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[0:00] He called Jesus God, Abba. What does it really mean? Carrie Engel writes it this way. When I'm in Jerusalem, she's a reporter in Jerusalem.

[0:11] I didn't say out my second name incessantly until I responded, Mom! Mom!

[0:37] When Abba is used in the Bible, it's different from present-day usage. Some scholars consider it to be a colloquial term, a familiarity that a young child would have used, similar to how American children use Papa.

[0:53] I love hearing Saba calling Ben Papa and Daddy. But there's a sacredness in calling God Abba, Father.

[1:05] But we need to remember who we are addressing the Holy Lord God of all. Even Jesus used it. Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.

[1:16] Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will. Abba in Jesus' time was not a childish expression comparable with Daddy.

[1:27] It was more of a solemn, adult name for a father. Though Abba is a term associated with intimacy, to address God as Papa or Daddy reduces his glory.

[1:42] God our Father is also the master of the universe, the creator of all things, the revealer of mysteries. We don't want God to be like our earthly father, imperfect.

[1:56] We want a God that is perfect, high, and lifted up. Abba, Father.

[2:08] Abba, Father. Abba, Father. You are the one who's standing near.

[2:22] Abba, Father. Now say it. Jehovah Shammah.

[2:36] I will never cease to love you. Father, I adore you.

[2:53] Lay my life before you. How I love you.

[3:05] Father, I adore you. Lay my life before you.

[3:18] How I love you. Now, what does the Bible say about God as Father?

[3:35] Number one, Malachi 2.10. Has not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Matthew 6.26.

[3:47] Consider the first of the sky. They don't show or read. Or gather into one. Yet your heavenly Father teaches us. Are you worth knowing that? Matthew 7.11.

[4:00] If you didn't cure our evil, now have to be a good day to your children. Come and tomorrow, if you are a father at heaven, give a good day to the earth, you have to come. Matthew 1.18.

[4:11] No one has anything to God. The one and the old son is to work in himself, God, and he's at the Father's side. He and I are not. John 14.6.

[4:22] No one comes to the Father. He says, bring me. 1 Corinthians 8.6. Yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and he is good for him.

[4:34] And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and he is good for him. 1 John 3.1. See what great love the Father has given us, that we should be called God's children, and we are.

[4:50] The reason the world does not know us is that they didn't know him. Matthew 6.9. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

[5:01] John 10.30. I and the Father are one. And 2 Corinthians 1.3. Blessed be the God and Father, and our Lord be the Christ.

[5:15] The Father are merciful, and God is our helper. Now let's give praises to the Father. What praise do you have this morning? Yes.

[5:27] Stand and praise. All right.

[5:39] I did not hear that. Say it again. Say it again. My support team at school, and I made it to the new grade. I'll be in the interview. All right.

[5:50] Thank you for sharing. Someone else. What praises do you have? I give praise for the gentleman from the church who fixed my air conditioning when I had people here who were roasting.

[6:02] Nothing worse than stinky company. More for praises. Yesterday, our grandchildren had a really wonderful time out on the lake.

[6:16] Friends just have been fishing and fast, and they had a great time. Wonderful. Someone else. Yes. Praise God for the rain. Oh, absolutely. Yes. I was going to say praise God for the rain, but also this morning it was not raining when I went to a while.

[6:32] That quietness in the storm, it was new to be able to meet them on the road. It had just started raining when I headed to the barn, and I said, Lord, let it come.

[6:44] I'll be honored to be drenched. Anyone else? We had a great time yesterday. I had a shower for Jackson and Tim. Oh. How about that?

[6:57] It was a really good time. Two days ago, my mother went into the hospital, but it turned around very quickly, and she was back home yesterday.

[7:08] Praise the Lord. Absolutely. Yes. I had surgery, like, very well on the body, and I'm basically playing. All right. Yes. Yes. All right.

[7:23] Well, it is one decision. Jordan and I got an all-day date. We haven't had that in a long time. Oh, good. Good. Pastor John, would you leave us in prayer?

[7:36] Lord, we praise you. You are worthy of all of our praise. Lord, we're so often forgetful to do that, but thank you and to give you the honor and joy that you deserve.

