Foundation Stones: The Oneness
Name of Assembly: United Apostolic Church
Type of service: Bible Study
Date: November 30, 2021
Series: FOUNDATION STONES
Lesson 2: The Oneness of God
Scripture Text: Joshua 4:1-8
“And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, 2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: 5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: 6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? 7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. 8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there” – Joshua 4:1-8.
“19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. 21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? 22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: 24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever” - Joshua 4:19-24.
INTRODUCTION
Because the Arctic region of North America between Alaska and Greenland is dominated by vast, level plains of tundra there are few natural landmarks. For this reason, over many years the native peoples in these areas have used stone landmarks for navigation, as a point of reference, or as a marker for food caches. They are called Inukshuk, and many are built in the shape of a man to indicate that "someone has passed this way before."
In the book of Joshua, a similar monument was erected when the children of Israel crossed over the Jordan River into their Promised Land, because God wanted them to remember the heritage their forefathers had given them, and know that "someone has passed this way before."
Joshua 4:21-22 When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.
In the New Testament Church, we also have been given a great heritage, passed on to us by faithful men and women who left us a firm foundation. We can never forget where we have come from, or we will never be able to get where God wants us to go! Twenty-first century Christians need to know without doubt that the things we believe are not just man’s idea, but are absolute foundational TRUTH from God’s Word.
Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.
THE SECOND FOUNDATION STONE – THE ONENESS OF GOD
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” - Deuteronomy 6:4.
This verse is called the SHEMA by the Jews, the most important part of their daily prayers. They are commanded to recite it twice daily (morning and night) and to teach it to their children, it is printed on small scrolls and placed inside a mezuzah on the doorposts of their houses, and it is even traditional for the Jews to say the Shema as their last words.
SHEMA YISRAEL ADONAI ELOHEINU ADONAI EHAD
ADONAI – read in place of YHWH and translated “Lord”
EHAD – Hebrew for the number ONE, also means “alone” or “unique”
This revelation of One God is the most powerful revelation in Scripture, because if there is only one God then He deserves my total allegiance. Jesus called this the greatest commandment when He quoted the law. “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” - Mark 12:29-30.
If this is true, then why do we hear so much about the TRINITY today among so many Christian groups? And why is the distinction between “trinity” and “oneness” an important one? To understand that, you would have to go all the way back to the early part of the Old Testament, because the struggle over this revelation of One God is an ancient one!
The empire of Babylon was founded by Nimrod, according to Genesis 10. His name became synonymous with rebellion against God. Nimrod had a wife named Semiramis. According to ancient legend, Nimrod was violently killed but then reincarnated in the son of Semiramis. Thereafter known as Tammuz, Nimrod was also worshipped in Babylon as "El-Bar," or "God the Son." This Babylonian myth became the source of many of the occult mystery religions of the ancient world.
Did you ever wonder how such rank idol worship ever became part of the Roman Catholic Church, especially when God's Word is so vehement in its condemnation of images? When the Roman Emperor Constantine supposedly converted to Christianity in AD 313, all he really did was merge every heathen religion in his empire under the name Christianity. The people still worshipped their pagan gods, but now called themselves "Christians." The ancient Babylonian pagan mother and her “resurrected son” were now renamed as "Mary, Queen of Heaven, and Jesus, God the Son." In most cases, they didn't even bother to change the statues they were worshipping!
Babylon was the originator of the Trinity! It began with Nimrod, Tammuz and Semiramis – the Father (King), the Son and the Mother (Queen). As a result, basically all ancient heathen religions developed their own "triad" or "trinity." Later, the Babylonian symbol of the "dove" for the Mother Goddess was changed to represent the Holy Spirit by the framers of the Nicean Creed in AD 325. But the damage was already done! As current Catholic practice will reveal, Mary is in reality the third person of their trinity! They pray to her, they believe she intercedes for them before Jesus, and they even call her “The Queen of Heaven.” But the only timethe Bible ever refers to the “Queen of Heaven” is in Jeremiah when the prophet denounces backslidden Israel for praying to the pagan goddess Ashtoreth (the Canaanite version of Semiramis)! Almost every ancient pagan religion called the female third of their trinity “Queen of Heaven.”
The worship of a tritheistic God or “Trinity,” instead of the One True God, originated in ancient Babylon! This idea entered Israel when they backslid! And this idea entered the Christian Church when they backslid in the time of Constantine! They were so tired of persecution that they were willing to compromise the Truth and let the Emperor declare all religions equal. They welcomed the relief that his "Edict of Toleration" brought, and Constantine retained the long-used pagan title “Pontifex Maximus” (Latin for “greatest bridge maker”) as he became the de facto ruler of the newly paganized Christian church! Do you know who holds that title today? The Pope. That is a pagan title, not a Christian one!
The real problem isn’t with history, however – it’s with the BIBLE. Neither the Old or the New Testament uses the word "trinity" or associates the words "three" or "persons" in any significant way with God. No passage says God is a holy two, holy three, or holy trinity, but over 50 verses call God the "HOLY ONE."
Isaiah 47:4 As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.
David prophetically spoke of JESUS using the term "Holy One," and his prophecy was quoted and confirmed by both Peter (Acts 2:37) and Paul (Acts 13:35).
Psalm 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
During Jesus' earthly ministry, even the demons recognized that He was the one true God manifest in flesh!
Mark 1:23-24, “And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.”
Paul lets us know that the Jesus we serve today is the same God who created everything that exists in the beginning!
Colossians 1:14-19, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.”
Colossians 2:9, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
When the Bible calls our Savior “Emmanuel” (“God with us” – Matthew 1:23), it means EXACTLY what it says. This is the beauty of the oneness message – God didn’t send someone else to save us, He came Himself! Nowhere does the Bible say “God the Son” – it always says “Son of God.” That’s because the word “Son” refers to a MANIFESTATION of the One True God – the BODY that God took on when He came to save us! God never had a body (He was never the “Son”) before Bethlehem.
We DON’T say, “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and this One is Three.” We say, “God who is the Father in creation, who is the Son in redemption, and who is the Holy Spirit in salvation, and these three are ONE!” That is an incredibly important distinction.
Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
CONCLUSION
ILLUSTRATION: (JOHNNY JAMES CLIP - BAPTISM)
1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
THE REAL DANGER HERE IS THAT IF WE HAVE A FALSE BAPTISM WE END UP WITH A FALSE SALVATION!
Baptism is not an option; there is no such thing in the Bible as a Christian who was not baptized! And the Bible says there is only “one baptism” …
Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
EVERY BAPTISM IN THE BIBLE IS IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST!
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
The “Lord’s Prayer” is not found in Matthew 6 (“Our Father, which are in heaven …”) – that is the disciple’s prayer! The Lord’s prayer – the final prayer Jesus prayed before He went to the cross – is found in John 17.
John 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. This is Jesus’ final prayer request – and it is the only prayer that the church can answer! Jesus prayed that YOU would do this – that you would be ONE with your brothers and sisters!
At the tower of Babel, their unity made nothing impossible to humanity. How much more is this true when God’s favour rests on His own people?
Genesis 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
Jesus prayed His prayer for UNITY in the presence of His bickering disciples. How must they have felt? How should WE feel if we are not honoring His request? Our UNITY is part of Oneness too!