Introduction to The Godhead: The Fatherhood of God | Steve Benson

on the doctrines of the scripture.

We've been looking at the godhead

for a few weeks now and we're going to

continue that today

with the fatherhood of God.

The fatherhood of God.

The title of our message today,

open your Bibles if you would to the

John

John 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15.

John

John 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15.

And much of what we know about God the

Father and the fatherhood of God

uh came to us from Jesus.

He taught on this subject,

spoke on this subject.

So, a lot of the the sound doctrine that

we have

about the fatherhood of God comes from

him. Not all of it does. There's still

others. And we're going to look at some

of it as we look at this uh topic

today.

And uh the majority came from the son of

God.

And here in John chapter 15,

John 15 · chapter mention

I want to pick up on on three verses

here about the fatherhood of God.

In verse one, Jesus said of John 15,

I am the true vine and my father is the

vine dresser.

So we see that father is not the son,

the son is not the father. We see two

different members here of the godhead,

the trinity.

uh God the father and God the son and

God the son says he's the true vine

he's telling that to his apostles here

and the disciples and we too come along

and we want to know what Jesus has to

say about these things as well and here

uh we have a good example in John 15

that he's the vine and his father is a

vine dresser so his father is the one

who uh trims the vine the vine and and

makes the vine grow and uh prunes the

vine that it might be bring forth more

fruit all that we have there. Uh not

don't want to talk about the

you know that subject today. We're just

looking at the the fatherhood of God and

what the son of God had to say about the

father. And here's a good one. And then

uh if we look over in verse 15

of John chapter 15, he says,

John 15 · chapter mention

"Henceforth,

I call you not servants, for the servant

knows not what his lord does, but I have

called you friends, and all things that

I you've heard of my father have I made

known unto you." So Jesus here says that

he made known to us what the father

wanted us to know. So one of those

things is what he said up there in verse

one that Jesus is the vine and his

father's divine dresser. So that was

Jesus mission as well on the earth not

only to come and to die and to pay for

our sins but he as as the he as a member

of the trinity. He is a member of the

godhead to tell us about God the father.

Who is he and what does he want? You

know and how can we know his will? how

can we do his will? Who is he? And Jesus

helps us uh with this task here. And

then he says over in verse 23, he that

hates my father, he that hates me hates

my father also. So Jesus puts a negative

in here and you're not, you know, if you

don't love Jesus, then you can't love

the father

because these two uh are so vitally

connected. And you know Jesus is

you know we we don't seem like we don't

struggle with the deity of the father.

Sometimes people struggle with the deity

of the son.

And for those who are struggling with

the deity of the son here uh Jesus would

have to be god in order to make god

known.

You know he didn't leave that to Moses.

He didn't leave that to David. He didn't

leave that to Solomon. uh he didn't

leave that to the apostle Paul to Peter.

Uh Jesus is God in order to make God

known to us.

So that was part of what was going on

here uh in the upper room in the in the

latter part of Jesus ministry.

So the two are equal. The father is

equal with the son. The son is equal

with the father. There one of them is

not superior to the other. And uh no

creature could ever be equal with his

creator.

And Jesus here is is equal with the

father. And he is pointing that these

things out to us in a great way. And

remember when we went back to Genesis

and you know back there we saw the the

spirit of God and we know that the the

book of Job and other places where the

father was there as well. So the father

was at creation.

um along with the the spirit and along

with the the son of God. And all three

of the trinity members of the trinity

participated in the resurrection of

Jesus. We talked about that and you know

someday here in the near future we're

going to look at that. But we have this

unity uh with the godhead. you know,

they're they're equal. Whether we're

talking about the Father, whether we're

talking about the Son, or whether we're

talking about the Holy Spirit, they're

all equal. And in order to make one

another known to us, and that's what the

word of God does. You know, who tells us

about the father? Jesus. Who tells us

about the son? The father. Who tells us

about the spirit? He's the witness. So,

uh, you know, that's how we benefit,

uh, from these things, listening to what

what the son of God has to say about his

father. And another verse you're

familiar with, turn over to chapter 14,

just letting these verses kind of ground

us in this. And as we begin, go look at

other verses here. He says, "Let not

your heart be troubled. Believe in God,

believe also in me. And in my father's

house are many mansions. So Jesus is

calling his father in heaven, God, the

God of heaven, his father. And he says,

in my father's house are many mansions.

