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John chapter 1, the reason I went there is because this is a clear passage on Jesus's deity. And so the sermon today and tonight is called the Trinity versus Modalism. Okay, and so the Trinity is something that we believe in here at Mountain Baptist Church and Modalism is something we reject as pure heresy. And I'm going to explain what those two things are as far as the definition of the Trinity compared to Modalism because you may say, I don't even know what Modalism is. Well, I'm going to explain to you what that is. And today, it's starting to creep into Baptist realms. It's starting to creep into the Baptist churches now. And before it was just like, when you think of it, you're just like, well, that person's completely lost. They've got worse things to deal with than dealing with the Trinity. But the Trinity, I just looked up on Wikipedia with it, man. Obviously, we're going to use the Bible to define what the Trinity is. The Trinity isn't a word that's in the Bible as much as rapture is not in the Bible. In other words that we use aren't in the Bible. But the concept of the Trinity or the synonym of the Trinity is in the Bible. But the Trinity, according to Wikipedia even, it says God is three consubstantial persons, the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, as one God and three divine persons. And so you can look up consubstantial. It just basically is meaning that it's always been that way. Okay, that those persons have always been that way. It's not like there was one God and then he sprouted out two persons or something like that. It's just basically meaning that that's the way it's been. That's the way it's been from eternity past. Now, modalism, that's what we believe. We believe it's God, one God, that's made up of three distinct persons. That make up one God. That's what we believe. And obviously I'm going to get into that. But modalism, what we would call the Trinity is Trinitarianism. But modalism is anti-Trinitarianism or non-Trinitarianism. And what their belief is that the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost are three different modes or aspects of a monadic God. Meaning that it's one God and it's kind of like a person that puts on a different hat. And I'll give you an example of that. I'm a husband, I'm a father, and I'm a pastor. But I'm the same person. Does that make sense? And so what they believe about the Godhead is the fact that God, the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost are not three separate persons. But that they're three different modes in which he acts and works. Does that make sense? So you wouldn't look at me and say, Jason the pastor, Jason the husband, and Jason the Father are three different people. You'd say the same person but he's got different offices or he has different things that he's accomplishing and doing. And those are definitely three different things. But that's modalism if you want the simple aspect as far as what they're saying. A one man band that some people have said as far as that goes. Now modalism has changed and honestly this morning what I'm going to be really getting into is Jesus' deity. Because before we get into the Trinity and getting into the arguments of modalism, I want you to see that Jesus is God and that there's no doubt about that that Jesus is God. And so believing in the Trinity is not taken away from that. And so modalism has changed. Now modalism back in the first, second, third century, this is what they believed. That in the Old Testament it was God the Father. When Jesus came on the scene it was the Son and then after he resurrected or went up to the Father, which again none of this makes sense. Okay so I'm saying what they say but again it doesn't make sense. And then after that the rest of the time after Jesus ascended up into heaven he's the Holy Ghost. And so that was what they believed before. Now it's more so like God the Father, because that would be ridiculous because we see the Father and the Son together even in Revelation. But they changed that. So nowadays the modern modalism is what we would call oneness Pentecostalism. And that's the ones that really adopted. There's other cults that, and I'm not afraid to call that, oneness Pentecostalism is a cult. And all these other places that believe this, we think of the Mormons, they're a cult, they don't believe Jesus is God, they don't believe in the Trinity. The Jehovah Witnesses are a cult because they don't believe in the Trinity, right? And so modalism is usually when we look at modalism we're looking at cults, we're looking at people that are completely off base on a lot of things. But nowadays it's like there's some new, everybody's got to have a new doctrine. And now they're coming down to attacking God's nature and what the Bible calls the Godhead. Now the Godhead doesn't mean like a head that has pieces to it, okay? So a Godhead is just an old way of saying Godhood, okay? And if you said someone's childhood, what are you saying? It's the being a child, right? So what does Godhead mean? It's God's being. It's God, you know, who God is, right? And so we say human being, but we would say God being, right? And you wouldn't say it like that, okay, because that would be weird to say it like that, so it's Godhead. So it's mentioned three times in the Bible, Godhead, and it just means who he is, like what is he made up of, you know? And so the Trinity is what we're going to be talking about, but first I want to get into the fact that Jesus is God. Why is this important? This is a fundamental doctrine, my friends. If you don't know that Jesus is God and you don't believe Jesus is God, you're not saved. Plain and simple, because in Hebrews chapter 11, and you can turn there if you want, Hebrews chapter 11, I keep a finger in John 1, but Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 6, it says that without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. The Bible says that if you're going to come to God, you have to believe he is God. And who do you come through to get salvation? Jesus. And so this is a fundamental doctrine, the fact that Jesus is God. Now I do believe that on the surface, when you look at modalism, it's like an overzealous attempt to prove Jesus' deity by saying Jesus is the Father. This is what it comes down to. They believe Jesus is the Father, Jesus is the Holy Ghost, the Father is the Holy Ghost, and that they're not three separate persons. And a separate person is probably not the best way to say that because it's one God, but they're distinct persons. And so we're going to get more into the Trinity and modalism later, but I want to first establish that Jesus is God. So in John chapter 1, this is the number one passage. If I was going to show someone that Jesus is God, this is the first thing I usually show them. So you want to know the heavy hitters, this is the number one that I go to is John chapter 1 and verse 1. Now the book of John is probably the most simple to understand. It's very clear. It's the only book in the Bible that even claims to be the reason it was written was so that you'd be saved, so that you believe and be saved. So it's the most clear book, I believe, in the Bible. In the first verse in the Bible, in that chapter, it says what? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Verse 2, it says the same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. There's a lot of information in that. First of all, the Word was in the beginning. The Word was with God, but the Word also was God. And you say, well, how is that possible? How can the Word be with God and also be God? That's why we have the Trinity. So you see the Trinity in the very first verse, but you also see that the Word is God. Well, what's the Word? Well, in verse 14, it says what that Word is. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory of what? The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Who's the Word? Jesus Christ. Now, if we go to 1 John 5, verse 7, this is the number one Trinity verse. If anybody asks you about the Trinity, this is where I take him. So John 1, 1, if you want to show someone that Jesus is God, I couple John 1, 1 with John 1, 14. There's no doubt that that's saying that Jesus is God because he is the Word. And there's plenty of other verses where it says he's the Word of life. It says that he's going to come down on a white horse with a vesture dipped in blood and his name written, which is the Word of God. So there's no doubt that Jesus is the Word of God. But notice in 1 John 5, in verse 7, note this isn't in any other versions. Besides the New King James, which is very deceitful in a perversion, but most all the other versions take this verse completely out. 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. Now there's the Trinity right there. The word Trinity is not in the Bible, but three in one, right? These three are one is in the Bible. So there's a clear Trinity verse, and notice what does the Son liken to here? Does it say the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost? It says the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. So it's linking you back to John 1 where it says, 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, and all things were made by him, without him was not anything made that was made, because Jesus created the universe. It says by the Word of God, we know that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, because he said, Let there be light, and there was light, and everything he spoke into existence. Jesus created the universe. Go to 1 Timothy chapter 3. I've got nine pages of notes here. We're not going to get through them all this morning. And every time I'm constantly thinking about this sermon, like last night, this morning, I just keep writing down stuff, and I'm like, I need to stop, because I'm not going to have no time to get through all this stuff. But you know what? That shows me that I'm right about this subject, that this is not something that's hard to understand, as far as what the Bible teaches on this, because I don't have enough time in two sermons today to get through all the information on this on the Bible. It's on every single page. There's so many different avenues that you can prove the Trinity. There's so many different avenues that you saw that Jesus is God, that I'm just showing you the big ones, and then there's other ones, and there's even other big ones that I'm just like, I can't believe I didn't put that in there. But I just, I don't have any room for it. There's not enough room on the pieces of paper for me to do it. So anyway, in 1 Timothy, and a lot of times when I give the Gospel to somebody, I usually quote a little bit of this verse to them, when I'm talking about Jesus being born, or you know, talking about the Gospel, which is Jesus was born of a virgin. And so we saw the Word was made flesh. Well, 1 Timothy chapter 3 talks about that as well. 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16, it says, And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. So who was here in the flesh? Was it just a prophet? Was it just, you know, a good man? No, it was God in the flesh. The Word was made flesh, and the Word was God. From the beginning until the end of time. But it says God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit. And if you're just, you know, like, well, that's the Father. Let's see. Justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in the glory. Who was received up in the glory? Was it the Father? No, it was the Son who was received up in the glory, and is sitting on the right hand of the Father. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, you modalists. How in the world can God, if God is, if you're just put on a different house, how can He be seated at the right hand of the Father if He is the Father? It's unbelievable to me, the stupidity. So I think that people believe this. They're either not saved, or they're dumb. They're just really stupid, and they can't understand English grammar, okay? And I hope they're just dumb, okay? And they just can't handle the English grammar and understand this stuff. But I think a lot of people, though, they're unsaved. And in a lot of cases, they're devils that are trying to creep in there. Because when you get into this type of stuff, they're starting to pull people away into this. They're starting to pull, like, the beguiling, the unstable souls. And they're trying to pull people out of the truth. Now, no one can ever lose their salvation. So if you're saved and someone pulls you into this modalist garbage, I believe there's only a certain point that you're going to probably go, because you've got the Holy Spirit inside of you. But so you're never, you're not, I'm not talking about people losing their salvations here. But I'm talking about people being deceived, being bewitched, like the Galatians. And I believe there's devils out there that are trying to push this doctrine. And this is an end times doctrine, no doubt. You know, these, these doctrines of devils that are coming out to the attack, the deity of God, to attack who he is. And so, but I want to show you some other passages. I'm going to show you where God the Father calls Jesus God. So that's probably a good authority to look to, right? Is what does God call Jesus? Okay, well, go to Psalm 45, first of all. Psalm 45, and I'm going to show you, this is what's being quoted in Hebrews chapter one. But I want you to see Psalm 45 and see, who are we talking about? So Psalm 45 and verse six is where I want you to see. Psalm 45 verse six, it says, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of right, the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness, therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Now who's this talking about? Just from reading this, what would you say who's this talking about? God. