Awake Us Now

Questions about the Trinity are often asked this way: • Is the word "Trinity" in the Bible? • Do Christians worship three Gods? • Was "Trinity" invented by the Church? • Isn't the notion of "Trinity" irrational? • Don't you think this is a minor issue?

Pastor digs into the question of the Trinity by starting at the beginning, in Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." In Hebrew the word for God that is used in this verse is Elohim. Elohim is a plural noun. God is being described in plural terms!

Genesis 1:2 "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." In Hebrew the Spirit of God is "Ruah Elohim". This is describing God as the Holy Spirit.

Genesis 1:3 "And God said, "Let there be light, and there was light." The word that stands out here is "said".

Observation: Genesis 1 1. Plural noun for God the Creator 2. Spirit of God involved in Creation 3. God's Word brings forth the Creation

This three-fold pattern continues throughout the Hebrew Scriptures: 1. Father - Deuteronomy 32:6 "Is He not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?" 2. Spirit - Job 33:4 "The Spirit of God has made me, the breath of the Almighty gives me life." 3. Word - Psalm 33:6 "By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth." But the Old Testament also says there is but ONE God. Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel; The LORD our God, the LORD is one."

And yet one God is describe in a multiplicity of terms. One God and three very distinct Persons. This pattern continues in the New Testament: 1. Father - 1 Peter 1:2 "…chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father." 2. Spirit - Acts 5:3-4 "…you have lied to the Holy Spirit…you have not lied just to human beings but to God." 3. Word - John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

In John 1:14 we read more about the Word, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

THE WORD is none other than Jesus, Himself.

The Bible sets forth clearly that the One God has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus says in Matthew 28:19 "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…"

The word that stands out in this verse is the word NAME - singular - yet THREE are named.

2 Corinthians 13:14 "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

This is clear Biblical teaching that the One true God has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is complex!!! His ways are higher than ours!

God who created us…. • Planned to Save us (God knew we would wander away from Him, but His plan from the beginning was save us) • Came to Save us (we cannot save ourselves, we need a divine rescue. Our Divine Rescuer is Jesus who came to earth taking on human flesh and enduring the cross) • Dwells in us to Save us (the God who created us dwells in us, brings us to faith, changes hearts, gives power and testifies to Jesus the Savior)

God works as a unity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each unique and distinct but also uniquely ONE.

Is the word "Trinity" in the Bible? The word is not but "the Trinity" is found: Father, Son and Holy Spirit in both Old and New Testaments.

Do Christians worship three Gods? No, there is but ONE God, but has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We do not need to comprehend this to know God's power and presence and truth.

Was "Trinity" invented by the Church? The term is invented but The TRUTH of THE TRINITY has been there since the beginning.

Isn't the notion of "Trinity" irrational? This is a profound mystery, but not irrational. Pastor shares a lesson from Dr. Walter Martin and the Triple Point of Water where water is solid, gas and liquid all at one time. Three yet one. Is it irrational that the God of the universe can "three yet one."

Don't you think this is a minor issue? No because when we start ignoring what God says about Himself and what the Bible teaches we go into false teaching and false testimony. This is where false religions come in. We're living in a culture that has walked from God and it is disastrous. This is NOT a minor issue - God is above ALL things and He is worthy of our worship and praise.

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The truth of Jesus, the "Gospel Truth," is the heart of all truth, and without that we have nothing. Pastor opens with the words from the song, 'Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus." The story behind this song is an amazing one that sets the stage for today's entire message on the "Belt of Truth." Pastor also explores what truth is and takes us through Ephesians 4 as we discover several forms of truth.

Ephesians 6:14

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Even in dark and difficult times, Jesus gives His followers this amazing promise: "A.S.K." - Ask, and it will be given to you - Seek, and you will find - Knock, and the door will be opened to you

Jesus warns his followers against the spirit of judgmentalism - the eagerness to condemn the sins and faults of others while excusing or even denying our own. His followers are to discern truth and falsehood, right and wrong, with humility, repentance, and honesty.

Chronic worry not only disorders the mind but can actually damage physical health. Treatments like massage, breathing exercises, and medicine can relieve the immediate symptoms - but Jesus provides another answer for worry; one that gets directly to the heart and soul of the sufferer.

Pastor Dodge opens today's teaching with a quote from St. Augustine, "The New is in the Old concealed, the Old is in the New revealed." Meaning what the New Testament teaches is already in the Old Testament scriptures and the Old Testament scriptures find their fulfillment in the New Testament. The Old Testament isn't to be sloughed off, it is at the heart of the New Testament teaching. In order to understand the New Testament we need to be well versed in the Old Testament. This is what we will see in today's study of Acts 17.

Acts 17:1-3 - Paul and his companions come to a synagogue in Thessalonica and Paul explains that Jesus is the Messiah. Paul is showing them the Hebrew Scriptures and demonstrating how Jesus is the fulfillment of what the Jewish people have been longing for.

Some ways the Messiah was mentioned in the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures and revealed in the New Testament through the life and death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ:

• The New Adam
• The Seed of the woman
• Virgin born Immanuel
• Passover Lamb
• Heavenly Manna
• Son of David
• Suffering Servant
• New Covenant
• Divine Son of Man
• The King who enters Jerusalem
• The First and the Last
• King of Kings

Acts 17:4-10 many believed but some did not and so the believers send Paul and Silas away to Berea where they went again to the Jewish synagogue.