And you know, you guys are familiar with

the verse here. But you know, if Jesus

was not God, this would be blasphemy for

him to talk like this. You know me, I'm

equal with God. You know, I'm revealing

God to you. I'm telling you about God

and his will.

And look in verse 12 of John 14. Verily,

verily, I say unto you, he that believes

on me, the works that I do shall he do

also, and greater works than these shall

you do, because I go to my father. So,

he's going to leave them uh on the

earth. And as he says here, go to the

father. But that, you know, there's not

less going to be done. there's there is

more going to be done

because God is his father. Then he says

in verse 20, at that day you will know

that I am in my father, ye in me and I

in you. So there's that unity, you know,

that that the father and the son are

one. They're equal. They're they're

equal members of the godhead. And the

equal members of the godhead said that

we're going to be one as they are one.

And that's God's goal. That's the

fatherhood of God is to make us one. And

we see that over and over with the

church. But it it goes beyond the

church. We're going to see in a minute.

Turn over to John 10

John 10:30

verse

30.

Here he says, you're familiar with this

verse.

He says, "I and my father are one." So

there's that unity there.

Jesus said, "He that seen me has seen

the father." And and likewise, so we

have a representation of the godhead. Um

and Jesus telling us about other members

of the godhead here. Uh his his father,

his heavenly father. And the we know

that the father is giving his son an

offering of his son to purchase and

redeem us. You know that's the whole

point of this that God the father is

going to give God the son

and next week and beyond we're going to

start looking at God the son looking

forward to that but we don't want to

rush past the fatherhood of God here.

And God the Father is mentioned 256

times in the New Testament. I have

missed that on a test. God the Father is

mentioned 256 times in the New

Testament. Jesus mentions him 17 times

in the sermon on the mount. My father is

perfect. You know those those wonderful

verses. So turn back to John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

John

John 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

and verse 18

says here, "No man has seen God at any

time." You say, "Well, what about all

these people that say they've seen God?"

Well, either the Bible's lying or

they're lying. I'm going to go with the

Bible.

And you know, no, you know what this

means? No man has fully seen God. You

can't do that and live,

you know. But we have an alternative

here, a great alternative. Uh the son

has come from the bosom of the father as

he puts it here to declare him. So the

father is invisible,

you know, and he he has all those divine

attributes, you know, is there anything

impossible for God? No. And he can

provide a savior. And that's what he's

done in the sending of his son. And uh

you know we

we know that the father has his

personality. The son has his personality

and and their persons. And and and this

is important for us to see here that the

father no one has seen the father at any

time. The son has declared him. Now turn

over to John 3

16.

And and here's the purpose and you guys

know this.

One of the purposes

um as Psalm 110 says that my Lord said

to my Lord sat here and to I make all

your enemies your foottool.

Well, that was sort of the sidebar.

um and the other accomplishments of

Jesus here dying for our sins and

accomplishing um this great salvation

um for us.

You know, salvation's a gift now

of works

because of what Jesus has done. And here

he says he was sent forth from the

father for God God so loved the world

that he gave you know he sent him here

uh his only begotten son that whosoever

believes in him would not perish but

have everlasting life for God sent not

there's that word again he God the

father sent his son

he didn't come to condemn the world

he should have he didn't he come to save

the world next time he will condemn the

world but this time he come to save the

world so those are the reasons behind

this is and this sending here and you

know these are part of the mysteries of

god you know that god would become a man

uh for the reason and a purpose of uh

paying for our sins and that's exactly

what Jesus does as we look at the son of

God uh in the weeks to come. Um we're

going to see that from the word of God.

