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Genesis 1:2 - Water

The Holy Trinity; The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. How is it that God can exist in three different forms? This can be a very difficult subject to talk about among believers, much less trying to explain to a non-believer. Here is a way to try and break it down into something most people can understand...

What is the most important thing we need on this Earth to survive?

Humans can live for only about three days without water.

Water covers nearly 70% of Earth's surface (330 million cubic miles)

Water is the only pure substance found naturally in all three states of matter. What are those states?

A solid has a definite shape and volume. A liquid has a definite volume but it takes the shape of its container whereas a gas fills the entire volume of a container.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:2

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 2 Peter 3:5

Water is so very important to our lives and it was the first thing God provided. It was the first element that God created and it remains an essential part of our lives. It impacts every thing we do and we can’t live without it. In the same way, God should be that for our lives and we can see that reflected in how the properties of water parallel the different aspects of God in our lives as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Let’s start with the solid form (ice), what would you think that would represent?

Solid (ice) - The Son

A solid has a definite shape and volume. Have we ever seen God take a definite shape?

God did take a definite shape and the only shape we have known in the flesh is that of Jesus Christ. He came down to Earth so that we could see him and he could experience us first hand.

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:23
In John 14…

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:5-14

We celebrate this Christmas season the coming of God in the “solid” form.

A simple but unusual property of water is that ice floats on its liquid form. Do you remember that Jesus walked on water?

Ok, what about the liquid form of water?

Liquid (water) - The Holy Spirit

A liquid has a definite volume but it takes the shape of its container.

The Church body is filled with the Holy Spirit, or living water, after they accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Continuing on with John, Chapter 14 John 14:15-21
"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." John 14:15-21

In John Chapter 7…
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:38

"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. Jeremiah 2:13

We are the cisterns that are to hold the water, the living water coming from God through Jesus.

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." John 4:10

God wants us to be filled with this living water or the Holy Spirit, and the more we allow it to completely fill our bodies and thus our lives, the more we take the shape that God has intended for us. Remember, a liquid takes the shape of its container.

But just as a container can spring a leak, so can we if we start to drift away from the Lord and His will for our lives. As Christians, the Spirit does not depart from us but it can become weakened when we refuse to take the shape God wants us to.

And now last but certainly not least…

Gas (steam) - God the Father

What are some characteristics that we think about God?

The Father is all around us. We consider him high in the air, above the earth just as gas and steam rise into the air.

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Mark 16:19

Jesus rose into the air as water does when it changes to vapor. The process of boiling water is a purification process in that the resulting vapor is free from all impurities. The impurities are left here on Earth.

"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. Matthew 24:30

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Those that are dead in Christ also will rise up into the air. We will be given new heavenly bodies, free from pain, disease, and handicaps. We will no longer be slaved to sin; we will leave all of that here on Earth.

So, we see that water is an important part of our lives and it can be very symbolic of how it is possible for God to be present in three different forms. Water is very important to God as well. Remember, God created the Earth first as water (I’ll read this again):
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:1-2

There was nothing but water in the beginning.
In the Old Testament, the Jews had to purify themselves with water:

20 But if a person who is unclean does not purify himself, he must be cut off from the community, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, and he is unclean. Numbers 19:20
God even chose water to cleanse the Earth from sin, destroying everything but Noah and everyone present on the arc. He filled the Earth up with water and started over again.
By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 2 Peter 3:6

And finally, it is with water that we are baptized. Being immersed in water and raised back out symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This represents the new life we have in Jesus. Just as God immersed the Earth with water during the Great Flood to start over again, we too begin a new life when we are born again through Jesus Christ and we commemorate that with our Baptism in WATER.

We know that God made water important to us and we can’t live without it. Perhaps if we think of water in this new context we can be reminded daily about how important God should be to us as well.

Matthew 8:28 - Faith or Fear

He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

The Lord above has kept you safe,
Yes, all throughout the night;
Why, then, should you awake to fear
The things beyond your sight? —Michael

Acts 14:17 NIV - Daily Assurances

Yet he [God] has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.

God makes Himself known every day to us and provides for our every need. We take so many things for granted that are freely given to us. From the sun that warms our day to the rain that cleanses the earth, these things are blessings from above. They serve as a constant reminder that God will provide for us and that He is still there.

