to it. But these commands went far deeper than just populating the earth; it is about spreading God’s image far and wide.

 

God commissioned us to care for and enjoy His creation.

·        As human beings, we have a unique relationship with God whereby He blesses us and communicates directly to us.

·        God has called us to serve as His agents in exercising responsible care for the creation in a way that honors Him as Creator.

  

The Point: God created us to serve and honor Him.

 

What Does It Mean to be Made in the Image of God?

Ever had one of those moments when you said something or reacted a certain way and then you caught yourself?  I just turned into my father!! Some of us look like our parents, but all of us tend to pick up some habit, mannerism, or phrase that makes people say, “You remind me of your mother (father)!” We shouldn’t be surprised. We’re made in their image in so many ways.

That may be a compliment to you. For others, being like their parents is the last thing they want. As teenagers, many of us yelled as we slammed our bedroom doors, “When I grow up, I’m not going to be like my parents!” We wanted to be our own person. We wanted to create our own image.

We still do. We create an image of ourselves on social media that paints us in a certain light. We control what we say and what images we display. We are our own spin doctors. We work hard to control our image. That’s unfortunate because the best image of you is the one God created you to have.

You are created in the image of God.

You were created to be like God and represent Him. Image has nothing to do with physical characteristics. We are made to commune with God and display His character. Let me use a phrase common to most Christians: We are to be like Christ.

 

Sin marred that image within us. Unfortunately, when we look at others, we rarely see the image of God. Instead, we see the evil dictator, the self-centered celebrity, and that annoying neighbor. We see ourselves.

 

We were created for the purpose of bearing God’s image, and Jesus came to earth to restore that broken image in us. Jesus gave us a perfect demonstration of God’s likeness.

 

Want to know what God is like? Look to Jesus.

 

 

 

Purpose Driven Life

“Every new generation must rediscover God’s purposes for themselves. But God also adds that the older generation is responsible to pass on what they have learned ‘so that each generation can set its hope anew on God’ (Psalm 78:7 NLT).” “There is no greater epitaph than that statement! Imagine it chiseled on your tombstone: That you served God’s purpose in your generation. “

 

“Preparing you for these two questions is the goal of this book. The first question will determine where you spend eternity. The second question will determine what you do in eternity. By the end of this book, you will be ready to answer both questions.”

1.   “What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?”

2.   “What did you do with what I gave you?”

 

“You need more than self-help advice. The Bible says, ‘Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.'”

 

“This is not a self-help book. It is not about finding the right career, achieving your dreams, or planning your life. It is not about how to cram more activities into an overloaded schedule. Actually, it will teach you how to do less in life — by focusing on what matters most. It is about becoming what God created you to be.”

 

“God is not just the starting point of your life; he is the source of it. To discover your purpose in life you must turn to God’s Word, not the world’s wisdom. You must build your life on eternal truths, not pop psychology, success-motivation, or inspirational stories.”

 

“Money has the greatest potential to replace God in your life. More people are sidetracked from serving by materialism than by anything else.”

“The Bible is very clear: God uses money to test your faithfulness as a servant. That is why Jesus talked more about money than he did about either heaven or hell.”

“You will never know that God is all you need until God is all you’ve got.”

 

Character Development

“God’s ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ. Becoming like Christ does not mean losing your personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created your uniqueness, so he certainly doesn’t want to destroy it. Christlikeness is all about transforming your character, not your personality. “

 

·         “God is far more interested in what you are than in what you do. We are human beings, not human doings. God is much more concerned about your character than your career, because you will take your character into eternity, but not your career.”

·         “Never forget that life is not about you! You exist for God’s purposes, not vice versa. Why would God provide heaven on earth when he’s planned the real thing for you in eternity? God gives us our time on earth to build and strengthen our character for heaven.“

·         “We must ‘put on’ the character of Christ by developing new, godly habits. Your character is essentially the sum of your habits; it is how you habitually act.“

·         “Nothing shapes your life more than the commitments you choose to make. Your commitments can develop you or they can destroy you, but either way, they will define you. Tell me what you are committed to, and I’ll tell you what you will be in twenty years. We become whatever we are committed to. “

·         “Every problem is a character-building opportunity, and the more difficult it is, the greater the potential for building spiritual muscle and moral fiber.”