He was sent here for a great reason. And

you know, this doesn't mean that the Old

Testament has nothing to say about this.

You know, the father and the son. It

does. Turn, if you will, uh to Isaiah

48.

But you know, Jesus, he he's such a good

teacher. Nobody ever spoke like him. So

we have just, you know, page after page

after page after page in the New

Testament where Jesus said, "Here's my

father

and here's who he is and here's what

we're doing." And and there was a great

connection and a great unity um amongst

the Godhead. But here in Isaiah 48,

and you know, here is a really good

verse to see the Trinity and to see, you

know, what we're talking about in the

New Testament, the fatherhood of God.

You know, God's going to send his son

that he might be uh the father of many.

And here Isaiah says in verse 16, "Come

near to me and hear this. I have not

spoken in secret from the beginning and

from the time that it was there uh am I

and now the Lord God and his spirit has

sent me. So here's the son of God saying

that the father and the son and the

spirit excuse me the father and the

spirit are going to send the son in the

old testament for what purpose?

7 verse 17 says, "Thus sayaeth the Lord

thy redeemer, the holy one of Israel. I

am the Lord your God who teaches thee to

profit and leads thee by the way that

you should go." So that's what God's

going to do. He's going to send his son

um for these specific reasons

uh that we might get to know his son

as our savior. Turn to Isaiah 63.

Isaiah

63.

You know, salvation is of the Lord.

That's when we think we can do something

or we have done something, you know, to

to add to our salvation or to cause God

to save us, we're missing out on what

God has done.

And that's what these verses say. God is

going to become our redeemer. God is

going to become our savior.

And here in verse eight,

for he said, "Surely they are my people

and my children,

and that will not lie." So he was their

savior, and all their affliction, and

their uh and the angel of his presence

saved them. And in his love and in his

pity, he redeemed them and he bore them

and he carried them all the days of old.

So, you know, we need to know that this

is this invisible God that we can't see.

You know, there's there are great

external things about him, but there's

also great internal things about him. He

loves us. He's he's cares for us. And

that's what this says here that he's

going to redeem us. He's because he

cares for us because he loves us. That's

why he says God so loved the world that

he gave his only begotten son. Here's

that love in the Old Testament. Um and

then we we're going to rebel and and vex

the spirit and therefore, you know, he

turned them to enemies and he fought

against them. But but it helps us to see

that, you know, even in the Old

Testament, you know, God internally is

has a great love for us that he's going

to do something and redeem us. Turn to

Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 2

Luke 2 · chapter mention

and uh verse 49.

Luke 2:49.

Luke 2:49

And you know, this is one of the first

things out of Jesus mouth about his

ministry on the earth.

You know, it's just

we celebrate Christmas and you know, we

and just wonder that God hands off his

son to mo to Mary and Joseph.

And you know, here here's the perfect

one. Um and and here's another example

of something that this perfect one said.

you know, he he was born of a virgin.

Um, we're going to look at that virgin

birth someday here soon, I hope. But

here, how is it you sought me? Know know

you not that I must be about my father's

business? That's why I'm here. Jesus

says, for my father's

business. And then turn to Luke 23.

Luke 23.

And

you know, no one spoke more about God

the Father than Jesus did. You know, 256

times it it is in the New Testament. 17

times in the sermon on the mount. And

here we see on the cross,

Jesus says in verse 34,

"Father, forgive them for they know not

what they do."

So he's still crying out to his father

uh praying to his father asking his

father uh to forgive them. So a lot of

these verses

uh we see Jesus constantly referring to

God his father. And here in verse 20 46

Luke 23:46 he does it again. Father,

Luke 23:46

into thy hands I commend my spirit. So

he he gives up uh his spirit to the

father. He gives up his life to the

father. And that's exactly what he was.

