Coming to the Father

 

“…no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14:6b

 

The essence of life is coming to the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

It is coming to the Father through Jesus as His individual sons and daughters, and it is most certainly coming to the Father in koinonia with one another (1 John 1:3; Hebrews 10:19 – 25).

 

Those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes have the Lamb’s Name, and the Father’s Name, “written on their foreheads” (Rev. 14:1). That is, they have the Nature of the Lamb and the Father infused in their minds, their hearts, their souls. We learn to live by the Light of the Lamb and of the Father exclusively, and we have no Temple but the Father and the Lamb (Rev. 21:22 – 23).

 

And so we see that our Father is “bringing many sons [and daughters!] to glory” through our Lord Jesus Christ, our Elder Brother. (Hebrews. 2:9 – 13).

 

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3).

 

The Upper Room, John chapters 13 – 17, is about coming to the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, the Gospel is about coming to the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. In John 13:1 we see that Jesus is departing from the world to the Father, in John 17 we see Jesus bringing us to where He is in the Father.

 

In Matthew’s Gospel, in the beginning of the teaching of Jesus Christ, we see Jesus teaching us to pray “Our Father” and teaching us to be perfect and mature “as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt. 5:9, 45, 48; 6:9, 32).

 

Paul writes that we cry out, “Abba! Father!” “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Romans 8:15c – 16).

 

Are we declaring the Name of our Father to our brethren? (Heb. 2:12).

 

Do we realize that the creation is travailing for the manifestation of the sons of God? (Rom. 8:22).

 

In the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15, the wayward son comes to his senses while in a far country and eating the food of pigs, as wonderful as this story is, and by no means to diminish it – there is yet the story of Advent, the story of the Word being made flesh and living among us and giving His life for us (John 1:1 – 18).

 

For in the Incarnation it is the Elder Brother who leaves His Father’s House and goes into the far country, goes into the place of the unclean with its unclean food, in order to bring His wayward brothers and sisters back to their Father (Hebrews 2:9 – 18).

 

The essence of life is our returning to the Father through Jesus Christ.

 

Isn’t this a message worth sharing?

 

“When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.” (Luke 2:17 – 18).

 

 

Jesus, our Life?

 

 

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” John 14:6

 

Is Jesus our life?

 

Is He our source of life? Do we feed on Him throughout each day and night? Do our hearts beat for Him? Do we worship Jesus?

 

John writes, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men” (John 1:4). Do we see all things in, and through, the light of His life, the life that He gives to us?

 

In John’s first letter he writes of the “Word of Life,” “and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us…” (1 John 1:1 – 2).

 

Jesus says to the Father, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3).

 

When people are in love there is often a glow about them, an excitement, an ongoing anticipation of looking forward to the next time they see their beloved. The hearts and minds of people in love are often consumed with feelings and thoughts for their beloved.  People in love hopefully know, and are coming to know, their beloved. That is, they are in a relationship with their beloved – they are coming to know and coming to be known.

 

For myself, there is nothing quite like seeing friends who have been married for many years love and care for one another; there is a special beauty in seeing a couple advanced in years holding hands in a restaurant or other public place. As Vickie and I come to frequent medical facilities in our own advancing age, we often see other older couples together – walking with one another in the final season of life, supporting one another (sometimes literally), encouraging one another, being there for each other.

 

Do we see that Jesus is our Beloved? That our life is in Him, in our union with Him? Do we know Him as our life? Do we only speak about Jesus as someone whom we have never really met, or do we speak of Him because we know Him? Do we have firsthand knowledge of Jesus Christ?

 

I am writing to the professing church, for we have a Bridegroom who loves us, who gave His life for us that we might live by His life, a Bridegroom who has given us His Name – and yet we live without wearing our wedding ring, we live not as married to Christ, but rather in promiscuity – for we have many “lovers” – many substitutes for our Bridegroom…some religious, some political, some economic, some hedonistic – we have so many idols and so many excuses for them.

 

As I have said and written before, if we loved Jesus we would talk about Him to one another and to others – but we don’t. We speak of church, we talk of religious programs, we market leaders, we engage in therapy, and we justify our exclusion of Jesus in daily life – we wouldn’t want to offend anyone with the Cross…that wouldn’t be nice…whether they are within or without the professing church.

