Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Benefits: Relationship
Benefits of Knowing God’s Love: Relationship with God
Psalm 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;
Ephesians 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Relationship with the Father
Last month we began to examine some benefits of knowing the love of God. From Ephesians 3:19 we learned that the “fullness of God” in the Body is received through knowing Jesus’ love. We observed that in His relationships with God and creation Jesus is the pattern for what fullness looks like (Col 1:19;2:9). Every benefit we receive from knowing the love of God eventually leads to this: being conformed to the image of the Son. This transformation is our ultimate destiny:
Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
This month’s topic is relationship with the Father.
The core of Jesus’ identity as a man is clearly His relationship with His Father. In the Gospel of John, Messiah spoke of God as “Father” over 120 times. In the Synoptics, Jesus spoke of God as “Father” over 90 times. Think briefly about this. There are many times wherein He used the word “father” to discuss earthly fathers. But mostly, when Jesus used the term “father” it was in relation to His Father. Jesus was constantly talking about His Father! It’s not stretching Jesus’ priorities to say this was the central relationship of His life. Jesus had (and has) perfect communion with the Father. If we are seeking to model our lives after the Messiah, to grow in “Christ-likeness” the first step, by necessity, is this issue of relating to the Father
When we examine Jesus’ self-disclosure we find that His entire life and ministry was relational. Looking at Jesus’ words, we find that He professed to know the Father, to see the Father, to hear the Father, to know what the Father was doing. He maintained that the Father was revealing Himself to Jesus, and claimed to be able to reveal the Father to others.
“For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing.” John 5:20a
“…He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world." John 8:26b
28 So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. 29 "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." 30 As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. John 8:28-30
"I speak the things which I have seen with My Father …” John 8:38a
The secret of this relationship was not primarily the maintaining of His own holiness, practices of piety or love of humanity. Here is the secret of His relationship to God: He knew Abba loved Him and He knew Abba’s love. This love Jesus experienced has become the foundation of our mandate to abide in His love: “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:9) We really are to know Jesus’ love in the same way the Son of God knew His Father.
I believe that Jesus maintained His “first-eternal consciousness” of Father. The pre-incarnate Son had this awareness, “Father lovingly, devotedly, absolutely loves Me,” from eternity past. Jesus never lost this awareness and in maintaining it, Jesus lived with an incredible spontaneity in His relationship with Abba.
Look at this: John 8:31-36 31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." 33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, 'You will become free '?" 34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
Was Jesus offering a freedom He did not have? No -- He knew that He was loved. He did not live in some sort of spiritual straightjacket. It came from the freedom of a deep bond with God. This bond was developed through His response to the revelation of His Father’s initiating action. The Father showed His Son everything He was doing. The Son responded in cooperative partnership. This blossomed into the type of relationship in which the Son could choose to reveal the Father.
The Messiah knew God-as-Father so well that He could anticipate what God would do. He knew what would please Abba. He was able to recognize the Father’s activity in the lives of others. The man Jesus really knew His Father!
Look at Jesus’ indictment of His antagonists: “…You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.” John 5:37b
First of all, in this charge it is indicated that people are responsible to know God. The first commandment, “You shall love the LORD your God…” implies relationship. The God of the Bible is constantly seeking humanity. He is knowable and desires to make Himself known.
In this statement is the implication that the Messiah knew Father’s voice and saw His appearance. (The Greek word is ‘eidos’ which refers to what is visible to the eye form, (external) appearance) Let me ask you a question: Do you know the people you live with? Does your time with them give you insight into their personalities? Are you aware of issues that are important to them, things they enjoy, what they strongly dislike? If this is true in most human relationships, will our experience of abiding in Jesus and His love produce less?
Just as Jesus knew the Father, so we are called to know Him. Jesus knew the Father’s character and personality. He knew Father’s plans and desires. He saw the Father’s activity and knew His power. The Messiah walked in an ongoing relationship with God.
One of the results of knowing God as Jesus did is the capacity to reveal the Father to others. When God wanted to reveal Himself to humanity He chose to do so through someone who knew Him, the Son. This revelation of God was put into Jesus’ hands. The Son could ‘will’ to reveal the Father.
Matthew 11:27 "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
The Son, who knew the Father, who could choose to reveal the Father, was the revelation of the Father
Hebrews 1:1-2a God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son,
The Living God has redeemed us so we may have a loving relationship with Himself. Through abiding in this relationship we are filled with the fulness of God. The primary benefit we receive from knowing Jesus’ love is entering into a relationship with God that resembles the interaction of the Trinity. They communicate and know One another. This relationship is open to us. We enter in as we are filled with the knowledge of His love.
