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Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast and hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up, and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money. That take, and give unto them for me and thee. From K-1 to K-1. Amen. All right. Amen. So, we're going to look at the story there in the beginning of Matthew chapter 7 about the Transfiguration, and basically going to use that to springboard a sermon on the Trinity. I was looking over the history, I was like, wait, I haven't preached a full sermon on the Trinity. So this sermon's a little bit different than how I normally preach. It's a lot of Bible verses. This is like a shotgun, okay, and so I figure, you know, something's going to hit you and stick. You say, what in the world? Actually, keep your place there, but go to John chapter number 1. John chapter number 1. Say, why in the world? Say something like that. But you need to understand that the Trinity is a doctrine that is under attack today like never before. In fact, we live in a state full of Mormon people all over the place, Mormon Tabernacles, and they'll tell you they believe in the Trinity. Everybody who goes so on in here has probably heard that. Who's heard them say that? Well, we believe in the Trinity, but the reality is you're going to see tonight they don't. They do not believe in the Trinity. They believe something far different than that, but they'll tell you these things. There's Jehovah Witnesses around here. You know, they'll adamantly fight against it, and the question is, can you defend it? Can you talk to somebody who maybe grew up in that religion? They don't claim to be a Jehovah Witness, but yet that doctrine's stuck to them. Are you wise enough in this doctrine to be able to teach them the right way? And that's what this sermon's about, and I also read an article I think it was, let's see, the date was October 2019, and it was an article about the Pope, and I guess a reporter friend that's close to him had basically let the cat out of the bag that he doesn't believe in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. You know, some weird stuff's going on here, and if, you know, it all makes sense when you understand the end game. We realize that, you know, the end of Christ is going to come on the scene. Obviously, the devil's doing a lot of dirty work, getting a lot of stuff set up. You know, he's going to start cutting down the fundamentals of the faith, start cutting down different doctrines, and the Trinity is one that he considers has to go, you know, because you say, well, why? Because man has to be exalted, and God has to be put down in their eyes. But we're going to learn this evening what the Trinity is and what it is not. There's so much in the Bible about the Trinity, it's impossible to cover it all, which is why I have so many things here. I don't even know if we'll get through it all, but I'll do my best to provide that. Now, again, the reason why I wanted to start off with the Transfiguration is just because I want to show you, I mean, there's blessings from reading the Bible, amen? There's blessings, but, you know, most people who call themselves Christians and are saved, they can't tell you what the main idea here is from the Transfiguration. And, you know, when you read John and especially Peter, because who was it that went up there to the mountain? It was Peter, James, and John, right? When you read about them later on in the Bible, I mean, that had such a great impact on their lives and on their ministries that I just want to bring that up. So there's benefits, like I said, to the whole Word of God, but I want to show you the benefits that they highlight in their ministries. And so just real quickly, John chapter 1, look at verse number 14. So I want you to read this, it says, And so one thing that you'll get by reading and understanding the Transfiguration is that it highlights the glory of Jesus Christ, and it also highlights the fact that you cannot separate the glory of Jesus Christ from the written Word of God. The Bible promises that His Word would be preserved throughout all generations. His Word is settled in heaven from eternity. There's no debating about that, but yet we have several people out there in groups and organizations and so-called churches that want to even attack that. Okay, turn to 2 Peter chapter number 1. But it also proves to you how powerful the Bible is. It was written by eyewitnesses, people that were there that saw these things, that experienced them. When you read the Apocrypha and these fake books, you know, you don't get that. You know, and it's kind of like when you listen to a sermon from like maybe a theologian or some wannabe scholar type pastor, right, and always referencing the old languages, oh, but in the Hebrew, oh, and then in the Greek, in the original languages, you know, you're really listening to somebody who hasn't seen, who hasn't experienced the glory of God. You know, when they read the Bible, they just, they don't read it like how we do as a church, right? We read it believing every word as it is written. They read it as subjective. You know, like, well, you know, in the original languages it really means this, or there's so much more meaning over here, and of course, what does that do? It elevates, man, and it puts God down, right? Not the hallmark of a believer. 2 Peter chapter 1, look at verse number 16, and we'll see what Peter had to say about the transfiguration. 2 Peter 1, 16, for we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. Verse 17, for he received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And so, there you have it also, that studying the transfiguration teaches the doctrine of the Trinity, right? There's this big push out there today, especially from these modalist type people, right? United Pentecostals, certain apostolics that want to just say, well, God the Father basically wears different hats. Like, one minute he's God the Father, the next minute he just takes on Jesus Christ, and then the Holy Spirit, and he's just so fast it just looks like three in one. I've heard people say that. In fact, I've been out-souling and had that explained to me in that very same fashion. And that is ignorant. That is so wrong, it's not even funny. But look at verse number 18, he says, in this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the Holy Mount. And so, again, it just provides discernment on this doctrine. This is why we need to know these things. We need to understand this. Look at verse 19. We have also a more sure word of prophecy. Whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts. And just to prove that he's talking about the Bible here, the written Word of God. Verse 20, knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, right? So we're talking about the Bible. The written Word of God, which is to be preserved throughout all generations. The words of the Bible are Jesus Christ. You cannot separate