fellowship – Simply True

The Father of glory

We come now to what must be the clearest and dearest revelation of God as our Father. Jesus not only wants us to know his Father. He wants us to share in the joys of being in his family.[i]

What Jesus shows us here comes from the last week before his death, and particularly from two prayers he prays. Three themes recur: the glory of the Father; fellowship with the Father; and the Father’s home. All of these are important to Jesus, and he shows us why they are important for us too.

First, Jesus speaks about the glory of his Father.

In the first prayer,[ii] Jesus says his soul is greatly troubled. But he knows his calling—his great work. And he prays, ‘Father, glorify your name.’

The Father responds audibly—for the benefit of the apostles, and of us. Yes, he’s been glorifying his name already in what Jesus has been doing, and he will glorify his name again.

In various ways in the Old Testament, God has already shown Israel his glory. He is present, and powerful, and listening, and good, and he matters! Being delivered from slavery in Egypt is a classic example of God revealing his glory.

But now, a new revelation of glory will reveal the Father’s grace and truth.[iii]

If we’re content with ourselves, this will matter as much as a local circus! But if we know we are answerable to God for our life, we’ll really want to know that he is kind and forgiving!

Jesus explains what will happen. The world will be judged. The world—that’s all of us. Satan will be thrown down from his eminence as prince of this world. And, from now on, all authority will belong to Christ.

It will happen by Jesus being lifted up—on a cross, to die. But it’s fruit will be that people of all nations will become his willing subjects.

This is a whole story in itself, but here, we simply note that Jesus knows that if all this is going to happen, it will happen because the Father will be revealing his glory. Think of all that Jesus will endure. Think of his composure. Think of his cry—‘It is finished’, his resurrection, and the announcement of forgiveness of our sins! Where does all this come from? It’s nothing less that the Father glorifying his name—in Jesus.

A little later, Jesus prays again. And, once more, he asks the Father to glorify him so he can glorify his Father.[iv] How will this display of glory work out?

Jesus has just washed the feet of his apostles. He’s shown them that his Father’s glory works out by serving others. And he’s also talked about his disciples being clean—not just because their feet are washed but because they have received his word.

There’s no lowlier job than washing dirty feet. It’s not done by anyone important. But what the Father wants done is to wash away humanity’s filth. That’s what he’s sent his Son to do. It’s the dirtiest job ever. So, as we hear the story of Christ’s death, we are watching the greatest display of the Father’s glory—ever!

The world doesn’t need a dictator, a tactician, an influencer or benevolent provider. It doesn’t need something impressive to divert its attention from reality. It needs a God who becomes our servant—a display of who he really is. It needs a Son of God who bloodies himself to wash us clean.

Only this will reveal the Father’s patience with our self-interest, his intolerance of our pollution, and the love to bear a load we cannot carry.[v] And only such a deed will convey to us the glory of the Father!

Jesus is indifferent to the world’s glory. To him, it carries no weight. He wants the world to see God—being Father. And this display of glory will lead, not to judgement for us, but to eternal life.[vi] As he says, ‘the glory you have given me I have given to them….’[vii]

Second, Jesus reveals how we may havefellowship with the Father.

Intimacy is not easily gained! But Jesus has regularly reached into the lives of people—with love, and with great insight. He’s understood them, and they’ve understood that they have been received as persons.

And now, Jesus lets us see inside the astonishing relationship he has with his Father.[viii] He says that they are ‘in’ each other.

For us, the idea of another person being ‘in’ us may sound like an unwanted intrusion. But, for God, it’s love language.

Jesus hasn’t been doing his ‘own thing’. Neither has the Father. The Father is entrusting everything to his Son. And the Son is giving himself up to do his Father’s bidding. The disciples have been physically seeing the Son, but they’ve been watching the unseen Father—in action.

Another amazing disclosure follows. Jesus says his disciples already know the Holy Spirit. He’s been with them for three years—in Jesus. But he will ask the Father to send this same Spirit to be in the apostles.

The Father, Son and Spirit live in fellowship with each other, and Jesus is displaying this. But now, the apostles, and then, all of us, are going to be encompassed in this relationship.

Jesus will be in us. And we will be in him.[ix] Again, this is relationship language. We will love Christ and obey him. The Father will love us, and the Father and Son will make their home with us.

