Relationship with the Father

Turn to John's Gospel, please, for 20 minutes. John's Gospel in Chapter 20. In every chapter but two in the Gospel of John, the Lord Jesus introduces us to the Father.

And what I want to try and notice a little with you today is some relationships with the Father. John's Gospel is divided into three parts. We're only going to be noticing just a few expressions in the first 12 chapters.

But the first 12 chapters, the Lord Jesus is introducing his disciples to the Father and his relationship with the Father. When we come to the second section, when the Lord Jesus is in the upper room, he's introducing the disciples to responsibility to the Father in their responsibility in activities. And when we come to the last chapters, we find three occasions when the Lord Jesus is reminding men who have responsibility as shepherds of their responsibility to the Father.

But in the first section, I would less like to be a disciple. I'd like to learn to know my Father. And as I read these chapters, the first 12 chapters, there are five different expressions.

I'm going to mention them to you quickly because I said 20 minutes and that's it. I hope the Lord will very graciously just remind you of these passages and read them on your own. This first verse to me is a very touching verse in Chapter 20 and verse 17.

Beautiful language, it reaches my heart sometimes that I can hardly take in the real feelings of the Lord Jesus and even for his own as he mentions these words. Jesus saith unto her, touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God. Personally, I don't believe that we can sound the depth of that verse.

I don't think it's possible for we're looking at the person of the Lord Jesus and he's speaking of his Father. We realize he is one with his Father and we realize that he is God even as the eternal Father in that trinity of being, but he's giving us a little secret here. That my Father is your Father and it's the knowledge of God as my Father.

When we think of the Lord Jesus Christ as we've been hearing, we're thinking of administration in sovereignty. He has given his word. He is directing his servants.

He is moving with power. He is the one who is the operating, the manifestation of the will of the Father. But when I think of the Father, we think of origination and we're thinking of government.

We're thinking of security. We're thinking of provision. That's my Father and I need him every day.

Now, I'm going to make mention to these passages and you will read them on your own because I just want to conserve my time and as you know, sometimes I say more than I should as far as words are concerned. In chapter 1 and verse 18, the Lord Jesus is going to speak about the bosom of his Father. Now when you read the passage, of course, there's an intimacy of person, the Father and the Lord Jesus.

But the fact of the bosom of his Father, the Lord Jesus is giving expression to an eternal relationship of enjoyment as well as communion and as well as oneness of thought and mind with his Father, the bosom of the Father. And let me say both to young believers and young persons as well as older ones, dearly beloved, we need to get to know the feeling of the bosom of the Father. You will eventually, for there are always times of tears in our lives.

I read of the person of the Lord Jesus in John's Gospel and it says he grieved. He grieved. He was troubled.

Do you not think he spoke with his Father? I know he did. He tells us he did. In times when he realized the acquaintance and relationship with his Father in a time when he was grieving.

There are grieving hearts amongst God's people, many of them. Sometimes, like even when Gospel meetings are being conducted. And you knew before the meeting started where your heart was.

There are children. There are relatives. And every day you mention their name.

The meetings come and the meetings go. And they're still in their sins. I know from experience what that is like.

And you get down before God and you cry out, Oh, Father. Oh, Father. I need the bosom of the Father because he's the originator.

He is the security. He is the provider. And what he wants is for me to be brought into that intimacy of resting in him as Father.

That is not only going to strengthen us, beloved, in our faith, but it is going to give to us a more heavenly view. And we need that as we're moving through a world with its constants of change that is so corrupt and sad. And you're raising children in it.

You're praying for them in that world. We need the bosom of the Father, not only for grief, but we need the bosom of the Father just because we love him and because he loves me. Could I ask you, dear younger brother, younger sister, when was the last time you told your father, I love you, Father? And that was the result of your occupation with his person.

I love you, Father. If you get near to the bosom of your father, you know what you're going to find? He's going to say, and I love you. That's what we need to hear, brethren, and dear sisters, and those of you who are older, with the trials of age and so on, and even the disappointments in our life.

He wants us to be able to say, because of how he manifests himself to us as the originator and as well as the controller, to hear us say, like the Lord Jesus said, I love the Father. Oh, how beautiful. May it come from the depth of our heart.

Through experience, we have rested our minds, our spirits, our soul in the bosom of the Father. Now in chapter 4, the Lord Jesus is speaking of worshipers of the Father. You find that in verse 23 of the fourth chapter.

