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JOHN’S GOSPEL… SHOW US THE FATHER – 25

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John 14:8 NLT
[8] Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Really, Philip, after all this time, do you still not know the Father?

John 14:9 NLT
[9] “Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?”

Imagine Jesus’ frustration! After years of painstakingly revealing the nature of the Father, doing and saying whatever the Father showed Him, constantly referring to the Father as His source, and witnessing to His unity with the Father, Philip still naively whined…
“Show us the Father.”

Philip, where have you been all this time?

How true of human nature! How blind to truth when hearts are born in unbelief and blocked by beliefs and traditions cemented into the soul by years of exposure to the world and its ways!

Paul commented that the person who does not have the indwelling Spirit to awaken the dead human spirit, will never understand or accept God’s truth.

1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV
[14] “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

Jesus made the same observation in his conversation with Nicodemus.

John 3:10, 12 NIV
[10] “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?…
[12] I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?”

The sad reality is that God’s truth is only foolishness to those who have never been awakened by God’s Spirit to spiritual truth. It takes a miracle of grace for a person who is born dead in sin to understand and believe the gospel. It’s no wonder that worldly people are God’s enemies, hating the truth and strongly resisting the message of Jesus, however compellingly it is presented.

Paul, writing to the Ephesian church, people who were once steeped in pagan beliefs and behaviour,

Ephesians 2:1, 4-5 NIV
[1] “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…
[4] But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

Was Philip revealing, by his question, that he and his fellow disciples were still in the realm of darkness where the truth was veiled to them?

Only at the moment when the Holy Spirit came in power, raised them from spiritual death, tore off the veil of unbelief, and transferred them into the kingdom of God, did they recognise the truth of what Jesus had come to reveal.

When the Holy Spirit fell on them on the day of Pentecost, the world of the disciples turned right side up. All their confused misunderstanding and muddled beliefs were obliterated by the miracle of new birth. This was a profound “aha” moment for them. They started life all over again with a clean slate of spiritual understanding.

Thus Peter could proclaim with utmost confidence, linking experience with Scripture…

Acts 2:14-17, 22-24, 32-33, 36-39 NIV
[14] “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. [15] These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! [16] No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: [17] “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams…
[22] “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. [23] This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. [24] But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him…
[32] God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. [33] Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear…
[36] “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” [37] When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” [38] Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

In a flash, all they had heard and experienced in their years with Jesus fell into place. New birth happened, and with the new birth, they finally understood the nature of the Father.

He, the Father, and Jesus are one. Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. Jesus is God’s glory on display. Jesus is the God-man in whom all the attributes of the invisible God are revealed to us…in whom all the fullness of God dwells in a real man who came to earth to be… Immanuel – God with us.

Jesus is still, and will always be …in heaven… our mediator,

1 Timothy 2:5-6 NIV
[5] “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus…”

So, Philip, here is the truth. The Jesus you only knew as a man, or even perhaps God’s Messiah, is in true far more than a holy man.

Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV
[1] “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, [2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. [3] The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

And the Father, whom they longed to know, was as real to them at last as the Son whom they had seen, touched, and walked with on earth.

He has revealed Him… 3

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John 1:18 NLT‬
[18] “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.”

In our focus on Jesus’ saving work on the cross, we sometimes miss one of the great reasons for His coming to earth. Jesus often testified to this purpose.

In His answer to Philip’s request…

‭John 14:8 NLT‬
[8] Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

… He makes it clear that He is the visible, personal, and perfect replica of the Father.

‭John 14:9-11 NLT‬
[9] “Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? [10] Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. [11] Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.”

The writer to the Hebrews echoes Jesus’ words,

‭Hebrews 1:3 NLT‬
[3]” The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command…”

Why was it so necessary for God to come in person to demonstrate to His people what He is really like?

Centuries of rebellion, disobedience, and punishment shaped God’s people’s thinking to view God as an angry disciplinarian. Hence, over the years, Jewish rabbis developed laws to protect God’s laws against His people inadvertantly breaking His laws. They laid heavy and unnecessary burdens on God’s people to “help” them obey God’s instructions.

