God the Father
Series: Knowing God
Speaker: Chris Jones
Date: 9th February 2013
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 I have never used this word about myself ever before,
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 but as I prepared this message, I thought I can do this.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:10 I was raised as a theist, or more specifically,
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 I was raised as a monotheist.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 I was raised to believe in one God,
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 to pray prayers at night that were addressed as dear God,
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 sent to Sunday school where Jesus was a bit of a mystery,
00:00:25 --> 00:00:29 important but not as important as God, the man.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 And I think I had a mindset of,
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 why would you talk to this number two when you could talk to the main man?
00:00:37 --> 00:00:42 And if I was raised, or had been raised in a Muslim family,
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 I would have been taught similar things about God.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 When I was confirmed at 14, I think I had a sincerity of heart,
00:00:51 --> 00:00:56 I wanted to honour God, but Jesus still made no specific sense.
00:00:56 --> 00:01:02 So when God shone his light and broke into my heart at 18 years of age,
00:01:02 --> 00:01:05 the most dramatic change in my thinking was twofold.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:09 God showed me that I deserved to be judged by him.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 I understood for the first time that I really didn't deserve special favours.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:15 I was immediately afraid.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:20 And the second thing he did was show me that Jesus had stood in my place,
00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 that he had taken the judgment that I deserved,
00:01:23 --> 00:01:27 and I was thrilled and thankful for the mercy of the Lord Jesus,
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 and he became the new centre of my world.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:38 Knowing Jesus was the beginning of a journey to know his Father,
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:47 It's a journey which is ongoing, and it will not stop this side of heaven.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 And so as I live with Jesus Christ as my Lord,
00:01:53 --> 00:01:57 I am still learning about the sheer goodness and supremacy
00:01:57 --> 00:02:01 and love and power and provision of his most magnificent Father.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:05 Really interesting this morning to hear the job description of a dad you came up with.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 I wish I'd had that in mind when I was preparing this message,
00:02:08 --> 00:02:12 because it reflects the nature of God himself and what we know of him.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 But the big point that I'm making this morning,
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 if you walk away with nothing else, I want you walk away with this,
00:02:18 --> 00:02:22 that the only way to know the true God and Father,
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 the only way to know the true God and Father,
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 is through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:35 In John 14, Jesus is talking about returning to his Father's house in heaven.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 And Thomas says to him, Lord, we don't know the way,
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 we don't know where you're going, so how can we know the way?
00:02:42 --> 00:02:46 And Jesus replies, I am the way and the truth and the life.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:50 No one comes to the Father except through me.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 I mean, this day and age,
00:02:53 --> 00:02:57 that is one of Christianity's most offensive claims to a lot of people.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 The only way that God the Father can be known
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 is through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
00:03:02 --> 00:03:06 and any other attempt is futile and false.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 And we make this claim confidently
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 because it is straight from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 Philip says to Jesus in John 14, verse 8,
00:03:18 --> 00:03:19 Lord, show us the Father,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 and that will be enough for us.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 And Jesus replied,
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 Don't you know me, Philip?
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 Anyone who has seen me
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 has seen the Father.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:36 The Lord Jesus Christ
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 is the one who reveals God the Father.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 The only way to know the true God and Father
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 is through his Son,
00:03:45 --> 00:03:46 the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:49 Matthew chapter 11
00:03:49 --> 00:03:50 says something similar.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:51 Jesus says,
00:03:51 --> 00:03:52 I praise you, Father,
00:03:53 --> 00:03:54 Lord of heaven and earth,
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 because you have hidden these things
00:03:57 --> 00:03:58 from the wise and learned
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 and revealed them to little children.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:03 Yes, Father,
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 for this was your good pleasure.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:10 All things have been committed to me by my Father.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 No one knows the Son
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 except the Father,
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 and no one knows the Father
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 except the Son
00:04:19 --> 00:04:24 and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:29 We do not come to know God the Father
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 by the power of our own intellect.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:32 We know him
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 because of the gracious gift of his Son.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:41 The only way to know the true God and Father
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 is through his Son,
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:49 So this morning is the second of two messages
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 that focus on the God of the Bible.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:53 The second of two messages,
00:04:53 --> 00:04:54 we're doing more than two messages.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:56 Who he is,
00:04:56 --> 00:04:57 how he's revealed himself.