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever a scepter of thy kingdom, is a right scepter. It's hard for me to do that because it's worded a little different in Hebrews and I had that memorized, so I'm like trying to revert back to Hebrews. Go to Hebrews chapter one. Hebrews chapter one, and we'll see who is this talking to. So obviously, whoever's, and when you're reading that in Psalm, someone's saying this about God, right? But who's saying it? Well, we know that from right before that, it says, unto which of the angels said I at any time, this day have a begotten me. And again, I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son. Right? So who's talking? God the father, right? There's no doubt there that God the father is speaking. Well, then it goes on in verse eight, and this one is another powerhouse. If I was ever going to show you one that I was, John 1, 1, and this one right here, I want a Muslim to the Lord, two Muslims to the Lord showing them this verse. And other people have shown them these verses and it's just like, yeah, there's no doubt. Jehovah's Witnesses, they can't answer this. So Hebrews 1, 8, it says, but unto what? Unto the son, he saith, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou has loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore, God, even thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. See how it goes back and forth? So we have the father calling the son God, but then he's saying that his God is going to anoint him with the oil of gladness. Who's that? The father. They're saying that's confusing. No, it's because the father's God, the son's God, and the Holy Ghost is God. Simple as that. God is made up of three persons, the father, the son, the Holy Ghost. They all are God, but they're not one and the same. You can think about this in the fact of I'm made up of soul, body, and spirit. That's me. But you would never say that the soul is the body. You never say the spirit is the body or even the spirit is the soul. Those are two different things. And so you can see the similarities in some of them, right? But they're not the same. But it does make up me as a person. My being, my Jasonhood, right? No, I don't know how you say that. But the being of God is made up of the father, son, and the Holy Ghost. Now, no illustration is going to be perfect on this because try to wrap your head around an eternal God in our minds is going to be hard to do. But there is ways to at least kind of comprehend it. But I also want to show you that Jesus is from everlasting. He's from the beginning. And he's from before the world was. And so go to Micah chapter 5. Micah chapter 5. I was actually just thinking about this. I didn't write down where Thomas says, my Lord and my God, or when Stephen, when he's being stoned, it says he calling and the narrator says, calling upon God, saying, Lord Jesus. That's what the narrator said, that he was calling upon God. And then he said, Lord Jesus. So like I said, I would be here all night and day going through all the passages on Jesus's deity and going through the Trinity because it's just everywhere. And you would say, how in the world did you not put that in? Because I have so much in here that it's unbelievable. And as I'm writing this, I'm like, how does someone not see this? But in Micah 5.2, this is a famous chapter or passage dealing with Jesus's birth. It's quoted in the New Testament in Matthew chapter 2. But in Micah 5.2, it says, but thou, Bethlehem, Ephrata, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me, that is, to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. This is talking about Jesus Christ being born from the Virgin Mary, talking about him coming in to Bethlehem. So this is the passage where you see that he's going to be born in Bethlehem. So this is a very famous passage, but it says he's from everlasting. Well, let's look at a verse about God in Psalm chapter 90. So I know we're flipping around, going to all this place, but it's everywhere. And so, but Psalm chapter 90, and this isn't the only place. I'm just, for sake of time, I'm going to show you every single place that talks about God being from everlasting to everlasting. And it's just a way of God saying, hey, I'm eternal. I never had a beginning. I never had an end, which reminds me, I didn't even think of Hebrews chapter 7, where it says that neither father nor mother, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, were made like unto the Son of God. I mean, it's just up here. I'm just thinking about all these things. We haven't got through page one, so I need to get a little faster here. So Psalm chapter 90 in verse one, it says, Lord, thou has been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, wherever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. So what's it saying in Micah 5, 2 about Jesus? He's God. He's from everlasting. Now, one of my favorite verses in the Bible, and I've actually used this, the last time I remember using this, we were actually out in Akron, and we were on some campus. I forget where we were at, but I showed it because a lot of people these days don't believe Jesus is God. So I do make it a point to at least ask that question, who do you think Jesus is? And then if they don't know that Jesus is God, then I'll show them one of these verses. But I just went to John 17. So go to John 17. If you know John 17, John 17 is where Jesus is praying to the Father. Now, this is before the Garden of Gethsemane, and obviously that's before he goes to the cross, but this is where he's praying to the Father, and there's a lot of good information in this chapter. It's one of my favorite chapters, honestly. This is a chapter where he talks about, I'm not praying for you only, but also for the that believe on me hereafter. And think about that. That means Jesus Christ was praying for you. But in John 17 and verse 5, this is one great one to show that Jesus was from the beginning or before the beginning. In verse 5, so John 17 verse 5 says, and now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. So he says that he wants to be glorified with him with the glory that he had before the world was. So Jesus wasn't created when the universe was created. He was before the world was, and he was being glorified in the Father. Notice it says here, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self. Own self. You know, these modalists are like, oh, you're saying he's a person. We'll get to that. But how about here? It says his own self. You know what another synonym is for self in the Bible? Soul. You know, it talks about the fact that, you know, well, you know, talks about where you gain the whole world and lose your own soul. Well, in a parallel passage says we gain the whole world and lose yourself. When you think about what the soul represents, it represents who you are, yourself, your being, right? And so anyway, that's another little thing. I wasn't even looking at that. But again, it's on every page. It's on every page of the Bible, the Trinity. We'll see tonight. We're going to get more into the Trinity, and we've already covered this in Genesis because we've made it to Genesis Chapter 8, but we've already talked about it quite a bit on how the Trinity is even in the beginning of Genesis. Genesis Chapter 1. We're going to see that. But Jesus is the Son of God, and I think this is something, especially when we're dealing with modalism, that needs to be emphasized. And first, I want to show you that he is the Son of God and that he claimed to be the Son of God. Now, I don't think anybody in here would be like, well, I don't believe he's the Son of God. Well, if you don't, then you're not saved, okay? Because the Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip and said, what does hinder me to be baptized? He said, if thou believes with all thy heart, thou mayest. I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And so that's something, who sort of confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelt in him, and he in God? This is a very basic concept here. But in Luke Chapter 1 and verse 35, it talks about what he's going to be called when Jesus is born. And it says in verse 35, actually, go to John Chapter 9. You can turn to Luke, Luke 1 35, but I know for sake of time, I'm kind of trying to go there, but John 9 is where I want to really show you. Just the fact that Jesus did claim to be the Son of God, and