Major Bible Themes
Mike Doyle · Feb 13, 2011
Major Bible Themes (2011), No. 07
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926226314524

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Today we're going to deal with God's Father, right? So next week, we'll do chapter 7. You can concentrate on questions 2, 6, 7, and 9. Okay, let's define for a minute house overhead here, he had the definition of father, divine fatherhood, father of Jesus Christ, father creator, originator, source, father intimate relationship with mankind, with Israel, with the church. So let's talk about God the Father.

Maybe the easiest question to start with is why this terminology? Why would, in the word of God, there would be this setup of father-son? Why that? Because, would you say that, well maybe put it this way, it appears like, to the uninformed mind, that being in the position of father is a superior position than that of the son. Doesn't it seem that way? From an earthly perspective? Wouldn't be. So if that's not it, if the Father wasn't first and the Son second, then what does it mean?

Why use these terms? Because you have three persons in God, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, and like this points out, they are the same in unity of heart, mind, essence and nature. Identical. But there are three individual persons, one God. And they all have different roles as the Godhead. But specifically today we want to talk about what the role of the first person of the Trinity is, the Father. So I'm dancing around here because you haven't answered my question yet. What does Father? Why use the term Father? I mean why didn't he say Joe, Steve and Louie, or use some other term of relationship. Why father-son?

I think that's really close to it. How would you describe in human terms the relationship between the two persons of the Godhead? Father-son is a good way to do it, isn't it? No? Not convinced? The problem you run into though is that it appears like father and son means that one is superior to the other. I think you have to get that thought out of your mind because that's not the way it is.

Here's another concept. We view positions of authority to be superior to those that are under authority. I think in the Godhead, because of their nature and their character, they're all about revealing the other one. They're all about being a servant. The Lord Jesus is a servant to the Father, the Spirit is a servant to the Lord Jesus, and that's the way the agape love works.

You alright with that? Wouldn't it rather be described as, rather than describing any pecking order, that it describes the functions of the three attributes of God. That's not too bad. Rather than pecking order, it's a function. But it's more relationship, I think, is the issue. In an ideal world, the relationship between a father and son is a very close one. share the same life, and I think that's why it's that way.

Now, Schaefer talks about the Trinity, it's spoken of a lot in the Old Testament, but it isn't described through the Father, Son, until you get to the New Testament, right? So even though I think the Jews believed in the Trinity, three persons and God, They didn't really understand relationship. And what's interesting about that is that God chose not to reveal the ministries of each one until really the New Testament. Now, what are the roles of all three? I think that was question two. What were the roles? Remember? Somebody answer quickly.

The father is presented as electing, loving and bestowing. The father does what is electing, loving and bestowing. So he elects. He loves and he bestows. That's his role. What does he mean by elects? Well, election kind of gives you the idea of, well, he's off in the corner. It's like me, Vernon, Roger. I'm thinking about something. I'm going to elect to do something. All I got to do is persuade the other two to go along with it.

Right? That's not the way that he elects, but he doesn't do it individually. Do you understand what I mean? Because they are the same nature, they have the same purpose and thought. You with me on that? So whatever the father elects to do, he doesn't have to do a sales job, bless you, on the son, or the spirit. Do you see that?

He's loved, God so loved the world, it's part of the very core of his nature, of God's nature is love. What's the third one? Bestowing. Listen to the Father. What's that? Suffering, Redeeming, and Upholding the Interest. What's the first one? Suffering. Oh, gee. Suffering. His role is to suffer. And his role is to be the Redeemer.

Why that? What caused, I mean, couldn't the Lord Jesus, the second person of the Trinity say, well, I'm not so happy about those roles, can I come up with a couple of others? Well, somebody had to do it. Why did they have to do it? They needed a perfect sacrifice. Why was there a need for a sacrifice?

Fallen nature of man. Fallen nature of man, sin, but so what? I mean, God, why couldn't the Father determine, I'm done with those guys, I'm flipping them all out. But he still wanted a relationship. He still wanted a relationship. Now think about it. But he had to make it right.

What's God's relationship to sin? As far as East is West. When man sinned or when Lucifer sins, what does it do to God's character? It's an assault on his character. It's an offense. It has to be reconciled. It has to be atoned for. And the Lord Jesus said, I'll do that. That'll be one of my roles. I'll suffer. Okay? And I'll do the reconciling. What's the last one?

Upholding the universe. Yeah, if you look in Colossians chapter 1, let's go there for a second. And I think about Actually, by the way, if you want to read a really good description of who the Lord Jesus is, the first chapter of Colossians is a good place to go. Christ is the invisible image of an invisible God. He exists before us. So, here's another interesting thing. Could we have known God without Christ? We could have known him through the creation, that he's powerful and that he's the creator, right? But we would have never known anything else about him if there hadn't been Christ. You alright with that?