00:04:57 --> 00:04:58 I said last week
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 that we have to keep a fair bit of humility
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 when trying to know God
00:05:03 --> 00:05:04 and describe God
00:05:04 --> 00:05:05 and talk about God.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:06 We don't know everything.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 We only know as much about God
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 as he chooses to reveal about himself,
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 and to go any further
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 is to move into the realm of speculation and error.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 I want to put a few more pegs in the ground today
00:05:19 --> 00:05:23 which focus on God revealing himself to us as Father.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:27 We're exploring the doctrine of the Trinity.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 It's a word that the early church used to describe
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 how God reveals himself as three persons,
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:39 And we've been saying,
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 and we'll say again and again throughout this series,
00:05:42 --> 00:05:43 that the Scriptures clearly teach
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 the Father is God,
00:05:46 --> 00:05:47 the Son is God,
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 the Holy Spirit is God.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 But they also clearly teach
00:05:52 --> 00:05:53 the Son is not the Father,
00:05:54 --> 00:05:55 the Father is not the Spirit,
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 and the Spirit is not the Son.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 Describing God is in some sense
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 like trying to describe the indescribable.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:13 Sometimes you have to hold to truth
00:06:13 --> 00:06:17 that seems illogical and contradictory.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 We can only describe what we see.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 We do not see the whole picture.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 Despite all the confidence
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 that scientists sometimes speak with,
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 they're like that.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 And what they teach us about light,
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 they tell us that it,
00:06:38 --> 00:06:39 when they teach us about light,
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 they'll tell us that it displays
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 the form and behaviour of waves.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 But they'll also teach us
00:06:46 --> 00:06:47 that light displays the form
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 and behaviour of particles.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:52 Two different substances
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 doesn't easily fit logic,
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 but it is what it is.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:04 I was wonderfully surprised
00:07:04 --> 00:07:05 as I prepared this message
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 and actually quite excited.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:08 I did a search
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 of the whole of the Bible
00:07:10 --> 00:07:11 with my concordance
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 for the number of times
00:07:14 --> 00:07:14 or the places
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 where the word Father is used.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:17 And you push the button
00:07:17 --> 00:07:18 on your computer
00:07:18 --> 00:07:18 and you get more than
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 a thousand references.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:22 And when you get rid
00:07:22 --> 00:07:23 of all the human references,
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 such as Abraham was the father of Isaac
00:07:25 --> 00:07:26 and he was the father of Jacob
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 and all that sort of reference
00:07:28 --> 00:07:28 in the Bible,
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 you get a much shorter list.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:33 And you discover,
00:07:34 --> 00:07:35 or I saw for the first time,
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 that there are very few references
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 to God as Father
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 in the Old Testament.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 Very few.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:47 And most of them
00:07:47 --> 00:07:47 are associated
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 with God's relationship
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 to King David
00:07:50 --> 00:07:50 and the promises
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 that he makes to him.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 So probably the high point
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 of David's reign
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 is in 2 Samuel chapter 7
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 when God promises
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 to build a dynasty from him.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 And it says,
00:08:05 --> 00:08:06 The Lord declares to you
00:08:06 --> 00:08:07 that the Lord himself
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 will establish a house for you
00:08:09 --> 00:08:12 when your days are over
00:08:12 --> 00:08:13 and you rest with your fathers.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 I will raise up your offspring
00:08:15 --> 00:08:16 to succeed you
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 who will come from your own body.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 And I will establish his kingdom.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 And he is the one
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 who will build a house for my name.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:26 And I will establish
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 the throne of his kingdom forever.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 I will be his father
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 and he will be my son.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 And when he does wrong,
00:08:37 --> 00:08:38 I will punish him
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 with the rod of men
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 and with floggings inflicted by men.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 But my love
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 will never be taken away from him