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Psalm 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;
Ephesians 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Relationship with the Father
Last month we began to examine some benefits of knowing the love of God. From Ephesians 3:19 we learned that the “fullness of God” in the Body is received through knowing Jesus’ love. We observed that in His relationships with God and creation Jesus is the pattern for what fullness looks like (Col 1:19;2:9). Every benefit we receive from knowing the love of God eventually leads to this: being conformed to the image of the Son. This transformation is our ultimate destiny:
Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
This month’s topic is relationship with the Father.
The core of Jesus’ identity as a man is clearly His relationship with His Father. In the Gospel of John, Messiah spoke of God as “Father” over 120 times. In the Synoptics, Jesus spoke of God as “Father” over 90 times. Think briefly about this. There are many times wherein He used the word “father” to discuss earthly fathers. But mostly, when Jesus used the term “father” it was in relation to His Father. Jesus was constantly talking about His Father! It’s not stretching Jesus’ priorities to say this was the central relationship of His life. Jesus had (and has) perfect communion with the Father. If we are seeking to model our lives after the Messiah, to grow in “Christ-likeness” the first step, by necessity, is this issue of relating to the Father
When we examine Jesus’ self-disclosure we find that His entire life and ministry was relational. Looking at Jesus’ words, we find that He professed to know the Father, to see the Father, to hear the Father, to know what the Father was doing. He maintained that the Father was revealing Himself to Jesus, and claimed to be able to reveal the Father to others.
“For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing.” John 5:20a
“…He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world." John 8:26b
28 So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. 29 "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." 30 As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. John 8:28-30
"I speak the things which I have seen with My Father …” John 8:38a
The secret of this relationship was not primarily the maintaining of His own holiness, practices of piety or love of humanity. Here is the secret of His relationship to God: He knew Abba loved Him and He knew Abba’s love. This love Jesus experienced has become the foundation of our mandate to abide in His love: “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:9) We really are to know Jesus’ love in the same way the Son of God knew His Father.
I believe that Jesus maintained His “first-eternal consciousness” of Father. The pre-incarnate Son had this awareness, “Father lovingly, devotedly, absolutely loves Me,” from eternity past. Jesus never lost this awareness and in maintaining it, Jesus lived with an incredible spontaneity in His relationship with Abba.
Look at this: John 8:31-36 31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." 33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, 'You will become free '?" 34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
Was Jesus offering a freedom He did not have? No -- He knew that He was loved. He did not live in some sort of spiritual straightjacket. It came from the freedom of a deep bond with God. This bond was developed through His response to the revelation of His Father’s initiating action. The Father showed His Son everything He was doing. The Son responded in cooperative partnership. This blossomed into the type of relationship in which the Son could choose to reveal the Father.
The Messiah knew God-as-Father so well that He could anticipate what God would do. He knew what would please Abba. He was able to recognize the Father’s activity in the lives of others. The man Jesus really knew His Father!
Look at Jesus’ indictment of His antagonists: “…You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.” John 5:37b
First of all, in this charge it is indicated that people are responsible to know God. The first commandment, “You shall love the LORD your God…” implies relationship. The God of the Bible is constantly seeking humanity. He is knowable and desires to make Himself known.
In this statement is the implication that the Messiah knew Father’s voice and saw His appearance. (The Greek word is ‘eidos’ which refers to what is visible to the eye form, (external) appearance) Let me ask you a question: Do you know the people you live with? Does your time with them give you insight into their personalities? Are you aware of issues that are important to them, things they enjoy, what they strongly dislike? If this is true in most human relationships, will our experience of abiding in Jesus and His love produce less?
Just as Jesus knew the Father, so we are called to know Him. Jesus knew the Father’s character and personality. He knew Father’s plans and desires. He saw the Father’s activity and knew His power. The Messiah walked in an ongoing relationship with God.
One of the results of knowing God as Jesus did is the capacity to reveal the Father to others. When God wanted to reveal Himself to humanity He chose to do so through someone who knew Him, the Son. This revelation of God was put into Jesus’ hands. The Son could ‘will’ to reveal the Father.
Matthew 11:27 "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
The Son, who knew the Father, who could choose to reveal the Father, was the revelation of the Father
Hebrews 1:1-2a God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son,
The Living God has redeemed us so we may have a loving relationship with Himself. Through abiding in this relationship we are filled with the fulness of God. The primary benefit we receive from knowing Jesus’ love is entering into a relationship with God that resembles the interaction of the Trinity. They communicate and know One another. This relationship is open to us. We enter in as we are filled with the knowledge of His love.