[7:46] You are our Father, and you care for us. Even when we don't see your hand moving in our lives, we know you're there, working, bringing all things to you, and you can work, preparing the way for us, and preparing us for that way you have laid out for us.

[8:02] Thank you for your love and your mercy and grace. Thank you for saying that you're praying for Jesus. Well, we're here to worship Jesus, and let's express our love to him.

[8:12] Jesus told those Jewish people, if God were your Father, you'd love me, because I have come to you from God, and I am not here on my own, but he sent me.

[8:26] So listen to me. Let's sing together this beautiful little chorus. I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you.

[8:51] Oh, my soul rejoice. Take joy, my King, in what you hear.

[9:06] May it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear. My Jesus, I love thee.

[9:22] I know thou art mine. For thee all the follies of sin I resign.

[9:37] My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art thou. If ever I love thee, my Jesus, tis now.

[9:58] More love to thee, O Christ, more love to thee. Hear thou the prayer I make on, bended knee.

[10:19] This is my earnest plea. More love, O Christ, to thee. More love to thee.

[10:34] More love to thee. I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you.

[10:56] Oh, my soul rejoice. Take joy, my King, in what you hear.

[11:12] May it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.

[11:22] If ever I love thee, my Jesus, tis now.

[11:39] Father, we thank you that you've come to allow us to worship you today. And we pray that you will hear our worship, and it will be truly a sweet sound in your ears.

[11:53] In Jesus' name, amen. Have a seat. Well, our text today is John 8, chapter 8, verses 39 through 59, with a little smidgen in some of the other verses.

[12:08] And it takes place at the booth of the tabernacles. Now, the booth of the tabernacles celebrated the journeys in the wilderness, and they didn't have motels back then.

[12:19] Motel 6 did not have the light on. And so they had to create tabernacles. Tabernacles, simply a house. And there's something, so they would take branches from the woods, and trees, and leaves, and fashion a little lean-to or something, something similar to this.

[12:41] And there they would spend the night, or spend however much time it would be, celebrating it. Then after they got to be the children of Israel at home, they still celebrated this, and they would come to Jerusalem, and everybody would build them a little hut out of the branches that they'd find.

[13:01] And they would remember the journeys in the wilderness of their ancestors. They knew where they came from. It took place in the autumn of the year, so it wasn't burning hot all the time.

[13:16] They lived in temporary shelters made out of sticks and branches, and it celebrated the Israelites' journey through the wilderness. But Jesus was in Galilee.

[13:26] He was happy in Galilee. He loved being home with M. That is the word that, in biblical days, they used to call mother.

[13:39] And grandmother was M-M. So, when you become a grandmother, just be biblical, and they can call you M-M. But I'm sure, just like you and I, Jesus was a homeboy, and he loved his mother, had many good home-cooking meals with him, and he was glad to be home, having some home-cooking, cooking from M and M-M, I'm sure.

[14:06] I don't know that for sure, but I am, if I were anything like, Jesus anything like I would be, I would be having some squash casserole or squash fritters and some homemade biscuits.

[14:18] His brother, Joseph, or Joseph, Jude, or Judas, James, and Simon, decided to go on to Jerusalem to the feast. And so, they sort of jokingly, tongue-in-cheek, encouraged Jesus to go show off some of his miracle stuff.

[14:38] Excuse me. At the feast. But Jesus, they were probably not serious, probably a little envious of him, of all the recognition he was getting. And they were not believers yet.

[14:50] So, they said, come on, Jesus. Show off your stuff in Jerusalem. Go with us to Jerusalem. Jesus said, nah, I'll stay home. You fellows go ahead and enjoy the feast.

[15:02] Enjoy yourselves. It's not a good time for me to go to Jerusalem right now. Get up into that crowd. Not sure what happened.

[15:14] M or M-M may not have cooked his favorite meal. I don't know. But, something happened and he changed his mind and he showed up at the feast. But he decided to keep it on the down low.

[15:26] He sort of snuck in. But the people were looking for that man. That man that had done those wondrous signs and miracles. And so, it wasn't long before a crowd gathered.

[15:41] Jesus was a crowd gatherer. Jesus started teaching. We don't know what he taught. I have a little bit of an idea. But wouldn't you have loved to have been there to hear him teaching?