00:08:45 --> 00:08:46 as I took it away from Saul,
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 whom I removed from before you.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:50 Your house and your kingdom
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 will endure forever before me
00:08:52 --> 00:08:53 and your throne
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 will be established forever.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 Psalm 2 carries the same idea
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 or similar ideas.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:02 He says,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 I have installed my king
00:09:04 --> 00:09:05 on Zion,
00:09:05 --> 00:09:06 my holy hill.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:08 I will proclaim
00:09:08 --> 00:09:09 the decree of the Lord.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:10 He said to me,
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 You are my son.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:12 Today,
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 I have become your father.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:16 Ask of me
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 and I will make the nations
00:09:18 --> 00:09:19 your inheritance,
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 the ends of the earth
00:09:20 --> 00:09:20 your possession.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 And it's there as well
00:09:23 --> 00:09:24 in Isaiah.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:24 It's in a reading
00:09:24 --> 00:09:25 that we read at Christmas
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 all the time.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 For unto us
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 a child is born,
00:09:28 --> 00:09:29 to us a son is given,
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 and the government
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 will be on his shoulders
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 and he will be called
00:09:33 --> 00:09:34 Wonderful Counselor,
00:09:35 --> 00:09:35 Mighty God,
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 Everlasting Father,
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 Prince of Peace.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:40 Of the increase
00:09:40 --> 00:09:41 of his government
00:09:41 --> 00:09:41 and peace
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 there will be no end
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 and he will reign
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 on David's throne
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 and over his kingdom,
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 establishing
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 and upholding it
00:09:48 --> 00:09:49 with justice
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 and righteousness
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 from that time on forever.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:53 And the zeal
00:09:53 --> 00:09:54 of the Lord Almighty
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 will accomplish this.
00:09:55 --> 00:09:59 It's not as clear
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 but amongst
00:10:00 --> 00:10:01 his other titles
00:10:01 --> 00:10:02 this son
00:10:02 --> 00:10:03 will also be known
00:10:03 --> 00:10:04 as Mighty God
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 and Everlasting Father.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 Those three passages
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 are passages
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 which are all looking
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 towards a future day,
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 a future king,
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 a future son
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 who will reign
00:10:19 --> 00:10:20 on behalf of his father.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:22 And the Old Testament
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 begins to anticipate
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 what will be revealed
00:10:25 --> 00:10:26 with the coming
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 So I want you to see
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 that in some ways
00:10:31 --> 00:10:31 our understanding
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 of God as father
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 grows
00:10:34 --> 00:10:35 as the passages
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 of the Bible unfold
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 and as God's king
00:10:38 --> 00:10:39 is revealed.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 It's not always there
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 to be seen explicitly.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:41 It becomes
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 much more explicit
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 as you move
00:10:44 --> 00:10:44 through the Bible
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 and into the New Testament.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 So when you get
00:10:48 --> 00:10:49 to Matthew chapter 3
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 that God and Father
00:10:50 --> 00:10:51 speaks at the baptism
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 of his son
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 and he says,
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 this is my son
00:10:55 --> 00:10:56 whom I love
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 and in him
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 I am well pleased.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 You discover
00:11:01 --> 00:11:01 as you read
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 the Gospels
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 that the normal way
00:11:03 --> 00:11:03 for Jesus
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 to speak about God
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 is as father.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 The Sermon on the Mount
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 in Matthew chapter 5
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 to 7
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 Jesus continually
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 reveals God
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 as father.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 Matthew chapter 5
00:11:16 --> 00:11:16 verse 44
00:11:16 --> 00:11:31 So the implication
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 is that we
00:11:33 --> 00:11:33 and from the Lord
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 Jesus Christ himself
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 we have a merciful father.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 When we love our enemies
00:11:38 --> 00:11:39 we reflect
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 the heart of God.