Well and he would come in the period of some of that. But you know what's interesting about the Israeli, the Jewish system. This veil that was in the temple and on one side was the Shekinah glory and on the other side was man. And only one person a year could go in there. That's as close as man could get to a holy God. And that's as close as a holy God could get to a sinful man.

The relationship between man and God there was based on performance and based on ritual that he laid down to them in their religion anticipating what he would do with Christ. But he couldn't enter into any greater relationship with the Old Testament than he did. Because, well, why couldn't he do it? Why couldn't he? He had a great relationship with David. He loved David. David was a man after his own heart. Solomon, Joseph, Abraham, Isaac.

How much of a relationship or what capacity of relationship did they have with God? It's external. And what was it based on? I always look at it as arm's length. They were out here. He couldn't bring them in close. But then here comes the Lord Jesus Christ. He resolves the issue of distance. And now what? Your relationship and your intimacy with God the Father is infinitely greater than any man in the Old Testament. How come? We're in Christ. Because we're in Christ. We share his very resurrected life.

Okay, what's the job of the Holy Spirit according to you? Regenerating the world, baptizing, energizing, and sanctifying. Regenerating, regenerating, right? I like all those words. Sounds really good. What's regenerating? My kids in Sunday school know the answer to this, so you better. Renewing? No. New birth. Rebirth. Brand new. Regeneration. That's his job. What's the next one? Dwelling. Oh, cool. What does indwelling mean? He's in you. What's that? He's in you. He's in you. So what does that make you?

Now Courtney and I went to Hawaii, right? Guess who went with us? The Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit of Christ in us. Alan Debbie. We're not sure about Wayne. So every one of us is a temple or a structure that contains the God of the universe. How about that? What's the third one? means to be placed into. With the second part of the definition is never to be taken out of again. So the three roles.

Now the father, he is the source. Hal did some work on Ab or Abba and taught their father. A source, progenitor, creator, ruler, relationship, love, concern, nature, Nurture, provide and protect, creator, ruler, originator. How would you describe, if I said to you, what does Abba Father mean, how would you describe it? What would the first part mean, Abba?

God. Perfect love. Perfect love. Relationship word maybe? Inimacy? Inimacy. Inimacy. And what's the word Father mean? Matthew. Is father daddy? Abba father is a very interesting term because it covers both kinds of relationships that you and I have with Abba father. He's Abba father. He's our father but he's also our dad. Those of you who are dads kind of know what that is. So he mentioned there are two things that God is the father of that are really important. What are they? What's the first one?

He's the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Okay? How could God, how could the scripture say, well gee, the Father is the God of the Lord Jesus Christ. I thought Christ was God. How come that term? Did I make the question clear? Well, if they're one in essence, right? If this is what the make-up is, then how could the father be the God of the son? And yet there's one, I don't get it either. That's why she's in the class. How could the father be the God of the son? Does the son need a God? Right? Isn't that what it's called?

Yeah, and when Christ died, he's sitting next to the Father, and I'm thinking, well, gee, they're all one, and how could it be that they've divided themselves? But they haven't divided themselves. I just don't get it. Then how could he be sitting next to him?

A lot of this, some of the answer to this question is what we're going to talk about next week, about who the Lord Jesus Christ is. Is God the God of the Word? the second person of the Trinity? No. Is he the God of Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father?

A man? Yeah, he is. See the difference? Jesus Christ, as a man, the Father is his God. Hafiz? No. Does that make sense? The Lord Jesus Christ is 100% God and 100% man. As man, God is his father, or his father is his God. And reincarnate, they are reunited? They're united.

But in John 17, the Lord Jesus prayed to the Father. He said, Father, glorify me with the glory which we had before the world began. Why would he ask that question? Why would he ask the Father to do that? Because he's in the flesh. Yeah, because he's in the flesh. Because he's a man. He set aside his glory. And when he does that, when he becomes a man, he's a man. He's also God, but he's a man. And as a man, the father is his God. Also his father. Why his father? Did you say he's the only begotten father? Who said that? Somebody said that. Is that difficult to understand? Yes he has. The only begotten son of the father. I'm looking for an Old Testament. More technology Mike? I know it's a new deal for me.

Chaffer says the relationship between the first and the second persons of the Trinity is actually that of father to a son and a son to a father. The fact of this relationship is an illustration of the vital truth which accommodates itself to the mode of thought of a finite mind. Now think about that. If God the Father and God the Son are going to demonstrate to our finite minds what their relationship is, What terms would they use?