When Jesus began His public ministry, He clashed with the religious leaders because they used these “laws” to control the people. They refused to believe that God is a merciful and loving Father. They despised Jesus for mixing with the outcasts of society, for eating with “sinners”, for healing on the Sabbath, and for generally being a loving, caring, merciful, and generous person.

They were incensed when He spoke of God as His Father because they refused to believe that God was so “nice”. They accused Him of blasphemy and eventually had Him killed for this charge. They fought to retain their hold over the people because of the position they held and the honour, respect and money they received from their “subjects”.

John recorded only seven of Jesus’ miracles, which he called signs, because he wanted his readers to examine the evidence these signs presented to confirm that Jesus is the Son of God. Each sign concluded with individuals or groups of people believing in Him. The purpose of John’s book was to provide evidence that Jesus is the Son of God so the his readers would believe in Him.

‭John 20:30-31 NLT‬
[30] “The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. [31] But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.”

There is more than enough evidence in the gospel records to provide the answer to Jesus’ question,

‭Matthew 16:15 NLT‬
[15] Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

If we believe that the Bible is the Word of God, then there can only be one answer, and we must say, with Peter,

‭Matthew 16:16 NLT‬
[16] “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

That’s the key to receiving Him (John 1:12) and with our confession, we participate in God’s rescue plan in all its glorious facets.

‭Romans 10:9-10 NLT‬
[9]”If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”

Jesus forever clinched His revelation of the true nature of the Father by giving Himself as an atoning sacrifice for sin, forever confirming that the Father is, in eseence, love. That love underpins everything He says and does to draw us to Himself and to fulfill every promise He has ever made. That love reveals His mercy and benefits us freely (without a cause) because He is who He says He is.

‭1 John 4:9-10 NLT‬
[9] “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. [10] This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

The onus is on us to examine the evidence, to believe the evidence, and to confess and submit to Jesus because He is who He said He is.

WHY DID JESUS COME? – 1

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WHY DID JESUS COME? – 1

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”  Jesus answered, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?” John 14:8-10a.

Were I to ask 100 people why Jesus came, I would probably receive 100 different answers, probably all more-or-less correct. At the same time, all those answers would be an expansion of the real purpose for His coming. Yes, He came to save us; yes, He came to give us eternal life; yes, He came to die for our sins etc, but all of these reasons flow into something much greater which was made known to us from the beginning of time.

Why did God create Adam and Eve? He made the first man and woman and instructed them, within the love-bond of marriage, to multiply so that He could have a family of people made in His image to love Him, and to be loved by Him. Things went horribly wrong because man used God’s gift of choice to go his own way.

Over many centuries God revealed Himself to His chosen people through His Law and by His word through the prophets, but they persisted in rebelling and reaping the consequences of their foolish ways. Instead of enjoying God’s love, they felt His wrath for their disobedience until they believed that God could only be satisfied by ritual and sacrifice. They perceived Him as an angry God who thirsted for blood to appease Him. They had completely obliterated their understanding of His desire for a family and corrupted their faith into a religion of rules.

How could God get them to understand how He really felt about them? Since they refused to listen to His word or recognise His kindness and goodness to them, He had only one alternative and that was to come in the person of Jesus to show them by His compassion and to teach them by His words, what the Father is really like and what He yearned to be to them, a loving Father in a loving family.

Throughout the gospels, and especially in John’s gospel, Jesus insisted that He was acting on the Father’s instructions and that everything He said and did was to reveal the true nature of the Father. As an authentic representative of the Father who was sent by the Father, He loved, healed, and forgave the people so that they would be in no doubt as to the Father’s intentions for them. God wanted them free to live under His authority and not to be bound by a suffocating religious system that misrepresented Him.

His message was rejected, and He was executed as a blasphemer, but the resurrection finally authenticated what He had come to do. Jesus is the mirror image of the Father.