THE GLORY OF THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT
THE GLORY OF THE FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT
Sunday, March 22, 2015, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Father God created all things by his almighty power, guided and directed by his infinite wisdom and goodness. To all creation he communicated his goodness and to his living creatures he communicates life as well as goodness. This was the first of God’s communications to his creation. It was exceedingly glorious.
Ps. 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.”
God created all things in such a way that they are dependent on each other. The earth, for example, depends on the sun and the rain for all that it produces.
Hos. 2: 21-22: “…In that day, I will hear, says the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth. The earth shall hear the corn, and the wind, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel.”
The glory of God is thus obvious to the human mind, for by his works and providence his eternal power and Godhead are revealed.
By this divine communication God not only glorified his divine nature, but also his eternal existence in three persons, Father, Son and Spirit.
The whole creation in all its perfection came forth from the power and goodness of the divine nature, from the Father who is the Creator of all things. Yet the actual work of creation was committed to the Son, the power and wisdom of the Father.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made” (Jn. 1:1-3).
Col. 1:16: “For by Him (Jesus) were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him.”
But it was the Holy Spirit who, when the first mass of creation was produced hovered over it as a bird over its eggs keeping it and cherishing it so that it was able to produce all kinds of creatures (Gen. 1:2).
So, in the maintenance of the whole, there is a special work of the Holy Spirit in all things. Nothing can continue to exist for one moment except by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ps. 104: 29-30: “…You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth. The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever; the Lord shall rejoice in His works. He looks on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the hills, and they smoke.:”
By these divine communications in producing and preserving the creation, God reveals his glory. The revelation of his glory is even far more wonderful in the new creation.
All goodness, grace, life, light, mercy and power which are the cause of the new creation come from God, from his divine nature. Because of them God is eternally or essentially glorious in himself, and the purpose of the new creation was to reveal His glory. By the church, the true glorious character of God is to be seen and known.
The first communication of these things was made to Christ as the head of the church.
Col. 1: 17-19: “…He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. He is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have preeminence.”
Christ is the repository and treasury of all goodness, grace, life, light, power and mercy; which were necessary to establish the church. These graces dwell in him and are communicated from him to the whole mystical body of the church. This communication or impartation to Christ was first to his person. It is in his person that all fullness dwells (Col. 2:3,9).
By means of his mediatory office of prophet, priest and king, the things imparted to him are communicated and imparted to the church.
In producing and perfected the work of the church from eternity, God prepared and set apart for himself those he had chosen for salvation. What was said by the psalmist about the natural body of man may also be said of the mystical body of Christ.
Ps. 139: 15-16: “My substance was not hid from You, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect. In Your book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them”.
From the infinite, eternal spring of wisdom, grace, goodness and love in the Father comes the decree of election. Those whom God chose out of this sinful human race, for the new creation, he entrusted to Christ. He appointed him our Savior to bring us out of the old creation. By the power of the Holy Spirit he planned to apply all the blessings of the salvation wrought by Christ and thus communicate life, light, power, grace and mercy to the elect.
In doing this, God glorifies his nature, his infinite wisdom, power , goodness and grace; and also His glorious existence in three persons. The glorious truth of the Trinity is thus made precious to believers and becomes the foundation of our faith and hope.
When we understand and meditate on the glorious way by which God communicates His Divinity to us by the Son and the Spirit, we see the glory of his nature in the three distinct persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
According to this divine order, the elect in all ages through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit are brought to spiritual life, light, grace and power to the glory of God. We are not called by chance. In every age, the Holy Spirit communicates to each generation the glory of each person in the Holy Trinity.
In the same way the whole new creation is kept from ever falling away again.
Dream I had last week:
I was climbing this very high mountain. At the height where I was, it was very steep. I was digging the path up the mountain with my bare hands, “bent over”. Behind me was a man. He lassoed me with a rope. I believe that man was an angel to keep me from falling…” (If I did fall, the rope would catch me.)
I am not preaching that we cannot backslide or fall from grace. “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. Hypocrites can participate outwardly in divine ordinances. Some entered the courts of God by a profession of faith, but were never planted in the house by faith and love.
