The Father is Always Moving

Breakthrough Church: Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of the Breakthrough Church Podcast. Excited to be with you again. ⁓ have a word I want to share with you and ⁓ a couple of testimonies that are on top of my mind today. the first is this, man, God is so good. If you if you're doubting the goodness of God right now, I just want you to pause this and I want you to just think about all the goodness in your life, all the things that He's done for you. I don't even know what you're going through right now. I don't even know what Potential suffering is in your life, potential loss is in your life. I I don't even know what you're going through. I do know God is good. And He is always good and always has been good. And He is a good, gentle, caring father. ⁓ I think so often it's easy to think about God as our creator, which He is, and in fact, He's being worshipped in heaven as creator. Holy, holy, holy, right? And he says, Worthy are you, our Lord and God, who ⁓ to to to receive all glory, honor, and strength, for you created all things and by your will they existed. So there's something to the creative work of God as creator that is uniquely ⁓ worthy of worship. But before he was creator, he was father. ⁓ you know, he's a creator. And ⁓ he's a creator because there's creation. ⁓ one can only be a creator once there's finally creation. If you're a creator but there's no creation, then you're not really a creator. ⁓ but there's one thing the that God has been for all of eternity, it's father, because he has always had the son, the second person of the Trinity. They are eternal, they've lived forever. The father has always been a father, will never not be a father. So when he did create, it's coming from a fatherly heart. Well, when a father creates life, why does he create life? Because he wants fellowship with his creation. He wants to love and to bless and to commune with the ones he created. This is why God created everything. It says a good father created the world because he wanted to enjoy fellowship with his people. So think about that in terms of the cross. What did Jesus restore? Jesus restored our capacity to commune with God. So I don't care that that's I obviously care what you're going through. What I'm trying to say is it doesn't matter what you're going through. That That is always true. That Jesus has made a way for you to commune with the Father again. First Peter talks about Jesus died to bring us back to God. What we were originally created for was to enjoy love with the Father forever and ever. and it doesn't matter circumstances, those don't change that fact because they're wrapped up in the internal nature of God. ⁓ He is Father, therefore we are children. Period. That's that's just true. And and woven into the fabric of the universe. God is Father, and those who receive the Lord Jesus are his children, and therefore co-heirs with Christ, full grown heirs of the one true King. This is a powerful, powerful truth. I hope that you just take a minute and slow down, meditate on the goodness of our Father in heaven, that he did not withhold his only son, but gave him up. forsook him so that we might be forgiven. Amazing. That the one true son suffered the punishment and wrath of sinners so that we might be called sons and daughters. Amazing. It's amazing. If you just let that sink in. Just let that sink in. Go to Romans 8, Galatians 4. Just let that let the love of the Father sink in. ⁓ it's really, really amazing. I'll share more about this in a second, but a couple testimonies real quick. ⁓ This last Saturday, ⁓ during worship, just we're singing about the blood, the wonderful blood, that song by Tiffany Hudson. And ⁓ as we're singing it, just really felt led to encourage people that there's nothing too strong for the blood, that the blood can wash any sin clean. And from Zechariah twelve and thirteen, when it says, When they look on me, God speaking, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, God is connecting himself with the one that they will look on who is pierced. Which is speaking of Jesus when his side is pierced. And so when Jesus' side is pierced, it's not just the man from Galilee, it's God who's being pierced. And then at the beginning of chapter 13, it says, And on that day there will be opened a fountain that will cleanse my people from their sins. That fountain is the blood of Jesus. That when you pierce the side of God, what comes out is the purifying, washing, cleansing blood of Jesus. It's amazing. And we just prayed about that. Prayed into that. There was many people getting ministered to in the room. And then we actually spent some time praying for those in our lives that we know are in bondage to sin and just said their names out loud and just there was music being played. So don't worry if you're one of the people that we were praying for. I don't know who was said, but a lot of names were mentioned and there were tears and just the Lord was just manifesting his ⁓ the flow of his blood ⁓ this last week. Also, have you ever noticed how weird some of the language that we can use is? Like, what did I just say? manifested the flow of his blood. I don't even know if I've ever even heard anybody say that before. But it makes sense when I think about the