TRINITY SUNDAY
DATE: 3Oth May, 2021
THEME: EXPERIENCE THE GLORY OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE
SCRIPTURE READING
Isaiah 6:1-8
Romans 8:12-17
John 3:1-17
Psalter: Psalm 29
PREPARED BY: OSOFO YAW DODD
INTRODUCTION
Today is Trinity Sunday, a day we affirm and celebrate the Triune God. Our revelation of God always comes from Him and He is the One who reveals Himself as the Holy Trinity, One God who is three persons, yet still only one God. Throughout the Scriptures reference is made to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity is equal is stature to the other. Each is fully divine, that is fully God, and each one is a fully distinct person. The Trinity is a revelation from God and how can those who have experienced His glory doubt His words. Your purpose in life is to experience the glory of God in your life and believe in Him.
The majesty and glory of God is evident all around us. It is revealed in His creation and in the Old Testament it was visibly revealed to Moses in the burning bush and on Mount Sinai. The glory of God was present in the Holy of Holies and on special occasions as at the dedication of the Temple by Solomon. Isaiah and other Old Testament prophets and saints witnessed the glory and majesty of God. In the New Testament Christ manifested the glory of God and today believers are to manifest His glory. When Isaiah saw the glory and holiness of God he realized how wretched he and the people around him were. How can a sinful person come before a Holy God? It is only possible because God is love. John 3:16-17 declares “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him”. Love met the need of Isaiah and love meets our need today.
BODY
A. WHAT IS THE GLORY OF GOD?
Throughout history, God has manifested His glory among His people, most often when they were encountering their greatest challenges. When His people were in bondage to Egypt, He told Moses: “I have seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows. And I am come down to deliver them…” (Exodus 3:7-8).
The phrase “I am come down to deliver them” is a reference to three major characteristics of His glory: His manifested PRESENCE, POWER and GOODNESS! A few chapters later, in Exodus 16:7, God speaks to Moses again and tells him, “And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord.” And notice once again, this is taking place during a time when they were facing some of their greatest challenges.
When God’s glory shows up, the impossible becomes possible, lack and insufficiency is replaced with abundance and prosperity, and bondage is broken!
God’s glory was obviously revealed to Moses and the children of Israel while being led out of captivity. But it didn’t end there! God told Joshua, “…as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee” (Joshua 1:5).
B. THE NEW BIRTH
The new Birth is the path to experience the glory of God in your life. The new birth leads to the salvation of the spirit and to spiritual life and reconciliation with God. The new birth begins a new life as the Holy Spirit comes to live in the believer’s recreated spirit. Since man is a spirit who possesses a soul and lives in a body, the believer is spiritually perfect and should be led by the spirit.
The new birth perfects the spirit but not the soul or the body. It, however, enables one deal with sin and the tendency to sin that is inherent in every human being. The real you, your spirit, should renew your thinking and bring it to act according to the will of God. The renewed mind will affect the body and bring it to the point where it accepts what the Word says instead of what the senses say.
C. THE NEW BIRTH IS A MUST
a. The Nature Of Humanity Makes It A Must
Old Nicodemus has received a lot of criticism for approaching Jesus at night. Some people have suggested that he came at night because he was ashamed and was trying to hide what he was doing. I don’t think that was the case at all! I think he came at night because he was a busy man and he knew that Jesus was also a busy man. I think he came at night because he wanted some uninterrupted time with Jesus!
When this man came to Jesus, he came humbly and was very complimentary to Jesus. He came with some serious questions, but I dare say that he did not expect the answer he received. Jesus told him, “You must be born again!”,John 3 v. 3, 7. Surely, Nicodemus must have thought this was a mistake. After all, if you looked at this man, you would never expect him to need to be born again!
b. The Mystery Of The New Birth
There is no doubt that the new birth is a mysterious thing. None of us truly understands everything there is to know about it. It is still a mystery, even to those of us who have experienced it!