the two. Verse 21, for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. And so the third thing that we can learn from the transfiguration is that the written Word of God supersedes experience. Think about that. That's exactly what Peter's saying. He's like, I was there in the Holy Mount. I heard these things. I saw these things. But yet we have a more sure word of prophecy, and he's talking about the entire revelation of the Word of God, the entire Bible, the written Word. I would rather trust in this over somebody else's experience. But what do you have today? You have the exact opposite. You have people wanting to say, well, God either spoke to me or, hey, I dug this up in the ground. Or if you really knew what I knew and could go to Strong's and really interpret the language, you know, then you get real insight and real truth, right? It's really the same thing. It's to take you away from the glory and the truth of God's Word and place the focus on man, right? And that is exactly what we do not want to do. So go back to Matthew chapter 17 and we'll get moving on here with the sermon. So you can also see it destroys this original manuscript only, or what I call omos, right? I didn't say homos, but omos. The original manuscript only is, right? These here are enemies. Those people are enemies of the cross of Christ. They blaspheme God. You know, I would say to you, you know, just the existence of the NIV or the ESV or any of these false Bible versions is an attack. It's blasphemy on Jesus Christ. If you were to appear physically right here, right now, I believe 100% he would agree and say that. If you're attacking the written Word and you're downplaying it in any way, and you're saying we can't have the full glory and the full revelation, even though Peter said, hey, the Transfiguration taught me that we have a more sure word of prophecy than what we're experiencing then you are blaspheming Jesus Christ. You're blaspheming God, and that is wrong. Okay? That is not okay. So let's start this thing off here. Matthew 17 verse 1, he says, and after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John, his brethren, bringeth him up unto an high mountain apart. You'll see this a lot. You know, numbers are significant in the Bible. It's kind of funny how the theme of what we're talking about here is the Trinity, you know, 3 and 1, 1 John 5, 7, right? And it starts off here highlighting three people that went with Jesus Christ. You know, for example, the number 40 in the Bible is often, they'll say it's a number of trial or a number of test, right? You had Moses was with God in the mount for 40 days. The children of Israel wandered for 40 years, right? Jesus was tempted in the wilderness 40 days, and so on and so forth. Look at verse number 2. It says, and was transfigured before them, and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as light. Keep your place there, but go to Luke chapter number 9. Luke chapter number 9. So we'll look at the parallel passage here so we can get a good idea of what does it mean to be transfigured? What all does that entail here? You know, you bring this up sometimes out so many people are like, you know, hey, have you ever heard of the transfiguration? And they'll give you the chin up, right? And then three quick nods. You know what that means? No, but please don't ask me anymore. That's what that means. Okay, that means, no, please just don't ask me any more questions here. I mean, this proves beyond a shadow of a doubt the Trinity here. You know, and it's going to teach us so much more, but what does it mean to be transfigured? Well, Luke shed some more light and some more insight on that in verse 29. Luke 9, 29 says, and as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glycerine. So he was transformed, right? And obviously it doesn't give us a whole lot of details, but this is not something that is human in nature here. Go back to Matthew 17. We'll keep moving on. Basically what they're seeing here is, I mean, they've been with Jesus for quite a while. They still have about a year left or so in his ministry before he goes to the cross at this time, you know, but they've seen him heal. They've seen all the stuff that he's taught. They know that he is sent from God. And for this time in the Bible, they're actually seeing his outward appearance match what they've seen and have heard on the inside of Christ, and that's a glorious thing right there. You know, this also proves to us that there is an afterlife, because so many people want to say, well, after you're dead, that's it. Well, it's just blank, right? That's what the Jehovah Witnesses teach. Well, it's just soul annihilation. Well, how do they write this passage off here? You know, you're going to have to completely cut this out of the Bible entirely in order to come up with that doctrine, right? But I mean, think about it. That's what your atheists and a lot of these people that just don't believe in God, they'll tell you, well, once you're dead, it's done. It's a done deal. It's over with. I remember being told that as a four-year-old child that when you die, it's over, man. There's no more pain. There's no more suffering. It's just blank. It's like you never existed. And I remember thinking, like, that cannot be true. Even as a four-year-old child, like, nah, something's not right with that, okay, Dad? I don't know the full story, but that's not right. So, let's keep reading here. Verse 3. So, again, that's interesting, right? You're getting a glimpse, like, of eternity here. And, of course, if you read the parallel passages, you'll understand that they spoke these things not even realizing what they're talking about, right, which shows you the power that went on in this moment here. I mean, they're just seeing this stuff. They're just like, how do we process this? Which is very interesting. But it says that Moses and Elijah came and spoke with Jesus. Oftentimes, Moses is pictured in the Bible as the law. Elijah is pictured as the prophets, right, because he was a great prophet. Both of them preached against sin and basically laid the law down for people. And then you have them here meeting with Jesus Christ who wipes away our sin completely free of charge. He did all the work. He did the hard part. We just have to trust in that. And so you have a picture here of the entire Bible. You have the law of the prophets and Jesus Christ. I mean, it's all the Bible here coming together for us. That's what I see when I read this here. Look at verse 5. It says, while he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him. Watch this video. I think they were apostolic, these younger people. And they were mocking the Trinity. And they were mocking this verse right here, saying, Well, people believe that Jesus is separate from the Father and blah, blah, blah. But really, it was him just projecting the voice from heaven. It's just some bizarre stuff. You didn't get that by reading this passage here. You didn't get that from reading the Bible, not