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Message 4: I Can Be Abba's Child!

In Matthew 6:9 Jesus gives his followers what we call “The Lord’s Prayer”

How does this prayer begin?
“Our Father who art in heaven…”

The Greek word that Jesus selected for “Father” is the word “pater”. Pater is a title of honor. It is a formal term.

Now over in Mark 14:36, during one of the most critical and emotion charged moments of Jesus’ life, He addresses God a little differently:

“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Mark 14:36

He uses two terms: “Father” – pater and “Abba”

What does “Abba” mean?

“Abba” is an Aramaic term – the language of the common man – that little children, just learning to talk would use to call their father. It’s not all that different from ‘dada’ or ‘papa’ that we still hear today.

“Abba” is a term of endearment and intimacy. It implies a closeness of relationship and a warmth between the child and the ‘abba.’

Look up Romans 8:14-16…
“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:14-16

We are welcome to come to God on the same terms, with the same intimacy, with the same familiarity – that Christ did!

Why? Because we’ve been made sons and daughters! We’ve been adopted into the family! We’ve been given the Holy Spirit to live within us and to give testimony of who we really are: God’s children!

Now it is vital for you to see clearly that…
• GOD MADE THE FIRST MOVE! Turn to John 1:12-14

God reached out to us, in the midst of our mess, and invited us to move up into Him!

1. He moved towards us through the incarnation of Christ!

What does “incarnation” mean?
Here’s John 12-14
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:12-14

Our adoption into God’s family – comes as a direct result of Christ becoming man and living amongst us! Through the incarnation, God’s glory was revealed, and we are drawn to Him!

God made the first move through the incarnation of Christ!

Secondly…
2. He moved towards us through the infilling of the Holy Spirit!

Look at Romans 5:5
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:5

God filled our lives with His Holy Spirit as yet another way to make His move toward us.

He makes His move towards us because His heart is filled with COMPASSION for us!

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” Isaiah 49:15

Do you see what God is saying to us: He is saying – that even a mother has compassion on her children, even though she is but a human – how much more so will He, show and demonstrate compassion, care and concern for us!

The heart of God is best seen as being completely tender towards those who are lost, broken, wounded and without guidance.

And that’s you and that’s me.

How does it make you feel knowing that God has a tender heart towards you?

God has made and continue to makes His move towards us.

Here’s the key to experiencing “Abba’s Child” status: True intimacy comes as we respond to God’s move and make ours towards Him!

Yet, truth be told, we struggle with this. We either don’t know what to do, how to do it, or we get distracted by the worries and concerns of this world. And so, we end up missing out on so much God has for us. Tragic.

I want to help you with this today. Turn to John 14

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:6, 7

Jesus helps us here to see something very clearly:
• MOVING TOWARDS GOD MEANS MOVING DEEPER INTO CHRIST!

Plainly put: My enjoyment of my identity as “Abba’s Child” depends entirely upon my falling head-over-heals in love with Jesus.

• How’s your love relationship with Jesus?
• Are you gaining passion and desire to know and experience Christ more and more and more?
• Are the things that have held your attention for so long losing their appeal compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus?

Jesus says:
I am the way.
I am the truth.
I am the life.

What does this mean?

I AM THE WAY – literally, your journey into God begins with me and I will lead you into all of the places and experiences that you need into order to have it all!

Isaiah the prophet speaks of Christ in this way: Isaiah 35:8…
“And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.” Isaiah 35:8

He is the highway of holiness that leads us into intimacy with our Abba.

This means that we must – in order to experience being “Abba’s child” – abandon other paths and roads that we once thought would lead us somewhere good. We’ve all spent time on roads that lead nowhere. God says to you today: “Abandon that path, and come to me, I’ve provided the WAY – simply follow Jesus and I guarantee you’ll get to the goal!”

What ‘roads to nowhere’ have we traveled?

Jesus also says in John 14:6 that
I AM THE TRUTH

The word he used for truth means: “That which is REAL and CERTAIN”

This is important. A great deal rides on Christ being Who He said He was. We – as believers – are placing our entire lives on the TRUTH of who He is!