[15:53] But what he taught them impressed them greatly. But he got mixed reviews. Some of them said that he taught like no other man has ever taught.

[16:05] That's been said of him before. Remember the woman at the well? He's a good man some of them said. Nah, he's a snake oil salesman some of them said.

[16:18] He's the Messiah some of them said. And that scared the bejeebies out of the rulers. The Jewish rulers. How did he know so much without being educated in our school?

[16:31] They went to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Many committed in faith to him. And don't you know how wonderful that made him feel?

[16:47] That some of them accepted him just right then and there. He felt like he was making a dent in the world. But others had questions.

[16:59] Will the Messiah come from Galilee? Remember what Jesus said? They said can anything good come out of Galilee? We thought Bethlehem was where it was supposed to be born.

[17:13] The prophets said Bethlehem of Judea is where the Messiah would be born. They didn't know the whole story did they? He should provide better evidence than this if he's the Messiah.

[17:29] So they had questions. But the Pharisees were alarmed. You can see the worriness on their face there. They teamed up with the temple police and said bring him in for questioning.

[17:42] We want to we have some questions for this boy. Police returned without him. And they said why in the world didn't you bring him with you?

[17:54] We've got questions. And you know what he said? They said say it with me. Have you heard the way he talks? We've never heard anyone speak like this before.

[18:05] Say it again. Have you heard the way he talks? We've never heard anyone speak like this man before. Has Jesus talked to you like that? He has to me.

[18:17] It's not loud. I'm not weird. Pharisees said oh you're just this crowd. Just like this crowd. Carried away with this sweet talking rabble rouser.

[18:29] He's he's from Nazareth. Carpenter's son. No big deal. But Nicodemus spoke up.

[18:40] Jesus had already had a little talk with Nicodemus. For God so loved the world he told him that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

[18:52] And Nicodemus remembered that and carried that all the way to the resurrection. We might better listen to this man before passing guilt. That's the law. He was a lawyer.

[19:06] But they didn't listen to him. Controversy followed Jesus. He was he was embroiled in a kerfuffle before you knew it.

[19:19] He was not quiet and demure. Jesus was never quiet and demure. He was never at a loss for words. But sometimes his words didn't always make sense to the crowd.

[19:36] Just out of nowhere Jesus stands up and says I am the light of the world. No one who follows me stumbles out in the darkness.

[19:49] I provide plenty of light to them. What do you think they were thinking whenever he stood up and said that? I am the light of the world. The audacity of it all.

[20:06] The leaders responded we are going to need a little more than that. So again to those who believed in Jesus Jesus said this if you stick with this living out what I tell you you are my disciples for sure then you will experience for yourselves the truth and the truth will free you.

[20:32] The old translation is the truth shall set you free. Well that set the Pharisees on fire they were shocked they said who do you think we are?

[20:46] We are descendants of Abraham we've never been slaves to anyone how can you say the truth will set us free? We're free descendants of Abraham really?

[20:59] I guess they had forgotten the Egyptians for 400 years. I guess they'd forgotten the Philistines remember the Philistines how many years was it?

[21:12] She how many years were they enslaved to the Philistines remember in Sunday school? 20 years 20 years yeah she's my star student all of them are good though and now for 90 years they had been under the ruling thumb of Rome they were quasi slaves to Rome so never been slaves really?

[21:49] so a paternity dispute arose Jesus said yes I realize that you're descendants of Abraham and yet some of you are trying to kill me because there's no room in your hearts for my message I'm telling you what I saw when I was with my father but you are following the vice of your father remember what Jesus said earlier your real father our father is Abraham they said no Jesus replied for if you were really the children of Abraham you would follow his example instead you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth which I heard from God Abraham would never do such a thing as that no you're imitating your real father they replied we are not illegitimate children parenthesis mine like you are God himself is our true father as in

[22:50] John 8 19 they again insulted the parentage of Jesus calling him an illegitimate child you know the story of that we were not born of fornication but we know about you Jesus we don't know about you Jesus well they didn't know but they didn't realize that God was his father John does not include the birth of Jesus in his in his gospel like Matthew and Luke pardon me surely Mary shared this with John when she came to live with him after the crucifixion references of illegitimacies perhaps was John's way of confirming Jesus real parentage which was God God was his father Jesus told them if God were your father you would love me because