theology of it, but sometimes I ⁓ just expose myself because I'm like, man, that's a very Christianese thing to say. ⁓ anyways, that's a that's a side point. ⁓ I just wanted to share a testimony about discipleship. ⁓ I've been discipling ⁓ someone for about a year, a little less than a year. And The Lord has just really moved in his life to the point where he went from being kind of locked up, stuck in some stuff, not discipling anybody, not doing ministry, but with a passion to really share the gospel with people, but wasn't making any disciples, wasn't intentionally trying to disciple people. And now, eight, nine months later, he has like four guys that have reached out to him in some capacity that he's influencing and leading and discipling. And to talk to him about it and to see the lights go on, that like I'm I can do this. I've been called to this. This is not just for the spiritual elite or the varsity Christians. I I can make disciples. He it's so fun to watch him it just click for him. And I I think many of us might be in the same, same boat where we we don't know or we don't realize that the mission that God gave us, that Jesus gave us before he left was to go and make disciples. He was telling that to everybody. Everybody's. In the game regarding discipleship. That was plan A for me to impart the life of Jesus from me to you. And then you go and do that for others. This is replication, multiplication. That's what Jesus has called us to. So I share that testimony to say that beginning of this year, eight months ago, he was not discipling anybody. And now, eight months later, he's discipling four guys and potentially more and getting plugged into ministry at his church. And ⁓ and and I I'm not taking any credit for that. I can't do that. I'm not that good. But the Lord Jesus is that good. To break chains of bondage of sin and to lead somebody into purpose and and passion. I mean, that's just that's so cool. ⁓ so ⁓ just wanted to share that testimony and encourage you that we're all called to be in the game regarding discipleship. So ask the Lord, hey, who's one person that I can invest in? One person I could start meeting with regularly to pour into them what God has poured into me. And then just see what happens. There's the some magic that happens when you do that. okay, and I I ⁓ last. The last ⁓ part, I know I'm kind of all over the place and scatter shooting, but one thing that's on my heart, I'm gonna preach a little bit on this this Saturday, but I shortened it, ⁓ for for the podcast's sake. But in John chapter five, I think we see something really, really interesting and and pretty transformative. I don't know how often you think about the nature of the relationship of the Trinity within himself. So that how does the triune God relate to himself? ⁓ it's one God, three persons. ⁓ not one God with three faces. No, there's one God with three distinct persons. They're equal in essence, equal in glory, all worthy, but and there's one of them, but there's three of them. I know it's very confusing. It's not supposed to make sense, but over years and years of theologizing, this is where the church has landed, that there's one God existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And I don't know how often you think about how does the father relate to the son? And how does the son relate to the spirit? And how does the father relate to the spirit? And how how do all of these go go? Like how how do they relate? And does it matter? Does it matter how if I know how they relate? Well, it very much matters because how they relate to each other reveals the innermost parts of their heart. So who is God in its core is going to be seen in how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit relate to one another. Does that make sense? So if you want to know what the heart of the Father is, you look at how the Father treats the Son. If you want to know what his ultimate desire for you and I is, you look at how he treats his son. If you look want to know what is the ⁓ fullness of the spirit, the heart, the depths of the heart of the Holy Spirit, we'll look to how he relates to the Father and the Son within the Trinity. And guess what? We have a book called The Bible that actually gives us insight into this. So I wanted to look at the relationship between the Father and the Son, because it's really profound and maybe the most clear, ⁓ and I at least not the most clear, but the most content available on that, I think, especially in the Gospels. ⁓ and we're gonna see what that's like. So let me go ahead and read some. It's John 5, starting in verse 19. So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the son, Jesus is speaking of himself, calling himself the son. Can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. Okay, let's stop right there. We're seeing this relationship between the Father and the Son. The Son can do nothing of his own accord. Just take that. Just just take that. The son can do nothing of his own accord. It's impossible for the son to simply do something independent of the father. That's not how they work. The son doesn't go rogue. The son doesn't just think he has a better idea and goes with it. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can't do anything of his own accord. He doesn't use his own authority. To do things. So what does he do? But only what he sees the Father doing. In other words, he doesn't come up with ideas for his day and then goes and does those things. He sees the Father doing something, and then he goes and imitates it. The sincerest form of flattery is imitation, I hear. Jesus' love for the Father is expressed in his obedience to the Father. What he sees the Father doing, he does. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. So you see, they're perfectly in sync. The Father, what we learn from here, the Father is doing stuff. I would say this to you right now in your life. The Father is up to something in you, through you, and around you. And he is revealing that to you. And our job is to imitate, to say yes, right? Okay, so this is what Jesus is doing. He can't do anything of his own accord. So what does this say about Jesus? His eyes, where are his eyes? His eyes are on the Father before they're on anything. This is what Jesus teaches us. His eyes look to The Father to see what he's doing before Jesus goes to do anything for anyone else. Now, if you carry that all the way to the cross and we see Jesus go die goes to die on the cross, do we assume Jesus saw the Father die on the cross? No, but what we assume, what we know, is Jesus didn't go to the cross of his own accord. It was out of obedience to the Father because Jesus saw the heart of the Father to give sacrificially for others. How does the son know that? Because the son existed eternally. And it and his experience with the father is that he is a God, a father, who sacrificially gives to another. And so whatever the father does, the son does likewise. Making some sense. I'm just, I'm trying to go slow here. The son's eyes are on the Father and whatever he sees, he does. Do you see the simplicity in that? There's not a lot of variety, there's not a lot moving, not a lot going on. Yet Jesus got a lot done. And he was constantly busy with ministry, but he was only busy with the ministry he saw the Father doing. He didn't do something of his own accord and get outside of the Father's will or the Father's plan for that day. He saw what the Father did and did it. Very simple. Okay? We would do well to do the same. Okay, so verse 20. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. So not only are Jesus' eyes on the Father, the Father's eyes are on the Son. Why did the Father, why does the Father, did the Father, does the Father, reveal to Jesus all that he himself is doing? he loves them. So I think about what Jesus teaches at the very end when he he he talks to the disciples and he says, I no longer call you servants, I call you friends, for I've shown you all that the Father is up to. So now it's like they're on equal footing with Jesus. Bear with me, they're not. Jesus is w worthy of worship, and and we aren't, but the disciples aren't. But but because they also have seen the will of the Father. They are now on the same level as Jesus. He's like, hey, you guys know what I know now. You know what the Father's up to. You see what he's up to now. And that makes us friends. You're not serving me now. We're co we're collectively serving the Father. And how do we do that? Eyes on the Father. We look to the Father. Well, when the Father's revealing plans, that's actually an expression of his love. He expresses his love by revealing what's in his heart and what he wants to do. And he did this with the Son. For the Father loves the Son. And shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. And then he goes into what that greater work is gonna, and he's alluding to what's coming. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. Okay? So what's the greater work? Obviously, this is alluding to the future where Jesus is gonna resurrect from the dead by the power of the Father. The Father is gonna raise Jesus from the dead. But that in doing so is empowering Jesus to do the same. So the Son gives life to whom he will. Okay, let's keep going, the progression. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Okay. So the Father loves Jesus, so he reveals to Jesus what he's doing. Okay, stop. I just want to double-click. Number one, the Father is doing something. father's not sitting back while Jesus gets all the work done. The father is active. He is actively moving, working, pursuing, and doing things. And he is revealing that to the Son, who then goes and obeys, thus making the will of the Father known to those around him. Okay? So the Father and the Son are in complete sync. The Father has plans. He's up to something, revealing it to the Son. The Son goes and does them by the power of the Holy Spirit, which is where the Spirit comes in. All three members of the Godhead at work together collectively all the time. Okay. The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son. He's given authority to judge to the Son. Why? That all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. So think about this. The Father reveals his plans to Jesus because he loves him. And and you reveal things to those that you love, right? My son, I want to reveal things to him. I just want to I want to show him my heart. I want to know what I'm what I'm up to. This last Saturday ⁓ before church, I showed him he came with me. He came with me because family stuff