I and the Father ... references

So I promised that I would put the many references from the I and the Father sermon (2 Sundays ago) up on the blog so you wouldn't have to try and copy them all down. Well rather than taking 1 day it has taken 9 days and has probably lost is umph, but here they are anyway. If there is no book reference, it is from John. Sorry about that.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (1 Pet 2:21)

Relationship with the Father

· Intimacy

But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. (8:55)

“I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me." (7:29)

They said to him therefore, "Where is your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also." (8:19)

· Oneness

Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad." So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." (8:56-58)

I and the Father are one." (10:30)

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Gal 4:4-7)

Obedience to the Father

The Jews answered him, "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. (8:48-49)

"I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. (5:30)

For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. (6:38)

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. (1 John 5:2)

Mission of the Father

Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death." (8:51)

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." (6:40)

So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. (8:59)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matt 28:19-20)

Glory from the Father

Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?" Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, 'He is our God.' (8:53-54)

I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? (5:41-44)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved-and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Eph 2:4-7)

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (1 Pet 2:21)

"Before Abraham Was, I Am"

The Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”  Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”  So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. (John 8:57-59 ESV)

Jesus’ contentious dialogue with the Jewish leaders reaches its climax at the end of chapter 8: “So they picked up stones to throw at him.”  They’re obviously upset by what Jesus said, and in their judgment his words make him worthy of a sentence of death.

On the surface, Jesus’ words don’t seem so controversial.  A bit odd, perhaps, since he’s claiming to have seen a man that’s been dead for centuries.  Clearly, his words carry a deeper meaning… a meaning that isn’t lost on his hearers… a meaning that drives them into a murderous rage.

These Jewish leaders know their Torah, and Jesus’ words are all too familiar.  Read Exodus 3:13-15 and you’ll see what an outrageous claim Jesus is making.  It’s outrageous… unless it’s true.  If it’s true, then it’s breathtaking, awe-inspiring… and life-altering.

Children of Abraham

They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did.” (John 8:39 ESV)

The Jewish leaders put a lot of stock in their ethnic heritage: “We are offspring of Abraham…” (John 8:33); “Abraham is our father” (John 8:39).

But it seems that Jesus had the same attitude towards reliance on ethnicity as John the Baptizer did: “And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:9-10).

Jesus says that the issue isn’t ethnicity - the issue is evidence: “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did.” The order here is important. Jesus isn’t saying that doing the works of Abraham makes someone a child of Abraham; he’s saying that doing the works of Abraham provides evidence that someone is a child of Abraham.

And what does it mean to “do the works Abraham did”? The writer of Hebrews gives us a summary:

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. (Hebrews 11:8-10, 17-19)

To be sure, Abraham’s justification - his position as righteous before God - was by faith and faith alone. Read Romans 4 carefully and you’ll be convinced of this truth. But his faith led to action: “Abraham obeyed”; “he went out” and “he went to live in the land of promise”; and “when he was tested,” he “offered up Isaac.” And he did all of this “by faith.” Abraham’s faith was decidedly active.

So then, what does it mean to be a child of Abraham? In answer to that question, I’ll leave you with two passages to prayerfully ponder: Galatians 3 and James 2:14-26. Be forewarned that I’m asking you to do some theological heavy lifting. Theologians have had difficulty reconciling Paul and James for centuries. Martin Luther, in the preface to his 1522 German translation of the New Testament, wrote that “the epistle of St. James is an epistle full of straw” because of its emphasis on works.

So, if you have some trouble harmonizing Galatians 3 and James 2, you’re in good company. I’d encourage you to read both passages through the lens of Jesus’ words: “If you [are] Abraham’s children, you [will] be doing the works Abraham did.” Please feel free to comment.

The cross split time in two

As Christ-followers it is our conviction that the cross and the events that immediately followed it through Pentecost with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit are the pinnacle events of all of history. While the incarnation of Christ changed the way we measured time (BC vs. AD) from a Biblical perspective, everything before these events pointed to and prepared us for them, and everything since points back to and draws energy from them as we anticipate His return.

Events of such magnitude should have an impact on the way we live, beyond just what we do on Sunday mornings. If Christ's work on the cross can split time, it seems to me that it should have a profound and transformational impact on each person. Too often, the modern church in particular, is satisfied with semi-regular attendance on Sunday mornings, an occasional offering (at least as regular as your attendance, but preferably more), and for those that are truly serious, maybe serving in Children's ministry every once and a while. I believe Christ's desire is much higher. His work on the cross set a standard of transformation that He desires to see worked out in us. His death secures forgiveness and justification, while his resurrection secures abundant and eternal life, and His sending of the Holy Spirit provides transforming power. Read and reflect on these passages regarding the impact Christ is to have on the way we live:

• Acts 17:5-7
• Rom 12:1-2
• 2 Cor 3:12-18
• 2 Cor 5:13-20
• Gal 2:19-20
• James 2:14-24

God desires more for us than a merit badge, or lapel pin that we wear alongside our many other badges and pins: "Father", "Student", "Businessman", or "Available". It seems to me that an encounter with Christ deserves more than a change in our Facebook religious views. Are we allowing our encounters with Christ to truly transform us?