He Compares It To A Birth – Physical birth is a mystery! Even doctors who have specialty in that field know that human birth is a marvelous mystery that no one can fully explain! When Jesus says “except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”, He is talking about physical birth and spiritual birth. He is telling us that for a man to get to heaven he must have two birthdays. There must be a day when he was born into the kingdom of men and a day when he is born into the kingdom of God! There are a few ways that physical birth can be used to illustrate spiritual birth.
c. The Means Of The New Birth
When Nicodemus hears these things, he wants to know how this is possible. Jesus takes these next few verses to explain to him and to us how the new birth can become a reality!
▪️The Role Of The Savior – Jesus tells Nicodemus that the Savior’s part in the new birth was to leave Heaven above, to come into this world to die for sin! Friend that is what Jesus did for you!
▪️ The Role Of The Sinner – What must the lost, hell bound sinner do to be saved? The answer is right here in verse 15. It is a one word answer: believe! Just like these people in ancient Israel who had been bitten by those fiery serpents. All they had to do was look and live!
D. ISAIAH EXPERIENCED THE GLORY OF GOD
a. We Need To See What Isaiah SAW
▪️ He Saw God’s Position – Isaiah saw God in His sovereignty. An earthly king may have died, but the Lord still reigned. He saw the Lord in all His glory. And, it had a profound impact on the life of Isaiah.
▪️ He Saw God’s Personality – The angelic beings in the temple proclaimed the thrice holy nature of the God of Heaven. Even those sinless creatures were careful to honor the holiness and purity of the Lord. Notice that they covered their faces with their wings. They also proclaimed the glory of the Lord! Isaiah finally understood that Uzziah might have been a good king, but the Lord was a holy God and He and He alone deserved the glory for all of life!
▪️ He Saw God’s Presence – We are told that the “house was filled with smoke”. This was a symbol of the presence of God. You will notice that God’s “train” filled the temple! That speaks of His robe. God was the central figure in the Temple! Isaiah was reminded, rather forcefully, that Uzziah might be gone, but the Lord was still there! He had not been forsaken even during this downtime, but the Lord was still with Him in great glory!
b. We Need To Say What Isaiah SAID
▪️ He Said “I Am Available” – As soon as Isaiah gets His heart clean, he hears the call of the Lord to service. When Isaiah said “Here am I”, he was saying, “My downtime is over and I am ready for service!” He was signifying that he was over the death of Uzziah and that his life was on the altar of sacrifice for the glory of God
▪️He Said “I Am Agreeable” – Isaiah not only told the Lord of His availability, but he also mentioned his agreeability! He was saying, “Lord, I am here to do what you want and I am willing to do what you want! Send me and let me go do what you want me to do!” That is a sure way to turn your downtimes upside down! Make yourself available to the Lord and get agreeable with whatever He asks you to do and you can be sure that He will bless your life and that He will use you for His glory!
APPLICATION
It’s still God’s desire to manifest His glory in the lives of His people today! God’s prophetic word to me this year was that now is the time for a new wave of His glory to be seen! It is no coincidence that He is telling us this when so many of His people are struggling and facing some of their greatest challenges.
If you are facing a challenge, then I encourage you today to stay in faith, stay strong in the Lord, and get ready for the glory of the Lord to be revealed on your behalf. I discovered just a couple of days ago, while reading in the Book of Isaiah, that when God tells His people He wants to show them His glory, He fully intends to back it. Isaiah 40:5 says, “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed…for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” And then He goes on to say in verse 8 that if there is one thing that you can surely count on, it’s His Word: “The grass withers, the flower fades but the word of our God shall stand forever”
CONCLUSION
My friend, you can rest assured – the glory of the Lord is about to be revealed on your behalf!
Lay hold upon this today and begin talking about it, rejoicing in it and expecting it each and every day. Will you allow it to go deep into your heart and determine that you’re not going to allow Satan or anyone else to take it from you? Experience the glory of God today. Enjoy the Service. Stay Blessed.
PREPARED BY
OSOFO YAW DODD
CALVARY METHODIST CHURCH
ADABRAKA-ACCRA