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 He is a God
00:11:42 --> 00:11:42 who sustains
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 the whole earth.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:44 The goodness
00:11:44 --> 00:11:45 and the bounty
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 of creation
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 is enjoyed
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 by all his creatures.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 It's the kindness
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 of our heavenly father
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 that even an atheist
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 like Richard Dawkins
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 can sunbake on the beach
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 that he can enjoy
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 the cooling of the waters
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 that he can savour
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 a Jamie Oliver meal
00:12:01 --> 00:12:01 that he can know
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 an intimate relationship
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 with his wife.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:05 God has made things
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 so that even unjust people
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 or people of evil intent
00:12:09 --> 00:12:11 can enjoy his creation.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 I could go to lots of places
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 and I really do feel
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 like I'm scratching
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 the surface
00:12:19 --> 00:12:19 and that's not just
00:12:19 --> 00:12:20 a throwaway platitude
00:12:20 --> 00:12:23 but go to Matthew chapter 6.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 Jesus makes huge revelations
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 about the fatherhood of God.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:29 He's a father
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 who knows our hearts.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 We can't pull the wool
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 over his eyes.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 We're not to be hypocrites
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 going through acts
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 of religious devotion
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 to draw attention
00:12:39 --> 00:12:39 to ourselves
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 and our own self-righteousness.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 So he says to us
00:12:43 --> 00:12:43 when you give
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 or when you pray
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 or when you fast
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 don't do those things
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 to impress people.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 Do them out of relationship
00:12:49 --> 00:12:49 with your wonderful
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 heavenly father.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 This is not religious duty.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 He's the one
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 who is able to reward us
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 and to forgive us
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 for our sins.
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 And then he moves
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 into the Lord's prayer
00:13:00 --> 00:13:03 giving further insights
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 into the nature
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 of God's fatherhood.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 This is how you should pray.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:09 Our father in heaven
00:13:09 --> 00:13:12 hallowed be your name.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 Your kingdom come.
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 Your will be done
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 on earth as it is in heaven.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 Give us today
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 our daily bread.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 Forgive us our debts
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 as we have forgiven
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 our debtors.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 And lead us
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 not into temptation
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 but deliver us
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 from the evil one.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:36 For if you forgive men
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 when they sin against you
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 your heavenly father
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 will also forgive you.
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 But if you do not
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 forgive people
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 their sins
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 your heavenly father
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 will not forgive
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 your sins.
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 So Jesus does
00:13:52 --> 00:13:52 a bucket load
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 of things in that prayer.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 He teaches us
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 to address God
00:13:55 --> 00:13:55 as father.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 And that's a new way
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 of relating to God
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 that has never been seen
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 before in the scriptures.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 Jesus himself
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 addresses God
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 with a particular
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 reverence and intimacy
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 as a son.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 In Mark's gospel
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 in the garden of Gethsemane
00:14:13 --> 00:14:13 he says
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 Abba Father
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 everything is possible
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 for you.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 Take this cup
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 from me.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 Yet not what I will
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 but what you will.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 In calling God
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 Father
00:14:28 --> 00:14:28 he uses a word
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 that only a true son
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 would be permitted to use.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 Steve's example
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 with his kids
00:14:32 --> 00:14:32 this morning.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 all the loving
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35 respect
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 and reverence
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 of dad
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 but with no
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 irreverence
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 or inappropriate
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 familiarity
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 like old man
00:14:43 --> 00:14:43 or Steve
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 or whatever it is.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 Our father
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 in heaven
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 his dwelling
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 place is heaven
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 he lives
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 in a realm
00:14:56 --> 00:14:56 that we can't
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 enter into yet
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 except through prayer
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 we can't see
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 and he has this
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 glorious name
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 that is to be
00:15:05 --> 00:15:05 treated with the
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 utmost reverence
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 and respect.
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 Your kingdom
00:15:10 --> 00:15:10 come
00:15:10 --> 00:15:13 assumes that the
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 kingdom of God
00:15:14 --> 00:15:14 the father
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 is established
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 in heaven
00:15:16 --> 00:15:16 but is still
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 being established
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 on earth
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 and not everyone
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 submits to his reign
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 and rule
00:15:22 --> 00:15:22 so when we pray
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 for the coming
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 of God's kingdom
00:15:24 --> 00:15:24 we're actually
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 praying for men
00:15:25 --> 00:15:25 and women
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 and boys
00:15:26 --> 00:15:26 and girls
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 to submit
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 to his reign
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 and to the reign
00:15:29 --> 00:15:29 of the Lord
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 Jesus Christ.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 Give us today
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 our daily bread
00:15:34 --> 00:15:34 he's a father
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 who we can come
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 to for what we
00:15:36 --> 00:15:36 need
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 he is our
00:15:37 --> 00:15:37 provider.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 I wish I could
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 tell you the detail
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 of this
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 I can't really
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 but I can tell you
00:15:44 --> 00:15:44 that this week
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 I had to bring
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 some needs to him
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 which were clearly
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 beyond my own
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 resources to manage
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 and were quite
00:15:52 --> 00:15:52 overwhelming.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:55 And you know
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 in those moments
00:15:56 --> 00:15:56 when you ask
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 for help
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 and you're in pain
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 and one of the things
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 you really want God
00:16:00 --> 00:16:00 to do is just
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 take away the pain?