He was an offering

uh for our sins. And when we look at the

atonement

and and and those things, we're going to

see that in in a in in a greater way, in

a deeper depth, I hope. But as we pass

through and we're talking about the

fatherhood of God, we want to know and

remember that God sent his son on this

mission

um to come to earth and to save us. And

uh you know Jesus even prayed to the

father you know they you know we can

look at that in in several places we

won't

but he prayed to the father and and the

disciples said teach us to pray and he

he he taught him how to come in and come

to God and look at God as as a as a

father figure

and as one who cared greatly for them.

you know, he's um you know, the Bible

says Jesus is our friend. He's a friend

to sinners and and and so is his father.

His father is a is a friend to sinners.

And he he's done great things that we

might uh be born again. And you know,

God the Father, he's uh he he's over the

angels. We can look at the verses where

uh it tells us that the father, he's the

father of of the angels. He's the father

of lights,

you know, that's who

um God the Father is.

He's good. He's the the prodal son.

Um the father wanted him to come home.

The father wanted to, you know, he

wanted to throw the party so that uh

everybody would be there. He could be

reconciled to his father. So there's

that great love with which God uh has

loved us and sent his son uh that he

speaks of there in John

John 3:16

3:16.

So the names of God are they're special.

They're important, you know, and and one

of God's names is that he's the father.

uh as these other verses that we've been

looking at

um here in the New Testament.

In the Old Testament, you remember what

happened back there in Exodus. Turn back

to Exodus chapter 20.

Exodus 20 · chapter mention

Exodus.

This would be a good place if you had

somebody who wasn't saved to bring them

to show them the law and to show them

God's demands and God's commands.

you know, they're here

uh all through this chapter

and you know, the people

broke them. Moses uh he he had to go

back and talk to God and you know, other

things are going to be to be set up

here.

But if you look here after God gives him

the commandments,

he says in verse 18, all the people saw

the thunderings and the lightnings and

the noise of the trumpet and the

mountain smoking. And when the people

saw it, they were moved and they stood

far off.

So the presence of this isn't even the

full presence of God. This is a little

bit after the law and after the

commandments. And you know at least God

gets their attention with these things

and you know well this must be how great

God is if you know he he's represents

himself here in this manner the idols

can't do this the idols can't uh do this

only the god of the bible can do this

and then uh you know that's what it says

and it greatly affected all the people

that's why god says don't go elsewhere

come to

you know, and and what did they do? They

went elsewhere and they didn't come to

him. And then he tells them they're not

to make a steps up to his altar at the

end of verse 20. So,

you know, God's presence is something

that should cause us uh to fear and to

know that God's greater than us. God is

superior to us. And you know, that's

what happened to the nation of Israel

here.

Turn to Colossians chapter 1.

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

We have this verse here about the

about the image of God.

In verse 15,

you know, so this God who is thundering

from the mountains that's holy,

that's his external being they saw and

now his internal being they're going to

see when he sends his son Jesus that's

going to come and die for our sins. It's

cost God a lot. I mean, we don't have

anything to even illustrate this. I

mean, the best we can do is with Abraham

when he offered Isaac, you know, it was

uh, you know, the the the seconds were

ticking down and God called the whole

thing off.

But God didn't call the whole thing off

for himself.

He went through with it

because of his love, because of his

great care for us and sending his son,

his only son. And that's what verse 15

says, who is the image of the invisible

God. God's invisible. We have him

thundering from the mountains back here.

We have a lot of verses that help us,

you know, to see these things. But now

we can see the in the the insight of

God, the love of God is to that he would

send forth his son.

And that's what he says in verse 16. For

by him were all things created that are

in heaven and earth, visible and

invisible, thrones, dominions,

principalities, and powers. All things

were created by him and for him. And he

is before all things, and by him all

things consist. So he he's God,

you know. So God sent God to the earth.