·         “What happens outwardly in your life is not as important as what happens inside you. Your circumstances are temporary, but your character will last forever.”

·         “This next sentence is one of the most important spiritual truths you will ever learn: God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you’re tempted to express the exact opposite quality! Character development always involves a choice, and temptation provides that opportunity. “

 

 It all Starts with God (it’s not about you)

“Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.” — Bertrand Russell

“The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.”

·         “You were made by God and for God — and until you understand that, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end.“

·         “Fortunately, there is an alternative to speculation about the meaning and purpose of life. It’s revelation. We can turn to what God has revealed about life in his Word. The easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to ask the creator of it. The same is true for discovering your life’s purpose: Ask God.“

·         “God wants to use you to make a difference in his world. He wants to work through you. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it. Not how long you lived, but how you lived.”

 

Most people struggle with three basic issues in life:

1.   The first is identity: “Who am I?”

2.   The second is importance: “Do I matter?”

3.   The third is impact: “What is my place in life?”

The answers to all three questions are found in God’s five purposes for you.

 

God’s 5 Purposes for Your Life

“God wants to redeem human beings from Satan and reconcile them to Himself so we can fulfill the five purposes He created us for: to love Him, to be a part of His family, to become like Him, to serve Him, and to tell others about Him.”

Of these five purposes, the fifth can only be done on earth. The other four you will keep doing in eternity in some way. That’s why spreading the Good News is so important; you only have a short time to share your life message and fulfill your mission.”

 

The Point: God created us to serve and honor Him.

NEW SERIES begins this Sunday - March 7, 2021

 Essentials of Christianity

What is the deal with Christianity?

This question is hardly new. People have been asking it as long as Christianity has existed. Sometimes, they ask the question in wonder: “These people seem so ordinary . . . so why does it seem like they have something I don’t have?” Other times, they ask in exasperation: “Who do these Christians think that they are?” And sometimes they’re puzzled: “You really believe a guy rose from the dead and is coming back in the sky?”

People are good at misunderstanding Christianity. Even believers can misunderstand some of the basics of the faith. That’s why it’s important that we focus on the essential truths. In these seven sessions, we’ll be exploring things like:

• God’s nature
• Humanity’s purpose
• What sin is
• Jesus’ death, resurrection, and return
• The work of the Holy Spirit

Series Promo Video

By the end, sure, I pray that you come out with a richer understanding of Christianity than you had before. But more than that, I pray that you come away with a different view of this figure at its center—a man who was dead, who isn’t dead anymore, and whom people haven’t been able to stop talking about for two thousand years. 

Question 1:

When have you thrown up your hands and

determined something was too complicated?

THE POINT

God has revealed Himself

to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

Daylight saving time. Some of us welcome it. Others think it’s unnecessary. And the rest of us dread it because we struggle every six months to change the clocks in our cars!

We all face things that seem complicated to us, but with enough work and determination we usually can figure them out. Yet some things are beyond our ability to grasp. A 4-year-old may be learning to count, but we don’t expect him to be able to understand advanced calculus. It’s not that the child is dumb, but his brain is still developing and it will be a while before abstract ideas like calculus are within his ability to understand. While calculus is beyond his comprehension now, he will grow in his understanding.

One subject that remains beyond our ability to grasp is the Trinity. A key truth in Scripture is that God has revealed Himself as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three Persons, but one God. Our finite minds cannot fully comprehend how three can be one, but we can still appreciate the beauty of the nature of God.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

John 14:8-11

8 “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.”

When we think about the Trinity, it’s easy to get our brains in a twist. How can one be three? Are there three Gods? Are they all the same, but we just have three names for them?

The Trinity is a word we use to try to put God’s nature into human words. More importantly, it describes the three ways God has revealed Himself to us. He has revealed Himself as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Interestingly, we do not find the word “Trinity” anywhere in Scripture, but many passages help us understand exactly how this works. John 14 is one of those places.

On His last night with His disciples before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus told them, “If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him” (v. 7). This wasn’t clear to Philip, so he made a request: “Show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.” Jesus essentially told him, “You’re looking at Him.” Jesus equated Himself with the Father, but He was not saying He is the Father. As He said on an earlier occasion: “I and the Father are one” (10:30).