Furthermore, Christ made a lot of promises to those who follow Him. I need for those promises to be true. I am counting on His coming through for me!

Look at 1 Corinthians 1:20:
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:20

The New Century Version puts it this way:
“The yes to all of God's promises is in Christ, and through Christ we say yes to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:20 NCV

If you want to experience the TRUTH of who Christ is, take Him up on His promises. Watch Him come through for you, and you will experience firsthand, the glory of God!

So many Christians never experience the POWER of the Gospel, because they live compromised, disobedient lives. We try to be SECURE and we try to be SAFE – and God says: Trust me. Do what I say. I will come through for you. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I am the TRUTH!

Why is it so difficult to trust Christ to come through for us?

He is THE TRUTH – and experiencing being “Abba’s child” requires that you trust Him to come through.

Thirdly, Jesus says:
I AM THE LIFE

I love this one. Jesus doesn’t say: “I am the BIOS” – the biological life source! No, He says: “I am the ZOE!

Zoe means a life that is real and genuine, active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed and without end!

The offer from Christ is LIFE – not temporary, but eternal. Not ordinary, but extraordinary. Not powerless, but one that empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit!

The word “zoe” is used in 20 of the 26 New Testament books! It’s used 126 times in the New Testament! It must be an important concept that we get.

Christ didn’t call you to live a mediocre existence of simply going through the motions. NO! You are ABBA’S CHILD and He has an amazing life for you to experience! That’s why you’ve got to come alive and allow the Holy Spirit to create a new PASSION and ZEAL for life! That’s why you’ve got to MOVE IN CLOSE and let God show you how to live ZOE – and that’s why you’ve got to realize that YOU ARE IN BATTLE. The enemy wants you to miss out on the ZOE of God! It’s time to rise up, to get serious about WHO YOU ARE – and fight as if your very life depended upon it – because it does!

How you found it to be true that spiritual progress is often accompanied by spiritual attack?

Look carefully at how Christ lived: He wasn’t some weak-wristed, people-pleasing, do-gooder! NO way! He was PASSIONATE, He lived UNAFRAID, He called a SPADE A SPADE. And He lived life at an entirely different level than nearly everyone else.

That’s what being ABBA’S CHILD will do for you.

CONCLUSION:

God made – and continues to make – His move towards you.

Now it’s time for you to make your move towards Him.

And the payoff: You’ll know what it means to pray “Abba, Father…”

Message 3: Free to be a Child Again

Turn to Luke 18:10

Jesus frequently encounters two types of people during his ministry years:

PHARISEES – those who believe that self-efforts at righteousness will result in God’s approval.
CHILDREN – those who simply trust in the grace of God for approval.

Here’s the truth: We can sometimes be PHARISEES and sometimes we can be CHILDREN.

WHAT ARE SOME COMMON BEHAVIORS OR ATTITUDES OF PHARISEES?

In Luke 18:11-27 we are going to encounter three different stories that illustrate the difference between PHARISEES and CHILDREN.

Look at verses 10-14
“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”” Luke 18:9-14

Jesus is not afraid to confront those who need it. Notice the words in verses 10: “confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else…” These two things are NOT FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT!

Jesus illustrates two different ways of praying:

Vs. 11-12 is the PHARISEE
Vs 13 is the CHILD

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH THE PHARISEE’S WAY OF PRAYING?
HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THE PRAYER OF THE CHILD?

Now look at verse 14 for Jesus’ thoughts:
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.””

If I exalt myself, I can count on being humbled. But, if I come before God with humility, He will lift me up!

“He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.” Proverbs 3:34
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18, NIV.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6

WHAT IS IT ABOUT SPIRITUAL ARROGANCE THAT MAKES GOD NUTS?

Now, let’s go to the next story in verses 15-17
“People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”” Luke 18:15-17

Parents are bringing their babies and children before Jesus. They were seeking the blessing of being touched by Jesus for their precious children. And the Disciples of Jesus ‘rebuke’ the parents for this, and inadvertently block the blessing!