If we try to understand this conceptually, or emotionally, we will tie ourselves in knots—and miss the reality. The truth is that we tend to avoid the input of others into our lives. And we resist giving freely to others. Our relationships can be like billiard balls bouncing off each other.

But let’s ask ourselves this question. Do we long for more than this?

If the Father has given his Son to us, and his Spirit to be in us, are we going to remain ‘our own person’? Or rather, will we open ourselves to receive the grace and truth of the Father reflected in his Son? Will we allow this to be our new life?

Jesus wants this oneness—this ‘in-ness’ he has been talking about—to be shared by all who hear the gospel from the apostles. He wants us to be in the Father and himself—in the same way that he and the Father are in each other—by love that gives preference to the other.

It’s this very real personal relationship with the Father through Christ that will demonstrate to the watching world that Jesus really has been sent by the Father.[x] They will be looking at people who are secure in the Father’s love—in the same way that Jesus is.

Is this how we take the gospel to the world?[xi] It needs to be so, because it’s what Jesus asks his Father to make happen.[xii] We are to go to family, friends and neighbors, or even to people far away, full of the love we discover in the Father’s gift of Christ. Our coming is simple, and joyful. They encounter us and our words, but also, the presence of the unseen Father and Son who are loving us—and living in us.

Third,Jesus promises us a place in his Father’s home.

On several occasions, Jesus says he has come from the Father, and that he will return to the Father.[xiii] And, as with the Father’s glory and the Father’s fellowship, he wants us to be included in his return to the Father.

Just how important this is for us is illustrated by Peter.[xiv] Jesus is not impressed with his self-confident declaration of loyalty. In fact, he predicts his betrayal. But, in the next breath, Jesus says he should not be troubled! Rather, he should trust in God and in Jesus.

And Jesus tells him and all the apostles that the Father has a home large enough to accommodate all who follow him. Jesus will be the way to get there. And he will secure a place for each of his disciples. And he will come again to usher us into our new accommodation.

Peter’s very personhood will seem to collapse in the next few hours, and Jesus knows he will need a place to call home—just like the prodigal son in the story Jesus has already told. Here’s a truth larger than our uncertain attempts to be worthy of our Saviour. Just ask Peter!

The story of the Father’s home continues.

Jesus has not just been lifted up on a cross. He’s been lifted up in resurrection. And now, he’s lifted up to sit beside his Father in heaven[xv]—with all authority to finish what he began.

Jesus says we should be glad he’s going to the Father. It’s not just better for him. It’s better for us![xvi] And it’s better for persuading the unbelieving world of his victory.[xvii]

And, as we’ve seen, Jesus wants us to be with him where he is.[xviii] We must not cling to an earthly Jesus—as Mary Magdalene sought to do, but rejoice in his going to the Father.[xix]

We can’t afford to be content with the glory, or the intimacy, or the home we have in this world. The Father has sent his Son so that we may be filled full, as was his Son, with the glory of the Father. We’ll see more of this in the way the apostles follow up this revelation in a final article.

[i] John 17:26

[ii] John 12:27-30

[iii] John 1:17

[iv] John 17:1-26

[v] John 3:16

[vi] John 12:49-50; also 10:17-18; 12:27-28

[vii] John 17:22

[viii] John 14:15-23

[ix] John 15:4-16

[x] John 17:23

[xi] Throughout this prayer, Jesus has been very concerned with the world. He’s mentioned it 13 times in 26 verses.

[xii] John 17:23

[xiii] John 13:1, 3; 14:2-6; 14:28; 16:17, 28; 17:24; 20:17

[xiv] John 13:36—14:6. Note that this passage is all one narrative.

[xv] John 13:1, 3; 16:28; 17:5

[xvi] John 14:28

[xvii] John 16:10, 17

[xviii] John 17:24

[xix] John 20:17

[i] John 17:26

[ii] John 12:27-30

[iii] John 1:17

[iv] John 17:1-26

[v] John 3:16

[vi] John 12:49-50; also 10:17-18; 12:27-28

[vii] John 17:22

[viii] John 14:15-23

[ix] John 15:4-16

[x] John 17:23

[xi] Throughout this prayer, Jesus has been very concerned with the world. He’s mentioned it 13 times in 26 verses.

[xii] John 13:1, 3; 14:2-6; 14:28; 16:17, 28; 17:24; 20:17

[xiii] John 13:36—14:6. Note that this passage is all one narrative.