[23:51] I have come to you from God I am not here on my own but he sent me why can't you understand why what I'm saying do you think he was expecting a little much of them maybe so but his signs and wonders were proof enough Jesus would admit that they are Abraham's descendants in a generic sense but Abraham was not their father in a spiritual sense Jesus continued for you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God but you don't listen because you don't belong to God these are the descendants of Abraham Moses is their father and they were very unhappy about that I love what our devotional book writer

[24:53] Gary Weber says the father begets a child the child is made of the same substance as his or her parents they share the same DNA while it is true that humans are created in God's image to call him father is to claim to be of the same essence that is the radical claim Jesus made and his audience wasn't comfortable at all with it so earthly and spiritual parentage are quite different Jews claimed Abraham is our father which equals their earthly parentage Jesus claimed the devil is their father which was their spiritual parentage how could he tell how could he tell because my word has no place in you it was clear my word has no place in you their rejection of the word of Jesus proved that they were not like

[25:56] Abraham their rejection of Jesus as the word proved that they were not of Abraham they did not have the freedom that would set them free that come from abiding in his word and he promised that it would set them free so he could tell plainly Charles Spurgeon puts it like this the old preacher I love some of the things he does the word of God ought to have listen to this this is for us an inward place in our hearts a place of high honor a place of trust a place of rule a place of love and a permanent place that would be a good evaluation tool for you to use as you evaluate your spiritual parentage Spurgeon has a good point there the word for the

[26:59] Pharisees and Jewish leaders was one of legalism a strict adherence to the man made laws they cared more about obeying the law than meeting the needs of people they condemned Jesus for healing on the Sabbath earlier the man who was at the pool wanting to get healed he healed him on the Sabbath and they gave Jesus a hard time in just a little bit we'll be talking about another healing on the Sabbath and he got another hard time Jesus point spiritual parentage determines our nature and our destiny if we have God as our father it will show but if we have our father as Satan it also will show just like it showed in the adversaries of Jesus those Jewish rulers they were not interested in healing or caring for anybody just the strict adherence of the law thou shalt not work on the

[28:03] Sabbath so Jesus said if God were your father you'd love me if one loves God as their father they will also love Jesus there is no room for I love God but reject Jesus there's no room for that Jesus said you do not hear because you are not of God the Jewish leaders couldn't take it they became indignant and resorted to calling names this is typical of people who have lost an argument and they know it but they don't know how to make themselves look good so they insult you so they called him your Samaritan devil like the way you read that then didn't we all say all along didn't we say all along that you were possessed by a demon and Jesus gave it back to them no

[29:04] Jesus said I have no demon in me for I honor my father and you dishonor me and though I have no wish to glorify myself God is going to glorify me he is the true judge he just discounted them they were not his judge there was only one judge so so Jesus did it again he stood right up before them and said I tell you the truth anyone who obeys my teaching will never die I wonder how they felt about that one anyone who obeys me will never see death in one translation what did he mean if anyone keeps my word he will never see death a remarkable claim that only makes sense if Jesus is God never see death when you look at death does it terrify you when you see death does it terrify you

[30:09] Jesus promises eternal life to those who keep his word so death does not terrify those of us who love the Lord religious leaders twisted Jesus his words Jesus said he who keeps his word will never see death he who keeps his word will never taste death is what the Jewish leaders said and so the believer will indeed taste or experience death but when he sees death he is not terrified by it because Jesus has defeated death death where is thy sting grave where is thy victory Paul made it right whenever he said that we will experience death but when we see death it does not terrify us!

[31:03] well that really did it the people said now we know you are possessed by a demon even Abraham and the prophets died but you say anyone who obeys my teachings will never die you are are you greater than our father Abraham he died and so did the prophets who do you think you are are you greater than our father Abraham Jesus had been waiting for that question for a long time it was the question Jesus was hoping to hear but they asked the question hoping that Jesus would be caught in a trap who do you think you are the question Jesus had been waiting for was that if I want glory for myself he said it doesn't count but it is my father who will glorify me you say he is our God but you don't even know him

[32:05] I know him if I said otherwise I would be as great a liar as you but I do know him and obey him you have not known him demonstrated by their actions because they sought!