the King James Bible. You might have got that from reading the NIV or something like that, but you did not get that from reading the King James Bible. So look at verse number 6. He says, and when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face and were sore afraid. Verse 7. And Jesus came and touched them and said, Arise and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead. Turn to Proverbs chapter 30. And so, real quickly, you know, I just wrote down four things that this teaches us. It teaches us much more than that. But basically, the Transfiguration is going to teach us who Jesus is, right? What he was going to do. It basically will bring us into eternity. And it also teaches us what we have to look forward to. You know, this whole thing is a picture of rest, right? You know, Peter, James, John, they're at a point of rest. They're so comfortable in this moment seeing these things. But Jesus ends the vision, and they have to go back down into the valley. They have to go back to normal life, right? And so, that teaches us, you know, we can't always right now, you know, rest in a high place. We have to endure trials and tribulations. You know, the kingdom of God comes through tribulation. The Bible teaches us that. You know, we need to suffer. We need to put ourselves aside and do the work for God, defending doctrines, getting people saved, all the things that we always talk about. These things are necessary, but yet, the day of rest will come. And this is a glimpse of that. And it's very important that we understand that because it can help with discouragement. You know, we go throughout these weeks, and we're just getting bombarded from, you know, all angle sides, family members, co-workers, neighbors, all these people always wanting to attack us, attack us online. You know, and these accounts that are written in the Bible here, I mean, this is the sure word. You reading this Transfiguration is more sure, Peter said, than when he experienced it himself. And so you should reap the same benefits and understand and visualize the same glory and the same power that they saw that day. And realize, you know what, whatever I'm going through right now, this is temporary because sooner or later, you know what, it's going to be over, and we're going to go home, and we will have rest, and Jesus Christ and His crew is going to win the victory, right? So though we can't stay in the mountain with Him, He's coming back for us, and that is the application. And so what we're going to do is we're going to take a look very briefly, just had some Old Testament passages of the Trinity, because what people will say, well, this whole Trinity thing is brand new, and they'll say, you know, the Trinity, somebody's telling me this recently, you know, and they're like, well, I know what the Trinity is, it's Jesus, He's just the second person. Sounds like something we would say, right? And you ask them, well, what do you mean by that? And they say, well, you know, when Jesus was born, and then there was the Trinity. It's like, did He exist before that? Well, no, there was no Trinity. There was only God the Father in the Old Testament. There's no Trinity. It's like, nah, I don't think so. You need to go back and read the Bible and study. Go to a real church. Well, get saved first. We'll start there. But Proverbs chapter 30, let's move on here. Look at verse number 4, and it says, who, Proverbs 30 verse 4, who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his Son's name, if thou canst tell? Right? Does that sound like some kind of a modalist statement there, or does it sound like God has a Son? We need to realize that the Son is eternal, the Father is eternal, and the Holy Ghost is eternal. It didn't just start the day that Jesus Christ was born. We'll get more into that here in a moment, but in the very next verse, he answers the question for you. Look at verse 5. Every word of God is pure. He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Now go to Deuteronomy chapter number 6. So he says, who is his Son's name, if thou canst tell? And then the very next verse, I'm sorry, what does he say? Every word of God is pure, because you cannot separate Jesus Christ, you cannot separate God from the written word. But yet we have so many people today trying to do that and fighting tooth and nail to do that, writing books, releasing documentaries, calling churches, harassing them, trying to bully people, setting up a culture where people of high stature, so to speak, look down on people like us because we believe in every word of God. And we need to be able to deal with this. Now Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 4, look at this verse here. It says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. Say, well, what in the world is that? I heard a preacher one time say, you know, that doesn't really make any sense, okay? I heard him say this, this is a Baptist guy, and he said, you know, I don't know what the King James translators were thinking of when they wrote this verse down. Because in reality, you know, it says something much different. If you go back to the Hebrew, you go back to the original languages, but I'm going to show you what that means. It's talking about the plurality of one. Go back to Genesis chapter number one, or go to Genesis chapter one, rather, and we'll take a look here. Now I used to go to this other church where the pastor would always try to prove the Trinity again by going back to the Hebrew. And he would say, you know, in Genesis 1, 1, he would say, see, it says, you know, God created the heavens and earth. He's like, in the Hebrew it doesn't read like that. It says Elohim, and that's plural with the I-M on the end. So it really reads the gods. He's like, but the King James translators wanted to protect us against, you know, the United Pentecostals. What is he saying? You know, and so they just decided to use the word God, right? We don't have that luxury as true, honest, Bible-believing Christians who are disciples of Christ. We need to prove our doctrines from the language that we understand, which is the English language, okay? And you know what? You still don't make it out of the first chapter without seeing the Trinity here, okay? Look at verse 26 for example. It says, and God said, let us make man in our image. Does that sound like one or is that plural? Right? Let us make man in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattle and over the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Similar language is used in Genesis chapter 3 verse 22. In fact, you can see this all throughout the Old Testament, throughout the Bible. It is there, but the understanding is before you read Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4, which says, hero Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, capital L-O-R-D, you know, you would have read Genesis chapter number 1, and it explains that. We don't need to go back to the original languages to understand that the Trinity