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…”
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…”
posted by Doug Love at 8:43 AM
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