Jesus and His Father

7/30/2019 Jesus and His Father

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N e w L i f e B i b l e F e l l o w s h i p

2012

JESUS AND HIS FATHER

Four Observations

Dr. Douglas A. Blanc, Sr.


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In a 1989 issue of the Our Daily Breaddaily devotional Linda Anderson wrote the following:

She was blond and beautiful, with azure eyes and a tumble of tawny curls. At three years ofage, she would climb into her daddys lap, snuggle up with a wide, satisfied smile, and purr,

This is my safe place! And so it was. Dads, husbands, YOU are the safe place. You are

our protector and provider. And when you gather us for a time with God, we need a safeplace. A safe place, not a lecture. A safe place, not a sermon. A very human dad/husbandwho simply cares about God and us. We dont need or even want a spiritual giant. We

just want you. And we need a gathering time (phone unplugged) where its safe to say to

each other, How are you and the Lord getting along? How can we pray today? We

need a safe place to cry laugh, sing, rejoice, challenge, share, and sometimes not to share

and have it be okay. We need a time with you thats relaxedun-stiff, when we can prayhonestly, in simple sentences, from our hearts. Un-fixed. Un-rigid. Un-routine. Un-shackled. We need a place where irregular opinions are respected, and where God has thelast word. We need a gentleman leader, not a general. Gracious. Relaxed. Human. Afamily shepherd who exhibits not infallible authority, but a thirst for God. Every day? Notnecessarily. Often? Yes. Long? No. Where? Anywhere. How? Sense where were at, andzero in. We may need heavy-duty confessing to each other and to God...silentprayer...exuberant praise...Bible study. But not every time. Thanks for listening, Dad.Remember, we need you. Your family.1

The point is, we long for personal contact and for meaningful human relationships. Most of all, welong for intimacy in our relationships; we desire depth that transcends formality or superficial

gesturing and extends to the very core of our being. To know and to be known; this is our life-longquest. This longing is wonderfully illustrated by the apostle John in the prologue to his Gospel:

No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is

, has made God known.( NET)2

The phrase in closest fellowship with the Father is literally translated (from the Greek original)in the bosom of the Father. The idiom of bosom expresses the safe place referenced above.We recoil from the prospect of possessing such a relation with God as though it is out of reach; theidea of reclining trustingly-safely o his bosom, resting all of our cares upon him (see and

), to sense the warmth of his embrace, and to be comforted by his tender voice (see also).

1 http://www.bible.org/illus.php?topic_id=5392 New English Translation


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Our task is to consider this greatest Father-child relationship of all and to discover how we mayshare in this, the most intimate of relations. It is for us to consider, doing so not merely withwonder and amazement as though such a relationship is beyond our grasp, but more importantlyto identify qualities, characteristics, and dynamics that we may emulate from our Lords example

and to benefit from all that it means to abide in the safe place of our heavenlyFather.

It is worth noting that when the vertical relationship with God is healthy and tuned, so also thehorizontal relationships between us will be (e.g. spousal, siblings, offspring, within the body ofChrist, our community-workplace ties, our friends, and even our enemies). This principle is well-attested in Scripture and again by the apostle John. Consider the following translation of thisimportant text:

If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark,

we're obviously lying through our teethwe're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light,

God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed

blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.( MSG)

From the lips of our Savior we discover deference to and dependence upon his Father. Two of

many scripturally notable examples are helpful at this point, implicit trust and fervent prayer. Eachserves to beg the question concerning how we may emulate Jesus who in the days of his flesh livedas one conscious of and subjected to the dictates (and the timetable) of his Father purposes:

1. The totality of the earthly experience of our Lord was in the hands of his Father. Thestunning reality of this truth revealed to us draws us closer to the realization of true andabiding rest. Rest is received from Jesus as from one who alone can place us and keep us ina right relation with the Father. The very rest that results in deliverance from justcondemnation also provides security and satisfaction for our daily walk with Christ. Whothen will become simple as a child; trusting, humbled and seeking from the hand of Godall that is needed for life, health, safety and an assorted host of needs which contribute toour well-being (see )? Alternatively stated, who will resign every need pertainingto ones existence in this world and ones destiny in the next to the all-sufficient hands ofGod? From the lips of Jesus we hear

"I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the

wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father,

and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon

you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."( NIV)

2. Prayer was and is central to the life of Jesus. That it was fervent, even importunate, isevident from the following brief survey

a) He was praying at his baptism prior to receiving the anointing of the Spirit( ).

b) He was praying prior to the momentous choosing the Twelve ( ).c) He prayed giving thanks prior to calling forth Lazarus from the tomb

( ).