is a doctrine taught from the first chapter in the Bible literally to the very last chapter in the Bible. Not modalism, right? Modalism, like I've said, they'll say, you know, it's just God the Father and then He just changes hats. And He does it so fast, it's like He's three distinct persons. They have their will, but it's really just God. And that's ridiculous. We do not believe that here. The Trinity is a fundamental doctrine and look, you can get kicked out of church for, I mean, look, even most Catholics today, I know the Pope's going crazy and all the Popes are pedophiles and stuff like that, but at least Catholics believe in the Trinity. You know what I mean? At least at this time they do. I mean, I'm sure in a few years from now it's going to probably completely change. But you know what's bad when they believe in a doctrine, but yet you have people today, entire groups springing up all over the place, creeping into churches, clinging on to this anti-Trinitarian doctrine, okay? You say, well, the word Trinity is not in the Bible. That's another thing that these UPC guys will often say. Well, the word Trinity isn't in the Bible. Well, you know what? The sermon title that I preached last Sunday is not in the Bible, but the concept is, okay? The rapture is not in the Bible, but the concept is, okay? There's all sorts of examples like that that we pull from the Bible and we name them because it's easier to say Trinity than it is to just keep quoting 1 John 5.7 or to say the Godhead. We just don't typically speak like that because most people are like, well, what's the Godhead? You know, and it's the same thing. It's the Trinity. We need to be able to explain these things, okay? So, Psalm chapter number 86. Go to Psalm chapter number 86. And by the way, you know, we're students of the Bible. We believe in reading it from cover to cover, studying it. You know, Deuteronomy 6.4 is nothing more than 1 John 5.7, for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. You know, you say, explain that in great detail. I want to know every single thing. You know, it's a mystery. You know, we can read it. You just have to believe this by faith. It says there are three. Why do these verses exist if it's not true? If there's no Trinity? It doesn't make any sense. Why do they say let us make man in our image? Don't you think something's a little strange about that? Look, even heathens that read that, that aren't saved, that aren't reprobate, you know, they get it. Because when we explain this to people out so many, oftentimes they're, oh, okay. I understand it's not just one, you know, changing hats or changing modes. You get what I'm saying? But I just want to make a quick note on using analogies because sometimes, you know, we use analogies like water. We'll say, you know, it's kind of like, the Trinity's kind of like water, how it can be steam, it can be ice, and it can be liquid. I don't have a problem with that if you're trying to, you know, help somebody understand it. But no matter what you say, there's no analogy, there's no, you know, secret word of knowledge or a certain phrase that's going to picture it perfectly. And I'll show you why here. Psalm 86, look at verse number 8. It says this, among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord, neither are there any works like unto thy works. So it's going to, it says there's none like thee. There's none like God. So what are you going to use as an analogy or an example that's going to be 100% perfect to describe the Trinity? You're going to use 1 John chapter 5, verse 7. Or you can use Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 4. Or you can use any number of verses that we're going to go over tonight, okay? But just keep that in mind, no analogy is going to be 100% perfect because what the modals will say, well, okay, you're using that whole water thing. Well, that's just a different mode of water. You see what I mean? So never debate somebody. We shouldn't be debating people anyways. But if you have to rebuke somebody or you have to challenge somebody or you're getting maybe a little bit intense with somebody, stay away from the analogy. Stick to what is written because it's a more sure word of prophecy than what their experience is or what their so-called scholarly pastor told them or whatever the case is, right? Stick to the word of God. Stick to the word of God. These three. These three are one. These three are one. The plurality of one. I need to see an analogy. Describe it to me. You can't. There's none like unto God. That's why he said, I am who I am. And until we get to heaven and see the face of God, and get our new bodies, get that full meal deal up there, you're not going to get it, okay? So just drop it. Don't let people suck you into this, this analogy. It's got to be perfect. No. I believe in what is written. These three are one. Right? And among the gods there's none like unto thee. There's nothing down here that is like unto him. Nothing at all. So you're not going to have the perfect analogy. Now, real quickly, go to Romans chapter number one. Romans chapter number one. And we're not talking so much about what you may think. Romans chapter number one. Let's see here. Look at verse number twenty. Romans chapter one. Look at verse number twenty. It says this. Romans one twenty. It says, For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Now go back to, go to John chapter four. John chapter four. And so, I mean, even nature itself is designed in a way to teach the Trinity. And so that's what I'm saying. You know, there's something wrong with someone's conscience when they verbally and in their hearts they reject this teaching. When they fall prey to this oneness doctrine. Because, I mean, think about it. What did we just read in Romans twenty? Romans one twenty. Does not even nature itself teach you? You know, even the Godhead is revealed. Right? Like, for example, I mean time. You have past, present, and future. And there's all kinds of things like this. I mean, you've got, you have time, space, matter, and each one of those things breaks down into threes. Right? Matter, liquid, solid, gas. You've got height, width, and depth. You know, for, there's all sorts of things like that that you could think of and give somebody as an example. And so, look, even nature itself teaches this doctrine. But the United Pentecostal Church don't teach it. A lot of apostolics don't teach it. And these modalist Baptists sure as heck don't teach it. They teach something completely different. It's not biblical. Right? And if you, people that just want to reject this, you know, I don't believe that they're saved. Now people that don't understand it, that's a different story. You know, that's why we're learning these things so that we can help other people. Okay? This isn't necessarily an in-depth study on how to refute people because they're always going to have their scriptures that they twist. You know, we'll do that later on down the road. Trust me, there's no