[xiv] John 13:1, 3; 16:28; 17:5

[xv] John 14:28

[xvi] John 16:10, 17

[xvii] John 17:24

[xviii] John 20:17

[xvii] John 17:24

[xviii] John 20:17

Jesus—Son of God

It’s good for us that we know the names and titles given to Jesus. They help us to know him, rely on him and worship him.

As we’ve seen, those who believe in Jesus know him as Leader and Saviour, they cherish him as the Christ who fulfills all God’s promises, and they honour him as their Lord. When the apostles speak of Jesus, they usually include one or more of these titles.

But Jesus is also the Son of God. As a title, it doesn’t appear in the New Testament as often as those above, but it’s always used in significant ways. We could say that calling Jesus ‘Son of God’ takes us to the heart of who he is.

But first, it’s helpful to know that this way of talking about Jesus has a history. Adam has been referred to as God’s son.[i] Then, God calls Israel his son.[ii] And the Messiah God promises to send is also identified as God’s son[iii].

So, when Jesus comes among us as the Son of God, he is all that an Adam should be—a true human being. He is all that God’s people should be—living by the word of God.[iv] And he accomplishes all that God has promised his Messiah will do.

But for Jesus, ‘Son of God’ is not just a title. It’s a relationship. It’s who he is.[v] God and Jesus are Father and Son—from eternity and to eternity. He doesn’t become God’s Son when he steps into our history.

As we would expect, it’s Jesus who tells us most about this.[vi]

When he’s only twelve, he expects his parents to find him in the house of his Father—God.[vii] This is natural for him. Mary must remember the story of his birth. She knows that her husband isn’t the father. An angel has told her that her child will be ‘holy, the Son of the Most High’, or, ‘the Son of God’.[viii]

When Jesus is baptized, God speaks to him audibly. ‘You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased’.[ix] This identifies Jesus as the coming King of Psalm 2. But Jesus hears his Father acknowledge him, warmly and publicly.

All of the known prayers of Jesus (except one he prays from his cross) are addressed to God as his Father. For example, he rejoices when his disciples report on their preaching tour.[x] And he explains that no-one really knows who he is—except his Father. That’s intimacy. And, apart from him, no-one knows his Father either—unless the Son chooses to reveal him to them.

Jesus calling God his Father is very surprising to those who hear him. No-one else is doing that. In fact, the Jews find it offensive. He’s claiming to be equal with God.[xi]

John writes his whole Gospel to show that ‘Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God’.[xii] And he begins his book with with an explanation of what ‘Son’ means.[xiii]

He is the Word of God—that is, God speaking and acting and revealing himself. He is God. All creation comes into being through him. He is the life and light that we all need.

And now, this Son of God has become flesh. He’s a human being.

None of us have seen God. But this Son of God is side by side with his Father God—intimately! And he’s revealing God. It’s through him that we know that the God of all the earth is Father, and Son. And later, that he’s Spirit too. God is a community of persons.

Jesus demonstrates what Son of God means by the way he lives, and so becomes a light shining into our dark places.

For example, he doesn’t need the approval of others. He doesn’t depend on the protection of the state. He is free to place others before himself—even in the most extreme of situations. He does this because he lives and loves in the certainty of his Father’s love.

All of us, by nature, have suspicions about God, want to avoid him and even get rid of him. Our lives become confined to what we can see and do. But God sends his Son among us to set the record straight. He’s a perfect representation of his Father[xiv]—full of grace and truth.

All that we’ve looked at here is a sample of what God wants to show us. We’ll spend our whole life discovering who this Son of God is—and all of eternity too.

And now, among the various ways that Jesus is spoken of as Son of God, here are two that stand out.

First, God’s Son has come to be an offering for sin

When Jesus talks to Nicodemus, he likens himself to the image of a snake on a pole that Moses erected. People could look at this and be healed of their snake bites.[xv] It’s a vivid story. And Jesus says he also will be lifted up on a pole so people will have a place to look and be saved.[xvi]

John explains this to us. Jesus is the Father’s only and beloved Son. But God so loves the world that he sends this Son for us, so that we will not perish.[xvii]

The Son of God is not just on our planet to give us advice. We’re lost. We’re rebels. We’re dead. We need a rebirth![xviii]

Then, moving on to the teaching of the apostles, Paul, on several occasions, links Jesus being Son of God with him being the offering for our sin.