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 He did deal
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 with the pain
00:16:07 --> 00:16:10 but in a way
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 that I didn't expect
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 by helping me
00:16:13 --> 00:16:13 and others
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 to rise up
00:16:14 --> 00:16:14 and to face
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 the difficulty
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 and to walk
00:16:16 --> 00:16:16 through the pain
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 with a trust
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 and firm trust
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 in the goodness
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 of God
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 and in the Lord
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 Jesus Christ.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 He reversed
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 the difficulty
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 and he
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 caused me
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 and others
00:16:27 --> 00:16:27 to grow
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 through that
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 difficulty.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:29 He knew
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 what I needed.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 Further down
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 in Matthew 6
00:16:36 --> 00:16:36 the father
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 is revealed
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 as a provider
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 who knows
00:16:38 --> 00:16:38 our bodily
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 needs of food
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 and clothing.
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 Matthew chapter 10
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 says the hairs
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 of our head
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 are numbered
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 and a sparrow
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 doesn't die
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 without him
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 even knowing
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 about it.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 Matthew 7
00:16:48 --> 00:16:48 says that God
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 is a good father
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 eager to give
00:16:50 --> 00:16:50 good gifts
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 to his children.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:54 The father
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 is a powerful
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 provider.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 He's all
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 knowing.
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 He delights
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 to provide
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 for his children
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 bountifully.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 And the father
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 is forgiving.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 Forgive us
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 our debts
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 as we also
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 have forgiven
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 our debtors.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 We are to
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 reflect the
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 character
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 of our father.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 We come to
00:17:18 --> 00:17:18 know him
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 through the
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 forgiveness
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 that we have
00:17:20 --> 00:17:20 in Christ.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 it necessarily
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 follows that
00:17:24 --> 00:17:24 we will
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 display his
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 character
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 as we
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 forgive people
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 who have
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 hurt us.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 He invites
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 us to ask
00:17:32 --> 00:17:32 him for
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 forgiveness
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 while presuming
00:17:34 --> 00:17:34 that we will
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 show mercy
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 and forgiveness
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 to others.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 He tells
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 that ugly
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 parable
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 in Matthew's
00:17:40 --> 00:17:40 gospel
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 about the
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41 man who
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 is forgiven
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 a huge
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 and unpayable
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 debt
00:17:44 --> 00:17:46 and who
00:17:46 --> 00:17:46 then goes
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 out and
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 abuses
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 another man
00:17:48 --> 00:17:48 who owns
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 a pittance
00:17:49 --> 00:17:49 and he
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 says such
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 a man
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 will come
00:17:51 --> 00:17:51 under the
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 judgment
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 of God.
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 Jesus also
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 reveals God
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 as a
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 father who
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 loves.
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 John 3
00:18:02 --> 00:18:02 16
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 For God
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 so loved
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 the world
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 that he
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 gave his
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 one and
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 only son
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 that whoever
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 believes in
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 him will not
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 perish but
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 have everlasting
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 life.
00:18:13 --> 00:18:16 there are
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 some modern
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 theologians
00:18:18 --> 00:18:18 out there
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 who have
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 caused the
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 precious things
00:18:20 --> 00:18:20 of God
00:18:20 --> 00:18:20 to be
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 trampled
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 on.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 They
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 accuse God
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 the father
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 of what
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 they call
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 cosmic
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 child abuse
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 in sending
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 his son
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 to do
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 his dirty
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 work on
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 the cross.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 And it's
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 become a
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 very popular
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 little refrain
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 which is
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 repeated around
00:18:36 --> 00:18:36 the world
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 and by
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 numbers of
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 people who
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 stand outside
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 the faith.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:42 And it is
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 effectively an
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 injustice, an
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 accusation of
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 injustice against
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 God.