Question 2:

In what ways does Jesus show us

what God is like?

Legend has it that when Patrick went to Ireland to share the gospel, the people were having trouble understanding the Trinity. So he reached down, plucked a clover from the ground, and explained how the clover had three distinct leaves, but it was just one plant. This might be a helpful way to get the idea of the Trinity in our minds, but it falls short in an important way: God is not divided into parts. Each part of a clover is just a part of the whole. But each Person of the Trinity is fully God, not just a part of Him. (Every analogy used to help us understand the Trinity works to a point, but they all fall short.)

Our inability to fully understand how the Father and the Son are one but separate doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate the way He works. We might not understand how a car engine works, but we can still rely on it to take us from place to place. In the same way, we may not understand exactly how God works, but we can know and trust that He does work. When the Word of God became flesh and made His home among us (1:14), He came to us as Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus is fully God, and He revealed God to us in a way we can relate to. He became human like us. He looked like us. He could walk with us and talk with us. And most importantly, even though He is God, Jesus died as a human. The key difference is that Jesus died with our sins upon Himself. He died in our place so we could be cleansed from our sins and have eternal life with Him.

Every culture in every place and every time can know God through general revelation. But Jesus reveals God in a different way. He does so in a personal, relatable way. Jesus, who is fully human, is also fully God. God the Father, the sovereign, holy Creator of the universe, can be seen in Jesus Christ, God the Son.

John 14:16-20

16 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. 17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live too. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you.”

It’s hard giving people bad news. We don’t like to see their faces fall or their spirits dampen. You might have been in that position before, trying to find the gentlest way to tell somebody something you know will make him sad.

Jesus had just given His disciples seemingly sad news: He was going away, and they couldn’t come with Him. It had already been a traumatic night because they learned one of them would betray Jesus. But Jesus didn’t leave them hanging in despair. He was about to leave them, but He would be giving them a gift that was, if they could believe it, better than the gift they had sitting in front of them. Jesus told them later that evening that it was good that He was going, because if He didn’t, the gift wouldn’t come (John 16:7).

This gift, Jesus said, would be a “Counselor,” translated from a Greek word that literally means “a calling to one’s side.” It refers to someone who comes alongside us to comfort, encourage, and exhort us. Specifically, Jesus was referring to the third Person of the Trinity: the Holy Spirit. A key to understanding the Holy Spirit is Jesus’ use of the word “another.” The Greek language had two words for “other/another,” and Jesus used the word that means “another of the same kind.” In other words, this Counselor, the Holy Spirit, would be just like Jesus! They are both God.

The eleven disciples sitting with Jesus—Judas had already departed (13:30)—had already fulfilled the only requirement for receiving the Holy Spirit: they recognized and acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, the One who came to save them. The promise of the Holy Spirit meant they would not be disconnected from a relationship with God. This is also good news for us. When Jesus, the Son of God, is in your life, God the Holy Spirit is in your life. The Holy Spirit will work through you in ways you can’t comprehend in order to carry out the Father’s will.

Question 3:

How does the Holy Spirit work in the life of

a believer?

John 14:23-26

23 Jesus answered, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 The one who doesn’t love me will not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me. 25 “I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.”

When Jesus said it was good that He was going away and the Holy Spirit was taking His place (16:7), He meant it. In God’s Word, we have the testimonies of people who encountered Jesus; they recorded what Jesus said and did while He was on earth. But now we have the Holy Spirit to guide us in the same way Jesus guided His disciples.

Question 4:

How does understanding God as Father, Son, 

and Holy Spirit help you engage with Him in your daily life?

Jesus said the Spirit would “teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you” (v. 26). Later, as the Spirit moved God’s people to action, He empowered them to share the gospel in languages they didn’t speak (Acts 2:4), heal the sick and the lame (3:1-9), and discern truth from lies (5:3-4). Whatever the situation, each time someone did an amazing thing through the power of the Holy Spirit, it was to further the kingdom of God. It allowed them to reach people who had been unreachable, speak to those who had not heard, and teach the gospel and make disciples in impossible places.