And it pleased the father. There it is.

And in him should all the fullness

dwell. God said, "I'll put it all in

him. Put it all on my son."

And guess what happened? He he come

through.

And he made peace. Now we have peace

with God. Now, not because of anything

that we've done, but because of what God

the Father has done, God the Son has

done, God the Holy Spirit has done, you

know, and he he identified with us. He

became a man. And uh you know, the the

son is co-equal with the father,

co-equal with the spirit. And you know

that's what qualified him uh to die on

our behalf.

And then

what's the hard part? God said believe

it.

Just believe it. That's all you need to

do.

You hear and you believe. Be born again.

Receive the gift that I have prepared

for you.

So there is no origin with God. The

father, God the son, God the holy

spirit. you know, they've been uh

forever in eternity and they have these

external attributes and they have these

internal attributes and you know, God's

love has been displayed for us at the

cross so that we might know who he is,

you know. So, and then you know the

oneness here that that the father has

uh accomplished through his son. You

know, we see it in the church. You know,

that we would be one

in the church. Not two churches or three

or four. There's one.

and and the same redeemer, the same

savior, the same God provided a way

through uh his son in to bring Israel in

as well. You know, they're chosen of

God.

So, Christ is going to unite Israel.

He's going to unite us, Gentiles. He's

going to unite uh you know everyone from

every corner of the earth that has come

to God through Jesus Christ. So God the

father said that that that Israel was

his for firstborn son. Uh to Solomon he

said I will be his father. He will be my

son.

So we have those things in the Bible

talking about um the great fatherhood of

God. I go back to John

chapter one.

John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

So that's who Jesus is. No mystery.

He He is

sent from God. Sent from God the Father.

And here we have that in verse 29.

John 1:29.

John 1:29

The next day, John

sees Jesus coming and said, "Behold

the lamb of God." Remember, everything

that says of God is is divine. It It's

of him.

So, the lamb is from God. The lamb is of

God. And here's what he's going to do.

He's going to take away the sin of the

world. Wow. What an accomplishment that

will be. So, you know, we have all these

I am through John over and over. Jesus

says I am. And uh some of them

understood and some did not. But uh you

know this is Jesus coming to reveal the

the plan of redemption, who he is and

the great love with which the father

loves us. Turn over to John 17.

John 17.

And they're equal in glory. The father

and the son are equal in glory.

Therefore, they must be God. both of

them.

And here in verse five,

what's Jesus say? He doesn't say, "Oh

God," he says, "Oh father,

glorify thy me with thy own self with

which a glory I have with you before the

world was." So,

you know, here here's a great verse for

the preexistence of Jesus.

You know, his body had a beginning.

Um, and then you know that's what it

says in Hebrews that the father says,

you know, I I I prepared a body for you.

And and Jesus became a man. He became

the God man. He the son of God and the

son of man welded together perfectly.

And now look in verse 24.

Father,

I will that they also whom you have

given me be with me where I am that they

may behold

my glory which you have given me from

the because you love me from the

foundation of the world. So, you know,

here's, you know, God's great glory

externally, his majesty and everything

else, but as well internally, we see the

love here between the the father and the

son.

And then God demonstrates that great

love there in John 3:16 that we looked

John 3:16

at. And uh, you know, all three members

of the trinity were volunteers when it

come to our redemption.

You know, we have Isaiah 6 where uh

Jesus said, "Here am I, send me." So,

each one of the members of the Trinity

volunteered

to accomplish our salvation.

Nothing we ask for. It's nothing we

deserved. Nothing we can twist our arm

about. We just believe it and and accept

it and thank God for it.

you know, God found a way um to

accomplish our salvation just totally

apart from us. You know, that's the

great thing about it. You know, he he

said, "It is finished." Jesus did. And

so it was.

And now, you know, through God's wisdom

and God's understanding and God's ways

are not our ways, but Jesus has united.