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 And that could
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 be a sermon
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 in itself.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 But think
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 about what I'm
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 preaching today.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 It is the
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 son who
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 reveals the
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 father.
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 And the
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 son shows us
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 his character
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 and his
00:19:01 --> 00:19:01 nature.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 And right
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 here in
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 John's gospel
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 the son who
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 sees the
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 bigger picture,
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 the son who
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 knows the
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 father,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 the son
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 insists that
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 the father's
00:19:12 --> 00:19:12 sending of
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 him was an
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 extraordinarily
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 loving act.
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 It was
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 driven by
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 the father's
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 love for a
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 world that
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 was in
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 rebellion against
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 him.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 We should
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 listen to
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 him.
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 The
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 scriptures also
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 reveal the
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 father to be
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 supreme and
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 also to be
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 humble.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 1 Corinthians
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 15 where
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 Adam read to
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 us focuses on
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 the impact of
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 Jesus Christ
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 rising from
00:19:38 --> 00:19:38 the dead,
00:19:38 --> 00:19:38 the
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 resurrection.
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 verse 24,
00:19:41 --> 00:19:41 the end
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 will come
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 when he
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 hands over
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 the kingdom
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 to God
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 the father
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 after he
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 has destroyed
00:19:46 --> 00:19:48 all dominion,
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 authority and
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 power.
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 For he must
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 reign until he
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 has put all
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 his enemies
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 under his
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 feet.
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 The last
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 enemy to be
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 destroyed is
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 death for he
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 has put
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 everything under
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 his feet.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 Now when it
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 says that
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 everything has
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 been put under
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 his feet it
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 is clear that
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 that does not
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 include God
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 himself who
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 put everything
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 under Christ.
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 Christ and
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 when he has
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 done this
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 then the
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 son himself
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 will be made
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 subject to
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 him who put
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 everything under
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 him so that
00:20:16 --> 00:20:16 God may be
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 all in all.
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 There is
00:20:19 --> 00:20:21 clearly order in
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 relationship between
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 the father and
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 the son.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 The father is
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 the supreme
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 authority.
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 The kingdom
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 of God is
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 his.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:37 the son is
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 his regent and
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 he conquers
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 through his
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 death and
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 resurrection and
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 having done his
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 magnificent work he
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 hands the kingdom
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 back to his
00:20:46 --> 00:20:48 father and the
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 son is subject
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 to him.
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 Probably say
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 more about this
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 next week when
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 the focus is on
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 the son and his
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 work.
00:20:59 --> 00:21:02 But to put it
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 really simply is
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 to say that there
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 is an authority
00:21:04 --> 00:21:06 structure in the
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 Godhead in the
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 way that they
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 relate to one
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 another.
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 The spirit
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 glorifies the
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 son.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 The son gives
00:21:15 --> 00:21:17 glory and directs
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 his attention to
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 his unseen
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 heavenly father.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 He gives him the
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 glory and he
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 submits to his
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 authority.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 authority.
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 When I use the
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 words authority and
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 submission I hope
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 that you see that
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 they are rooted in
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 the sheer magnificence
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34 and goodness and
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 love and power and
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 provision and
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 planning of God
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 the father who is
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 revealed to us
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 through the Lord
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 Jesus Christ.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 The father has a
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 certain humility
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 about him because he
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 absolutely delights in
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 the work of his
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 son.
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 He exalts him.
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 At the end of the
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 Bible in Revelation
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 21 the lamb shares
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 the throne of God
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 with his father.
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 They both sit on
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 the throne together.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 The son delights to
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 yield to his
00:22:03 --> 00:22:06 heavenly father and
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08 he calls us to do
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 the same.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 Now words like
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 authority and
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 submission don't sit
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 well with us.
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 Especially in
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 Australia.
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 We think of
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 ourselves as
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 egalitarian.
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 Nobody's better than
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 anybody else.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 We chop down tall
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 poppies.