it's not like that was something he wasn't telling people. But in Luke 1 35, it says, and the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the high shall overshadow thee. Therefore, also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. So we know that the child Jesus was the Son of God. And here's the thing. He was the Son of God before this. We're going to get into that, that he was a son before Bethlehem's major. But some people, you know, these modalists, some of these people believe that he wasn't the Son of God until he was baptized. Now, show me where that's ever said, okay? But they just pull that out of nowhere. They're just like, well, the Holy Ghost came upon him. That's when he became God, or when God came upon him and all this stuff. It's like, what in the world? I mean, the fact is, it says he's from everlasting in Micah 5 2. It says here he's going to be called the Son of God. From the moment he's born, he's going to be called the Son of God because he is the Son of God, and he was the Son of God. But in John chapter 9, I just want to put this, because there's the heretics out there that say, well, he never claimed to be the Messiah. He never claimed to be the Son of God, you know, getting my Hagee voice. So he clearly claimed to be the Son of God, okay? The devils all were saying he was the Son of God. You remember when he was casting out devils? He said, we know who thou art, the Son of God, you know, and go into that. But in John 9, verse 35, he clearly tells somebody that he is. And John 9, and this is where he heals this guy, and he's talking to him afterward. And so it says in verse 35, Jesus heard that they had cast him out. And when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou has both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. So he said, hey, you're looking at him. And this is the guy that was blind from his mother's birth. You know, this guy was blind, right? So notice that he said, you know, that you've both seen me, seen him, right? It's because he can see now. But anyway, he's making a point saying, I am the Son of God. You're looking at him, and obviously he believed on him right after that. And so Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. And remember, they said, art thou the Son of the Blessed and Mark? And he said, I am. So, you know, I just want to make that point that he did claim to be the Son of God. But him being the Son of God was not, that didn't start at Bethlehem's major. I want to make that a point, because he was the son from the very beginning. It's always been the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. It's not like the Bethlehem's major is where he became a son, okay? And so, and we're going to get into the only begotten versus the first begotten of the dead. And just kind of talking about it, because people do have a little bit of confusion when it comes to, you know, when did he become the Son of God? But where's the first time the Son of God's ever mentioned? The first time the Son of God's ever mentioned, or the Son of God. Now we have sons of God dealing with Job and stuff like that. And I'm going to talk about that, how we are the sons of God as well. But we're not the Son of God. And this is a quintessential thing you should think about. When he says, I'm the Son of God, that means he's God. The Pharisees knew that. Do you think, did anybody ever come up to, do you ever read in the New Testament where it said, we didn't even think God had a son? No, when he said he was the Son of God, they said, we're going to stone you because you're making yourself God. There was no confusion, like saying, I mean, this is what Jehovah's Witnesses were like, well, he's God's Son, but he, you know, but he's not God. No, the Son of God means he is God. Because God is the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. And if he's claiming to be the Son of God, that means he is God. And I know we've been a little lackadaisian, like not going into that, as far as saying, well, okay, you know, we'll go into this. No, if he's the Son of God, then he's God. He's claiming to be God. Every place he ever said he was the Son of God, they wanted to stone him because he's making himself equal with God. Because he said, and I'm going to get into that. I'm getting ahead of myself. In Daniel chapter 3, this is the first place that the Son of God is mentioned. Even Nebuchadnezzar, who wasn't saved, who was the King of Babylon, knew that there was a Son of God. In the Old Testament, it's not like, he didn't say, how would he even know to say that this was the Son, it looks like the Son of God in there? Because we're going to read this story about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And this is where they're thrown into the fiery furnace. This is the first mention of the Son of God, that phrase. Now, obviously, Jesus, we know we saw him with Melchizedek in chapter 14 of Genesis. And we see him in other places. And I don't have time to go through all those places where he's the captain of the host in Joshua and all these different places that the Old Testament appearances of Christ. But I'm just looking at for the phrase the Son of God or the Son dealing with God. So Daniel chapter 3, verse 23, it says, And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste and spake and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. Notice verse 25. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt. And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Now, if you have another version, you know what they change that to? A son of the gods. Is that what the King James Bible says here? No, it says the Son of God. And so Nebuchadnezzar knew there was the Son of God, even though he believed in many gods. Now, I believe that Nebuchadnezzar did end up getting saved later on. If you read chapter four of Daniel, I believe he does get saved. But at this point, I don't believe he's saved. In this passage right here, this is before he was humbled and all this other stuff. But in this passage, he's saying the Son of God. Now, would that make any sense if he doesn't become the son until Bethlehem's major? That he be called the Son of God back in Daniel chapter three? Well, go to Psalm chapter two. Psalm chapter two is a whole Psalm about Jesus. This is quoted. There's different pieces of this chapter. I mean, this whole chapter is pretty much quoted in the New Testament in different parts and pieces and other places. And so we'll see the Son mentioned in Psalm chapter two. And some people will say, well, this is a prophecy of the Son coming. So he isn't the son here. Well, I'll get to that here in a minute. But I do want to show you this, that the Son is mentioned back. And so that's why the Pharisees, when he said, I'm the Son of God, they were saying, he's saying he's God. He's saying he is part of the Trinity. He's part of the Godhead. He wasn't just saying God is my Father like we would say God is our Father. He's saying God is his Father because he didn't have a physical Father. And he's God. And so in Psalm chapter two, or Psalm two in verse seven there, notice what it says. I will declare the decree. The Lord hath said unto me, thou art my son. This day hath I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the othermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shall break them with a rod of iron. Thou shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are they, all