We are reconciled to God by the death of his Son.[xix] God sends his own Son among us, sinless, but wholly vulnerable to the ravages of what sin can do to him—and does do to him.[xx]

God condemns sin—all of it, while his Son is bearing those sins. And we who trust him are washed clean![xxi]

So, Paul now chooses to live by faith in the Son of God who loves us and gives himself up for us.[xxii]

Very wonderfully, God’s Son has broken into our selfish world to show us what God is really like. And to show us what life is really about. Being Son of God is all about him being full of grace and truth.[xxiii] It’s about turning enemies into friends.

Second, the Son of God creates a fellowship with God that we can share

Like parents who encompass their children in the love they have for each other, God’s Son comes to tell us what life in the divine family is like.

Jesus describes this union as being in each other. It’s love language and deeply personal. Being ‘in’ another person is being focused on them rather than being focused on ourselves.[xxiv]

Jesus has been teaching and demonstrating this life for us. He’s the way, the truth and the life of his Father. In other words, he’s wanting us to recognise the Father in the way he goes about being the Son.[xxv] And he’s wanting us to come into the fellowship in which he lives.

A little later, Jesus tells us that the Spirit and he and the Father will come and reside in the apostles who have come to love him and obey him.[xxvi] And he includes us all when he says, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him’.[xxvii]

The truth of our sharing in the relationship of Father and Son needs to work its way through all of the duties and relationships we have. Jesus is insistent that we love one another. In the hours before his arrest and trial, he mentions it nine times.[xxviii]

So, being a Christian is a life of fellowship with God’s Son.[xxix] And God’s sends the Spirit of his Son into our hearts so that we can say ‘Father’[xxx]—with the same intimacy Jesus would have used in Aramaic (abba).

Clearly, we need to grow and mature in this new life we share with the Son of God. We are members of God’s family—his church, and by coming to know the Son of God fully, we grow up to maturity, together.[xxxi]

If God doesn’t tell us what it means to be human beings, we’re left with theories and chance. It’s a bleak landscape. We can divert ourselves for a while, but in the end, it’s all for nothing.

But Jesus says, ‘If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’[xxxii] Human life without the Son of God becomes ridiculous. We’re walking in the dark. Worse than that! We’re being led around—unwittingly—by Satan!

The truth of Jesus being the Son of God is not an idea to implement. It’s a power to submit to. God has raised Jesus from the dead to proclaim to everyone that this is his Son. And when we trust this wonderful and mighty Son of God, we are transferred from the tyranny of darkness to the kingdom of the Son he loves.[xxxiii]

Clearly, we need to turn away from making up an identity of our own. The Son of God has come to our planet. By the announcement of his truth, he comes to us. He gives us understanding so that we may know him. And live in him.[xxxiv] This is the reality for which we are all made. And it is the privilege to which we are called.[xxxv]

[i] Gen. 5:1 with 5:3. Also, the acknowledgement of Jesus as God’s Son is followed by a genealogy that finishes with Adam as son of God (Luke 3:22-28).

[ii] Exod. 4:22-23; Jer. 31:9

[iii] Psa. 2:7

[iv] Notice the way that Jesus ‘relives’ Israel’s journey in the wilderness, and quotes the commands given to Israel at that time in his own time of testing (Matt. 4:1-11).

[v] Some believe that Jesus having a ‘Father’ is a metaphorical way of speaking. Sons, they say, are born, and Jesus could not be God if he was born. But reasoning from our experience doesn’t work. God is not like us. We are like him. So, God has a Son—eternally. We reflect that and have children—in time.

[vi] Over 200 verses in our Gospels mention the Father and the Son, over half of them in John’s Gospel.

[vii] Luke 3:49

[viii] Luke 1:31-35

[ix] John 3:22

[x] Luke 10:21-22

[xi] John 5:18

[xii] John 20:31

[xiii] John 1:1-18

[xiv] Also Col. 2:9; Heb. 1:2-3

[xv] Num. 21:5-9

[xvi] John 3:13-15

[xvii] John 3:14-18; also 1 John 4:10

[xviii] John 3:5-8

[xix] Rom. 5:10

[xx] Rom. 8:3

[xxi] 1 John 1:7; 2:2

[xxii] Gal. 2:20

[xxiii] John 1:14

[xxiv] John 14:16-26

[xxv] John 14:6-9

[xxvi] John 14:17

[xxvii] John 14:23

[xxviii] John 14-16

[xxix] 1 Cor. 1:9

[xxx] Gal. 4:6

[xxxi] Eph. 4:13

[xxxii] John 8:31-38

[xxxiii] Col. 1:14

[xxxiv] 1 John 5:20

[xxxv] 1 Cor. 1:9

9—Sharing life with God

The thing that’s unique about us Christians is that we know God. In seeing Jesus, we have seen the Father (John 14:9). We can approach him, love him and make requests.