that was going on, but it was just me and Bo. And I showed him what my pre-service routine is. We went to the same spot that I pray. We went to the same place I print my sermon. We drove to church. He walked around as I prepped up and put out signs and stuff. And you know what I felt the entire time? So much love, so much pleasure in showing my son what I'm up to and what I do. Because there's communion in that, there's fellowship, there's oneness, there's mutual experience, there's sharing of experience with each other. And this is what the Father is doing with the Son. He wants to reveal, in this scripture, it's showing, he revealed to his son Jesus what he was up to because he loves him. And to reveal what you're up to is to invite to share with. And the father's like, I'm doing this. Would you come alongside me and in unity and union with me, do it alongside me? So the father revealing plans isn't so much of, hey, can you get this done for me? The father's revealing plans because he's saying, Can you come alongside and do it with me, son? Can we do this together as one in fellowship? ⁓ what a great invitation, guys. The father being up to something is not like, ⁓ shoot, I gotta try to catch up to him. No, because the invitation today is to would you come and do what I'm doing? I want to reveal what I'm up to so that you can join alongside with me. And so then Jesus does it. And the Father, in doing so, says, Not only are you going to do it with me, I'm actually going to give you authority to judge and authority to do things so that we can do it together, but also so that people would honor Jesus. You know who I want to honor my son Bo? Anyone who meets him. I want my son, whom I love and reveal plans to. I want them to know him. I want them to. Honor him. Like I want people to look at my son and say, wow, he has worth, value. I I love Bo. I want to spend time with Bo. I want to pour into Bo or I want to be his friend. I love when my son is loved. I love when my son is honored. Why wouldn't the Father in heaven be the same? He wants his son Jesus to be honored. This is why he invites him into everything he's doing, so that when he does great works, Amazing deeds. Not only is it revealing the heart of the Father to be one with us, to redeem, to save, to have mercy, it's also so that we would see Jesus and glorify him and bless him and honor him. Because there's nothing that blesses the Father more than when we bless the Son. Okay, that was a lot. And you may need to go relisten to that a few times. Heck, I might re-listen to that a few times because it's a lot. And I'm sure there's so many more things I could say, but here's the application point. Here's the application point. The your purpose is to love Jesus. I'm just saying it as simply as I can. Do you know, if you're ever like, gosh, what is what I want to please God? Like, what can I do in my life that's gonna bring pleasure to God, that's gonna be obedience, that's that's right in line with his will for my life? I'm telling you right now, it's to honor the Son. It's to honor Jesus. The Father only gets things done through the Son and by the Spirit. He hands everything over to the Son. Remember, he takes the scroll in Revelation chapter five. The Lamb of God comes and takes the scroll. Why is he doing that? To show that I only do things through the Son. And my son is the way to see the will of God revealed in your life, is to go to the Son, to make him your greatest passion, to make him your greatest love, to make him your first priority, second priority, third priority. He's the paper you write your priorities on. When Jesus is your soul passion and your soul vision, then the Father is honored and he begins to also reveal what he's up to so that you can join him in fellowship and union in what he's doing. ⁓ the triune God, who forever has existed, loving one another, invites us into that loving fellowship dedicated to sacrificial mercy, love, power, signs, wonders, gifts, miracles. He invites us into discipleship to be conformed into the image of the Son, Jesus. Think about it, the triune God of the universe has invited you and I into the fellowship that they have enjoyed forever and ever. And we see it right here. The Father loves the Son and wants the Son to be honored. And when we say yes and we honor the Son, we are welcomed in to the Triune Fellowship. It's amazing. ⁓ I want you to know that the way to find your purpose in life. Is Jesus to make him your passion, him your vision, him your sole agenda item every day, to make him the sole object of your worship. That is where you will find where you're meant to be. Because that's how the Father has ordained it since the beginning of time. Amen? Amen. Well, I hope you guys join us on Saturday, five o'clock at Loft City. We'd love to see you there for ⁓ worship, ⁓ where we will bless Jesus, worship Jesus, love Jesus, and preach the word and Receive holy communion together and then ⁓ and would love to pray for you. If you need if you're sick, if you need healing, if you need prophecy, you need you need direction for your life, a little supernatural ministry, we would love to pray for you. ⁓ and ⁓ if you want to reach out with prayer requests, you can do that as well. ⁓ okay, that's all I got for today. Love you guys. Talk you later.