Father | Episode 36 | HIKE Through the Bible

Devotional

Day 1: The Mist Over the Valley and the Mystery of God

The Trinity is not a puzzle to solve but a reality to embrace. Like a mist that shrouds a valley, God’s nature remains beyond full comprehension, yet what lies outside truth—like denying Christ’s divinity—is clear. Our response is not explanation but worship, marveling at the God who is one yet three. The mist invites humility, reminding us that finite minds cannot contain the infinite. [08:12]

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
(Romans 11:33–36, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you tried to “solve” God rather than worship him? How might embracing mystery deepen your awe?

Day 2: Drenched in the Father, Son, and Spirit

To be baptized into the Trinity is to be plunged into the life of God. Like cloth soaked through, the believer’s identity is permeated by the Father’s authority, the Son’s sacrifice, and the Spirit’s presence. This isn’t abstract theology—it’s the daily reality of those who know God as he truly is. You cannot know the Father without the Son or the Son without the Spirit. [03:52]

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
(Matthew 28:19, ESV)

Reflection: Which person of the Trinity feels most distant in your current season? What practical step could help you lean into their nearness?

Day 3: “Not My Will” in the Shadow of Gethsemane

Jesus’ prayer in the garden reveals the heart of knowing God as Father: costly surrender. Submission to divine authority isn’t passive resignation but active trust, even when the cup seems bitter. Like Christ, believers are called to align their desires with the Father’s purposes, finding freedom in yielding to perfect love. [12:02]

“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
(Matthew 26:39, ESV)

Reflection: What “cup” are you resisting? How might Christ’s example in Gethsemane reframe your struggle?

Day 4: Loved Like the Only Son

The Father’s love for Jesus isn’t a distant affection but an eternal, all-consuming bond. Through Christ, this same love envelops believers—not as secondhand grace but as an inheritance. The Spirit whispers this truth: you are loved with the intensity reserved for the only Son. Such love demands nothing less than everything. [13:00]

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
(John 15:9, ESV)

Reflection: Do you functionally believe God loves you like he loves Jesus? What evidence in your life confirms or contradicts this?

Day 5: The Guide Who Never Leaves

The Spirit’s presence turns theology into lived experience. Unlike Jesus’ physical limitations during his earthly ministry, the Spirit indwells every believer simultaneously—guiding, comforting, and convicting. This isn’t mystical abstraction but the concrete reality of God making his home in you. The same power that raised Christ now walks with you through grocery stores, traffic jams, and hospital rooms. [42:52]

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
(John 14:16–18, ESV)

Reflection: When do you most forget the Spirit’s constant presence? How might today look different if you lived aware of his nearness?

Sermon Summary

God reveals himself as one God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity cannot be squeezed into an analogy from the natural world, because every analogy helps at one point and then obscures another. The truth is like a town shrouded in mist from a Scottish mountain: the mystery itself cannot be fully seen, but the boundaries of truth can be clearly identified. Scripture rules out the claim that Christ is less than God, the claim that the three persons are merely three roles, and the claim that there are three gods.

God calls believers not to turn away from this mystery or to master it by explanation, but to let it lead them into worship. The Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct persons, yet each is fully God, sharing one divine life, will, holiness, and love. Christ alone makes the Father known, because no one knows the Father except the Son. Christ therefore brings sinners to the Father, not as strangers approaching a distant power, but as those drawn into the relationship he enjoys with the Father.

Jesus shows what knowing the Father looks like. The Son lives under the Father’s authority, and Gethsemane gives the clearest picture: “Not as I will, but as you will.” The Father’s authority may be costly, but it is never detached from the Father’s love. The Father loves his people with the love he has for his own Son, and those who share that love will also share Christ’s glory.

The Father’s kindness must not be separated from the Son’s kindness. The Father gave the Son, and the Son gave himself, so no one can place a greater love on one side of the Trinity than the other. The Holy Spirit brings this life of God near, dwelling in believers, giving new life, driving out fear, guiding in both the simple and complex matters of life, and making communion with God a present reality. God’s discipline also belongs to his fatherly love, though suffering should not automatically be treated as discipline. God’s discipline is specific, purposeful, and for the good of his children. The glory, wisdom, and love of God finally bring the mind where Paul’s words lead: “To him be glory forever. Amen.”

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Key Takeaways

1. Mystery should lead to worship [09:59] The Trinity cannot be reduced to something manageable without losing what Scripture reveals. God has not called believers to solve his being, but to receive his self-disclosure with humility. The mystery of God is not a defect in faith but an invitation to marvel at glory greater than the human mind can contain. [09:59]
2. The Father is never less kind [18:17] The Father did not reluctantly send a willing Son. The Father and the Son are one in will, purpose, holiness, and love. The cross reveals the love of the Father giving his Son and the love of the Son giving himself. [18:17]
3. Submission trusts the Father’s good will [12:20] Jesus submitted to the Father in Gethsemane when obedience was most costly. Submission does not mean that every hard thing is easy or fully understood. Submission means that the Father’s will is trusted above personal preference because his wisdom and love are perfect. [12:20]
4. Do not confuse suffering with discipline [30:15] Fatherly discipline has a real connection to a particular area where a child has gone wrong. Random suffering should not drive Christians into anxious attempts to “hunt the sin.” God’s discipline is loving correction that brings his children back to a good path. [30:15]
5. The Spirit makes God present [41:14] The Holy Spirit applies everything Christ has accomplished to the lives of believers. He awakens sinners, gives new life, dwells within them, and inclines their hearts toward holiness. God is not merely believed from afar, but known as present, with his people in every place.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:15] - One God in Three Persons
[02:08] - Searching the Unsearchable
[03:33] - Drenched in Father, Son, and Spirit
[04:25] - Three Truths About the Trinity
[07:02] - Why Trinity Analogies Fall Short
[08:12] - Mystery Without Contradiction
[09:22] - Responding to God’s Mystery
[10:18] - Christ Brings Sinners to the Father
[11:34] - Knowing the Father Through Jesus
[16:01] - The Kindness and Guidance of God
[22:13] - The Trinity Leads to Worship
[25:00] - The Life of God Within Believers
[29:07] - Discipline, Suffering, and Fatherly Love
[32:03] - God Makes Himself Known to the Simple
[39:35] - The Holy Spirit’s Essential Work