The Holy Spirit we read about in Scripture is the exact same Spirit at work in our hearts today. He still convicts us, moves us, and empowers us. And He dwells inside of everyone who calls Jesus, Lord. The Father sent the Son to give us an example to follow and to die for our sins. He sent the Holy Spirit to continue the work of the Son by empowering believers to be His church.

The Holy Spirit comes alongside us and instructs us in the ways of God. Through the Holy Spirit we can find God’s truth in Scripture, live the way Jesus taught, and carry out the work that Jesus left for us to do: to make disciples of all nations.

Question 5:

How does our understanding

of the Trinity affect our understanding of community?

RELATING TO GOD

The Bible teaches that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In each of the columns below, list words or phrases that describe how you relate to each person of the Trinity. 

              Father                                 Son                    Holy Spirit

Example: He makes a plan for my life        He saved me         He teaches me

“It was the whole Trinity, which at the beginning

of creation said, ‘Let us make man.’ It was the

whole Trinity again, which at the beginning of

the Gospel seemed to say, ‘Let us save man.’”

J. C. RYLE

LIVE IT OUT

What will you do with the truth about how God has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Choose one of the following applications:

• Pray. Thank God for being a God who reveals Himself to us. Thank Him for coming to us in Jesus Christ and for giving us His Holy Spirit to work in us and through us.
• Study. Compare two passages: Genesis 1:1-2 and John 1:1-18. Underline where you see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in these passages. Make note of the similarities and differences in how the three Persons of the Trinity are described.
• Display. Just as the world around us reveals God, we are called to reveal Him to those around us. Trust the Holy Spirit to give you the opportunity and the words to point others to Jesus.

Some of us may not be math whizzes or even be able to change the clock in our cars when the time changes. We certainly can’t understand the complexity of the One who made us. But we can thank God for revealing Himself to us and appreciate who He is and how He works nonetheless.

Teacher's Notes:

What is the deal with Christianity?

·        Sometimes, people ask the question: “These people seem so ordinary . . . why does it seem like they have something I don’t have?”

·        Other times, people say: “Who do these Christians think that they are?”

·        And then there are those that say: “You really believe some guy rose from the dead and is coming back in the sky?”

 

People misunderstand Christianity. Believers misunderstand some of the very basics of the faith. It’s why we are focusing on the essential truths over the next 7 weeks.

 

We’ll be exploring things like:

• God’s very nature – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• Humanity’s purpose – why were we even created?
• The nature of Sin – we will see that on our own, we can’t do anything about it. But we also are going to consider the opinion that none of us in our generation feels as guilty about Sin as we should or as our forefathers did.
• Jesus’ death, resurrection, and return – why did Jesus have to die? Why His resurrection is so important and why is He coming back?
• The work of the Holy Spirit

 

At the end, we come away with a richer understanding of Christianity and a different view of the center of Christianity—a person who was dead, but isn’t anymore, and whom people haven’t been able to stop talking about for 2000 years.

Video: RC Sproul – Trinity Monotheism

The Nature of God

Essence – soul, spirit, ethos, life, core, nature (God is one in essence)

Person – individual being with a mind, emotions, and a will (and 3 in person)

Trinity / Triunity - state of being triune they mean the same (Tri + Unity = Trinity)

Progressive Revelation – “The New is in the Old – Concealed, The Old is in the New – Revealed.

Monotheism – one God

Animism – soul/spirit in inanimate objects

Polytheism – many gods

Henotheism – a god for each nation

Monotheism

 

Some have tried to give human illustrations for the Trinity, such as H2O being water, ice and steam (all different forms, but all are H2O). Another illustration would be the sun. From it we receive light, heat and radiation. Three distinct aspects, but only one sun.

Math – God would not be 1+1+1 = 3 / God would be 1+1+1 = 1

 

When have you thrown up your hands and determined something was too complicated?

·        The way many feel about of the Trinity

·        The Point: God has revealed Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

The Passage: John 14:8-11,16-20,23-26

John 14:8-11

8 “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.”

There are 3 points that our lesson wants to make today as it tries to explain the Tri-Unity of the nature of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

1.   To know Jesus, the Son of God, is to know the Father.

·        The Lord reveals Himself to us in our daily walk with Him; we need to have eyes of faith to accept and trust what He makes known.