shortage of subject in the Bible regarding the Trinity and its defense. But we need to get to the basics here. So let's really quickly, we're done with the Old Testament part, but let's take a look at a verse about God the Father. You're there in John chapter 4. Look down at verse number 24. It says, God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Right? What do you read about in the Old Testament? You know, all these Old Testament appearances of Jesus Christ. He's always appearing as a man, even in the Old Testament. And we'll get to that here in a moment. But it says, God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth. That's why Jesus said, you know, those words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. And so this is why we spend so much time defending the Bible and protecting it. It's why we believe in every single word written down here, because you can't worship God any other way. Right? You reject the word of God, I mean, you're not able to worship Him in spirit and in truth. You're not going to crack open one of these false Bible versions and tell me that you're really worshiping God. Because those people that changed it, that twisted those things, they don't believe in God. Why would you do something like that? In fact, that makes you a reprobate. So let's move on here. Let's see, go back to John chapter number one. John chapter number one. So that's the thing to understand about God the Father. The Bible says that God is a spirit. God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth. Now, I was going to read a bunch more verses about God the Father, but most people don't debate about God the Father. The real controversy is over Jesus Christ. Who is He? Did He become the second person of the Trinity like right when He was born? And before there was no Jesus? Because that's what some people teach. Or you can be like the Mormons and be like, well, you know, there's many gods. In fact, there's billions. In fact, there's billions. That's what some of them will, if you push them here, a lot of them will tell you that. You do have to kind of drag it out of them, but that is what they believe. They do not believe in the Trinity like they say that they do. And that's the weird thing. When I moved here, that's one thing that I learned from them, that they actually will tell you they believe in the Trinity. But they'll just start there. They'll be like, well, we believe in the Elohim God the Father. We believe in Jesus Christ as the spirit brother and we believe in that the Holy Ghost is just their power. And then there's other gods, our ancestors that died and Joseph Smith, obviously. He was a righteous man. He went on to become some god. They'll keep quoting all these prophets to you without a shame. I've never had that until I moved here. But like I said before, we need to understand the eternal sonship of Jesus Christ. He has always existed. He has always existed here. And he is God. Okay? And we're going to look at that here. But let's start in John chapter 1, verse 1. It says, In the beginning was the word. Well, what beginning are we talking about here? Are we talking about just the... No, that's just talking about the beginning of the book of John. I guarantee you somebody out there will get to say that. 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. So when you're reading Genesis 1, 1, you don't need to go back to the Hebrew. Look, you've got the New Testament, which is like an expanded commentary on the Old Testament. You don't need to learn these languages. When you see people doing that, and I harp on this all the time, and I will never stop, it's because they're trying to fraud you. They're trying to fool you. They want something from you, which is your admiration and reverence. Right? They don't want that going to God. They want it going to them. They want to be your God. Verse 3, all things were made by Him. Well, who's that? That's right. It's Jesus the Christ. And by the way, it's okay if you're new and you didn't know this, but Christ is not His last name. And H is not His middle name. Okay? Christ means Messiah. And you have to teach these things, because I have met people that are saved, that have thought that. Okay? And let's move on. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Now, real quickly, I just want to go over a couple more verses. You go to Revelation chapter 1. Revelation chapter number 1. Revelation chapter 1, look at verse number 6. Revelation chapter 1, verse number 6. It says, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father. Now, how do you explain that as a modalist? How do you explain that as one of these people that rejects the deity of Jesus Christ, that rejects His eternal sonship? They're going to have to do the Matthew 17 and just cut this out. Do the Charles Taze Russell and start tasing things right out of the Bible, because that's what he did. He's a liar and a devil, and he's roasting in hell this very second. It says, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father. To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. So the Bible calls Jesus Christ God. Not only here, but also we'll see later on, Hebrews chapter 1. Now, if you would, go to the book of Zechariah chapter 12. So, second to last book in the Old Testament, Zechariah. Right before the book of Malachi, Zechariah chapter number 12. We're going to look at verse 10 here, and I want to show you another verse here that you can use. I've brought this up before, but you can use this in addition to that on these Jehovah Witnesses around here, or somebody who's been stooped into that religion. Zechariah chapter 12, look at verse number 10. So again, we're just talking about the eternal sonship here of Jesus Christ. Zechariah 12, 10 says this, and I will pour upon the house of David. Now, let's stop there for a second. Who's speaking here? Well, if you read verse 4, this is Jehovah God in the Old Testament, right, talking here. Verse 10, and I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications. And they shall look upon me, whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. So, any time a Jehovah Witness wants to tell you, you know, Jesus Christ is not God, the Bible does not teach that, that is a lie. It taught that in Revelation chapter 1, didn't it? Well, it teaches it right here as well, because it's Jehovah God, according to verse 4, speaking and says, they will look on me, whom they have pierced. The reason why we're reading that, and see, the modals will run crazy with this, too, and say, well, yeah, see, you know, Jesus is the Father. This is what they'll say. Well, that's ridiculous, because, you know, think about this. Think about when Jesus spoke to Paul. What did he say? You know, it's hard for you to kick against the pricks. You know, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Well, did Paul, like, climb up to heaven and start persecuting Jesus to his face? You know, did he do it in the past? No, but when you persecute the body of Christ, you persecute Jesus. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus Christ. You know, so God can still say this statement, and it doesn't mean that, you know, Jesus is the Father, just in a different mode, okay? So let's move on here. Go to Titus chapter 1. Go to Titus chapter number 1. Titus chapter number 1. And so, again, another statement here. We need to realize that Jesus Christ is fully man and fully God, but He's always been God from day number 1. John chapter 1, let's see here, not John, Titus chapter 1, look at verse 2. And look, you can see the plurality of one here all throughout these passages, right? It says that His word was manifest. Well, we know that Jesus was made flesh. You know, God was made flesh, took on the form of a man, you know, Jesus the Christ, the Messiah. He is the Word. We read that in John chapter 1, but it says in hope of eternal life, so our eternal life, the hope that we have in that is a promise from God, and that He cannot lie, and He manifested His Word through preaching, right, which is committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior. Verse 4, to Titus my own son, after the common faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior, right? Does that sound like, I mean, if God the Father was Jesus, right, and the Holy Ghost was just their power, just their inner strength, why would these verses read like that? It doesn't make any sense, but literally, I mean, we could go to just about every single book in the Bible and pull this doctrine out, right? These three ones say, explain that, give me that analogy because I don't get it, and that's why a lot of people reject this doctrine because they can't mentally visualize it, but you know what? That's where faith comes in. You don't have to mentally visualize it. You know, I shouldn't be required to give you a schematic on how this thing works, or a wiring diagram, or just the picture-perfect drawing on how this works. You need to believe it by faith. This is what people need to understand. Let me see here, go to 1 Timothy chapter number 3. 1 Timothy chapter number 3. And look at verse 16. Now, after this, we're going to go to Colossians. Just a quick heads up. A lot of Bible verses tonight. 1 Timothy 3, look at verse 16. It says, and without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit. Scene of angels preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory. This is a mystery. Okay, we don't have the full visual picture, and we don't need it. Why? Because we have a more sure word of prophecy, the things that are written. If 1 John chapter 5 verse 7 isn't enough for somebody, you can give them some more, but if they want to just keep rejecting these things and keep tossing them out the window, then you're done. It's a moot point. It's just like, I'm out of here, bye. You're just going to cling onto what you were taught because that's what makes sense. It's easier for your brain to visualize that. It's clear that you don't have faith to begin with, and you're not going to get saved. That is all that that is telling you. Now go to Acts chapter number 13. While you're turning there, I'm just going to read for you Colossians chapter 2 verse 9, which says this, For in him, that is Jesus the Christ, for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. I mean, how many times does Jesus have to say, you know, I and my Father are one? You know what I mean? But people will say that's just one person. That's just one God. Well, he is one God in three persons. Okay, there you have it. Checkmate, case closed. Modalism's garbage. United Pentecostals are wrong. Acts chapter 13, look at verse number 33. It says, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again, as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Another problem verse that these guys will like to bring up and say, see, you know, he was begotten, he had a beginning, and that's how it is. And there's some churches out here, quote unquote Christian, that are teaching this. And I'm not so sure that they're doing it even maliciously, I just think they're ignorant. They've spent way too much time in the relevant side of things and have forgotten to preach the entire silence of God. They're not reading the full Bible, they're not studying doctrine, they're not showing themselves approved, and so they'll make stupid statements like that. But the question I have for you is, if somebody were to ask you this, what does that mean? What day was Jesus begotten? Could you answer that? And so I'm going to help you answer that question right now. So real quickly, I should have told you to keep your place in Revelation 1, but go to Revelation 1 and then we're going to go back to Romans chapter 1, okay? And so the question is, which day was he begotten? So you go to Revelation chapter 1, and I'll read the verse again. It says, That's not saying that Jesus came into existence and became the second member of the Trinity just on that day. The day he was born, and before that he didn't exist. That's not what that's talking about at all. But what day was he begotten? And by the way, this is going to prove that you can be a son and be begotten. Revelation 1, look at verse 5. It says, So what day was he begotten? The day that he rose from the dead. Okay, that's all that's saying. Go to Romans chapter number 1. Romans chapter number 1. These are questions we need to be able to answer as Bible-believing Christians. It's not enough for us just to be like, well, my church believes in the Trinity, and that's it. And somebody is like, well, what does that mean? There are people out there that sharpen their tongues like an adder, and they can do you some hurt if you're not careful. They can hoodwink you and say all kinds of stuff to mess with your mind. And that's exactly what we do not want at this church. Romans 1, look at verse number 4. Romans 1 for him. God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. So to answer that question that is in Acts chapter 13, you can use Revelation chapter 1 verse 5, Romans chapter 1 verse 4. The day that he was begotten was the day that he rose from the dead. Okay? That proves so much. It proves that a son can be begotten. It proves that he's the first begotten of the dead. It doesn't mean that he didn't exist before he was born or that he wasn't God before he resurrected. But there's people out there that teach that. There's people out there that believe that. And they don't know any better. And you know what? It's our job to straighten them out. Go to Hebrews chapter 1. We're getting close to being done here. Go to Hebrews chapter 1. So just remember this. The eternal sonship of God. Jesus has always existed. We see him in the Old Testament as Melchizedek. He comes up to Abraham in Genesis 18. He wrestles with Jacob. Nebuchadnezzar sees him in the fire as the fourth person. He's always a man in the Old Testament. Hebrews chapter 1, look at verse number 5. It says, For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. Verse 