1292. The Beauty of God Revealed in the Tri-Unity of God

Welcome to The Daily Platform. Our program features sermons from chapel services at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Every day, students are blessed by the preaching and teaching of the Bible from the University Chapel Platform. Today on The Daily Platform, we're continuing a series called Our Great God.

Today's message will be preached by seminary professor, Dr. Billy Goacher, The title of his sermon is The Beauty of God Revealed in the Triunity of God. And escape before all the snow fell. So that was a blessing. But I thought this morning, one of the things I'd like to do is just start by sharing a little bit of the beauty of Vermont fall with you, because you might not ever get to go, but you might. And this is just some pictures from this fall in Vermont, just some of the foliage that we get spoiled to. And that's very quintessential Vermont there. So in fact, it was just a few years ago when the number of people outpaced the number of cows in Vermont.

It's literally just a few years ago. But these are some of the glory of the scenery. And then even the winter scenery that follows behind it.

It's just the winter itself can be captivating. Remember a couple of falls ago, my daughter came to visit us in Vermont. And we went, and it was in the fall, and it was just as snow started falling in the mountains.

And we went up, and this is actually a picture from then. And it was like walking into an ice castle. It really was. Everything was just perfectly encased in ice. It was gorgeous scenery. We wandered around for hours taking pictures from all kinds of angles. Just the stunning beauty and the majesty of what we were beholding.

You didn't even notice the cold. Now you may be thinking, what are you showing us all these pictures for? What is this all about? Well, part of it is I can show you a picture, but I can tell you this. You've only seen a little bit of its beauty. There's a radical difference between seeing it in a picture and being present.

A radical difference between actually being there and being present. In the seven years that we enjoyed the falls of Vermont, we would go every year. You would wait, and you'd kind of evaluate the color season. But you would go, and you would go out to your favorite spots, take pictures, go each year. I think I have thousands of pictures at this point, and continue to get more pictures. And I can, if you want to see them afterwards, come see me.

I've got probably more than a couple thousand pictures of Vermont fall. Well, why? Why do we do that? Why doesn't it ever grow old? Why do we just love to go and stand in awe?

And I think that's the answer right there. We were made for worship. We were made for worship. We long for it. And when we see that which is just greater than us, and it causes us to pause and look at something far beyond us, we just stand in awe. And we don't grow tired.

We go to see it again, and again, and again. And it's redriving in that reality that we were made for worship, but it also points to another issue. And I think an issue that we all face is that we have been captured in many ways by the beauty of the gospel. Who hasn't been captured by the beauty of the gospel? I mean, the gospel means we're delivered from sin and from hell and from judgment.

Now no condemnation. We take great glory in that. And rightly so, but the question is, and here's the fundamental shift in difference, is have we been captured by the beauty of the gospel without being captured by the beauty of God whose gospel it is? It's easy to make the gospel about us. It's easy to focus on all the benefits we receive in the gospel and to kind of really make the gospel.

In fact, we're kind of spring-loaded that way in our own fallenness that we want to make it about us. But the gospel is not fundamentally about you. It is about the glory of God, not your worth.

The cross of Calvary does not declare how valuable you are. It declares how glorious God is. And if all we are is guilty of being in love with the gospel, we may actually miss the fact that we're supposed to be in love with the God of the gospel. And so this morning, my burden is that we would glory, we'd be really look and to be captured by the beauty of God.

There's a little booklet that was put out by Michael Reeves. He wrote a book called How the Joy of the Trinity Inspires Mission. How the Joy of Trinity Inspires Mission. And he observed that most believers, when we think about Trinity or the triunity of God, we think it's something that theologians are going to debate on, try to come up with an analogy to help us understand it. And he counters all that notion and declares this, missions is rooted in the Trinity. It is in the very being and nature in the heart of God that our goal in studying doctrine is not knowledge.

It's not information. The goal in beholding the beauty of God is ultimately transformation, that our eyes would be opened to behold all who our God is. And that we would be drawn into the beauty of holiness to worship so that we've drawn towards full devotion, that our affections would be captured by God. That we would make much about God.

The reality is that our engagement in what God has given us to do in the work of mission is really should be normative for the Christian because it should be an overflow of what we love. We like to speak out about what we love. In fact, if you ask me to show you pictures of my grandchildren, I don't have as many of those as I have fall pictures because they're newer, okay? But I have lots of pictures of my grandchildren.

Why? Why do I care? I'm a grandfather now. Why do I delight in my five grandchildren and one on the way? And we have pictures and it's just that because I love them. They've captured my affections.