they that put their trust in him. I love that verse. First of all, it's also showing you that they're to put their trust in the Son from the very beginning. But because no man cometh unto the Father but by him. That's been true from the beginning. And they may not have understood every little aspect of the Trinity and seen it as clearly as we do now in the New Testament, but they understood that there was a Son of God. And it's been from the beginning. Even Nebuchadnezzar knew that there was a Son of God. And so, but I'm going to get into the, thou are my son, this day I have begotten thee. Because you're saying, well, there's a day when he's begotten. Yeah, we'll talk about that. Because that's what the Bible, we'll talk about him being begotten that day. Proverbs chapter 30. Now this is no doubt the fact that it's talking about present tense in the Old Testament when it's written that God has a son. That there's the Son of God. Proverbs chapter 30. And we'll couple this with John 3. So you're going to Proverbs chapter 30, put your finger there, put your pinky in John chapter 3, and take off your shoes and put your toes in another place. No, actually, I just want to show you this one because this is an interesting one. What's interesting is actually this proverb wasn't written by Solomon. And so it's not like, well, Solomon knew he was the wisest man upon the earth. Well, no, this guy wasn't Solomon. He's even saying, I wasn't a prophet. You know, like I'm unlearned. He's like basically talking about this at the very beginning of Proverbs chapter 30. But then he goes into this, verse 4. Notice what it says. It says, 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? Now, who are we talking about here? Obviously, we're talking about God. Notice what it says. What is his name? And what is his son's name if thou canst tell? Proverbs chapter 30 says that God, they're asking what's his name, but what's his son's name too? What is his son's name? Present tense. He's asking that question. Now, couple this with John chapter 3. Go to John chapter 3. You say, well, you know, that may be just a coincidence. Is that really talking about Jesus? Well, look at John chapter 3. Look at the similarities in what Jesus says in John chapter 3 and verse 13. There's another place to show Jesus' deity. You could use this verse, John 3, 13, itself to prove Jesus' deity. But when you couple this with Proverbs chapter 30, look how this matches. In John chapter 3, verse 13, it says, and no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven. Sound familiar? Who hath ascended up to heaven? Who hath descended? Even the son of man which is in heaven. Jesus is down on the earth saying this. He says, no man has ascended up to heaven or descended, but he that came down from heaven, even the son of man which is in heaven. So he's saying that. He's there talking to Nicodemus and he's saying, I'm in heaven. Why? Because he's God. And so we see here that what's his son's name? Jesus. That's his son's name. The name is above all names. Jesus Christ. Now, I want to talk about the only begotten son of God compared to the first begotten of the dead. Now, this is where we get into this day of a begotten me. So go to John chapter 1. I just want to show you a place where it calls me the only begotten son of God, or only begotten son. John 3, 16 says it. John 3, 18 says it. You'll see another place in 1 John where it talks about how he's the only begotten son. And the key there is it's the only begotten son. And so in John 1, verse 18, it says, no man has seen God at any time. The only begotten son, which is in the bosom of the father, he hath declared him. So this is where people have problems with when they say the only begotten and they say, OK, well, how can we become sons then? Well, there's a difference, I believe, between the fact that Jesus is the only begotten son of God and he's also the first begotten of the dead. So when it says that, go to Revelation chapter 1. So people have different ideas on this. And some people do believe that the only begotten son is referring to that as well, referring to the fact that he was begotten from the dead. But I more so believe that the only begotten son is basically, if you look at this, and I'm going to go into this a little more in detail, Jesus is the only one that came from God, meaning he literally is God, but his father is literally God. My father is sitting in the front row. And so my heavenly father is what the Bible would call an adoption. So if you look at the fact of, OK, let's say I have children that are mine, that are between me and Holly, but then we adopt children. Well, they're still my children, right? But there is a difference between the fact that those children came forth from me and I adopted them and they became my children. Does that make sense? And so the only begotten, I believe, is signifying that he's the son of God, OK? That we are the sons of God because we believe on his name, but I'm going to show you that it calls us adopted sons. And so we didn't come forth from God because we came from Adam, right? We came from the dust of the earth. Jesus didn't. And so I believe that's the significance between the only begotten. Now, if you want to link this with the first begotten of the dead, talking about his resurrection, I'm fine with that. But the only part in there is where I would have, like, how do you answer that? And I guess you could say that he's the only, well, we would say blood child, right? And then the rest are adopted, and that's how you could say that, right? Where he's the only begotten son of God because he's the only one that is literally God, right? So either way you look at that, that's what that means. The only begotten son meaning he's the son of God, right? He's the only one that's the son of God, and we're all begotten of him. But I want to show you this because when it says this day have begotten me, I'm going to show you, I'm going to prove to you that's not talking about Bethlehem's major. That's not talking about, you know, when he became God or anything like that. Actually, it's talking about the resurrection. But in Revelation chapter 1, I just want you to first of all see that he is called the first begotten of the dead. Revelation 1 5, it says, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. So it calls Jesus the first begotten of the dead. So I submit to you when it says that this day have I begotten me, you know, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. It's talking about when he rose from the dead. And there's many scriptures on this, but go to Acts chapter 13, and this will without a doubt show you what that reference in Psalm 2, and it even says the second Psalm, you know, when it's saying, so there's no doubt that what it said in Psalm 2 about this day have I begotten thee is referring to the resurrection and not to him being born in Bethlehem or any other event. And so in Acts chapter 13, Acts chapter 13 and verse 33 is what I want you to see. Acts chapter 13 and verse 33, it says God has fulfilled the same unto us, their children, in that he has raised up Jesus again, as it is also written in the second Psalm. So he's saying, you know, he raised up Jesus as it is written in the second Psalm, thou are my son, this day have I begotten thee. Is there any doubt that when he's saying this day have I begotten thee, he's referring to the fact that when he was begotten from the dead, right, because