He's going to unite Israel with the

church and, you know, take over the

world and, you know, get rid of it and

replace it and all those things that we

have in the book of Revelation. It's you

got to be God in order to do those

things. And he indeed is God.

And you know, the father does all his

work through his son. Turn to 1

1 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

Corinthians chapter 3.

1 Corinthians chapter 3.

1 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

You know, that's that's the great cry

from God is, you know, don't work for

your salvation. Don't try to earn it.

You're bankrupt. You're in a you have a

greater debt than you can pay. Just

receive what I have made for you. What?

Receive what I have to give you.

And it's in the person and the work of

Christ. And the father does everything

through his son. He said that over and

over. So now we can be forgiven. Now we

can be born again. You know, now we can

be sanctified. You know, now we can have

the fruit of the spirit. Now we can have

fellowship with God. Now all these

things that we can have is because of

what Jesus did.

and 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 3:23

3:23.

Nothing more needs to be done. We have a

sufficient savior. We have a sufficient

salvation.

We have a sufficient word of God.

God says just trust in me.

And you are Christ and Christ is God. Uh

here in verse 23, it's all in him.

So submit yourself to him. You know,

trust him. as your Lord and your Savior.

Believe on him as the scripture has

said, and out of your heart will flow

rivers of living water. All these great

and wonderful things that God said he

would do if we would come to him through

his son. And then that's what Jesus

said. Don't try to go another way.

You're not going to get there. Come the

way of Jesus. Come the way of the cross.

Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

Philippians.

You know, this is one of the hardest

lessons

for the apostles to learn. This is one

of the hardest lessons for the nation of

Israel

to learn.

God became a servant. You're kidding me.

God come to earth and washed our feet.

You're kidding me.

No, I'm not. He did. Isaiah, Isaiah,

other places in the Old Testament over

and over and over tell us this.

And then when the uh apostles were with

him in the upper room,

um he took the apron

and the towel and the wash basin was

going to wash their feet. And Peter

said, "No way

is the God of heaven going to wash my

feet." And then you know what happened?

Jesus said, "Then you have no part with

me." And Peter said, "Then wash my feet

and wash all of me."

God became a servant.

Uh subjected himself

to humanity.

Let he come down here and let us put a

crown of thorns on him. He come down

here and let us spit on him. He come

down here and let us blaspheme him.

Why? And it had a purpose to show us

what true love is

and to show us what redemption is.

And Philippians,

Paul tells them the same thing here.

If there be therefore any consolation in

Christ,

any comfort of love, any fellowship of

the spirit, any tender mercies and

compassions,

fulfill you my joy, that you may be like

minded. What

God wants me to be likeminded like his

son. There was nothing beneath beneath

Jesus. He'd washed her feet. There

should be nothing beneath me. I should

be willing to do the same.

My Savior showed me the way.

And then he says, "Let nothing be done

through strife and vain glory, but

loneliness of mind. Let each esteem

others better than himself. Let not

every man look upon his own thing, but

every man on the things of others."

That's what Jesus did.

He was rich, but he became poor for our

sakes. And let this mind be in you,

which was also in Christ Jesus,

who being in the form of God, thought

not robbery to be equal with God, made

himself of no reputation, took upon him

the form of a servant, and was made in

the likeness of man. And as Hebrews

says, he didn't become an angel,

he become a man,

a human being.

for great reason. The father sent his

son. And these are the things that Paul

was telling the Philippians about here.

So, it's not inconsistent with their

equality where you say, "Oh, well, God

the Father, he'd never do this. He'd

never submit himself the way the son

did." Well, that's, you know,

foolishness.

God's a trinity. God did this for us. He

became a man and he submitted himself

for us to show us how to do this. And

you know, we have we have people that

are in the army, we have we have

generals and we have privates,

but they're both soldiers, you know. And

uh so another one is is motherhood. You

know, we have

husband and wife become one flesh and

the wife submits herself to the husband.