·        The authority behind Jesus’ words and works is God the Father.

·        Jesus declared He and the Father are one in essence; Jesus is not a separate or secondary deity.

 

In what ways does Jesus show us what God is like?

The disciples knew Jesus, but they wanted to know God the Father. Jesus encouraged them to understand that by knowing Him they also knew the Father since the Son came from the Father. The root of the disciple’s request seems to have come from a desire to please God the Father. That is a noble desire for all of God’s people.

The things we learn about Jesus, and the things we see Him do in the gospels, reflect the very nature of God. By believing in Jesus and by obeying His teaching, we please the Father. Jesus is the exact reflection and representation of the Father (Col. 1:15).

 

When we think about the Trinity, it’s easy to get our brains in a twist. How can one be three? Are there three Gods? Are they all the same, but we just have three names for them? The Trinity describes the three ways God has revealed Himself to us.

John 14:16-20

16 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. 17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live too. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you.”

 

2.   When Jesus, the Son of God, is in your life, the Holy Spirit is in your life.

·        Jesus promised His disciples—and us—that He would not abandon them and leave them as orphans. This conversation took place during the Last Supper and after Jesus had washed the feet of the disciples. There was apprehension about what was going to take place since Jesus had been very clear about His coming death. Certainly, the disciples feared being completely alone in a world that they must have known would be hostile to them.

 

How does the Holy Spirit work in the life of a believer?

·        The Holy Spirit is our Counselor and He will never leave us. While the disciples enjoyed the physical presence of Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Spirit with us allows us to share in the same understanding of God’s nature and connection with Him. While the world can’t understand what it means to have the presence of the Holy Spirit, believers in Christ can.

 

  

John 14:23-26

23 Jesus answered, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 The one who doesn’t love me will not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me. 25 “I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.”

 

3.   God the Father sends the Holy Spirit to continue the work of the Son.

·        Verse 26 does identify all three Persons of the Trinity and explains that the Father will send the Holy Spirit to all who express faith in Jesus. The role of the Holy Spirit is to be our counselor, our teacher, our guide, and to continue the work of Jesus. Verse 26 states that the Holy Spirit will remind us of everything that Jesus taught. The role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers today is the same as it was for the disciples. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand the things of God, the things we read in Scripture, and the biblical truths we hear in messages.

·        Because believers have a love relationship with Jesus, they are able to “see” the things of the Lord that unbelievers cannot.

·        True love for the Lord should drive the believer to read, study, meditate, and obey His word of truth.

·        Believers are to obey the instructions of Jesus because they are the Word from the Father.

·        The Holy Spirit guides the believer in knowing, understanding, and doing the things Jesus taught and expects from His disciples.

 

How does understanding God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit help you engage with Him in your daily life?

·        We need to Seek the Father, Follow the Son, and Do What the Holy Spirit says.

 

 

 

Wrap It Up

While some people try to make an explanation of the triune nature of God into a complicated academic exercise, the truth of this passage is that God desires a personal relationship with us, His creation. Just as the disciples enjoyed a personal relationship with Jesus, God has provided a way for all of us to know Him, the Father, personally through a saving relationship through faith in Jesus and experienced in the promised indwelling Holy Spirit.

 

 

What Does it Mean That God is a Trinity?

The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons--the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in person. These definitions express three crucial truths:

(1) The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons,

(2) each Person is fully God,

(3) there is only one God.

 

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons.

The Bible speaks of the Father as God (Phil. 1:2), Jesus as God (Titus 2:13), and the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3-4). Are these just three different ways of looking at God, or simply ways of referring to three different roles that God plays?

The answer must be no, because the Bible also indicates that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons. For example, since the Father sent the Son into the world (John 3:16), He cannot be the same person as the Son. Likewise, after the Son returned to the Father (John 16:10), the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit into the world (John 14:26; Acts 2:33). Therefore, the Holy Spirit must be distinct from the Father and the Son.