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d) He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night of his betrayal and arrest( ).

e) He even prayed to hold guiltless those who caused his agony and suffering on thecross ( ).

f) Prayer is an ongoing ministry of our Lord, heavens eternal intercessor on ourbehalf ( ).

The above scriptures should be comprehended in their respective contexts and meditated uponuntil the full potency of their truth is illumined by the Spirit to our calloused hearts. How might weconceive of the devotional quality of prayer? Prayer is the aspiration of the devotee to the loneobject of affection-desire. In prayer, the longing heart set adrift on turbulent waves of doubt finds asafe place, a safe harbor. The privilege of prayer is the right granted to every child of God. It ismodeled and commended by our Savior for the same imminently needful end. Jesus implored hisdisciples without equivocation

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be

opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the

door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake

instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know

how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy

Spirit to those who ask him!"( NIV)3

The above pair of examples reflects a Savior whose life is an embodiment of the kingdom of God.His existence is shaped by full commitment to the character, cause and final conquest of rule ofGod fully appropriated in the course of human experience. It is the relationship that demands ourpresent scrutiny and constant emulation. We shall organize our thoughts according to the followingfour observations of Jesus and his Father:

3 New International Version


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We are not suggesting here that empowerment is dependent on or appropriated by water baptism.The water baptism of Jesus was the occasion by which he received the Spirit of God for the

purpose of inaugurating (signaling) his public ministry. Though conceived by the Spirit (see), this dramatic (personally experienced) event constituted necessary enduement for effective

ministry (see for example the progression from to and then to ).

The power of God was not alien to this humble Servant; but in his humanity (perhaps tocondescend to our limitation as an example for us all), the power of the Spirit filledrendered him under the influence of the Spirit (see regarding the characteristics of suchfilling, ). The life of Jesus under the Spirits influence is one of an unbroken flowof dynamic pneumatic effulgence (see ). Stephen is also worthy of emulation atthis point (see ), yet his filling like our own was not permanent as our Lords.

The power of God enabled Jesus to engage the devil in the wilderness (seesee also, and ).

The power of God opened doors of opportunity for teaching and made his words self-authenticating truths (see ).

The power of God gave him a sense of mission, or what many today refer to as a focusedmissional life (see and ).

We must now go to and then and to see that the long-awaitedoutpouring of the Spirit ( ) was necessary to the formation of the body of Christ (thechurch)4 and deployment of the people of God to regions beyond ( ). Inclusive in thisdeployment of emissaries are all the endowments required to engage the enemy and to completethe task. All is provided, that is, except our corresponding obedience! The imperative of the

commission demands our response (see ).

Imagine the Son of God in need of empowerment for effective ministry. His dependence upon theSpirit of God is an example for his disciples who also must do likewise. Where is the nature of thisinfluence? What victories are secured thereby? Where are the open doors through which thekingdom is advanced? Where is the missional life that places the Fathers demands over personalcomfort, ambition, desires and dreams?

Author Jamie Buckingham once visited a dam on the Columbia River (Pacific Northwest andCanada). Hed always thought that the water spilling over the dam provided the power, notrealizing that it was just froth writhing deep within the turbines and generators that transformed thepower of tons and tons of water to electricityquietly, without notice, not like the flashy froth on

top.5

4 Note that referringto the church as the body of Christ is intended to emphasize its personal and not its materialcharacter. That is, the church is a people and not a building. It is a loving and mutually caring fellowship of redeemedpersons bound by a commonly devoted to Christ.5 http://bible.org/illus.php?topic_id=737


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When watching a river roll by, it's hard to imagine the force it's carrying. If you have ever beenwhite-water rafting, then you've felt a small part of the river's power. White-water rapids are createdas a river, carrying a large amount of water downhill, bottlenecks through a narrow passageway. Asthe river is forced through this opening, its flow quickens. Floods are another example of howmuch force a tremendous volume of water can have.

Hydropower plants harness water's energy and use simple mechanics to convert that energy intoelectricity. They are actually based on a rather simple concept -- water flowing through a dam turnsa turbine, which turns a generator.6 Here are the basic components of a conventional hydropowerplant:

See where the power is generatedfrom below and within! So it is with the disciple of Christ. It is

not in the flashy appearance, the superficial formality, nor the boisterous dogmatism of rigidfundamentalism that power is demonstrated; it is in the quiet and still-running currents driven byan earnest desire to please the Founder of our souls liberation. The Spirit brings intimacy and

with intimacy there is awareness of duty and with awareness of duty there is a desire to obey.