Fraternity brothers? I don't think so. I don't think so. You know? Buddies? What would they use? I think father and son is perfect. Because all the others would be not, like you said, in a perfect world. The father-son relationship should be unconditional. And all the rest would be more conditional. That's exactly right. Now, since it's the same way it describes our marriage, And the marriage relationship is used to describe our relationship with Christ, but not with the Father.

Now, he's also the father of who else in the same relationship that he has with the Lord Jesus? What's the second? He is the father of who? Of all those How come all those who believe? And one of the things that Schaefer brings up, which is kind of an interesting concept that you see around today, that he's kind of the universal father of all mankind, and that God is the father of everybody, and so everybody's going to go to heaven, and everybody's in cool. But who did the Lord Jesus say that the non-believer's father was?

The devil. The devil! How come? Just because that was a nasty way to talk to him? Darkness can't exist in the light. Okay, but think about the relationship now. He says to the Pharisees and others, your father is the devil. How could he say that? Because they have a sin nature. Because they have a sin nature that is the same nature as Satan has. We have a propensity, non-believers have a propensity to sin and they can't help it. They're responsible, but they will sin.

I'm sorry one thing that really confuses me is okay, so you take a non-believer Who doesn't know God or know of God and yet God has created them and so how is their How is their father the devil for instance take somebody who I don't know No, I'm talking further. Well, past tense. Say someone who's grown up in the Muslim faith, who's never been introduced to Christ. God's created them and they've never had the opportunity to meet Christ?

Well, there are two things there. One is that the Word of God in Romans chapter 1 says this, that all men are without excuse because God is knowable through His creation and through their conscience. you got to do is go out and look. And that the two things you learn about God from the creation in your conscience is that He is God, He's Creator, and that He is powerful. And He demands from all men that they be thankful and they honor Him as God.

I don't care if you're raised a Muslim or a Catholic. The second part is in John 15, when the Lord Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit coming to the earth to do what? He's going to convict the world of sin, okay? Now, how he convicts a Muslim, a young man who's raised in a Muslim home of sin because he doesn't believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is his business. I'll tell you, we all know a guy who that happened to, raised in a Muslim family, but is a Christian. What's his name? Hassan. Hassan was raised in a Muslim family, but he was exposed to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as a young man, and he believed in Christ, but he's raised in a Muslim family. But he was exposed.

What about these poor women with burqas that can't go out to even get the mail? They have no clue. God can't penetrate the burqa. No, but how could they get exposed? I mean, they can't do anything. They're stuck in a room. Okay, now we're back to the question that we always get back to is that God's not fair. He just isn't fair. Well, it isn't. Those dirty rats are going to go to hell because God isn't fair, right?

Here's how you look at that. If God is fair, and that's his only attribute, how many people get saved? Zero. Zero. Salvation is a gift by grace. Man doesn't deserve it. You line up every man in front of God, and have God lay down the requirements, and without him they'll all turn away from him. Every one. None seek after God. You were in Romans 3 in my house, you should know. None seek after God. No, not one. Not one.

So you can move over to the humanistic side of the ledger and say, well, you know, man's getting a shafty deal here. No, they're not. They love the darkness. In John chapter 4, they agape the darkness. Their deeds are evil. That's the way we're born. That's why Satan, the devil, is the father of the unsafe.

I think if someone, though, sees God in creation, those things all people know, and they turn their heart toward God, he will get the gospel. Sure he will. Sure he will. That's the thing, you know, with that is, figure what you're saying. God is not able to get the word. to somebody. He created everything. And that's the fairness doctrine. It's like how did Hassan get the word? Was it by accident? No, somebody presented it.

He had a hungry heart and the Lord brought somebody before him. Anywhere, any place, anyhow, the Lord can bring that word from somebody who is seeing God, and as we went through Romans 1, everybody knows that there's a God. Divine power in nature is known by that. And it's just as they seek and find, you know, if there's a hungry heart out there and the Holy Spirit working, the word will get there. Let's be clear about something. He doesn't look around and say, well you're hungry, you're hungry, you're hungry, you're now, you are, I'm going to pick you for God's, and by the way, did God choose everybody in this room? Didn't choose the guys across the street?

Did he? That's right, he did. Does he have the right to do that? Absolutely he does. Right, because he wants them all. Sure he does. God so loved the world that he gave his son that whosoever believe on him should not perish but have eternal life. You have to start with that premise. God is love.

But he also says to challenge him to reveal himself to you. We're told in the Bible to challenge God to reveal himself if he is real. Oh, you mean Hassan did? No, it says in the Bible that we are to challenge God to reveal himself to us. But he does it. He does it. He does. Without the challenge. He does it in his creation. Right. But if you are fighting it tooth and nail, he says be open minded enough to challenge me. You know I'm laughing because we love to use the example of what about the poor Muslim in the Middle East. Yeah. How about the poor Catholic in Kansas City?