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 11:27 — “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” [11:07]

Matthew 26:39 — “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’” [12:05]

John 14:6 — “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” [10:28]

Observation questions

According to Matthew 11:27, who knows the Father fully, and to whom can the Father be revealed? [11:04]
What does Jesus ask the Father in Gethsemane, and what does he finally choose in Matthew 26:39? [11:59]
In John 14:6, what three descriptions does Jesus give of himself, and what does he say about coming to the Father?
What three statements summarize what Scripture reveals about the Trinity: how many Gods there are, how God exists, and who is fully God? [04:32]

Interpretation questions

If no one knows the Father except the Son, why is it essential that a person comes to God through Jesus rather than trying to approach God on his or her own? [11:25]
Jesus asks for the cup to pass from him, yet submits to the Father’s will. What does this show about biblical submission when obedience is painful and a person does not want the path before him or her? [12:14]
Why is it important to hold together these truths: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons, and yet there is only one God? How do these truths protect believers from thinking of Jesus as less than God or of the Trinity as three gods? [08:26]
The Father gave the Son, and the Son gave himself. How does this correct the idea that the Father is harsh while Jesus is loving? [18:17]

Application questions

Is there an area of life where you are saying, “Not as I will, but as you will”? What makes trusting the Father difficult in that situation, and what would faithful obedience look like this week? [43:27]
When you think of God the Father, do you tend to picture kindness, distance, anger, guidance, or something else? How might the Father’s giving of his Son reshape that picture? [19:33]
Are you tempted to turn away from the mystery of the Trinity because it feels difficult, or to force it into a simple explanation? What could it look like for the greatness of God to lead you into worship instead? [09:27]
Where are you currently looking for satisfaction—comfort, achievement, money, approval, control, or something else? How does the reality of God dwelling with his people address that longing? [28:20]
When hardship comes, do you tend to assume that God is punishing or disciplining you? How can you distinguish ordinary suffering from the loving, specific correction of a Father who brings his children back to a good path? [30:47]
What simple or complex decision do you need to bring before God rather than handling by yourself? How can you actively seek his guidance through Scripture, prayer, and wise Christian counsel? [27:02]
Where do fear and anxiety most often take hold in your life? How does the Holy Spirit’s presence with you change the way you can face that situation? [26:40]

Sermon Clips

The nature of God is a mystery. But it is not a contradiction. If Christians believed both that there is one God and there are three gods, that would be a contradiction. Or if we believed that there are three persons and there is one person that would be a contradiction. But to say that there is one God who exists in three persons is not a contradiction. It is a mystery. [00:08:54]

The three persons of the Godhead are not to be confused. The Father did not die on the cross. The Son did not send himself into the world. The Spirit did not rise from the dead. There is one God and he exists in three persons. [00:05:45]

You cannot know the Father apart from the Son or the Son apart from the Spirit. So while we may not be able to fully comprehend the nature of God, we must grasp what is revealed about the father, son, and holy spirit if we are to know God as he is. [00:04:11]

The Christian life is all about being drenched in the Father, plunged into the Son, and soaked in the Spirit. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit permeate every part of a believer's life. [00:03:57]

God will never let you get there. Third, let it lead you to worship. You will spend all eternity marveling at the glory of God. So let your worship begin in response to the wonder of what he has already revealed. [00:09:55]

How should you respond to this mystery? First, don't turn away from it. If you turn away from what you do not understand about God, you will miss the unfathomable splendor of his glory. [00:09:27]

Knowing God as father involves being subject to his authority even when that is costly. There will be times when like Jesus we say not my will but yours be done. If you want to know the father's love, you must submit to his authority. [00:12:14]

The truth of the trinity is shrouded in mist. We cannot explain how one god can exist in three persons. But we can clearly identify what lies beyond the bounds of truth. [00:08:17]

Don't expect to understand the nature of God. Fish can only have a very limited understanding of human nature. And in the same way, it is beyond our capacity to figure out the nature of God. If we are to know God, we must experience him as father, son, and spirit. [00:03:11]

The father is God, the son is God, and the spirit is God. But there are not three gods. There is one eternal God, and he is father, son, and holy spirit. [00:06:58]

God is love. That's first John chapter 4 and verse 8. And when nothing else existed, love flowed between the father, the son, and the holy spirit. You'll see that in John chapter 17 and verse 24. [00:01:58]

So how can we come to a God who is so great that we cannot fathom his nature? Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. That's John 14 and verse 6. [00:10:15]

At the end of Matthew's gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that they are to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. [00:03:33]

Second, don't try to explain it. You will never get to a place where you say, "It all makes perfect sense to me now. I don't know why I didn't see it before." [00:09:43]

I'm not so ambitious, and it is with a sense of awe that I write about the most distinctive, but also the most difficult doctrine in the whole of the Christian faith. There is one God, and he is father, son, and holy spirit. [00:02:54]

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