She's no less a human being than her

husband is. But that's just the position

that she's in. And it's following the

will of God.

And that's what the son did. He

submitted himself

to the father's will. That's that's this

divine procession where you know God

sent his son. God sent his son for a

reason uh to teach us and to show us um

these incredible things. Turn to Malachi

Malachi 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

right before Matthew.

Malachi chapter 2.

Malachi 2 · chapter mention

And you know, some people think that

because God became a man and because God

submitted himself

uh in in this way that it, you know,

he's no longer God. He's is it's

lessened him. He's lost his glory.

Well, not so. He's gained his glory even

more. And and that's what Jesus did when

he left. He went back to the right hand

of the father. Accomplished everything

his father sent him to earth to do.

And here in Malachi chapter 2 and verse

Malachi 2 · chapter mention

10, he says, "Have we not all one

father? Have not one God created us?

Why do we deal treacherously

every man against his brother and

profaining the covenant of our father?"

So, you know, we're all of this human

race. Wherever we're from, whether we're

Jew or Gentile, whether we're an

American or wherever we are, we're all

one race before God the Father here.

That's what this means. Turn to

Ephesians chapter 3.

Ephesians 3 · chapter mention

So that you know that when God says he

so loved the world, well this is the

world that he loves. Not just the Jews

and Gentiles, not just the rich and the

poor, but everybody.

And here

in Ephesians chapter 3

Ephesians 3 · chapter mention

and verse 14,

you know, Paul

was raised on the Old Testament. Paul

was raised on these great things that

the Jews had.

And now Paul, he's blown away by what

God has done,

sending

um people to uh

to witness to the Gentiles and to bring

the Gentiles in through the blood of

Christ.

And he writes about that in this book.

But here he says in in verse 14,

you know, the the Jewish nation has been

put on the shelf momentarily and

temporarily.

Romans chapter 11.

Romans 11 · chapter mention

But Paul says, "Wow, God's bringing in

Gentiles

through this great work of redemption."

And here in chapter 3:14, here's the the

word. He says, uh, for this cause I bow

on my knees unto the father of our Lord

Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family

in heaven and earth is named. You know,

so they're people who were saved before

they were Jews. You know, the Jews

weren't the first people to be saved.

You know, we have Adam and Eve and we

have, you know, people that were saved

before there was a nation of Israel.

We're going to have people saved that

aren't part of the nation of Israel

someday. And God the Son has done such a

fantastic work. He's united us all

together as one big family

of God.

The universal fatherhood of God.

And if that's the case, that means the

universal brotherhood. I mean, we should

be going to every corner of the earth

telling every person we know

about this great gift

of eternal life.

And you know, this is the again the

world that God loves and wants us to go

into. Turn to Acts 17.

Acts 17.

and verse 29. Acts 17

and verse 29

he here he says uh Paul does for as much

then as we are the offspring of God

that's that's the fatherhood of God you

know over all creation

um I don't know if you watched the

Kentucky Derby yesterday but those

horses are amazing

And you know, uh, Henry Ford made the

horseless carriage, but God made the

horse.

Those horses are incredible.

And not only did God make the horse, he

made Henry Ford,

you know. So there's been a great

blessing God has poured out on on us as

people and as a nation that just the

love of God and the kindness of God and

the care of God. He's, you know, he's

there and uh he cares and and everything

is going to go back to him now through

his son

and and yeah, we know there are going to

be a lot of unsaved people. We know

there are going to be a lot of people

that aren't saved and and are going to

meet their judgment and and all those

things are true as well. But for us, we

are a part of God's family now. We are

in Christ, you know, and and uh the

greater care that God has for us like

Romans chapter 8 says that we can call

Romans 8 · chapter mention

uh God we can say abba father you know

that that's what we can say. We can now

call God our father.

You know that's how great this uh

accomplishment of Jesus is on our

behalf. Turn to John chapter 20.