00:22:26 --> 00:22:28 We try to put people
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 in authority in their
00:22:29 --> 00:22:31 place whether it be
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 the Prime Minister of
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 Australia or the
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 Rector of the Church
00:22:33 --> 00:22:36 whoever it is and we
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 do not always readily
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 submit to their
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 leadership.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 But the scriptures
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 show us that there is
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 order and relationship
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 in the Godhead.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:48 Father, Son, Holy
00:22:48 --> 00:22:50 Spirit are in a
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 relationship with the
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 Father where the
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 Father is clearly
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 supreme.
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 The mission of the
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 Lord Jesus Christ
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 reveals to us this
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 unseen Father.
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00 He helps us to see
00:23:00 --> 00:23:02 him and to know what
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 he's like.
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 He is supreme over
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 all.
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 He is magnificently
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 good.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 The Son delights to
00:23:10 --> 00:23:12 submit to him and he
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 teaches us that our
00:23:13 --> 00:23:15 highest good is to know
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 him and to submit to
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 him as well.
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 Paul's letter to the
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 Ephesians begins by
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 declaring the nature of
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 God and it finishes in
00:23:24 --> 00:23:26 chapters 5 and 6 with
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 very practical
00:23:26 --> 00:23:28 understandings or
00:23:28 --> 00:23:31 applications to
00:23:31 --> 00:23:33 relationships in both
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 family and work
00:23:34 --> 00:23:36 relationships based on
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 who God is.
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 So it actually says our
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41 human relationships
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 should be governed by
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 the nature of God
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 himself.
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 So marriage in
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 Ephesians 5, submit to
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 one another out of
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 reverence for Christ.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 Wives submit to your
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 husbands as to the
00:23:53 --> 00:23:55 Lord for the husband is
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 the head of the wife as
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 Christ is the head of the
00:23:57 --> 00:23:59 church, his body of
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 which he is the
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 saviour.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 Now as the church
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 submits to Christ so
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 also wives should submit
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 to their husbands in
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 everything.
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 Husbands love your
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 wives just as Christ
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 loved the church and
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 gave himself up for
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 her.
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16 To make her holy,
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 cleansing her by the
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 washing with water
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 through the word and
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 to present her to
00:24:22 --> 00:24:24 himself as a radiant
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 church without stain or
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 wrinkle or any other
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 blemish but holy and
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 blameless.
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 Mutual submission, a
00:24:32 --> 00:24:34 wife who delights to
00:24:34 --> 00:24:36 submit to and honour her
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 husband.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 husband.
00:24:38 --> 00:24:40 A husband who generously
00:24:40 --> 00:24:42 and self-sacrificially
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 loves his wife with the
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 sort of love that is
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 seen in the Godhead.
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 Not self-centred,
00:24:50 --> 00:24:52 selfish and self-obsessed
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54 but giving generously for
00:24:54 --> 00:24:56 the benefit of the other.
00:24:56 --> 00:25:00 Most of us know something
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 less than the ideal.
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 We know where we rub in
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 relationship.
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 Some of us may carry very
00:25:10 --> 00:25:12 deep and unresolved pain.
00:25:12 --> 00:25:16 I read a book by John
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 Piper in January which
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 called this
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 Impermanent Marriage
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 saying that our
00:25:20 --> 00:25:22 relationships in this life
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 are temporary but the
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 one we have with God into
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 the future is permanent.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 And it helped me to think
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 about this passage in a
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 fresh way because
00:25:28 --> 00:25:31 as difficult as life and
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 relationships sometimes
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 are,
00:25:34 --> 00:25:36 God has given us the
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 privilege in our
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 relationships of reflecting
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 something which is even
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 greater than us.
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 Him.
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 And so for a believer
00:25:45 --> 00:25:48 marriage and relationships
00:25:48 --> 00:25:50 are not firstly about us.
00:25:52 --> 00:25:54 They are about God and
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 they are about God's glory.
00:25:57 --> 00:25:59 So the husband who lives
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 with a wife who doesn't
00:26:00 --> 00:26:03 respect him but who
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 continues to love his wife
00:26:04 --> 00:26:06 with abundant love and
00:26:06 --> 00:26:08 providing generously for her
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 in a way that reflects
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 the nature of our
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 heavenly father.
00:26:12 --> 00:26:14 Or a wife with an
00:26:14 --> 00:26:18 oppressive husband, a
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 wife who still seeks to
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 honour him in a way which
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 reflects the devotion of
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 Christ to his heavenly
00:26:22 --> 00:26:24 father in loving the
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 church.