I enjoy spending time with them and I am glad to tell you about them. If that was true in your relationship with God, witnessing would not be hard. We love to talk about what we love. Do we love to talk about our God? What do those who know us best believe about our God based on how we speak? Spurgeon said this, the most excellent study for the expansion of the soul is the science of Christ. Him crucified in the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious trinity. And so it is my burden as Paul would say here in 2 Corinthians and two texts I'm going to show you in 2 Corinthians and really just pointing out the triunity stands out in each of these texts that we all with open face beholding in the glass the glory of the Lord are changed or transformed. The same image from glory to glory even by the spirit of the Lord and so here we have the work of God and really setting forth the beauty of God, the glory of God and the spirit opens that up through the word of God and as we actually behold the beauty of God we are changed.

We are being transformed say in chapter 4 and verse 6 for God who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness has shined in our hearts to give the light, the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus. And so here we see Father, Son and Spirit all come into the picture so the Father has commanded light, this knowledge of God shines forth from the Father, the spirit of God illumines our heart that we would know Christ. And in Christ we behold the glory of God and in that beholding of the glory of God there is a capture of the hearts affection so that we would truly love God supremely without competition for our affections. And so we're going to look at two fundamental, two texts that I hope just open a window into the beauty of the triunity of God and I hit the go back button.

So start if you have your Bibles you can look there but you can look on the screen we're going to also go to Revelation chapter 5 so you might want to just flip in your Bibles there because it's a longer text I'm not going to put it up on the screen for you. But as we look at this text we're talking about the triunity of God what does it reveal about the beauty of God and the glory of God. And one of the things it reveals is the nature of God, God is love we know that but it is revealed in the triunity of God I don't know if we think about that.

But it's revealed in the triunity of God and it really then does enable us to love even as we're loved we'll see that in just a moment. Do you ever stop and think that for all eternity God has existed Father, Son, and Spirit one essence never mixed never combined in any way and existing in perfect harmony and perfect oneness in fact that declaration our God is one is more than just saying well he's not a plurality of gods. It is our God is one and that there is one essence three persons that have been dwelled in this perfect fellowship of oneness forever. And that beauty of God dwelling in this perfect oneness is that he then comes out of that creates but what did God do before there was a creation. God has forever existed as a triune God there's never been a time when there was not a God before time, space, matter before everything we know that finite was created God existed triunalized. He existed as Father, Son, and Spirit and you say well why is that so important.

Well it's fundamentally important for love if God was one as in one and only one not three persons but one there would be no one else to love. In fact Jesus tells us in John 17 Father I will I will that they also whom now has given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory that thou has given me for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. It's an amazing statement it's an amazing reality that declares here God has always been a father. He's always been a father who is delighted in his son. God in his grace gave my wife and I three sons I have four children three sons one daughter.

And right now we have three granddaughters two grandsons and one grandson on the way. And I'm just simply saying as a parent one of the most amazing things of all is being that experience of that gift of life that God gives and the love you have for your child that you know you would lay your life down in a moment for your child. And then I am then called on to reflect and understand that God is a father. In fact my understanding of fatherhood while I understand that not all fathers actually really are worthy of emulation or perhaps you've had a father that was actually abusive. Just don't ever let your father paint the picture of God as a father. The reality is God's fatherhood teaches us what we ought to be as fathers.

What we ought to be as parents. And so God has always existed as a father loving his son in this perfect relationship of love and harmony. So I mentioned before if there was not a triune God God would be alone. He would somehow need in order to love other than just being narcissistic. He'd have to create something to love. In fact most pagan God stories you could go all the way back to the Babylonian account where their God Marduk had to create in order to have servants.

You could move forward into modern to come to Islam and Mohammed and his declaration of Allah and Allah was alone and solo God. And as this one God he is not characterized by love. In fact he had to create to have something he could love and then he can manipulate his creation so he has a unique people he loves and others he destroys. The God of Islam is not a God of love.

It can't be. Only if there is a triune God, a God who exists in father, son and spirit do we have a God who actually has that characteristic is a God of love that then reveals love to us. Dr. Benson preached in the first of the series and from Jeremiah 10 reminded us there is none like thee O Lord.

You are great and thy name is great and might. This one essence three persons eternally living are giving love. The father eternally giving love and taking pleasure in the son and the spirit and it is out of the overflow of God's satisfaction and all that he is that he creates. He did not create us because he needs us. He created us because he loves and out of the overflow of love God creates a creation in his image that now has the capacity of worship and has the capacity of oneness.

