Bailey Methodist Church
6/15/2025
  • This Is My Father's World
  • Holy Holy Holy (Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty)
  • Run To The Father
  • Good Good Father
  • Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow!
  • Romans 5:1–5 ESV
    1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
    John 16:12–15 ESV
    12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
    Introduction: A Living Doctrine
    Today is Trinity Sunday—a day often seen as a theological riddle wrapped in a doctrinal puzzle. Many pastors quietly dread this Sunday, trying to figure out how to explain the concept of one God in Three Persons without confusing the congregation or, worse, straying into heresy.
    However, the Trinity isn’t meant to be dissected like a math problem. It’s not three parts of a whole or one person playing three roles. We often use analogies like a three-leaf clover or the different states of water—liquid, frozen, or gas—to explain the Trinity. But all these illustrations fall short of capturing the depth of this essential doctrine of the church. The Trinity is God revealed in relationship—Father, Son, and Spirit—eternally united in love and working in harmony for the redemption and renewal of the world.
    1 John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Pure love is the essence of God’s being. It is from this love that exists within the Trinity that all things are created. However, this doesn’t mean that love is God. Our understanding of love is often limited to emotions and specific actions. What love truly is comes from God. He defines love, not us. It is from the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that we can understand what love is and how God’s love impacts us.
    In Romans 5 and John 16, we receive a beautiful glimpse of how this triune God draws near to us and how we can understand and accept this outpouring of God’s self.
    So, let’s set aside our diagrams and mental gymnastics. Let’s listen to Scripture and discover how the Trinity brings us unshakable hope.

    1. The Father Grants Us Peace and Purpose (Romans 5:1)

    “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Romans 5:1
    Paul begins this section with a joyful conclusion: Because we have been justified and declared righteous by faith in Christ, we now have peace with God. A common theological misconception propagated by both evangelical and progressive churches is the belief that we are all children of God by our inherent nature, even outside of Christ. This idea, however, is incorrect. We are not naturally children of God; instead, we start as rebels against Him.
    Paul states in Romans 5:10, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Our default nature is to oppose God and His righteousness. Paul further emphasizes this in Romans 5:12: “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” The notion that we are born innocent and free from sin is heretical. The inherent position of humanity is one of rebellion against God and His holiness.
    In Christ, we find lasting peace and reconciliation with God. This reconciliation is not a temporary ceasefire; it is a permanent restoration of our relationship with Him. The conflict between heaven and earth is over. The Father, who is just and holy, has welcomed us into His presence. This peace is foundational; it signifies not just the end of hostilities between humanity and God but the complete mending of our relationship.
    Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:18, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” God has accomplished the work of reconciling us to Him and restoring our proper relationship. This is not something we achieve on our own; it is entirely by God’s grace. Human sin created the rift, not God, but it is God who provided the solution. The only way peace was possible was through Jesus' death on the cross.
    With this peace comes purpose. Verse 2 states that we now “stand” in grace and “rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” This hope is not just for the future; it allows us to live confidently in the present, knowing that the Father invites us to share in His glory. Through Christ, God has paved the way to fulfill the ultimate purpose of creation. The fall of humanity did not thwart God’s plans; He anticipated our need for reconciliation since the beginning.  It is by God’s grace at work in Christ that we can now stand in confidence and rejoice in the hope of His glory. Because we have peace with God, we can reflect His glory and live as true image bearers through obedience.
    Have you received the peace the Father offers? He is neither distant nor disinterested. Through the Son, He extends His hand to you. Trinity Sunday serves as a reminder that God the Father is not only Creator—He is also Reconciler. He invites you to walk in peace and live with purpose.