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 Kerry's done that for me in
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 my marriage.
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 There have been times in
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 my marriage where when it
00:26:34 --> 00:26:37 has been all about me or
00:26:37 --> 00:26:39 all about my ministry.
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 I couldn't see it.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 Kerry could.
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 And she has lived with the
00:26:45 --> 00:26:47 pain and the oppression
00:26:47 --> 00:26:50 of it and sometimes
00:26:50 --> 00:26:52 challenging me but fearing
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 that I would respond with
00:26:53 --> 00:26:55 my self-protecting and
00:26:55 --> 00:26:58 self-justifying wrath to
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 close her down.
00:26:59 --> 00:27:03 And she has loved me with a
00:27:03 --> 00:27:05 Christ-like love in ways
00:27:05 --> 00:27:07 which I often did not
00:27:07 --> 00:27:10 appreciate and even found
00:27:10 --> 00:27:12 hard to believe and receive
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 what she was giving.
00:27:13 --> 00:27:20 You see there is rich blessing
00:27:20 --> 00:27:23 to be had in our marriages if
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 we would look to God and the
00:27:24 --> 00:27:26 nature of the relationship
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 between the father and the
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 son.
00:27:30 --> 00:27:33 Men, if we look to the
00:27:33 --> 00:27:36 father we would see how much
00:27:36 --> 00:27:41 he loves, esteems, trusts and
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 delights in his son.
00:27:44 --> 00:27:46 He shows us how to
00:27:46 --> 00:27:48 generously or use authority
00:27:48 --> 00:27:51 with generosity to those that
00:27:51 --> 00:27:53 we have responsibility and
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 accountability for.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:58 Thinking is transferable to the
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 workplace.
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 I could go there.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 I could go to the Christian
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 workplace.
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 I could go to the secular
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 workplace.
00:28:03 --> 00:28:05 Ephesians chapter 6, slaves
00:28:05 --> 00:28:07 serving whatever master, serve
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 them all good or bad but serving
00:28:08 --> 00:28:10 them as though you were obeying
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 Christ and doing it for his
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 glory.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:14 Or masters treating slaves in
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 such a way, employers treating
00:28:15 --> 00:28:17 slaves to their employees in such
00:28:17 --> 00:28:19 a way that they reflect that they
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 know that they are accountable to a
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 heavenly master.
00:28:27 --> 00:28:30 To grow in knowledge of the
00:28:30 --> 00:28:34 father is to grow in our
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 knowledge of ourselves.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:41 Who the father is helps us to know
00:28:41 --> 00:28:44 how we are to function in the
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 difficult crucible of human
00:28:46 --> 00:28:48 relationships.
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 I told you at the beginning my
00:28:51 --> 00:28:54 journey from theism to Christ.
00:28:55 --> 00:28:57 I didn't monotheism to Christ.
00:28:58 --> 00:29:00 I didn't understand what God was
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 doing at the time.
00:29:01 --> 00:29:04 I now know that Christ was
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 carrying me on a journey which is
00:29:05 --> 00:29:07 about knowing his father.
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 It's an ongoing journey.
00:29:11 --> 00:29:13 I am secure in Christ, absolutely
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 safe in him.
00:29:15 --> 00:29:17 But I am only a minnow in
00:29:17 --> 00:29:19 understanding the depths of the
00:29:19 --> 00:29:21 wisdom of the knowledge of God.
00:29:23 --> 00:29:26 But one thing I do know, that the
00:29:26 --> 00:29:28 only way to know the true God and
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 father is through his son, the
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 Lord Jesus Christ.
00:29:33 --> 00:29:36 Knowing the father will be
00:29:36 --> 00:29:38 transforming of all human
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 relationships.
00:29:41 --> 00:29:44 And so a good question for me, and
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 I think it's a good question for you
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 as well.
00:29:47 --> 00:29:51 In my family, in my roles in my
00:29:51 --> 00:29:55 workplace, do I reflect the nature
00:29:55 --> 00:29:58 of my heavenly father and his
00:29:58 --> 00:30:00 relationship with his son?
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 Amen.