GOD IN THREE PERSONS
Trinity Sunday is the Sunday following Pentecost Sunday
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty
Words by Reginald Heber (1826); Music by John B. Dykes
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee
perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
We just worshipped “God in three Persons,” Father, Son, and Spirit. Today in the Christian Year is Trinity Sunday – a day to focus our attention on the fact that we worship a God who is three Persons, but One God. This is a chief Christian doctrine duplicated by no other religion in the world. An early church catechism question asks,
How many persons are there in God?
Let’s say the answer together.
CONGREGATION:
There are three persons in the one true and living God:
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
They are the same in substance, equal in power and glory.
Wrapping our heads around the Trinity – God in three Persons – can give us a headache. John Wesley said….
“Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and then I will show you a man that can comprehend the Triune God.”
When we consider the wonder of redemption, the clouds of mystery surrounding the Trinity part somewhat as we more clearly see the role each person plays – the modes of operation in our salvation.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17
Let’s consider the role of our sanctification by the Holy Spirit by reading responsively from
1 Corinthians 2:
LEADER:
What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived – the things God has prepared for those who love him – these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
CONGREGATION:
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them?
LEADER:
In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
CONGREGATION:
What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
LEADER:
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.
CONGREGATION:
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
LEADER:
The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?”
EVERYONE:
But we have the mind of Christ.
Come Thou Almighty King
Words: Anonymous (c. 1757); Music by Felice de Giardini
Come, thou Almighty King,
Help us thy name to sing, help us to praise.
Father, all glorious, o’er all victorious,
Come and reign over us, Ancient of Days.
Come, thou Incarnate Word,
Gird on thy mighty sword, scatter thy foes.
Let thine almighty aid our sure defense be made,
Our souls on thee be stayed; thy wonders show.
Come, holy Comforter,
Thy sacred witness bear in this glad hour.
Thou who almighty art, now rule in ev’ry heart,
And ne'er from us depart, Spirit of power.
To the great One in Three
Eternal praises be, hence evermore.
His sov’reign majesty may we in glory see,
And to eternity love and adore.
This I Believe (The Creed)
Words and Music by Ben Fielding and Matt Crocker
© 2014 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia
Our Father everlasting
The all creating One
God Almighty
Through Your Holy Spirit
Conceiving Christ the Son
Jesus our Savior
I believe in God our Father
I believe in Christ the Son
I believe in the Holy Spirit
Our God is three in one
I believe in the resurrection
That we will rise again
For I believe in the name of Jesus
Our Judge and our Defender
Suffered and crucified
Forgiveness is in You
Descended into darkness
You rose in glorious life
Forever seated high
I believe in You
I believe You rose again
I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord
I believe in life eternal
I believe in the virgin birth
I believe in the saints’ communion
And in Your holy Church
I believe in the resurrection
When Jesus comes again
For I believe, in the name of Jesus
Offering Prayer
Offertory:
We Believe (The Apostle’s Creed) – special presentation
Words and Music by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, and Stuart Townend
© 2016 ThankYou Music, Getty Music Publishing, Townend Songs
We believe in one true God
Father, Spirit, Son
One Church, one faith, one Lord of all
His kingdom come
We believe in God the Father
Almighty, Lord of life
Creator of the Heavens
The earth, the sea, the sky
And we believe in Jesus
The only son of God
Born of the virgin Mary
Who lived as one of us
We believe that Jesus suffered
Was beaten, crucified
He died and he was buried
Entombed in darkest night
The third day rose victorious
Ascended into heav’n
Will one day come to judge us
The living and the dead
We believe in God the Spirit
One church, empowered by Him
Communion of God’s people
Forgiveness of our sin;
Our bodies resurrected
To everlasting life
To worship, love and wonder
Before the throne of Christ
Prayer of Illumination
Father, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that, as the Scriptures are read and your Son, Jesus Christ, the Word is revealed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen.
Sermon
The Lord’s Supper
[instrumental music played or congregational singing]
The Mystery of the Faith
And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again!
How Great Is Our God
Words and Music by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves
© 2004 sixsteps Music; worshiptogether.com songs; Wondrously Made Songs
The splendor of the King, clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice
He wraps Himself in light and darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice, and trembles at His voice
How great is our God
Sing with me how great is our God
And all will see how great, how great is our God
And age to age He stands, and time is in His hands
Beginning and the End, Beginning and the End
The Godhead three in one, Father Spirit Son
The Lion and the Lamb, the Lion and the Lamb
Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God
Benediction
As we go from this place, out to the world God loves, let us have these words from the apostle Paul in our hearts, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14)