he was dead, and what has begotten to bring forth, right, or to beget something, to generate something, right? And so the first begotten of the dead, this day have I begotten thee, he's clearly talking about the resurrection because he said, I am the first and the last, I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore, amen. Jesus Christ was dead for three days and three nights, but then he was begotten again from the dead, and that's where the Bible says this day have I begotten thee. So that's what I believe. I believe the only begotten son is basically saying he's the son of God. He's literally the son of God. It's not saying that he came into existence at any point, you know, from God. It's just saying that he is the son of God. He's always been the son of God, but he's the only one that's always been the son of God, right? Whereas we, there is a time and place where we're born into the family, where we're adopted, and so, but in 1 Peter chapter 1, I just want to show you this. Now he's the first begotten of the dead. He's the first fruits of the resurrection, the Bible says, but in 1 Peter chapter 1, it talks about how we take part in that too, because when we get saved, we're begotten as well. We're begotten again, but I'll show you what that be begetting is likened with and what it's referring to. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3, it says, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by what? The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. He's the first begotten of the dead, but he made, that's how he made it possible for us to be begotten from the dead. And so that's what it's talking about, the first begotten of the dead, and he's the first fruits of the resurrection, and that he might be a first fruits of his creatures. It says in James chapter 1, because he's the first one that body and everything is resurrected. That's why he's called the first. It doesn't mean that everybody in the Old Testament can go to heaven. Just everybody in heaven's just souls right now. Even if I died today, my soul would go to heaven, my body would go to the grave. And he's the first one that's ever been resurrected. He's the first fruits, but then they are Christ that is coming, meaning then the dead in Christ are going to rise. We're going to be changed in the moment and twinkling in the eye. That's what that's talking about, the resurrection. But I want to show you the adoption. Now go to Galatians chapter 4. Galatians chapter 4. So when you're dealing with the only begotten son of God, you're dealing with the son of God, God himself, right? Part of the trinity, part of the Godhead, the son of God. But when you're dealing with the first begotten of the dead, you're dealing with the fact that he died and rose again from the dead, and we can also take part in that by believing on him. We're born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever. That's how we're begotten by faith. In Galatians chapter 4, in verse 4, it says, but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son. Now, if he wasn't his son yet, would that make sense to even say that? It's like, well, he's got to be born to be my son. How's he sending his son to be born of a woman? Anyway, so many different ways you can look at this. But it says, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the what? The adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Weren't thou art no more a servant but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. We're joint heirs with Christ. He's the first fruits. He's the son of God, and he made it possible. That's why he's not ashamed to call his brethren. And so we're adopted though. Does that make sense? Because I had my two parents right up here. This is how I came into life here. And when I got saved, I was adopted into God's family. And everybody else too, when you got saved, you were adopted. And we all had a mother and father. You had to, or you're not here. And so when we get saved, we're born again, but we're adopted into the family. Does that make sense? And so notice that the first begotten of the dead, this day I haven't begotten thee. It's not talking about Jesus becoming the son of God. It's talking about him actually raising from the dead and providing salvation for everybody that would believe on him. But I also want to show you another way to show that Jesus is God. Jesus said that he is I am, and he is the first and the last. And so these are some big ones too. Now John 1 one, Hebrews 1 eight, and 1 Timothy 3 16 are those one big, you just get, show them a verse, and it's like, there it is, right? There's plenty of other ways to cross reference stuff. And if you have the time, you can go into this. And this is one of those cases where when you read it in the New Testament and then you cross reference it with what it says in the Old Testament, it's very clear that what he's saying. So go to John chapter eight. So I want to show you in the New Testament where he's claiming to be the I am, and he also says that he's the first and the last. Now I'm going to show you the gravity of when he says that, what that means. So John chapter eight. John chapter eight. And I can't wait to get into the modalism stuff. So stay tuned for tonight. If you're not going to be here tonight, tune in, watch it, because tonight is where I'm going to rip face on the modalism stuff, and I'm going to hit that hard. Right now I just want to show you that Jesus is God. So when I go into the distinctions between the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, you don't think that I'm tearing apart the fact that Jesus is God. So if you listen to my sermon tonight and think that I'm saying Jesus is God, then you missed something this morning. But so John chapter eight, verse 23. John chapter eight, verse 23, it says, and he said unto them, this is Jesus talking, ye are from beneath, I am from above. Ye are not of this world, I am not of this world. That alone should tell you something, right? And even in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the second Adam is the Lord from heaven. But anyway, I digress. We go into verse 24, it says, I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins, if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Now, if you don't mind underlining things in your Bible, underline I am he. If you believe not that I am he. Now go down to verse 56. Verse 56. And this is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. I know I already told you John's my favorite book. But John 8, what he says right here, I'm just like, yes! You know, it's like when you read Matthew 23, and he just goes on this tour de force against the Pharisees, and it says he strives Pharisees, hypocrites, and goes on this rant against them. I love reading that. But this is another one where they're coming, these Pharisees are coming after him. And notice what it says in verse 56. It says, your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. And he saw it and was glad. Then the Jews, then said the Jews unto him, thou are not yet 50 years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. That is very clear what he's saying there. Now, also, he says, I am. And he just got done saying, if you don't believe that I am he, you're gonna die in your sins. He that cometh to God must believe that he is. And he says, I am he, before Abraham was, I am. That's clear as day. How about John the Baptist