That can actually brought from all kinds of unique backgrounds and then be joined together even with another human being and experience the sense of oneness with somebody that just is an amazing gift. It is a foretaste of the reality that one day as a child of God you're going to experience oneness with God. The joy that God has eternally had in that oneness existing as a triune God, three persons, one essence. God has always enjoyed the fellowship with the father, son and spirit in perfect harmony and perfect unity and he out of the overflow of that creates.

He creates in order to share himself with this creation which alone has the capacity for worship and so he has created us in this way. In fact we come to a text in 1st John that tells us, Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.

He that knoweth not God or he that loveth knoweth not God. For God is love and that grand declaration of God being love but just notice what also it says. If you know this God, not know about, you know him as your God you will love.

The very impact of his life in yours creates love flowing out of your heart. In fact Jesus said it in John 17 the text we were in. John 17 he said verse 8-26 he said, I have declared unto them thy name and will declare it that the love wherein thou has loved me may be in them. That the love that God has for his own son is now in the people of God.

And as we've experienced his love we cannot help but reflect it. God had us in Florida for 11 years pastored there. And one of the things in Florida, obviously there's a larger populace of seniors.

I guess they could come to the bingo tonight but maybe not. But that larger populace of seniors, you know we had some dear saints of the Lord that have walked with the Lord for many years. And one of the joys of pastoring them was spending time with them because the love they had for Christ, their love then reflected in love for others. And just being with them impacted your own outlook on life, on the Lord, on other people.

I mean there were cranky old seniors don't get me wrong. But there were those that just reflected, radiated what God had done in their life and you loved to be around them because it impacted even your outlook or how you responded to others. How much more should it be that we who get the privilege of coming to chapel, being in a Christian college, having a Christian worldview, being in Bible class, being surrounded by the word of God, that we actually reflect the character of God and how we treat one another. If you've actually entered the presence of God in worship you will not remain the same. It is impossible. We come into the presence of God, our eyes open by the Spirit of God, behold the character, the glory of God, it is transformational.

You did not come here to get information. You came here for your life to be changed by the reality of the presence of God that you then as a reflector of the glory of God would take that love to a world that desperately needs to see what love really is, not how they define it. And so it is the love of God that enables us to love. It is having entered the presence of God, knowing God that his love pervades all of us and all of our being and it flows out in love for others as it does in love for God. In John 17 he says in verse 22, he said, the glory which thou gavest me I have given to them. Now listen to this text, that they may be one just as we are one.

It's an amazing text. Think about all the ways the Bible speaks of being one. Man and woman joined together that the two might be one. That marriage portrait which we know is a bigger picture than just the love of a couple, it actually portrays the love of God for a people, for a church and the church's oneness. In the church we're called to come together and actually be one, united in purpose and we have one spirit, one baptism, one Lord. We are to be like minded with Christ, we're to grow in oneness and the more we know our God the more one we become.

And I can just tell you it's a glorious blessing in the number of years, my wife and I have been married for 37 years. That growing oneness is an incredible blessing. So thankful for the gift of God in that experience because it really is a foretaste of the oneness that one day I will enjoy in the presence of God. It's a foretaste of glory.

And I mentioned I'd have us end here if we go to Revelation chapter 5. And it's a grand scene, it's a grand scene of worship. It points to something that's future, the reality that's coming. It's part of our hope and our hope is in our hope so here's a reality for everyone in here that is part of the family of God.

This we will experience. John has given a glimpse into this glorious scene of worship and you cannot miss the triune God in this text. And so we look at this text and we see but it also is a text that ends with this glorious scene of worship but it begins with a crisis. So I'm going to read from Revelation chapter 5, we're going to read the chapter and then comment to it as we close. And I saw at the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a book written in on the backside sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the book?

To loose the seals thereof. No man in heaven nor in earth, neither under the earth was able to open the book, neither to look therein and I wept much. Because no man was found worthy to open and read the book, neither to look therein. And so the scene is set, God's on his throne and then this book comes his will for worship.

No one can open it but then the elder said to me weep not. Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has prevailed to open the book to loosen the seven seals thereof. And I beheld and lo in the midst of the throne and the four beasts in the midst of the elders stood a lamb. As it had been slain and having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent forth from all the earth. And that seven spirits of God is referred to earlier in the book in chapter one. It actually ties to a prophecy in Zachariah dealing with God's omniscience, knowing all, his eyes are everywhere.