 

In the baptism of Jesus, we see the Father speaking from heaven and the Spirit descending from heaven in the form of a dove as Jesus comes out of the water (Mark 1:10-11). In John 1:1 it is affirmed that Jesus is God and, at the same time, that He was “with God”- thereby indicating that Jesus is a distinct Person from God the Father (cf. also 1:18). And in John 16:13-15 we see that although there is a close unity between them all, the Holy Spirit is also distinct from the Father and the Son.

 

The fact that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons means, in other words, that the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, but He is not the Son or the Father. They are different Persons, not three different ways of looking at God.

 

The personhood of each member of the Trinity means that each Person has a distinct center of consciousness. Thus, they relate to each other personally -- the Father regards Himself as “I,” while He regards the Son and Holy Spirit as “You.” Likewise, the Son regards Himself as “I,” but the Father and the Holy Spirit as “You.”

Often it is objected that “If Jesus is God, then he must have prayed to himself while he was on earth.” But the answer to this objection lies in simply applying what we have already seen. While Jesus and the Father are both God, they are different Persons. Thus, Jesus prayed to God the Father without praying to Himself. In fact, it is precisely the continuing dialog between the Father and the Son (Matthew 3:17; 17:5; John 5:19; 11:41-42; 17:1ff ) which furnishes the best evidence that they are distinct Persons with distinct centers of consciousness.

 

Sometimes the Personhood of the Father and Son is appreciated, but the Personhood of the Holy Spirit is neglected. Sometimes the Spirit is treated more like a “force” than a Person. But the Holy Spirit is not an it, but a He (see John 14:26; 16:7-15; Acts 8:16). The fact that the Holy Spirit is a Person, not an impersonal force (like gravity), is also shown by the fact that He speaks (Hebrews 3:7), reasons (Acts 15:28), thinks and understands (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), wills (1 Corinthians 12:11), feels (Ephesians 4:30), and gives personal fellowship (2 Corinthians 13:14). These are all qualities of personhood. In addition to these texts, the others we mentioned above make clear that the Personhood of the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Personhood of the Son and the Father. They are three real persons, not three roles God plays.

Another serious error people have made is to think that the Father became the Son, who then became the Holy Spirit. Contrary to this, the passages we have seen imply that God always was and always will be three Persons. There was never a time when one of the Persons of the Godhead did not exist. They are all eternal.

While the three members of the Trinity are distinct, this does not mean that any is inferior to the other. Instead, they are all identical in attributes. They are equal in power, love, mercy, justice, holiness, knowledge, and all other qualities.

 

Each Person is fully God.

If God is three Persons, does this mean that each Person is “one-third” of God? Does the Trinity mean that God is divided into three parts?

The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. The Bible is clear that all three Persons are each one hundred percent God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all fully God. For example, it says of Christ that “in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). We should not think of God as like a “pie” cut into three pieces, each piece representing a Person. This would make each Person less than fully God and thus not God at all. Rather, “the being of each Person is equal to the whole being of God.”[1] The divine essence is not something that is divided between the three persons, but is fully in all three persons without being divided into “parts.”

Thus, the Son is not one-third of the being of God, He is all of the being of God. The Father is not one-third of the being of God, He is all of the being of God. And likewise, with the Holy Spirit. Thus, as Wayne Grudem writes, “When we speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together we are not speaking of any greater being than when we speak of the Father alone, the Son alone, or the Holy Spirit alone.” [2]

 

There is only one God.

If each Person of the Trinity is distinct and yet fully God, then should we conclude that there is more than one God? Obviously, we cannot, for Scripture is clear that there is only one God: “There is no other God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:21-22; see also 44:6-8; Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35; 6:4-5; 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:2; 1 Kings 8:60).

Having seen that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, that they are each fully God, and that there is nonetheless only one God, we must conclude that all three Persons are the same God. In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons.

If there is one passage which most clearly brings all of this together, it is Matthew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” First, notice that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinguished as distinct Persons. We baptize into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Second, notice that each Person must be deity because they are all placed on the same level. In fact, would Jesus have us baptize in the name of a mere creature? Surely not. Therefore, each of the Persons into whose name we are to be baptized must be deity. Third, notice that although the three divine Persons are distinct, we are baptized into their name (singular), not names (plural). The three Persons are distinct, yet only constitute one name. This can only be if they