In recent messages I have spoken about being adopted by God and seeing God as Father. Many of us would struggle with that because we know that one day we are going to stand before God and give an account of our lives!
Romans 14: 10-12: You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11 It is written: " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'Every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' "12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
We have an ornate, in-built fear of the God in an unhealthy sense. It would seem that we love Jesus (most of our songs are about Him) and treat Him as our friend and brother (John 15:13-15 Jesus said He lays down His life for His friends). Basically we’re comfortable with Jesus – He’s our buddy.
But Jesus came to die to give access to the Father. He spoke of Himself as the Way and that no one would gain access to the Father but by Him! (Jn 14:6)
Video: good-o-meter (available from sermonspice.com)
You see our experience and practice has been a little skew – we have treated Jesus as the access to point to Heaven – which He is – but He is the access point to the Father!
When Jesus came and died on the cross He did several things:
- He paid the price demanded by God for sin –
Colossians 1:19-23a: 19 For God was pleased to have all his fulness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation- 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.
- He restored the broken pathway to God (He is the Way remember).
- He restored as the last Adam that which the first Adam squandered –
Romans 15: 15- 17: But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
This means that we have free access to the Father! But we don’t want to approach Him because of our misconceptions of Who Father is! The most common title Jesus attributed to God was, “Father.” It would seem that there is this incredible intimacy and trust between Father and Jesus.
However, because of our own impressions of Fatherhood we don’t like to think of God as Father – we struggle with it is a concept let alone the reality of who His is!
Our impressions of God are that He is the ‘scary one’ of the trinity.
Who is My Judge?
“God! He will judge me on the last day, the culmination of all things, and then I will be hiding safely behind Jesus because my name is written in the Lamb Book Of Life!”
All that is true to an extent. Jesus had quite a bit to say on the matter.
Who is my Judge? Well you might be surprised by the answer:
John 5: 22-23 & 27: Moreover, the Father judges no-one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him… 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
At the last day it is Jesus who stands as our Judge! Judgment is the work for the Triune God – Father Son and Spirit, but the Bible is clear that Jesus will be the one who does the judging! He meets out the justice!
Paul when he wrote to the church in Corinth outlines this:
2 Corinthians 5:10
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
John in his recording of the vision in Revelations says:
Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge….
One of the tenants of the Gospel is that Jesus is the Coming King! We love Jesus as Saviour. We love Him as our friend. But we’re a bit uncomfortable to have Him as our Lord. But He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
To be a complete redeemer Jesus not only has to pay for the penalty of sin, He also stands in judgement over those who reject salvation through Him.
On the last day we do not stand before God, but Jesus. Now before we go getting all confused and fearful of Jesus, let is think about His Kingship a little:
- We pray in the name of Jesus (Col. 3:17)
- All authority has been given to Jesus
Philippians 2: 9-11: Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
- The enemy quakes at Jesus’ name (James 2:19)
- Jesus spoke of Himself as the King who judges (Matt. 25:31-46, Parable of Sheep and Goats).
If He is our Saviour then He is our King too! This good news for Jesus is our friend who is closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24).
We intrinsically know that Jesus would not cause us harm. We know He loves us. But everything Jesus did and demonstrated was to show us what Father God is like and to point us to Him.
One more verse before we move on: Romans 2:16:
“This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.”
God has deliberately designated Jesus as the Judge. But Why? So that we can approach Him as Father!
God as Father – What’s He like?
- Jesus said that if we have seen Him we have seen the Father: John 14:9
- Paul tells Us that Jesus is the exact image of the Father: Colossians 1: 15
- Jesus said that He was one with the Father: John 10:30
- Jesus said He only did what He saw Father doing: John 5:19
If we ask what words were used to describe Jesus we would come up with things like:
Gentle, meek, mild, loving, compassionate, servant, healer, saviour etc. – But He was those things because He was mirroring what God is like to everyone else!
When we want to answer the question, “What is Father God like?” we have to look to Jesus for the clues.
Intimacy with the Father:
Many of us will have bad experiences of earthly Dads.
- They might be abandonment issues through divorce or dad always being at work.
- We may have difficulty believing that Father wants to be intimate with us because our earthly dad was distant and aloof, the stiff upper lip!
- We might have had abusive Fathers.
- We might have had the perfect Father – but that can be a stumbling block too, for if we anthropomorphise God based on our earthly perfect Dad we end up with a weak facsimile. Suppose you viewed your dad a perfect because he constantly spoilt you – well that’s not perfect! In fact that spoils you as much as an absent dad does in the natural!
Take any impression, any lesson you have of fatherhood and throw it out – it is fallen, imperfect and does not represent Father God. What was meant to be a picture of God’s love has become warped!
Romans 8:14-17:
14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, " Abba , Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Intimacy comes from embracing the facts that:
We’re adopted (Rom. 8:15)
I was discussing with someone ever so briefly this week about my past and how I have had four surnames, two middle names and one Christian name. They commented, “You chose who you are!” But adopted children realise our heavenly Father chooses who we are!
We’re in Relationship (Rom. 8:15b).
We cry out Abba Father! Jesus called God Abba in Gethsemane (Mark 14:36); Paul used it later in Galatians 4:6:
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba , Father." Many commentators believe it was used in the Lord’s prayer, “Our Abba in Heaven…”
The point is the phrase is Aramaic for Daddy and has not real equivalent in English. It is always used to in terms of intimate relationship.
As adopted children we called Father God, Abba, or Daddy God.
Our Testimony is that We’re God’s Children! (Rom 8:16)
Everyone is created in the image of God and has an intrinsic worth. But it is only when we are born again that we can testify we’re Daddy God’s children!
We’re Co-heirs with Jesus! (Rom 8:17)
Because we’re co-heirs we have not reason to fear the final judgment because the judgment will be, “Come on in brother, child of God, co-heir with Jesus!”
So What’s The problem?
Why aren’t we enthused by the idea that God is our Abba?
The Bible says we should not be ignorant of the devil’s schemes (2 Cor. 2:11). This does not mean we focus wholly on him, but be aware of his tactics.
One of the biggest attacks he has made on society and the church is to eradicate a healthy view of fatherhood. There is a logic to this!
Why has the enemy attacked fatherhood today?
- Because of the Fatherhood of God – if we see God as the Judge we will never want to relate to Him as Father.
- If we cannot relate to Him as Father we cannot fully enjoy forgiveness because we will feel we are forever condemned.
- If we feel condemned we will never feel accepted.
- If we never feel accepted we will never believe that we are truly forgiven.
- If we never feel truly forgiven we will never fully access the throne room with confidence.
- And if we never enter the throne room with confidence we will never tell other sinner about salvation because in our hearts we don’t truly believe that salvation through Jesus works!
- That is why the enemy has clouded our view of Father!
Wrapping This Up:
I believe the Lord wants to heal, at least begin to heal, wounds received intentionally or un-intentionally from dads. This is a key for intimacy with God and for a wider revival.
Think of this: On judgement day, as Jesus is reading from the Lamb’s Book of Life, as He is separating the sheep and the goats, as He is pronouncing the judgement, what will Abba Father be doing? After all He has vested judgement in Jesus.
He will be standing just to one side, arms wide open, smile on His face, bursting to run and to scoop you up into His arms just like a daddy who has not seen you for ages. He’ll spin you around and kiss you all over!
If that thought is too intimate for you, then there is an issue of healing and lack of intimacy in our relationship with Father!
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