6 http://science.howstuffworks.com/hydropower-plant1.htm


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Jesus life was anything but a static experience. His was not what many today opt for; thespectator approach to the Christian life. Jesus was actively engaged in the cause of his kingdom(note the participles signifying constant activity; see ). Perhaps it was Oswald

Chambers

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who observed of Jesus constant industry:he rested not in absence, but in variation ofduty. In fact, the apostle Paul also described his life in similar terms of constant service (see). Paul was no superhero. The passage not only describes his service, but also the power

upon which he depended to perform his duties.

No mere human strength or personal resolve can account for such dynamism in life. We wouldcrash and burn by attempting ministry in our own power. Therefore, the power of Spirit hasbeen given to us with intention. This is not power to do as we please, but power to do as Jesus didin accordance with the (kingdom-building) sovereign purposes of God. This principle is well-defined and outlined in the book of Acts. The narrative-story of Acts is summarized in andmay be stated in terms of empowered witnesses engaged in a mission to the ends of the earth. Theremote regions of the world is not so much a geographical reference, but is indicative of the

extremities to which obedient disciples of Christ will go to seek the lost (see ). Thepattern of our going has been set in motion by the Savior: Jesus went up ( ), the Spirit camedown ( ) and the church went-and keeps going out ( ). After the session-enthronement of Jesus at the right hand of the Father, the Spirit came in power (in part tocontinue-complete the mission) anointing-empowering witness to manifest the life and witness ofJesus (see ).

Self- centered life revolves around personal interests, wants-needs and goals. We find ourselvesliving as Christians under the delusion of being autonomous (in control of our own lives anddestinies). As such, it is possible to engage in a mission, this is, our mission. To be properlyengaged in mission, however, is to fulfill the demands of the mission, his mission. EricSimmons (What is a Missional Life) breaks it down this way:

Welcome to my neighborhood. Heres what it looks like:

the lady ringing up my order at Panera Bread who is a lesbian; the neighbor with everything that life seems to offerthe big house, the Lexus, the

beautiful wife, the straight-A kids;

the guy next to me in the gym who is committing adultery and destroying the livesof himself and his family;

the guy who works in the bike shop with whom I am pursuing a friendship; Phyllis, the 78-year-old woman who just lost her husband of 54 years.

Keep looking and youll find just about everyone. The atheist. The mocker. The scoffer.

The intellectual. The ignorant. These are people that need Jesus. These are the people thatI have been called to reach. They are my mission field.

7My Utmost for His Highest


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What does your mission field look like? Im sure the faces are different, but the state of

their soul before God is not.8

Consider also the followingSaint Petersburg Times article

TAMPA -- There is a baseball field in the middle of Tampa's inner-city gridlock,sandwiched between a cemetery and a power substation off North Boulevard, hiddenunder a large stand of oak trees. It is the type of place John J. Pizzio would have barreledinto on a Saturday morning, set up a table and charged $5 for youngsters who might nototherwise have had the chance to play Little League baseball. But it wasn't a pretty place,probably not one on which he would have put his name. Funny how a dream can bringthings full circle.

That diamond was once called Doc Nance Field. But after Seminole Presbyterianrenovated it with $25,000 and tons of elbow grease over the past year, the city had noproblem changing its name to John J. Pizzio Jr. Memorial Field. The agreement is thatPizzio's name will hang prominently on a 4-foot sign behind home plate as long asSeminole Presbyterian plays its home games there. After all Pizzio did for youth baseball

and Seminole Presbyterian, how could John's son, Lancers coach J.J. Pizzio, name the fieldanything but after his father, called the first "real" Lancers coach, who died of a heart attackon June 29, 1997, at age 49. "It makes me cry," said Ann Pizzio, J.J.'s mother. "His dadwould be very proud of everything J.J. has done."

No doubt Dad's buttons would be busting tonight when J.J. leads the Lancers into a Class Astate semifinal against Jacksonville Arlington Country Day at Legends Field, a few milesfrom where John J. Pizzio planted the seeds for Seminole Presbyterian's dream. WhenSeminole Presbyterian added grades 9-12 in 1989, the administration started a varsitybaseball program. John J. Pizzio, a lifelong baseball fanatic, became the coach and a hugeasset when it came to supplying equipment, athletic director Frank Mabry said. That'sbecause Pizzio had a long history of developing connections with the New York Yankees

while keeping statistics for their Gulf Coast League and Florida State League affiliates.Pizzio stayed one year as coach but remained heavily involved as one of the school's biggestboosters and consultants.