said that he that cometh after me is before me. John the Baptist was three months older than Jesus, according to the flesh. And he says that he was before him. Another proof. I mean, there's so many different proofs to show this, that Jesus is God, that his beginning wasn't in the Bethlehem's major. But go to Revelation chapter one. So I want to show you, he said, I am. I am he. Revelation one, 17, we're gonna see that he calls himself the first and the last. Revelation one and verse 17. It says, and when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, fear not. I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of hell and of death. This is Jesus Christ talking here. And actually, when you reference this in chapter two and three, you'll see that it's talking about the Son of God that said this. The Son of Man. All these descriptions are of him. He says, I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Well, in verse eight of chapter one, notice what it says. In verse eight, it says, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. You know, put that in your pipe and smoke at Jehovah's Witnesses. Because when we say, you know, he was called the Mighty God in Isaiah 9, 6, they say, well, he's not the Almighty God. And well, how about, what does it say here? He says, I'm the Almighty. Now you say, well, maybe that's God the Father talking. Well, go to Revelation 22 and verse 13. Because it says, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. Well, did Jesus say that he was the Alpha and Omega? No, but he did say he was the first and the last, didn't he? Well, notice what it says in Revelation 22 and verse 13. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. If Jesus is the first and the last, that means he's got to be the beginning and the ending, and the Alpha and Omega. And guess what? That means he's the Almighty. Now, I showed you these ones in the New Testament. Now, let's cross-reference what that means to be the first and the last, what that means to be the I Am. Well, go to Exodus chapter 3, first of all. And this is a very famous passage dealing with the burning bush. But what did God say to Moses? And when he said, what am I going to tell them? Who sent me, right? And what did he say to Moses? In Exodus chapter 3 and verse 14, it says, And God said unto Moses, I am that I am. And he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you. So Jesus said before Abraham was, I am. Now, go to Isaiah chapter 41. Isaiah chapter 41. So we're going to see the first and the last, and actually the I Am He in the same exact place. So these things are linked very closely together. And there's no doubt that the first and the last and the I Am He is talking about God. So when he said, I am the first and the last, he's saying, I'm God. When he said, I am, before Abraham was, I am, he's saying, I'm God. Because that was before Abraham was because I'm God. I created Abraham. He is the root and the offspring of David because he created David, but then he was born of the flesh and born of the seed of David. So in Isaiah 41 and verse 4, notice what it says. Isaiah 41 verse 4, it says, It says, Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first and with the last, I am he. Now it's interesting that it says with the last. Does that sound a little familiar? In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Maybe because God the Father is the first and the last. How about the Holy Ghost is the first and the last and Jesus is the first and the last? Because they're all God. Those three persons make up one God. And so when you say the first and the last or you say the I Am or the Almighty, guess what? You're talking about all of them. Or if I say the Holy Ghost, I could say the Holy Ghost is the first and the last. I could say he's the Almighty because he's God. And so go to Isaiah 43. So I'm not done there. I just want you to see that he says that the Lord, all capital letters, meaning this is Jehovah. There's no doubt that this is talking about God. It's saying that he's the first and the last. And it says, I am he. Notice in verse 10 of Isaiah 43. Isaiah 43 verse 10, it says, Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, that ye may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Now what did Jesus say? That you may believe me, that if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins. What does it say? It says that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me there was no God formed. Neither shall there be after me. I, even I am the Lord, and beside me there is no Savior. I have declared and have saved and I have showed when there was no strange God among you. Therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God. Don't you love it when Jesus put those little signifiers in there for you to go back to the Old Testament and see what exactly he's saying to them? When he says, if you don't believe I am he, what's he saying? If you don't believe I'm God, you're going to die in your sins. And so that's exactly what he's saying. He's the son of God, which means he is God. And go to Isaiah 44, just another one. We've already kind of closed that. We're kicking a dead horse at this point on the first and the last, I am he. But in Isaiah 44 and verse 6, notice what it says. So if you wanted a verse, if you're saying, well, I want to show someone that Jesus is God, you can go to Revelation chapter 1 where it says, I am the first and the last, I am he that lives and was dead. Behold, I'm alive forevermore. And then take him to Isaiah 44, 6. Isaiah 44, 6 says, thus saith the Lord, the king of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, I am the first and I am the last and beside me there is no God. No doubt that the first and the last is God. And he's saying, there's none beside me. I'm the only God. And so very clear, Jesus is God. Now, now this is something that they wanted to stone him for many times because he was saying he was the son of God because people were calling him the son of God. And go to John chapter 5, John chapter 5. So this is the last I want to show you here. And obviously I got a lot more to get into tonight dealing with the modalism stuff. And I didn't even go into all the stuff about how he created the universe and just all the different verses on how and thou Lord in the beginning has laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the works of thy hands. It talks about with Jesus. I mean, there's so much stuff you can go into to prove that he is God. He's always been. He's the one that created everything. All things were made by him and for him. But in John chapter 5, I want you to see that the narrator is saying that he's making himself equal with God. So any time the narrator speaking in the Bible, it's always true. Does that make sense? Because he's, you know, the person's writing under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Now, if someone's talking in the Bible besides Jesus, now obviously if Jesus is talking, it's always true because he's God. But if someone's talking in a story and they say something, it may not always be true. It's true they said it, but it's not necessarily true what they're saying. So in this first case, in John chapter 5 verse 18, we know it's true because the narrator's saying it. It says in verse 18, therefore, the Jews sought the more to kill him because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his father making himself equal with