    2. The Son Secures Our Hope Through Suffering (Romans 5:3; John 16:12)

    “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance…”  Romans 5:3
    “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” John 16:12
    At first, Paul's words may sound shocking: "We rejoice in our sufferings?" However, he explains that through suffering, God develops endurance, character, and hope. This is not blind optimism; it is hope forged in the fire. The critical question is, “How is this possible?”
    Within Protestant evangelicalism, there is often a poor understanding of suffering. Many believe that all suffering is a form of punishment. This mindset is like that of Job's friends, who constantly question what he did to deserve God's punishment. The disciples also ask Jesus about the man born blind in John 9, wondering what sin caused his condition. Due to this flawed theology of suffering, we struggle to cope with it properly. There is a prevalent idea in evangelicalism known as Moral Therapeutic Deism, which suggests that if we are good and act morally, our lives will always be good. This is a flawed belief. It ties our joy to our life circumstances rather than to our relationship with Christ, creating a shaky foundation that can shatter our faith when life's storms hit.
    On the other hand, some believe that suffering leads to holiness. They argue that sharing in Christ's sufferings will bring us closer to Him and help us become more like Him. However, we do not seek out suffering; instead, we suffer because we follow Christ, and the world rejects Him. " Trials and suffering will come, but the suffering we endure provides an opportunity to grow closer to God.
    How can we be so confident in this? Because Jesus suffered before us.
    In Christianity, the Son is seen as our suffering Redeemer who experiences and overcomes our pain. This God, revealed in Christ, enters into our suffering to redeem it.
    When trials come, don’t despair. The Son has gone before you. Your suffering is not pointless. In Christ, even pain has a purpose. He is the anchor of our hope, transforming crosses into crowns and grief into glory.

    3. The Spirit Pours Out God’s Love and Guides Us in Truth (Romans 5:5; John 16:13)

    “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” —
    “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” —
    We have a living hope in Christ, and this hope does not lead us to shame. Paul emphasizes that hope may not always fulfill or satisfy our needs, but it draws us closer to God, preventing judgment and the shame of spiritual defeat from overtaking us. The foundation of this hope lies in the fact that God’s love has been poured out into our hearts. This love is not just an intellectual understanding; it is a deep and personal experience. How do we experience it? Through the Holy Spirit.
    In Romans 5:5, Paul states that the Spirit “pours” God’s love into our hearts. The word “pours” suggests abundance—overflowing, uncontainable love. This is not just a trickle; it is a flood.  This is God's love, not our love for God. The Holy Spirit is how God’s love encompasses our lives, and we come to understand the depths of this love through the work of the Holy Spirit.
    There are two key points to consider regarding how the Spirit pours God’s love into us and its effects. First, Paul elaborates on sanctification and the work of the Spirit in Romans 8. We witness the transformative power of the Spirit within us. The indwelling of the Spirit changes us so that we no longer walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. The second point about God’s love is that it forms the foundation for the gifts and fruits of the Spirit. Love originates in God and is cultivated in the believer through obedience.
    How can God’s love lead to obedience in us? In John 16, Jesus explains that the Spirit will guide the disciples into all truth, not by speaking on His own but by glorifying the Son. This is crucial to understanding the role of the Spirit: He does not draw attention to Himself. Instead, He is the living presence of God within us, always directing us to Jesus and helping us grasp His teachings. In 1 Corinthians 2:12, Paul writes, “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given to us by God.” Here, Paul contrasts God’s wisdom with the world’s wisdom. The Holy Spirit will lead us to the truth of God that flows from His love. Through the Holy Spirit, we can truly understand what love looks like. Jesus tells His disciples that if they love Him, they will keep His commandments.
    Don’t overlook the Spirit. He is not an abstract force; He is the personal presence of God with you, teaching, comforting, convicting, and empowering. He makes the love of God real, and He will always lead you closer to Christ, not away from Him.
    On this Trinity Sunday, let us stand in awe of this wondrous mystery—not to explain it away, but to embrace it in faith.
    The Father gives peace and purpose.
    The Son secures our hope through suffering.
    The Spirit pours out love and leads us into truth.
    This is the Triune God—not a puzzle to solve, but a Person to know.
    Let the doctrine of the Trinity stir your devotion. Let it steady your faith in suffering. Let it shape your hope as you walk through life.

      • Romans 5:1–5ESV

      • John 16:12–15ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 5:18ESV

      • 1 Peter 4:12–13ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 2:12ESV

  • Faith Of Our Fathers (St Catherine)
Bailey Methodist Church
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