Good Morning Friends,
Columbus on his third trip to the New World discovered what he thought initially were three islands but as he sailed closer it became clear that the three mountains were at sea level connected and he could see them as one. Columbus named the island Trinidad, which in Spanish is the word for Trinity. I have a friend who was recently saved and demonstrates this connectedness. She had been reading the Gospel of John and singing in the choir and the gift of the Holy Spirit was working for her. Then it clicked and I think she grasped that God sent the Son, and the Son sent the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit was sending her. She made a choice. This morning, we are tackling the thorny topic of The Trinity as we begin checking the fruits and soil and roots in our life. We can look at the subject theologically or numerically, but what I would like to do this morning is look at it more organically instead. Jesus uses organic examples to help us understand that at some level we are all connected in the natural world. It is a process of getting right with God and others… tilling, watering and sometimes pruning but also growing. And with Lent beginning this week, we will over the next several weeks drill deeper in contemplation of whether we are really following Jesus. Showing up is part of it, but it cannot end there. So today we look ahead to the challenge of fixing our own faith and fitness before we go around trying to fix others. We test our own vision and ability to teach and be taught and find ourselves lacking but that the Holy Spirit in us is nevertheless surprisingly strong. So, we commit to the process of sanctification in the hope of becoming good even though those around us fall short. We are in uncharted territory and this tipping point in our future success spiritually may boil down to how well we treat our enemies. So, What Can We Learn From Our Triune God About How To Treat People We Do Not Like?
Scripture: In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,
Genesis 1:1 (NRSV)
When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:54-58 (NRSV)
He also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.
Luke 6:39-45 (NRSV)
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
I John 3:1 (NRSV)
There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.
Isaiah 64:7-9 (NRSV)
I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:5–7 (NRSV)
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20 (NRSV)
Message: Woven in the very structure of the Apostle’s Creed is the doctrine of the Trinity. Each paragraph introduces one member of the Godhead and illustrates some of the ways in which that person of the Godhead has revealed Himself to us. The reality of the Doctrine of the Trinity is that while most of us are familiar with it, few of us could say that we really understand it. We know that we don’t believe in three different Gods, and we know that we don’t believe in One God who just puts on different costumes or personalities. All three persons of the Triune Godhead coexist in eternal relationship with each other. And yet, while they are distinct persons, they are unified as one God. Many analogies and pictures have been created in order to attempt to describe Trinity, and yet most have some inherent weakness which causes them to fall short of their goal. No matter how we attempt to diagram, explain, or describe the Holy Trinity, we are using mere human constructs and finite limitations which cannot possibly do justice to the Nature of an infinite God. However, despite our human limitations, our task today is to embark upon a journey of discovery and explanation of the ways in which God has revealed Himself to the world. And the preeminent character of God that we learn from an early age is that God is love. So there have to be more than one personality from the beginning for a deity that has no one to love cannot love. The Holy Spirit loved Jesus and Jesus loved the Father, and the Holy Spirit loved the Father all of them together loved us so that the character of God can be expressed. You will never find the word “trinity” within the pages of Scripture, in fact the Latin word “trinitas” did not exist until it was coined by the Church Father Tertullian near the end of the second century. And yet, while there was no word to describe the Nature of God, it is clear from the Bible that God consistently revealed Himself to Creation in a Triune manner. Jesus Himself refers to all three persons of the Godhead in the Great Commission, as recorded in Matthew 28:19-20: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, (which includes love at the top of the list). And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Not only does Jesus speak of all three persons of the Trinity, but Scripture continually reveals all three persons to us. We believe that God is eternally existent, from before the beginning of time to after the end of time. We believe Him to be the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, without beginning or end. Indeed, the first words of the Bible tell us that God existed. Genesis 1 speaks of God and the Spirit of God, and John 1 speaks of the Word of God – Jesus, eternally existent with God in the beginning. These passages remind us that God was always the Divine Trinity, eternally existing before the creation of the world and that in the act of creation was love that is to be in our nature too.
And So, we are supposed to give to and love the people we do not even like and would rather condemn. Jesus did not condemn the world but instead chose to love the world into becoming a better place and a little more like heaven than hell. And this is sure to draw out the worst in some people. Perhaps that is why recent converts might experience tribulations. But the focus is not to be on doling out proper punishment but to reflect and draw out the Spirit of Jesus in others. Friends, when someone says that we cannot judge them because we are not perfect, they in effect have judged the Spirit of Christ in us and in the process really are fair game for being judged. But let us not be so quick to jump in and point out others flaws. The desire here is redemption for sinners. And confession has its place, but it is pointless to confess someone else’s sins for them, even if they are obvious to us. Yes, point out the sin but not the sinner. But always lead with love in recognition of the image of God in others. The problem arises when those people are blinded by their own egos. So, the problem is made worse when we fail to love those we do not even like. The thing is that people can change for the better and we need to give them a chance. God has set the rules here…we are to love others as God has loved us. We are to forgive and to be forgiven. We are to bear good fruit because the Christ in us is very good. Ok, we have the Golden Rule and the Silver Rule to guide us. But it is one thing to quote Jesus and another to correctly understand and put what he says into practice. Most people want to live the way they want to live and do not care much about hearing the truth of their lives or the lack of it put to the test. Judging rightly is the task, not judging at all is impossible. Helping others reach a creative conclusion that is healthier and gives them a more abundant life is the challenge. To win a verbal debate regarding a person’s behavior when the internal status has not changed may feel good for a moment but is a bit unproductive. We are not to play this way. We are to be strategic and smart. Favoritism might well be a sin. A true disciple wants to be like Jesus and help people live more abundantly. What Jesus is saying is this: If you sit around complaining about how others have mistreated you then you will react to that person by being all mad and spiteful toward them. You will start talking mean about them. And if that is how you are going to act… then you need to understand that the result will be bad for all. We are all meant to be connected. To have a good result we must become good plants in good soil to bear good fruit. We need to be graphed on to the rootstock of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is what connects us. We must learn how to recognize and draw out the best of others. We need to be all in for all.
Pray we realize that we are made in the image of God, and it is our work to integrate our three natures (mental, physical and spiritual) and ultimately see more clearly and love more dearly, but that we are not God. Pray we be present in the Spirit’s love and vision. Pray we follow Jesus’ lead but not confuse His Divine Nature with his human nature. Pray that though we cannot help judging that we do not condemn. Pray that we forgive. Pray that we beware of hypocrites. Pray we are not double or tri minded ourselves. Pray we behold Jesus and behold the Christ in our neighbor, so we might all become more like the image of Jesus. Pray we learn to love even those we do not like. Pray we think organically about the nature of God.Pray God directs us in all that we do and gives us continual help so that all our works begun, continued, and ended may glorify Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Pray we produce much fruit because we love God and each other…even those people we do not like.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 