We worship the Father. Now the idea here is the Father is receiving our worship. We're worshiping him, we're presenting to him our appreciations of our Lord Jesus, and as well as the provision that he has made for us.

But this is the point that's being made, and in that chapter, you have both private and corporate worship that's in view, because there's the true worshiper, and then we find it's pluralized. There are worshipers, and that is the assembly character of worship, and the private, may I just mention this, the idea of the private worship is that it's a personal appreciation of God in the manifestation of his greatness toward us in whatever avenue it may be. And in the case of this dear woman, indeed it is one of the great avenues, was the marvel of the knowledge of the Lord Jesus of her, and her life, and her condition, and bringing grace to her.

It astounded that woman. It just astounded her. And the Father, the Lord Jesus interprets it.

He said that's a true worshiper of the Father. And so we need indeed to realize that the idea of worship is not just the giving of thanks. When you are, even on Lord's Day morning, dear younger brethren, when you are learning, and you're still learning, and listen to your older brethren, you should learn from them.

And it's not only giving thanks for the wonder that my mind saved. That's thanksgiving for what has been received. And praise is when we're looking at the wonder of the person who has given that to us.

But worship is when the Spirit is overcome with the absolute infinitude and eternal fullness of every feature necessary in the administration of that greatness of salvation. You can't help it. Your mouth is closed.

That's worship. We can't say it. That's worship.

The tear on the cheek. That's worship. It's not how greater the volume of words, brethren.

It's the Spirit that's subdued in the awesome greatness of my eternal Father. Worship. The Father seeketh such to worship Him.

The third one is in chapter six, in verse, chapter five, pardon me, in verse 27. Six, pardon me. The Lord Jesus says, my Father giveth you the true bread.

That's a lovely statement. My Father, ah, my Redeemer, He's the Father's gift to me. And when I'm reading in chapter six, the Lord Jesus is going to explain.

He says, you remember when Moses received the administration of the manna in the wilderness for God's people? He says, it wasn't Moses who gave that. He says, my Father. My Father gave them bread every day for 40 years.

It was bread that suited, you know, there are three men. I like to tell the younger people this. There's three men in the Bible that ate manna every day for 40 years.

Powerful, brethren. We should never miss a day of feeding on the manna. Moses, Joshua, and Caleb.

They ate bread manna every day for 40 years. It sustained them. They went through many a trial.

The manna sustains. It's the gift of our Father. And there are occasions when you are realizing trial, or when you are realizing testing, even from within the flesh, or from something that has happened in your life, and you turn to God and cry out to Him, just a little word, Father, please.

Just a little word to help me rest my spirit. The Father giveth bread. Marvelous how our blessed Father supplies for the wilderness pathway with the manna, which is the incarnate person of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, as I sit down, I want you to notice one more in chapter 8 and verse 29. The Lord Jesus makes this statement. He says, my Father hath never left me alone.

I love that. My Father hath not left me alone. There were moments, moments when it looked like He was alone.

There were moments when He accepted shameful remarks about His very person, and the disciples never said a word. Never said a word. Ever felt that way? I ashamedly confess, by handling His word here today, there have been times when my mouth should have been open, and it was closed.

Shame upon me. But my Father never left Him alone. And dear brethren and dear sisters, irrespective of what may be said, and please don't imagine what people say.

If you're just imagining it, don't listen to it. Wait until it's really said. Then you can say it.

But whatever. Remember always, every step of the blessed person of the Lord Jesus, every day of his experience, my Father hath not left me alone. And He will not leave you alone, beloved.

He will not leave me alone. All I want to learn to do is to look into His face and get to know my Father better and better. There's one thing I yearn for when I'm in the of the Lord's coming.

It's going to be wonderful, brethren. Dear sister, with a tear, dear brother, with a broken heart, there's a day coming. And when our Lord Jesus shouts, and we rise away, changed in a moment, and in the company of His glory, He's going to bring us into the blaze of the glory of the presence of the Father.

I can't wait. Then I'll be able to express intelligently, without a mark of sin or unholiness, and give thanks to my Father for the faithfulness of His being, the wonder of His provision, the wisdom of His word, and the patience of His love, and forever and ever to be in the blaze of the glory of that faithful Father. May we get to know Him, learn to love Him, tell Him you love Him, and He'll tell you He loves you.

Walk faithfully with Him, for there's not a day when my Father will ever leave me alone. you