I know, but he's... he is exposed the whole world is open to him because we are in a country where you're not going to get shot for having a bible and they believe God is Muhammad you wake up you grow up born and grow up in a catholic family and you go to catholic schools for 16 years of your life and you go to religion class and theology and you know who Jesus Christ is your chances of meeting Christ are less than a guy in Egypt because you have a preconceived built-in religion that keeps you from Christ. Okay, that's what the Muslims also have a preconception. But it's the same way with the Methodists. It's no different. Religion is the biggest detriment and hurdle to knowing Christ that there is. If I'm Satan and I want to keep the population moving in one direction, I'm going to get them religion. I'm going to give them a religion. It's man-made.

Sure. Make them think they already have it. That's right. You've got nothing to worry about. You're in the box every Sunday. You're in. You're in. You know? In my neighborhood I have all those, you know, the new collection of Hasidic Jewish families that are living there. You know? If you've got a black cat with a big brim, you're in. You see? You're talking first-hand, Kevin. Absolutely.

When I sat down with that guy that led me to Christ, he said, I want to talk to you about Jesus Christ. I said, I know him. He said, no, you don't. I said, we were in the same religion class together. He said, I don't care, you don't know him. He was right. I didn't know him. I knew a lot about him. Well, I'll take that back. I knew a lot of the Catholic view about him.

So, afraid of marriage will reveal more to you. You know another thing regarding her question is, we have brothers, sisters, family, friends who have Bibles probably stacked in their homes who say Jesus is like French for a weakling. It doesn't have to go all the way to the Muslims in a foreign country. I just, I guess I feel with them like they have chosen not to accept those things that they've been given the opportunity to know and they've chosen one way.

I think you make a really good point that it's already there, regardless of who you are or where you are. In the Holy Spirit, I mean, the Holy Spirit can work on anybody anywhere, anyplace. Right. How does Hassan get out of it? Absolutely. You know, I think right now, you know, I forget, the wall builders guy, or the watchers of the wall guy, who is a Christian in Egypt, you know, he's saying in Africa now, have a chance. The Lord's working amazing things to those people. The Holy Spirit's working not just in America. The Holy Spirit is working everywhere. In every heart, He's trying. God so loved the world, He wants everybody.

Like I said, you put God in a box and He can't get the Word to Him. We're an infinite God. an infinite Holy Spirit that's able to work in anybody, anywhere, any place. So, we're talking about God the Father, and now He, we've brashed it down to the point that He is our Father, right? How intimate of a Father is He to us? Can you say that we have exactly the same relationship with Him as the Lord Jesus Christ does? Sons. By believing. By believing. That's what you do. But how do you get to be the son? How do you get to be a son? What happens? What are the mechanics?

You're born. What's that? Born. You're born. You're baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ at the point in which you die. Well so then don't you have to die too? Hey, get that. That's right. You're a gold star. That's exactly right. You have to die. To what? To your old self. To the old relationship where Satan was your father. Right.

You're buried and then you're resurrected in Christ to newness and that's the noun of life. Now you've got this new life. This new life has a father. Who is it? It's the father. Okay? Now, from that point forward, he is your personal, intimate father, same life. One guy put it, you are a legitimate, organic offspring of God. Is that different than what he did with Adam? You better believe it is. Because you have his life. Okay?

It puts you in the position of a son. It puts you in the same position that the Lord Jesus Christ as a man is. Same position. And when we studied, when we were studying the 34 things that we have because that happened to us at the cross, most of them have to do with blessings that we obtained at the moment in which we were saved. Like airship.

I was thinking yesterday, Arthur has gone home to be with the Lord, he's got his son sitting there, and his daughter sitting there, and his wife sitting there, and they're his heirs. So the two nickels he had to rub together, they get to split them up. We're heirs of God. What does Christ receive as a son, as an heir of the Father?

What does he get? everything. So what do you get? One billionth of everything? Or however many Christians there are? No, you get it all too. Why? Because you're a son. He's your father. See that? And what the best description is, if the father walked in the room today, you should run down the hall and jump in his lap. That's what he wants. He wants you there. He's your father. because he's the father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Same relationship. Same. So when you read about the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament, in terms of his relationship with the Father, guess who else you're reading about? You. You. Next week, we'll talk about the Son. I saw the question. Dear Father, how do we thank you? Boy, how do we thank you for this relationship we have with you because of because of your determination that we will be sons by faith in your son. Thank you father we pray in his precious name. Amen.