From the beginning, Satan has sought to undermine this relationship, and Paul has shown us how to deal with his strategies. Now he tells us we’ll need to be praying as well (Ephesians 6:18).

You’ve probably noticed that in this letter of Ephesians, Paul doesn’t just tell us something and assume we know. He prays (1:15-17; 3:14-16). He knows that only God can reveal himself. This is true about every part of our Christian life. We are always needing things that only God can do. So, we need to share in this praying.

Here’s the directions Paul gives us.

First, pray in the Spirit on all occasions!

Prayer is not just closing our eyes and saying prayers. It will include that but it’s more a way of life that’s been opened up to us by the Holy Spirit.

If we check back in this letter, we’ll get some idea of what prayer in the Spirit might look like. The Spirit is giving us a taste of the life God is planning for us (1:13). He’s enabling us to know God as our Father (2:18) and to believe Christ is living in us (3:16). And he showing us we all belong together as God’s people (4:3).

Without this work of the Holy Spirit, we forget who we are and can easily become engrossed—and upset—with all the things going on around us. And then we’re in no mood to pray!

That’s why we shouldn’t grieve the Spirit (4:30). Rather, we should be filled with him (5:18). We are being kept in relationship with our Saviour and our Father by his presence (2 Corinthians 13:14). If we make it our business to enjoy this, it’s not a burden to share our life with God. It’s a relief. It’s a joy.

We need to throw open the windows or our stuffy lives and let some fresh air in. God means us to live by the wind of his Spirit, even while we are living in the messiness of this present life.

I hope this is the way you see prayer. If it isn’t, perhaps you could ask the Lord to show you something new about himself. God is the natural habitat for every human being. A Christian is, simply, someone who is counting on this being true.

Second, use all kinds of prayers! And make all sorts of requests!

Jesus says ‘Pray like this…’ and gives us a pattern for our praying (Matthew 6:9-13). It’s starts with things that are for God’s glory and authority and follows with all the things we are needing—including forgiveness.

So, with this pattern in mind, there’s lots of things we can say in our prayers. The main thing is that we are being real. The almighty God is our Father. He’s the only one who can make a difference. He gives good gifts. And he doesn’t want us to be anxious about ourselves. That’s why we need to trust him with everything we’re concerned about. Everything!

Third, persevere in prayer!

This means keeping on trusting when ‘the heavenlies’ seem unreal, keeping on hoping when nothing seems to be happening and going on loving when it’s not producing any response.

This also means praying whether we feel like it or not. The world tends to live by its feelings. And this makes us weak. If we believe God loves us, that he’s given up his Son for us, that he is interested in what we think and what we want, then we will pray. We don’t have to feel anything. We have to believe.

None of us finds this straight-forward. The idea that some people are special and find it natural to pray and that other are practical and find it hard is just not true. We all have spiritual tardiness (Paul calls it our ‘flesh’). So, we need to encourage each other and keep listening to God’s word.

This perseverance means a lot to God. It shows him that our faith is genuine (1 Peter 1:6-7). And it’s very important for us too. It produces the character that is appropriate to our future life in God’s presence (Romans 5:3-5).

Fourth, pray for all of God’s people!

When we pray for our fellow Christians, we are not just being kind to them. We are helping in the business of God having a company of people who love and serve him.

Paul calls us all ‘saints’—that is, God’s holy people. This doesn’t mean we are perfect. It means we are chosen by God to fulfill his purposes. And God is eager that we live in this way. So, there is plenty for us to pray for!

Looking back over these last few articles, we have seen what God has done to have us strong in our Saviour, Jesus Christ. We are protected from evil powers because we’ve taken up all that God has done for us in him. We are protected because we’re being shaped by this gospel rather than by the world. We can stand firm because we’re using his weapons—not our own.

And now, by our prayers, we are ready to stand in the days God is giving us on earth.

In one sense, we are never ready to live—not by ourselves. But God has provided all that we need. And he waits to hear our prayers. So, we are always ready.