Perichoresis and the Trinity

Dennis Tuuri

Outline: Hebrews 3:1-5:10 Perichoresis and the Trinity Sermon Outline for Trinity Sunday, May 22, 2005 by Pastor Dennis R. Tuuri I. 1:1-4 The Father’s Final Word - The Bright and Shining Son II. 1:5-2:18 A Better Name Than Angels - Son of God and Son of Man LINK TO III. 2:17 “that He might be  a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God” III. 3:1-5:10 A Better High-Priest: Source of Faithfulness, Rest, Compassion IV. 5:11-10:39 Christ, A Priest Like Melchizedek , High Priest of GoodThings  to Come V. 11:1-12:14 We Should Live with Faith and Endurance VI. 12:15-13:19 Strong Hands, Straight Paths - Living in Heavenly Community on Earth VII. 13:20-25 Benediction: Completeness Unto Every Good Work III. 3:1-5:10 A Better High-Priest: Source of Faithfulness, Rest, Compassion A. Jesus is faithful, and worthy of our faith 3:1-6 B. We should give Him our faith, and enter His rest via Sabbath-keeping. 3:7-4:14 B. We should seek mercy through Him. 4:15,16 A. Jesus is merciful and compassionate. 5:1-10 V. 11:1-12:14 We Should Live with Faith and Endurance A. Our ancestors were faithful and endured hardships.11:1-40 B. Like our ancestors, we should run with endurance the race. 12:1 B. Looking to Jesus, we should exercise faith. 12:2a A. Jesus endured unto joy, and we, as sons, should endure chastening. 12:2b-14 Notes: 1. Today is Trinity Sunday. 2. Reviewing 3:1-4:14, we note: A. The goal of this section is our steadfastness to our confession. B. Living is the Word, the Spirit speaks to us in the present through the Word, and the result is our word of account to God. C. We are to hear the Spirit’s voice through the voice of men, exhorting us to faith, to the end that our hearts not be hardened by the alluring lies of sin. This is a God appointed key means to the goal of steadfast to our confession. D. At the beating heart of this passage of warning and exhortation lies a wondrous promise: we can enter in the present into the eschatological and creation rest of God. E. The beginning of entering into this rest is our diligence to enter into the Sabbath celebration of convocative Lord’s Day worship. To fail to do this is to risk everything through disobedience. F. God has us in head-lock, believe it or not. 3. Looking at 4:15-5:10 , we note: A. Jesus, because of His incarnation, is compassionate and sympathetic with us, so we can be confident He will help us. B. Jesus is compared and contrasted with the Aaronic priesthood. 1. Like the Aaronic priesthood, Jesus is humble. 2. Unlike the Aaronic priesthood, Jesus’ whole faithful life was a mediation for sinners. 3. Like the Aaronic priesthood, Jesus is compassionate. 4. Unlike the Aaronic priesthood, Jesus effected eternal salvation for all that obey Him. 5. Jesus is not of the Aaronic order, but is of the order of Melchizedek. 4. Looking at the entire section, 3:1-5:10, we note: A. As Christians, we are to be faithful and compassionate. B. This is particularly true in the perichoretic community of the church. 1.) Interruptions are perichoretic opportunities to minister. Jesus is available. 2.) We are to open ourselves to one another. 3.) This is the road to wholeness, witness and victory. 4.) This is rooted in our entrance into the Trinitarian dance, our heavenly calling. Hebrews 3:1-4:14 1  Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, [Christ] Jesus,  2  who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as  Moses also was faithful in all His house. 3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house 4 For every house is built by someone, but  He who built all things is God.  5   And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as  a servant,  for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, 6  but Christ as  a Son over His own house, whose house we are  if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope  firm to the end. 7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years . 10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,And they have not known My ways.’ 11 So I swore in My wrath,‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ” 12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Ps. 95:7,8 Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt , led by Moses? Num. 14:13,19,22 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Ps. 95:10 Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? Num. 14:10,29,32 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, Ps. 95:11 but to those who did not obey? Num. 14:30,33,43 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief 4 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest , let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest , as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest, ’ ” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works” ; 5 and again in this place: “ They shall not enter My rest .” 6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience , 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a Sabbath-celebration for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. 11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account ( Logos) . 14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens , Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Hebrews 4:15-5:10 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. A `1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. B 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. C 4 And no man takes this honor to himself , but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. C’ 5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, t oday I have begotten You.” 6 As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever a ccording to the order of Melchizedek” ; B’ 7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. A 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” OR 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace , that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. A 1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, B that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins . C 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. D 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins . E 4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. A’ 5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him : “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.” 6 As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”; B’ 7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, C’ 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. D’ 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, E’ 10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek ” John 17:20-23 20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. Questions from Hebrews 3:1-5:10 for Young Hearers 1. The 3rd feast of Leviticus 23 is ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 2. On the 3 rd day of creation God created the ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ of the plants and trees. 3. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ is our “Firstfruits.” 4. In this section, Jesus is said to be ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ and ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___. 5. Today is ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Sunday. 6. The Holy Spirit speaks by means of the ___ ___ ___ ___ ___. 7. The Holy Spirit uses ___ ___ ___ to speak biblical truth to us. 8. This speech will have ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ to help or hurt us. 9. The most important time of our life is ___ ___: ___ ___ on ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___. 10. Jesus ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ for you! 11. Of which order of priest is Jesus: Aaron or Melchizedek? 12. Jesus saw interruptions as opportunities to ___ ___ ___ ___ others. 13. Jesus didn’t ___ ___ ___ ___ himself off from others. 14. Jesus wants us to be part of each other’s ___ ___ ___ ___ ___. 15. Life in the Trinity can be thought of as a ___ ___ ___ ___ ___.