 

O beloved, there is something amiss in a marriage in which one spouse lives as if the other doesn’t exist.

 

Jesus desires an intimate relationship with us, with you. How intimate? As intimate as the Trinity (John 17:20 – 26). We are called to live securely in God’s love (Romans 8:28 – 39) and His peace (Romans 5:1 – 11) – the Bridegroom can indeed take perfect and eternal care of His Bride.

 

And so I ask again, is Jesus Christ our life? Whether we are in our early years of just getting to know our Beloved, or our advanced years of mature and deep relationship…or in between…is Jesus Christ our life? Are we married to Him? Are our congregations married to Him? Are our souls living in union with Him?

 

Shall we ask Jesus to reveal Himself to us as never before? Shall we ask Him to draw us closer and closer into a deep relationship with Himself?

 

Shall we ask Him to make us a Bethlehem, a House of Bread, so that others may partake of Him through us?

 

Might this be an Advent season unlike any we’ve ever experienced?

 

“Come Lord Jesus.”

Is Jesus Our Truth?

 

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life…” John 14:6.

 

What does it mean when Jesus says, “I am…the truth”?

 

As I pondered this question I was drawn to the following portion of the Nicene Creed:

 

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

 

I love the following, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.

 

I often think of this passage in the Creed (consider John 1:1 – 14 and Colossians 1:13 – 20), both in my own meditations and when I encounter professing Christians who don’t seem to know Jesus, who seem to consider Jesus as being far away from them and more of a figurehead than a Living Person radiating the glory of God…who don’t appear to be worshipping Jesus. (Now if you think this too harsh, then explain to me why we don’t speak of Jesus when we are with one another.)

 

It occurred to me this morning that the Creed is like wedding vows, and that when we recite the Creed that we renew our vows to the Trinity and to one another in the Trinity.

 

Do we know Jesus as the Creed portrays Him? Certainly the Creed is faithful to the Scriptures and portrays Jesus as the Bible reveals Him, if we will have eyes to see Him. Do we know Him as the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father? Is Jesus the truth of our life?

 

This goes far beyond believing in, or affirming, a set of statements or propositions about Jesus Christ; this has to do with the Person of Jesus Christ being our truth – realizing that He is the Truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth because Jesus Christ is God, and to live in Jesus Christ is to live in the Truth, it is to live in God – it is to live in the Throne Room of Revelation chapters 4 and 5, and in the City of Revelation chapters 21 and 22.

 

To know Jesus Christ is to know the unfolding reality of John 14:23: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.”

 

Consider that the primary image of God’s relationship with His People is marriage – we see this throughout the Bible, and we see its consummation in the Bride of Revelation chapters 21 – 22. Paul writes that we are to have one husband, Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 11:1 – 3). Our Husband, Jesus, is to be the Truth of our lives, as His Bride we are to exhibit a “simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” This simplicity and purity and devotion means that anything that impinges on our intimacy with Jesus Christ is to be immediately rejected – this becomes the truth of our relationship with Him; He is our Truth – and this Truth, because it is Him – His very Person – surpasses statements about Him, doctrines about Him – as true as those statements and doctrines may be. This does not mean that doctrines and true statements are not vital, but it does mean that doctrines and true statements do not equate with an intimate relationship of the Bride with the Bridegroom.

 

In the world of mankind, historically a wedding ceremony does not make a marriage, nor does a marriage certificate. Historically there must be a wedding ceremony with vows, a certificate attesting to the marriage, and then the marriage must be consummated. A ceremony and a certificate without a consummation is not – historically speaking – a marriage. Is it possible that many professing Christians have yet to actually enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ? Is it possible that He has yet to become their Way, Truth, and Life?

 

How many of us who are married hide the fact that we are married? Do we take our wedding rings off when leaving our homes? Do we leave them in the car before going into our places of work? What would our spouses say to such behavior?

 

Well then, how many professing Christians fail to speak of Jesus during the course of their days and weeks? How many professing Christians hide their relationship with Jesus at work? In civic life? In their social lives? In their neighborhoods?

 

O dear friends, can we not see that something is deeply amiss when so few professing Christians share Jesus Christ with others? When so few professing Christians do not even speak of Him when they are among themselves?

 

Is Jesus truly the Truth of our lives?

 

Are we wedded to Him?

 

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.