The Holy Spirit in the 21st Century



Lesson 1

The Eternal Godhead

How would you answer if someone asked you, “What is God like?” The Scriptures give us a clear profile of God. So why do we still have difficulty grasping, and explaining, who God is?”

Our problem lies in the fact that He transcends our finite thinking. We are accustomed to thinking of everything in terms of a beginning and an end, and with limitations and boundaries. He had not beginning and He has no end. He was not created and He will never be dissolved. Understanding the attributes of God goes against our natural human reasoning, (see 1 Corinthians 2:14). Here are seven major characteristics God has shared about Himself in His Word:

1. God is Eternal

• …from everlasting to everlasting. You are God. Psalm 90:2

Here, the word everlasting is from the Hebrew word “olam” (o-lawm), and means vanishing point. It is a mathematical expression referring to all past infinity, through all future infinity. God has no beginning and no end; He is eternal. (See also Exodus 3:14)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. God is Self-Existent

• And he is before all things and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17

God is the creator of everything that has ever existed. He is the absolute source of all life. God does not depend on any source other than Himself for His existence. (See Psalm 50:12)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. God is Unchanging

• I the Lord do not change…..Malachi 3:6.

Our thoughts, moods and emotions change from day to day, sometimes landing us in great difficulty! But God is consistent – day in and day out. His character, His reasoning, His Words they never change. God does not change like shifting shadows. (See James 1:17)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. God is Omnipresent (Not in everything, but everywhere)

• Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?....Do I not fill heaven and earth? Jeremiah 23:24

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? Psalm 139:7

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. God is Omniscient (Knows all, total wisdom)

• Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. Psalm 139:4

• ….All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16

God has total wisdom and understanding of everything. There is nothing that happens in the physical or spiritual realm that catches God looking. He knows every thought, every idea, every deed, before it ever happens. Man makes new discoveries every day but God has had eternal knowledge of them already. (see Daniel 2:22).

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. God is Omnipotent (All powerful)

• Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heaven and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17

• The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. Proverbs 21:1

God is all powerful. The nuclear power of all the nations combined is insignificant in comparison to the power of God showed when He created the heavens ad the earth. Yet He also uses quiet, gentle means, as well as time and tide, to accomplish His purpose. His power is immeasurable and is beyond our comprehension.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. God is Sovereign (One that exercises supreme, permanent authority specially in a nation or government)

• The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Psalm 103:19

• He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations…. Psalm 66:7

God is the highest authority there is, he made all things. God also rules over all realms. He rules in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. He is sovereign over angels, principalities, demons and Satan himself. God is in total control of everything. There is no problem for which God doesn’t have a solution.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

THE TRINITY OF GOD

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God. The Lord is one. Deuteronomy 6:4

The word one comes from the Hebrew word “echad” the numerical form of the word “achad” – to unify. There is only one God but He is revealed in three persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are not the same person with different names, but are three individual personalities. The Father is not the Son; the Son is not the Holy Spirit, nor is the Holy Spirit the Father. They are distinct, yet they are one. All three are co-equal and co-eternal. God’s word tells us the following things about the Trinity (the Word Trinity is not found in Scripture but it shows the Triune work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit)

1. Even though God is one, He is revealed in three persons

a. Matthew 3:16-17 records the story of Jesus’ baptism. Here we see Jesus in the water, the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and the Father in heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Here we see the distinction of each person.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. Matthew 28:19 tells us to make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Again, we see the distinction of the three persons.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c. 2 Corinthians 13:14, often called the apostolic benediction, says “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God (the Father) and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Once again we see the distinction.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. God’s Word also tells us that all three are co-equal:

• The Father: “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:6 The Father is called God.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• The Son: “…while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Titus 2:13. Jesus Christ is called God.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• The Holy Spirit: “…Ananias…you have lied to the Holy Spirit…You have not lied to men but to God.” Acts 5:3-4. The Holy Spirit is also called God.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. The Westminister Confession summarizes how we are to understand the triunity of the Godhead:

“There is but one living and true God. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Father is one, neither begotten nor preceding; the Son is eternally begotten the Father, the Holy Spirit eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.”

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CONCLUSION:

What an honor it is that God has chosen to reveal Himself to us in His Word. He invites us to come to Him in faith and learn who He is. The better we know God, the more we will be able to trust Him. We will be able to stand firm through the storms of life, unwavering in our faith. We will know we can depend upon God to walk with us through everything we may face. God is all-sufficient for us and He desires to share Himself with us.

-----------------------

WE BELIEVE in the unity of the true and living god who is the eternal, self-existent One, who has revealed Himself as one Being in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and who is the Creator and preserver of things visible and invisible.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES: Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29; Matthew 28:19; Genesis 1:1; Psalm 86:9-10; Isaiah 43:10-11; John 1:1-3

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download