John 20 · chapter mention

And here you remember this is after the

resurrection. This is uh in the upper

room. And Jesus says some very he says

some amazing things here.

And

to help us

and you know he he lived his life right

before our eyes.

He didn't hide.

Whatever come his way he dealt with it.

Whoever come his way he dealt with it.

And we have him as and and

extreme example.

You know, Christ is that's why we study

him. That's why he he's our all in all.

That's why, you know, everything we need

to know is in him and from him and to

him like Paul told to Corinthians.

And God has done such a great thing as

sending his son. And he says here after

the resurrection, touch me not,

for I have not yet ascended to my

father. That's probably what I would

want to do. Come here, Lord. Let me hug

you.

Notice he says my father.

Now God's his father. His God was his

father way, way back there. And now

after the resurrection, Jesus is calling

God as father. That's a human being

here. And as God,

he says, "Go to my brethren." Now we've

got Now Jesus has brothers and sisters.

That's us.

And I ascended to my father

and and not your father. No, he says,

"And your father, too. To my God and

your God."

And now we can have this great peace.

Verse 19, peace be unto you.

Um

verse 21, peace be unto you. As my

father has sent me,

even so I send you. Jesus is the great

apostle.

You know, he he's the sent one from

heaven to do his father's will.

And now because he did all those things,

we can know God as our father.

and he says, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

So he he breathes on them the breath of

God and they receive the Holy Spirit and

he goes on here uh to tell them, you

know, all these incredible things.

So our great apostle has become our

great shepherd

and he has a church now and that's

uh what he wants to do. And now turn

back to Ephesians again

and we're going to see what changed

after this.

You know, that's what that was Peter's

message. You don't don't you people

realize what you just did?

You know, you've killed Jesus of

Nazareth. You thought you got rid of

your problem, but bad news, he's coming

back

and and he's not our problem. He's our

savior.

And now in him and through him,

uh, can we have this fellowship with

God? And that's what they needed to do.

They needed to get b to be born again to

come to him. But notice now here in

chapter 1 of Ephesians in verse three

how Paul refers to him.

Not blessed be the God and the father of

Jesus of Nazareth.

Oh yeah he was Jesus of Nazareth but no

now he's the Lord Jesus Christ.

And then Paul says who blessed us with

everything. It's all in him. And we're

going to see that when we study God the

Son. We're going to see, you know, his

person and his work. The Bible has this

phrase in Christ. You know, so if you're

not in Christ, you don't have the

spirit. Romans 8. If you're not in

Christ, you don't have eternal life. If

you're not in Christ, you don't have

anything this book talks about. But if

you are in Christ, you have everything

this book talks about. God put it all in

his son. And and we see the great work

that both of them did for us. And now

he's the son of God. He's the son of

man. Uh he's carried out his father's

plan. That's the next part of the book

of Ephesians. And next time we get

together, we're going to look at some of

these thing, what the son of God has

done for us in further detail. Let's

pray. Our heavenly father, we thank you

for sending forth your son.

Um, it's an amazing gift.

Um, and we just thank you for it. Not of

works less any man should boast, but by

grace we are saved through faith. And

not of ourselves, it's a gift of God,

not of works less anyone should boast.

So, Father, we thank you for this gift.

And um he that has the son has life. He

that has not the son will not see life,

but the wrath of God abides on him. So

thank you for this great and precious

gift of Jesus. Thank you for the word of

God that explains these things to us so

we can understand them.

All the proclamations that Jesus made of

the father, we thank you for them. And

he has made you known to us like he said

he would. And we thank you for these

things as well. And Holy Spirit, we

thank you for the illuminating power you

give us in your word to see these great

and precious things. So we're thankful

this morning to be in Christ. And we

pray for others to come to know him as

well. And we pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Lord, as we go from this place,

loving you more,

trusting you more.

May the power of your love and the light

of your word shine to a sin darkened

world. As we go from this place,