God. Were they saying, well, God doesn't have a son. You know, that doesn't make sense that God has a son. No, they're saying he's calling himself the son of God. He's saying that God is his father and he's making himself equal to God. You know, the narrator's saying that he was making himself equal with God because he is equal with God because he is God. But in John chapter 10, this is right after he said, I and my father are one. You know, the famous passage of no man can pluck you out of my hand and my father was greater all and no one's able to pluck you out of my father's hand. I and my father are one. And in John 10 verse 33, it says, the Jews answered him saying, for a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy and because that thou being a man makest thyself God. They knew what he was saying and they knew that he was saying he was God because he was making himself equal with God because he's the son of God and he is God. So this wasn't like in a corner that he was saying he was God. And so, so we know, I kind of went through all these scriptures, but go to Philippians chapter two. This is where we're going to end. Philippians chapter two. There's no doubt that Jesus is God. This is a fundamental doctrine when it comes to Christianity, when it comes to salvation. If someone prays a prayer to Jesus, but they don't know who he is, they're not going to get saved. He that cometh to God must believe that he is. Simple as that. A Jehovah's witness can understand the fact that it's by grace, but if they think Jesus is a created being, they're not trusting in the right Jesus. That's not the same Jesus. And people preach other Jesuses. It talks about that in second Corinthians on how if someone come to you with another Jesus, the Jehovah's witnesses have another Jesus. The Mormons have another Jesus and all these other cults have another Jesus. These modalists have another Jesus because it's not the Jesus of the Bible. And Philippians chapter two, this is a famous passage. And by going into modalism, what you're doing is denying the sonship of God. You're denying the fact that Jesus is the son of God. We're going to get more into this tonight, but they say Jesus is the father. Why don't you put son in there for Jesus? Because he's called the son many times in the Bible, the son of the father. Why would you say that the son is the father and then you look like an idiot? Because that's where it comes down to when it comes to this modalism is that they believe the son is the father. Doesn't make sense. The Bible never teaches it. We're going to rip face tonight about it. But before we do that, I'm going to read Philippians chapter two when we're dealing with Jesus and the fact that another verse that that he's God in Philippians chapter two and verse five, it says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. The only way that it can be, it wouldn't be robbery to be equal with God as if you are equal with God. But notice when he came here, the reason that you don't see it, maybe all the time, that's why John is so great because it's so revealed as far as who he is. But when you read Matthew, Mark and Luke and other, you know, other passages and stuff like that, you may say, well, he's not coming out and saying it, and he's not saying it really super clear. Why? Because in verse seven, but made himself of no reputation, it took upon the form of a servant was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Why? I mean, it even says in Mark why he didn't openly tell people this because why he was a man of no reputation. And every time everybody knew that he was God and knew who he was, remember they thronged him to where he couldn't even speak and he had to leave. There's a reason why he wasn't publicly saying that. And he even told Peter, when he said, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God, he said, you know, hold that in a little bit, you know. And they would tell people, but they wouldn't say it in big multitudes where, you know, it was like a big noise abroad until later on. But notice in verse nine there, wherefore God also had highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Everybody will confess one day that Jesus is God, that he is the Lord God Almighty, that he's the Lord of glory, as the Bible says. He's the Lord from heaven. The second Adam is the Lord from heaven. He came down on this earth. He was God manifest in the flesh. He's the Word made flesh, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and he's going to come back again as the Word of God, as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus is God. He's a part of the Trinity. The Trinity is made up of three persons, and that's what we believe here. The Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, these three are one, and we're going to hold to that until the day I die. And this church will always stand on the Trinity, a clear presentation on the fact that God is three persons in one and not this modalist, this oneness Pentecostal garbage that's being perpetuated now even in the Baptist churches. Why don't you leave that to the cults? Let the cults have that garbage because it doesn't line up with Scripture. There's so much stuff that I could probably go on this for weeks as far as just all the passages on Jesus being God and on the Trinity. And tonight we're really going to get into the Trinity and on this oneness Pentecostal modalist garbage that is being perpetuated today. But that's amazing, right? That's amazing to see all these passages. And you know, when I was studying this out, whenever you have too much Scripture that you can't fit it in a sermon, you're probably right about something, right? And so anytime you're struggling to find passages in the Bible, you know, for it to preach a sermon, you might want to check what you're preaching. But anytime that you're struggling, you're like, I need to make this into two part or I can't even fit that in two parts, then you're right about it. Because I'm not just hanging on a couple verses here. I'm hanging on and how many places did we go? I didn't even count up all the verses and all the different books we went into. But we're going into Genesis tonight. We were in Exodus. We're in Isaiah. We're in Daniel. We're in all these different places. We're in all throughout the New Testament. And it's just everywhere. So Jesus is God. He's part of the Godhead. And you have to believe that in order to be saved. And when you go out sowing, you know, you don't always have to make that your point because a lot of people do understand this. But I do make it a point to ask them, who do you believe Jesus is? And if they understand the Trinity and they understand that he's God, then I move on. I don't, I don't belabor that point. But if they don't, if they say, well, he's just a prophet, or I don't know, you know, who exactly is, then I go into that because they need to understand that. Let's end with a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this morning and pray that you be with us as we go out sowing. And Lord, just pray as we come back as well for the evening service. And Lord, we just thank you for your word. Thank you that it's so clear of who you are. And Lord, that we have so much scripture to back up what we believe. And Lord, just pray that you'd again be with us today. Give us safe travels. And Lord, we love you and pray all this in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.