Meanwhile, at the Yankees' minor-league complex on Himes and Columbus in Tampa, J.J.and his father became close. Together they watched game after game and talked to theYankees legends that strolled through. On days his father couldn't be there to keep thescore book, J.J. filled in. J.J. also took classes at Hillsborough Community College andlanded a job at Seminole Presbyterian working in the extended day-care program. Lancersbaseball, however, was the furthest thing from his mind. "I didn't come here to do anythingwith baseball," he said. "Baseball was out of my life at that point." Then the first of two

occurred. In early 1997, one of J.J.'s best friends, Wayne Hughes, was killedin a crash caused by a drunken driver. Hughes had led J.J. to his job at SeminolePresbyterian. In June, J.J.'s father died.

8 Eric Simmons leads the singles ministry at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD. http://sites.silaspartners.com/CC/ article/0,,PTID314526%7CCHID598014%7CCIID2264226,00.html


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"First my best friend, then my dad," J.J. said. "It was the turning point of my entire life. Iprayed a lot and asked God to give me something to grab on to. I needed something tonurture." That's when J.J. went to then-baseball coach Kevin Hickinbotham and was bluntabout his feelings. "I told (Hickinbotham) that if he wanted to bring in someone to turn theprogram around, he needed to bring me in (as an assistant)," J.J. said. "I was pretty bold

about it. Kevin was humble enough and gracious enough to allow me to come in."Seminole Presbyterian wasn't awful -- "mediocre" is the word J.J. likes to use -- but it was badenough that he couldn't stand to see something with his father's name attached to it struggleso mightily. "When I took over as athletic director (seven years ago), our baseball programwas horrid," Mabry said. "It was scary, nothing I wanted my name attached to."

J.J., who became head coach in 1999, was to change that. He createdguidelines and rules that dealt more with life than baseball. His coaching philosophy is toinstill a strong sense of faith, build a base of education and work to keep family life inorder. If a player does all three, J.J. said, playing baseball "won't be a problem." Whileteaching his players those things, J.J. realized they were the philosophies his father taught asa coach. The elder Pizzio just did it more subtly. J.J. has practice balls with scripture and

motivational statements he scribbles on each. Every day the players play catch with the"Work Ethic" or the "Respect" ball. It is a small reminder to J.J. that everything he does,

"I don't accept the fact that he's gone," J.J. said. "I just don't see him thatmuch anymore."9

Note the association and necessity of life-altering events with a well-conceived mission strengthenedby a sustained awareness of fatherly influence. It is so with the believer in Jesus Christ. We haveexperienced the life-altering event of a new birth which places us in relationship with a lovingheavenly Father who desires us to fulfill the mission initiated and maintained by his Son andempowered by his Spirit. Remember the words of Jesus who said, We must work the works ofhim who sent me while it is day; the night is coming, when no one can work ( ESV).

We cannot discuss in-depth the subject of Jesus and his Father without giving attention to thekingdom of God. It is important to set the kingdom in context where our Lord is concerned. Forexample, we make distinctions. When distinctions contrast two elements we call this an antithesis.One such antithesis is a distinction between the secular and the sacred. You need only listen to thepolitical pundits who debate whether religion is a valid topic of discussion for candidates. Thosewho reference God in a public forum invite an argument concerning the establishment clause ofthe First Amendment. Many Christians hold strongly that God exercises dominion on all theprovinces of life whether sacred or spiritual. When engaged in the self-expression thoseprovinces (e.g. prayer, Bible study, evangelism and corporate worship) we do so (in the opinion of

the worldly-minded) in the realm of the sacred. All else is deemed secular in the sense of notserving any sacred or spiritual end. This is indeed a fallacy, though the false antithesis almostseems justified. Consider the following

9 St. Petersburg Times, May 14, 2001 by Mike Readling


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Jesus identified a contrast between the world and himself (see ). The apostle Paul identified a kingdom that is governed by a prince whose children practice

disobedience and whose spirit is actively energizing them ( ).

The apostle John regarded the spirit of this kingdom as antichrist (against Christor inplace of Christ, ); its subjects are of the devil ( ). In the Apocalypse(the book of Revelation), John depicts the antipathy of these two kingdoms ( ),though this is not a rivalry in any true sense of the word. The kingdom of this world wasdisarmed by his passion on Calvary ( ) and will ultimately be defeated at theParousia (the second coming of Christ, see ).

The distinction must go further; that is, between light and darkness ( ), the Spiritof truth and the spirit of deceit ( ) and between those perishing and those beingsaved ( ).