Acts 17:11-12 - The Berean Jews received their message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. And as a result many of the Berean Jews believed along with prominent Greek women and men.

The Christian faith is a rational faith. It is not something uncovered by human reason but is entirely rational because God is entirely rational.

God has done mighty things. He is the God of the universe and the God of human history and in His Word He reveals to us His Son - our Redeemer and Hope.

Paul reasoned with them and we too need to confront the reasoning and the wisdom of God as revealed through ancient Hebrew prophets, through apostles and through His Son.

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For the full list of videos in this series, Dig Deeper, https://www.awakeusnow.com/dig-deeper

For more check out our Sunday series, God ACTS! https://www.awakeusnow.com/god-acts-then-now

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The question we need to ask ourselves is: "What do I value most? Am I going to value things that don't last, or am I going to value what God values most - those qualities that endure forever?"

Our God is a deliverer, and He offers us deliverance even - and especially - today!

SEEING CLEARLY: Then + Now

1. Scandal of Idolatry - Then - Acts 17:16 we read that Paul was in Athens and was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 1 Corinthians 10:20 Paul writes that the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And in Romans 1:22-23 "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal human beings and birds and animals and reptiles."
   • In Athens life revolved around the idols. Sampling:
   • Festival of Athena
   • Festival of Apollo
   • Festival of Demeter
   • Festival of Poseidon
   • Festival of Dionysus
   • Festival of Zeus

Now - Today we need to have our eyes opened to the idolatry of this age. The worship of things and self.

1. Reason vs Ridicule - Then - Acts 17:17-18 Paul reasoned in the synagogue and the market place to both Jews and God-fearing Greeks regarding idolatry. Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. They accused him of advocating foreign gods because he was preaching the good news of Jesus and the resurrection - something they had not heard before.

Now - Today there are many who ridicule the Christian faith so it is important to reason with them and to bring into their lives the truth of what the scriptures say. (See 1 Corinthians 1:21)

1. Tyranny of Fads - Then - Acts 17:19-21 - Paul is taken to a meeting of the Areopagus (legislative body) where they question Paul about what he was teaching. They were interested in new ideas, interested in going with the latest fad. However the good news of Jesus is not a fad and in Romans 12:2 we are encouraged to not conform to the patterns of the world.

Now - Today we are called to be grounded in the word of God, to be transformed by it and not follow the ways of the world.

1. The Unknown is made Known - Then - Acts 17:22-25 Paul stands up and addresses the group saying that he sees they are "very religious." He had observed their objects of worship and told them they were ignorant and then he reveals that God who made the world and everything in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples built by human hands. He told them that God gives life and breath and everything else.

Now - today just like then, many have heard of God but they do not know Him. (See 1 Timothy 6:15-16) Paul seeks to communicate who God truly is: all powerful, all knowing and good.

1. The Priority of Repentance - Then - Acts 17:26-30 - Paul tells them of the one true God who made nations from one man. "For in Him we live and move and have our beings." He goes on to say that since we are God's offspring, we shouldn't think that God is like an idol of gold or silver. God commands all people to repent.

Now - today - we too are to repent. To turn around, change our direction and return to God.

1. Resurrection of Christ - Then - Acts 17:31-33 - Paul tells of the day that the Lord has set to judge the world with justice by the One who God Himself raised from the dead. (Jesus - Redeemer, Deliverer) When Paul talked of the resurrection of the dead, some sneered, but others wanted to learn more.

Now - today - the resurrection of Christ is the key biblical teaching and the heart of the New Testament teaching. By human standards, Christ's resurrection seems ridiculous - unless it's REAL! And that is precisely what the scriptures declare AND what the evidence points to! 1 Corinthians 15:20 tells us that Christ has indeed been risen from the dead! And that news can change even the most devout skeptic.

Pastor shares the story of a cold case investigator, detective and atheist, J. Warner Wallace. Using cold case investigation tools and tactics Wallace uncovers compelling evidences for Christ's resurrection, yet he still chose to ignore what he uncovered and chose NOT to see clearly. However, that's not the end of the story. Pastor closes class with how it all ended for J. Warner Wallace and how it ends for all of us.

God has set a day when He will judge the world - Thus we need to repent - because God has raised His Son from the grave and He IS coming back!

This week's READING ASSIGNMENT:

Acts chapter 17-18.

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.

Check out this video series from our website: https://www.awakeusnow.com/god-acts-then-now

Or watch from our Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@AwakeUsNow/videos

Join us Sundays live or on demand from our website

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The breastplate of God's righteousness protects us from the schemes and attacks of the devil as we live out our daily lives in Christ.

Pastor teaches us the 2 meanings of righteousness in the Bible;

1. The righteousness we receive through faith in Christ Jesus - a right relationship with God throuigh the gift of His Son.
2. Righteousness is also the way we desire to live based on what we have received at no cost through our Savior Christ Jesus. And growing in our faith. Seeking to do what is right - not to earn our righteousness, but as a way to thank God for the gift of righteousness that is given to us through Jesus.

Ephesians 6:14

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