So do not deceive yourself. You may have become a member of the outward church and been made a partaker of its outward privileges, and yet not be so planted in it as to flourish in grace and fruitfulness.
It is by a steady view of the glory of Christ in the gospel that believers are kept fresh and flourishing.
Every moment, power, strength, mercy and grace are communicated from the Father through the Son by the Holy Spirit. Paul declares that the whole church order is organized to promote these divine communications to all the members of the church.
Eph. 4: 13-15: “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That we hereafter be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men, cunning and craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”
This is how divine graces are communicated to the church even in heaven throughout eternity. At present, the world can neither see this nor understand it. Let us make Paul’s prayer for spiritual understanding of these things ours (Eph. 1: 16-23): “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him”.
The revelation of God’s glory in creation is inferior to that which hereveals of Himself in the New Covenant.
Christ is ours as a free gift from the Father (1 Cor. 1:30). The act of the Father in giving us his Son arises from his eternal purpose to glorify his grace in his elect by giving Christ and all the blessings of his mediatory work to us. (Eph. 1: 3-14).
God also gave us to Christ and this he did before Christ was offered freely to us. “They were yours and you gave them to me” (Jn. 17:6).
This gift of Christ promised in the gospel to all who receive him and believe in him will become partakers of the blessing of fellowship with the Father and the Son unto eternal life. (1 Jn. 1: 1-4).
This wonderful gift of Christ to the church arises out of the eternal counsel, wisdom, grace and power of the Father.
In order to give himself to us, Christ gives us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to him to live in him in all his fullness by the Father. The same Holy Spirit in turn is given to us to dwell in all believers.
Thus the glorious union between Christ and believers is brought about. At his incarnation, he took our nature in personal union with his own. By the Holy Spirit, he takes us into union with Himself.
This union is a glorious illustration of God’s wisdom. The same Spirit who dwells in Christ dwells in the church body giving life to all the elect.
There is no parallel to this in all creation. Natural unions and relationships such as marriage, are but shadows of it. In this union, Jesus is precious to believers. But at the same time, he is a stone of stumbling and rock of offense to the disobedient.
We are still learning the glorious graces of being joined to the Lord so as to become one Spirit. By this union with Christ, the spiritual life of the church and the church’s ability to respond to God and to heavenly things is secured.
“Our life is hid with Christ in God”
Christ communicates himself to us by creating a new nature, his own nature, his own mind. In Christ all graces reside in absolute perfection. In us graces exist in various measures as he is pleased to impart them to us.
Through the precious promises of the gospel, we are made partakers of the divine nature. This is that new man, the new creature, that divine nature, that Spirit which is born of the Spirit, that transformation into the image of Christ, that putting on of Christ, that workmanship created in us by God for good works, that Scriptures describes. (Jn. 3:6; Rom 6: 3-8; 2 Cor. 3:18; 5:17).
We of God are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God---righteousness, sanctification and redemption.
Christ says to us, “You are now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.” I see myself, my own nature in you, so you are beautiful and desirable.
Jesus is thus able to present to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and without blemish. All the purity, beauty, holiness and inward glory of the church depend on this.
Christ unites himself to us by engrafting us into himself by faith (which is his own work wrought in us). He does this by the grace or power of the gospel.
By the grace and the power of the gospel, we continually receive perpetual supplies of spiritual life, support, strength, grace and perseverance. This is what he teaches us the in the parable of the vine and its branches (Jn. 15: 1-5).
“…I live, nevertheless, not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I live in the flesh is by the faith of the Son of God…” (Gal. 2:20).
Christ’s love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us. We are enabled to love Christ in return by the same Spirit. There is indeed a deep mystery and glory in this loving relationship.
This message is only a few examples of the glories of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There is not time in this message to mention his work as Prophet, Priest and King. Our hearts continue to be filled with holy wonder and gratitude as we continue to be filled with fresh springs of grace.
It is the nature of grace to grown and increase. Like rivers, the nearer they come to the ocean, the more their water content increases and they flow more swiftly. So will grace flow more freely and fully the nearer it approaches the ocean of eternal glory.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V.
I entered into the labors of John Owen, “The Glory of Christ” (1616-1683). Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of Rev. Owen.