Now Jesus says: “Knock it off! This is why I’m here – to bring the Presence of the Kingdom of God to people just like this! And if you want my blessing, you need to become like these little ones!”

WHY DID THE DISCIPLES REBUKE THE PARENTS?
WHY DID JESUS REBUKE THE DISCIPLES?
WHY DOES JESUS REQUIRE CHILDLIKENESS?
WHAT IS IT ABOUT KIDS THAT MAKES THEM MORE RECEPTIVE?

Now look at the third story – verses 18-25
You probably know this as the “Rich Young Ruler”

“A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No-one is good-- except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honour your father and mother.’” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”” Luke 18:18-25

In verse 18 we are introduced to this man. He is described as a ‘ruler’ – which could mean royalty – like a prince, or military – like a captain, or a magistrate – like a judge. Regardless of the specific meaning, this man had authority over some group of people.

He is apparently hungry – at some level – to have what he sees in Jesus. And he poses the question: “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

And Jesus looks right into the depths of his heart and won’t let him get away with any PHARISEE nonsense. Look what Jesus says in verse 19: “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No-one is good-- except God alone.”

WHAT IS THE SPECIFIC HEART ISSUE THAT JESUS IS ADDRESSING HERE?

He is saying: “Self-efforts will never suffice! There is no one who can be described as being ‘good’ except God Himself!” And that is why Jesus asks the next question – to continue to expose the false belief system that this man is seeking to build his life upon.

“You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honour your father and mother.’” V. 20

One of the key purposes that God gave the LAW OF MOSES, the TEN COMMANDMENTS was to help the people of God see the absolute IMPOSSIBILITY of self-efforts to be perfect in order to discover the amazing grace of God!

But look at how the ruler responds in verse 21:
“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.” V. 21

HOW WOULD A HUMBLE PERSON RESPOND TO CHRIST’S QUESTION?
HOW DOES THIS RESPONSE EXPOSE THE HEART OF THIS MAN?

How about this? “ALL THESE I HAVE BROKEN SINCE I WAS A BOY.”

That Pharisee deludes himself into believing in his own perfection and goodness. The child recognizes his lack and his need for help.

So Jesus continues his heart surgery:
“You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.” V. 22-23

In this ruler’s particular case, he loved his wealth far more than he loved God. So, God, who is not willing to sit in the second chair, tells him to get rid of his idols and come follow Him.

Obviously this man wasn’t willing to give up his wealth – his security, in order to follow Jesus. And Jesus, ever confident and secure in his own identity, allows him to walk away.

Now look at verse 24-25.
“Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

The word Jesus uses for ‘rich’ is the Greek word CHREMA and it means: ‘thing, matter, affair, event or business’ And what Jesus is saying is that there are many things that can block your relationship with God.

There are many ‘things’ in our lives that we’d be so much better off without. And if you can ever get free of them, your spiritual life will move forward dramatically.

Jesus then uses a funny illustration about a CAMEL and a NEEDLE. He says: “A camel can go through the eye of a needle far easier than a rich person can enter the Kingdom of God.” Some people believe that Jesus was referring to the small gates in the walls of Jerusalem that were extremely tight and narrow, a camel could squeeze through, but it was very difficult. And maybe so, I don’t know. But…

WHAT IS THE POINT OF WHAT JESUS SAYS?

And now look at verses 26-27:
“Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”” Luke 18:26, 27

This seems like a reasonable question – “who then can be saved?”

And look at Jesus’ response: Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

WHAT IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH MEN?

The ways of the Pharisee leads to experiencing the impossibility of self-effort.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no-one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8, 9

But, when we come to God as a child – we experience the possibilities of God’s grace!

HOW HAS THE GRACE OF GOD AFFECTED YOUR LIFE?

CONCLUSION:
Because we belong to God, we are free to kill off the inner Pharisee and to embrace the inner child who lives by faith in the grace of God.
Because we belong to God, we don’t have to try to impress others with our self-efforts, we are free to enjoy our status as His child and celebrate His kindness towards us.
Because we belong to God, joy can become a trademark of our lives.

GO LIVE LIKE A KID OF THE KING!