6, And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten unto the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire? Verse 8, But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is a scepter of thy kingdom. I was out soul winning in Sacramento one time with one of the brothers there, and he brought this verse up to a Jehovah's Witness. She said, Shut up! And just slammed the door. That was her response. Shut up! Boom. Because they have no answer for that. They have no answer for Hebrews 1.8. Thy throne, O God, is for how long? Forever. That means he existed before he was born as Jesus. Okay? I mean, Revelation chapter 1. You can go to Zechariah chapter 12 verse 10. There's tons of places that you can go to to prove that doctrine. Now go to John chapter number 17. John chapter number 17. Jesus is God. You know, God the Father, God the Son, the Holy Spirit. There's communication. They all have their own wills, their own assignments. They operate differently. Okay? Because believe it or not, there's people out there that claim that no one's ever seen the face of Jesus Christ. So, I guess you'd have to go up to Peter, James, and John and be like, You guys are lying. You don't have a sure word of prophecy. You're just making stuff up. Maybe you're drinking that tea we talked about last Wednesday or something worse. That's ridiculous to say that people have never seen the face of Jesus Christ. Have people seen the face of God the Father? No. There's a difference there. There is a big difference there. Well, let's move on here. John 17. Look at verse number 1. It says, These words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son that thy son also may glorify thee. That sounds like a oneness, modalist type statement. Look, again, I'm just going to hammer this home because the Trinity would not make sense. The Godhead would not make sense if it wasn't three in one. It's ridiculous. I mean, what are you going to do with this? Oh, he's just talking to himself. You know, I heard one guy. He was saying, it's a cowardly thing. It would be a cowardly thing for God to send his son to die. Like, Oh, you're up. Why don't you go? Because I don't want to do it. And then they'll cite Zechariah 12.10 because they don't understand how the English language works. They don't understand the Bible. They're not saved to say something like that. That is a blasphemous statement. That is wicked. And people that want to bleed their hearts after that crowd, you can get the hell out of here quick. We have no room for you here. Verse number 2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Well, wait a second. Sounds to me like he's making a statement here that he's actually equal with God. Well, that's trouble for the NIV translators. Look at verse 4. I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. How are you going to be a modalist? I almost feel stupid for even bringing this up. But it needs to be brought up. It needs to be preached. Verse 5. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Again, proving what? The eternal sonship of God. He's always been God and he will always be God. There's no defeating him. But notice what Jesus says about the Father. He says, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self. What's another word for self? What's a synonym? A person. Because people don't say, well, you can't say three persons because now you're polytheistic. Well, Jesus said it. He said self. There's nothing wrong with saying three persons. I'm not saying three individual gods. They're separate. They aren't together. I'm not saying that the Lord our God is three gods. That's all I'm saying. I'm saying 1 John 5, verse 7. These three are one. Go to Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter number 2. Philippians chapter 2. Very familiar verse. We read it a lot. Philippians 2, verse 5 says, let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Verse 6, who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Look, Jesus was not on this earth saying, I am not God. I am not from everlasting. Why do you think they wanted to kill him? Because he made himself equal with God over and over again. And John chapter 17 is absolutely no exception. He did the same thing there and they wanted to kill him for those statements. They wanted to kill him for this belief here. But modern Bible versions, they take this verse and they twist it and say something different. They'll say, well, he considered it robbery to be equal with God. They literally turn it upside down on its head. But the King James Bible says, who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Why? Because he is God. He's always been God. The eternal sonship of Jesus Christ is not negotiable. If you don't believe in that, you've got to bounce. You've got to get corrected first, obviously. But there are people out there that want to reject that. They don't understand that. What does that tell you about the NIV? It's trash. It's garbage. Go to Romans chapter number 8. We're going to move on here with some verses about the Comforter, about the Holy Ghost because people will say, okay, I get it. So there was God the Father and then when Jesus was born, he became the second person in the Trinity and so there's like another part of God that just sprung up. And the Holy Ghost, that's just like their inner strength. That's just their power. The Holy Ghost is like, no. 1 John 5.7. But real quick, what do you know about the Holy Ghost? Well, he indwells believers in this present time. He seals us until when? The day of redemption. He doesn't seal you until the next time you sin or until you get back. It's until the day of redemption which has not happened yet, which proves once you're saved, you are always saved. Romans 8 verse 8 says this, so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. And I like that verse there because so many people have this idea. Well, as long as I'm doing good works, as long as this Buddhist guy is doing his own thing, he's not hurting anybody, why wouldn't Jesus let him in heaven? He loves everybody and everything anyways, right? Well, no, because if you're not saved, you don't have the new man, you don't have the Spirit, you cannot please God. It's impossible. Verse number 9, but ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Verse 10, and if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Praise God for that. We have to wrestle with this old man every single day. We have to wrestle with his body, but there's coming a day when we won't have to anymore. We'll be able to put on the new man all day long permanently for eternity. Verse 11, it says, But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Jump down to verse number 26. It says, likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities. If the Holy Spirit didn't have his own role, his own will, his own assignment, why would this verse read that way? Why wouldn't it just say, well, God the Father, the Holy Spirit, what he did, he intercedes for