So, why is the sacred-secular antithesis false if these distinctions are biblical? It is because thesebiblical distinctions highlight only one realm of existence. The realm in which we exist is one ofentire commitment to God in the exercise of every province, whether deemed sacred or spiritualby a watching world.

Born naturally, Im of this world and under the authority of Satan. Re-born spiritually Im called out of darkness and into his marvelous light ( ).

Many Christians live as though their lives are divided between sacred-spiritual and secularobligations. They have bought into the lie that spirituality is the domain of the church and is notrelevant on Main Street. This was not and is not the model established by our Lord and dictatedaccording to his relation to his Father. Read A.W. Tozer who articulates the problem vividly

This is the old sacred-secular antithesis. Most Christians are caught in its trap. They cannotget a satisfactory adjustment between the claims of the two worlds. They try to walk the tight

rope between two kingdoms and they find no peace in either. Their strength is reduced,their outlook confused and their joy taken from them.

I believe this state of affairs to be wholly unnecessary. We have gotten ourselves on thehorns of a dilemma, true enough, but the dilemma is not real. It is a creature ofmisunderstanding. The sacred-secular antithesis has no foundation in the New Testament.Without doubt a more perfect understanding of Christian truth will deliver us from it.

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our perfect example, and He knew no divided life. In thePresence of His Father He lived on earth without strain from babyhood to His death onthe cross. God accepted the offering of His total life, and made no distinction between actand act. "I do always the things that please him," was His brief summary of His own life as it

related to the Father. As He moved among men He was poised and restful. What pressureand suffering He endured grew out of His position as the world's sin bearer; they werenever the result of .10

10The Pursuit of God, pp. 112-113.


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Central toJesus example was and is his relationship with his Father. Poised, rested, he walked inthis world while communing and livingin the safe place of his Fathers abiding care. How can weas faithful disciples adopt the key elements of our Saviors life and attain to the result of

How can we identify with God as our Father (the verticaldimension) and rightly impact all of our other relationships (the horizontal dimension)? It would

utter folly to offer boat loads of counsel on the horizontal relational plane when our verticalrelational plane is impaired or even non-existent.

One of the precious by-products of a life lived in terms of a fatherly relation to God is the concernfor the discipleship and spiritual progress of fellow believers. The apostle Paul articulated this wellin . For Paul, this is not mere apostolic verbiage, but the revelation of the guidingprinciple which is to dominate our daily lives. We have failed if we focus our entire missionalenergies on proclaiming the gospel message to sinners. We must with equal passion devote ourSpirit-aided energies to the task of spiritual growth and discipleship (which is inclusive of soul-winning). Such is the corollary lovewhich is diffusive and extensive by nature and imparted to usby our Father through the witness of the Holy Spirit (

). Jesus stated this truth well in his so-called high priestly prayer (see ). Thechapter is a great example of the discourse of prayer between Jesus and his Father. In the midst ofthe prayer, Jesus described his life as sanctified or set apart for a purpose. And I set myself

apart on their behalf, so that they too may be truly set apart.( NET)

Jesus provides the classic example of a greater purpose behind what we often conceive as self-absorbed existence. For what (or to whom?) have you set yourself apart? To what end? Heres adiagnostic questionWho are you presently mentoring? Do you have any Paul-Timothyrelationships? At the close of life, the question will not be, How much have you gotten? butHow much have you given? Not How much have you won? but How much have you done?

Not How much have you saved? but How much have you sacrificed? It will be How muchhave you loved and served, not How much were you honored?

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The following illustration probably doesnt seem to fit the message, but it caught my eye and thehumor makes a strong point

Carl A. Boyle, a sales representative, was driving home when he saw a group of youngchildren selling Kool-Aid on a corner in his neighborhood. They had posted the typicalhand scrawled sign over their stand: "Kool-Aid, 10 cents." Carl was intrigued. He pulledover to the curb. A young man approached and asked if he would like strawberry or grape

Kool-Aid. Carl placed his order and handed the boy a quarter. After much deliberation,the children determined he had some change coming and rifled through the cigar box untilthey finally came up with the correct amount.

11Bibliotheca Sacra, 137:547:267, by Nathan C. Schaeffer.


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The boy returned with the change, and then stood by the side of the car. He asked if Carlwas finished drinking. "Just about," said Carl. "Why?" "That's the we have,"answered the boy, "and we need it to stay in business."12

We live in a day when less and less disciples are committed to God. That translates into less andless disciples live exemplary lives for God. here and there just wont get the job done. What

about you? Will you live as Jesus did in communion with his Father? Perhaps this is your heart-feltaspiration:

12 http://www.sermons.com.

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Jesus and His Father