And here being a reference to the very spirit of God sent forth to accomplish the purposes of God. And he, Jesus, came and took the book out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne from the father. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts, the four and twenty-four elders fell before the lamb.

Having every one of them harps and a golden veil and odors which were the prayers of the saints and they sang a new song. Thou are worthy to take the book, to open the seals thereof. Thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and peoples and nation. And has made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands and thousands saying with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength and honor, glory and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and such as in the sea and all that are in them I heard saying blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth on the throne. And unto the lamb forever and ever and the four beasts said Amen. And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped him that lived forever and ever.

What a glorious scene of worship. The father on the throne and the son coming and he's opening the scroll and emblematic to all of that. It is the son that enables that will of the father to be accomplished. It is the son who was sent forth by the father to live that life of perfect righteousness and give it on the cross of Calvary.

He is the one who saddest settled the debt. He is the one that pays for the sin. He is the one that removes the burden of guilt. He is the one who set you free from the bondage and slavery of sin.

He is the one that brings life to your dead soul so you might have everlasting life. And so the father and the son and the spirit then sent forth and the accomplishment of all of God's purpose and taking the atonement and all the accomplishment of Christ and taking it and applying it to lost men and opening blinded eyes and taking out a heart of stone and putting in a heart of flesh. And so we see in this principle set forth that God's love is manifested in this way.

We're getting to really, sorry, jump here. The father here wills the worship. He wills the worship. The son of God enables the worship. And the spirit of God then empowers our worship and so we worship a triune God who has forever dwelled together in perfect unity and a perfect relationship of love and he out of the overflow of that love has created us that we might know him.

That we might revel in that love ourselves. That we would experience it now a foretaste of glory and then in his presence forevermore. We will be in this worship scene.

You will either be there rejoicing that you have been bought by the lamb or you will be on bended knee declaring that the lamb is just in your eternal condemnation. Psalm 16, the psalmist said in Psalm 16 verse 8, I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand I'll not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices.

My flesh also shall rest in hope. And so it is Yahweh at before me and it is before me as in this is the one I follow. And it is before me and this is the one who I aspire to be more like. It is Yahweh set before me. And that one who is then set before me is in whom I delight.

My heart is glad. But he is also Yahweh beside me. And that he has never left me nor will he forsake me. He is the strength for the journey through a broken world. He is the strength for the journey onward to the glorious day of worship when we will all be joined together and all of creation is going to declare worthy art thou. To receive glory, honor and might.

They've always belonged to our God. And then it ends with probably one verse that's a favorite to many of us. In Psalm 16 11 it says in thy presence is fullness of joy. And at thy right hand are pleasures forevermore.

The reality is as many of you are in love with the Gospels declaration no condemnation. But you find more pleasure in the world around you than the God who's supposed to dwell in you. The Gospel is about the glory of God. And when our hearts are captured by the glory of God we love God supremely. Our life begins to reflect his glory. And we find in his presence fullness of joy. And while we can say well that's a future reality.

I'll agree the fullness of joy is a future reality. But I don't think the presence of God has not been limited to then. In fact God so intends for you to know him that when you come to Christ the very spirit of God comes to dwell in you. God is with you. He dwells with you that you might know him and knowing him changes everything. I can show you pictures of the beauty of Vermont. But I promise it has not captured your attention until you go and see it. I can tell you to my face is red probably is. That God is glorious and you need to behold it.

But there's a radical difference between me telling you about it and you experiencing it. Do you love the God of the Gospel? Is he glorious? Do you know joy now?

Do you long for more of his presence now? And if we don't perhaps we're still just in love with ourself. And not the God who gave the Gospel. Let's pray. Father we bow our hearts to thee and we ask that you would take these truths and wrap our minds. Lord we're finite. It's just so difficult for us even begin to fathom all that it means that you are triune.

But what an amazing reality that is. And that you love and you don't manipulate, you don't need. But out of love you have created and you have shared yourself that we might know the love that you have one with another.

In fact Jesus prays that way. That we would grow in that oneness with one another but most importantly with you. And the love by which you have loved your son eternally you then shed abroad in our heart. That we might love you truly supremely. And Lord we love to talk about what we love. So may from our mouths sound forth the declaration that there is none like you. You alone are great. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. You've been listening to a sermon preached by BJU Seminary Professor Dr. Billy Goecher which was the second message in the series called Our Great God. Listen again tomorrow as we continue the series on The Daily Platform.