Proverbs 16:3 - Plan for Success

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3 NIV

We all have plans for our lives and goals we strive to achieve. The best way to reach these goals is to make sure they line up with what God wants for your life. If you are unsuccessful, then maybe you need different plans.

2 Corinthians 4:8-12 - Living for Christ

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 NIV

Living for Christ will not be an easy road to travel. It is through our bodies that Christ can be revealed to others. Not through our hardships, but through the resulting perserverance we have in Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:25 - God's Weakness

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. 1 Corinthians 1:25 NIV

No matter how advanced we may become, regardless of all the technical advances we make, we can never achieve on our own what we can through Christ Jesus.

Matthew 1:23 - The Virgin Birth

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23 NIV

Why was there a virgin birth, why was it important? It's because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for a world full of lost sinners. God had always asked for the best we had to offer when making a sacrifice, "without defect". Thus, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was not corrupted by man's seed OR woman's egg. Many people accept that Jesus did not have a biological father but fail to recognize that Mary was not his biological mother either. It was not her egg that Jesus came from, she just carried the child. Joseph and Mary were certainly a mother and father to Jesus in every sense, they just were not the biological parents so as to not defile the perfect Lamb of God.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 - I Am Strong

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV

At no time are we more exposed for what we truly are than when we are at our weakest points. It is so easy to fire back at someone when they are physically or verbally attacking you. We can easily be robbed of the joy we have in Christ when things don't go our way. As the Revolutionary War figure Thomas Paine once said, "these are the times that try men's souls." Though sometimes critical of Christianity, Paine was referring to the oppression of the British and that how we planned to deal with it was a measure of our true beliefs and strength. How we choose to deal with adversity in our lives is on display for others to see. There is no greater display of our witness than when we are going through tough times and non-believers see that NOTHING can rob you of the joy you have in Christ. It's when we are at our weakest points that Christ can do the most work.

Romans 6:9 - Conqer Death

For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. Romans 6:9 NIV

You do not need to fear death if you believe in the one who conquered death...Jesus. True death is the eternity that awaits your soul in hell if you fail to trust in Jesus as your Savior. Trusting in Jesus is trusting that Jesus was the Son of God and that He did have the power to come back from the dead and ten ascend into Heaven where he awaits you.
I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. John 8:51 NIV

Romans 10:9 - You Will Be Saved

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NIV

It's that simple. But being saved is just the beginning of being a Christian. You do not have to do all of the things that you associate with being a Christian to be saved. However, once you are saved, the Holy Spirit will come into your life and help you to become a better person. You see, you need God's help to overcome sin, you can't do it by yourself. Don't think that you have to make yourself a better person first before seeking God.

John 8:12 - The Guiding Light

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 NIV

Where would you be without a guiding light? God has provided the lighted path, it's up to you to follow it. God can reveal what he wishes for you to do through the Bible, the Church, fellow Christians, and the circumstnaces around you. If you pray and follow the path that God has shown you, how could you ever go wrong?
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalms 119:105 NIV

Ephesians 2:8-9 - Grace of God

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

What does salvation cost? How much would you pay for it? By the grace of God you are saved through faith in Jesus. You cannot earn your way into Heaven, you can never be good enough. Only one man ever was...Jesus, and he died for your salvation. No amount of work or any amount of money will accomplish for you what Jesus has already done. Think about it, do you think that you could top the feat that Jesus performed?

Romans 6:23 - Gift of God

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NIV

If you do not turn from your sin, you will certainly experience spiritual death once you leave this earth. You cannot completely rid yourself of sin for we are all sinners and will continue to be so. But, you can acknowledge your sin and strive to live a life without it, asking God to come into your life and help you. The key to this verse is that eternal life is a gift from God through Jesus. This means that if you accept Jesus as your savior and repent from sin, God will give you the gift of salvation! There is nothing else you have to do, but there will be things that you will want to do if your heart now truly belongs to the Lord.

Romans 5:8 - Demonstration of Love

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NIV

What would you be willing to do for someone you love? What about for someone who does not yet love you? We are all sinners who have turned away from God since the days of Adam and Eve. We take our God given blessings for granted and fail to thank the one who gave them to us, if we bother to believe in God at all. How would you feel towards someone who showed you as much respect? Would you be willing to die for them, or to let your child die for them?