us when we pray because we know not how we ought to pray. Verse 26, Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. This is why prayer is so important because you're indwelled with the Holy Ghost. Your prayers do get to God. Now they get rearranged and they get put in the right, you know, perspective before they get up to the Lord because you have the Holy Ghost, right? But we should never be a people that neglects prayer. That's why I'm so thankful that you guys do the prayer list on Wednesday because it's needed. It's important. It's powerful. Never be ashamed to send your requests to anybody in here for that matter, okay? Verse 27, He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of himself. Oh, I had another deal and maybe that's Charles Taze Russell's translation. I'm sorry. Oh, the will of God. Okay. Verse 28, We know that all things work together to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. So we see the Holy Spirit has a lot of different roles. You see him preserving the saints and dwelling believers interceding for us. He calls to remembrance things that you read, right? How many times have you been in a discussion with somebody and you're like, man, I want to say something, but I can't. And then all of a sudden it comes to you. That's the Holy Ghost who dwells inside of you bringing up what Jesus taught you. Just like what Jesus told the disciples. Hey, you know, the comforter, he's going to bring to remembrance what I have taught you. You know, it's the same thing for you and I. The more that we read the Word of God, the more the Holy Spirit can draw out in times of battle, in times of necessity, right? Because our fleshly brains don't always hold everything the proper way. Let's see here. John chapter 16. Go to John chapter 16. I promise we're almost done. John chapter number 16. Just a couple more things about the Holy Ghost. Remember these three are one. It's not one. It's not just God the Father playing a mode. Now I'm Jesus Christ. Now I'm the Holy Spirit. You know, just instantly like going back and forth or something. That's not what we have here. John chapter 16. Real quick, look at verse number 12. He says this, Verse 13. And that's like us, right? You hear a lot of things at church. You hear a lot of things in conversation, on listening to sermons, reading the Bible, and we can't always process it in the here and now. But the Holy Spirit, which dwells inside of you, brings that up in its proper time and teaches you what those things mean later on. You know, I don't know who else has done this here. Maybe you've read a verse in Leviticus. What in the world does that mean? But maybe like a year, you know, you're reading something in Romans and it's like, Oh, I get it. You know, because it takes time to learn these things, right? It's not just instant that you get all this knowledge. Go back a couple chapters to John chapter number 14. John chapter number 14. So the Holy Ghost teaches us the Word. You see how they synchronize here, right? Just like the lesson we learned from the Transfiguration. You know, we learned the glory of that moment, the glory of Jesus Christ, how He was transfigured. And we put that together. You know, God syncs that with the written Word, right? That's what the Holy Ghost does. He teaches us the Word. But you know what? You need to be reading this Word every day in order to get that benefit. John 14, look at verse 15. It says this, If you love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you until you sin. Oh no, it says forever. These three are one. And you're always going to see that. I mean, you see how much there is to this doctrine? I mean, we're almost out of time. And we haven't even scratched the surface yet. But this stuff is needed. I get it. You know, it's not like my typical Sunday morning or whatever. But we need to be blasted with doctrine in Bible verses from time to time. You know, we need these things. We need to understand them. Verse 16, And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you forever. Verse 17, Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him, but yet know Him, for He dwelleth with you and shall be you. And see, Jesus tells us here why people struggle with the Trinity. Why they struggle with these doctrines. It says the world cannot receive because it seeth Him not. There's so many people, I've got to see it. I've got to see it. I've got to see it. If you don't have that perfect illustration, if you don't have that perfect analogy, then I won't believe it. That's what they say. And they err all the way to hell because of that prideful, arrogant belief that they have. That they've got to see it. And Jesus teaches us that here. Jump down to verse number 18. Now, I mean, look, we're going to have to just stop here. We're out of time. Okay? There are three that bear record in heaven, and these three. I mean, it doesn't, I mean, there's no perfect way to describe it. And that's why we need to be familiar with places to go and do just things to teach these people. Because there are a whole host of people out there that are just confused. And they just want to know what the truth is. Because they say, I was brought up in this religion. I was told this. I saw this on TV. Can you help me? And that's the question that I have for you. Can you help them? Right? And one of the best things, one of the great things that I think can springboard that for you is just take them to the Transfiguration. Just ask them. Do you remember the story in the Bible about the Transfiguration? And then telling them, hey, you know what? We have a more sure word than that, Peter said. And he was there! He was there. And the Transfiguration, what does that teach us? It teaches us the Trinity. I mean, we could have used the baptism of Jesus. There's so many different things that we could have gone to and we could have taught from. But there's no way you're going to study the Transfiguration in Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9, and come away with the conclusion that there's no Trinity. There's no Godhead. The Bible speaks so much about it. Right? And that's what the main application is. The main thing. The Transfiguration teaches the Trinity. Right? So we're going to have to stop there. We'll revisit this again later on because it's just way, way too much. I still have more, but we're definitely out of time. So let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Thank you so much, Lord, for the clear teaching on this in the Bible, Lord. And thank you for helping us to understand, Lord, that your word supersedes any kind of vision that somebody might have or an insight or an analogy or anything like that, Lord. Please help us to always trust in your word, Lord. You promised to preserve it for all generations. We believe that. We know that book has to be out there. We believe we have it. We pray you help us to use it this week and apply it to our lives and get people saved. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.