[32:22] kill him I know the controversy ended with the grandest statement he had ever made about himself he stood and said your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming he saw it and was glad well talk about a kerfuffle they didn't understand that at all Jesus claimed to be greater than Abraham F.F.

[32:55] Bruce puts it this way but when did he exalt to see the day of Christ another translation perhaps when he said to Isaac on the way to the place of sacrifice God will provide himself with a lamb for the burnt offering and we know that God did provide a lamb in Jesus Christ but there was another time that Abraham saw Jesus and was glad very glad back in Genesis 18 when I was in seminary the pastor of the church that I went to attended did a monologue entitled Beneath the Oaks of Mamre it was one of the first monologues I had ever heard but it based on Genesis 18 when Abraham was sitting outside of his tent and all of a sudden some people came up Genesis 18 the Lord appeared again to

[33:56] Abraham and the Lord is another word Yahweh Yahweh appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre one day Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day he looked up and noticed three men standing nearby and when he saw them he ran to meet them and welcomed them bowing low to the ground he was a southerner welcomed his guest my lord he said if it please you stop here for a while rest in the shade of the tree while water is brought to you and wash your feet then he tells Sarah in the tent her and her handmaid to prepare a meal for them and they sat and ate and Abraham served them a meal and after the meal one of them said to Abraham I will return to you about this time next year and your wife

[34:57] Sarah will have a son and if you listen real carefully you will hear giggling in the tent because Sarah heard it and she said at my age and then at his age but one of those messengers is believed to be Jesus the pre-incarnate Christ no way of proving it but Jesus pre-existed Abraham and so the pre-incarnate Christ came to visit Abraham no wonder Abraham was glad he was going to have a son just as God had promised and it was getting too late they were getting too old well they looked at Jesus and said you knew Abraham you are not yet 50 years old and have you seen Abraham how could you know Abraham rejoiced in you were you there

[35:58] Jesus answered and said this unbelievable word I tell you the truth before Abraham was even born I am I am those are the words that is the name for Yahweh God when you do the figures of the Hebrew word it is it means Yahweh which means I am they asked they asked the question who do you think you are and he told them I am he told them I am I am was understood in that day by the Jews as the term of deity I am existing before Abraham's time I am the voice of God revealed at the burning bush in Exodus 3 13 I am a name belonging to Yahweh alone and as John talked about last Sunday C.S.

[36:58] Lewis in his book Mere Christianity puts it this way Jesus must never be viewed as simply a moral teacher Jesus claims implies that he is one of the three either a lunatic a liar or Lord a lunatic a liar a Lord well clearly the Jewish leaders rejected the Lord answer and considered Jesus to be a lunatic and a liar worthy of death at that point they picked up the stones starting to throw to them but Jesus was chill he just sort of walked out and left the temple if God is our father and Jesus is Lord we must surrender we must submit we must worship we must trust we must obey and we must believe another evaluation tool for us as we look at who

[37:59] God is we must choose Jesus claimed to be the great I am as you can imagine that was hard for them to believe our pastor Matt stand up Matt is a good man what if Matt stood before you today and made similar claims I am the light of the world if the son sets you free and I am he you will be free indeed if God were your father you would love me for I proceeded forth and came from God which of you convict me of sin that would be a good one if anyone keeps my word he shall never see death Abraham rejoiced to see my day before

[39:01] Abraham was I am I have some stones up here if you feel like throwing them now Becky would agree with all of these but I'm not sure all of us would so what we would say what prove it that's exactly what Jesus did next just as he had done five other times he used signs and wonders miracles to prove that he is I am the son of God I want you to notice how chill he was Jesus was even in the midst of attempted stoning but Jesus slipped away getting out of the temple and chapter nine begins and as he was walking along he saw a man who had been blind from birth he was an extrovert I imagine he was doing the same thing I would be doing talking his head off with people he left that violent scene as if and as he was chatting with friends he happened to pass by a man born blind and saw a need so remember what day it was sabbath sabbath day or not he proceeded to meet that need with grace with spit and mud

[40:18] Jesus rubbed his eyes and said go wash in the pool of salome and the man washed and could see the Pharisee said well this man is not from God for he is working on the sabbath and I don't know whether he's a sinner but I know this I was blind and now I can see God should get the glory for this because we know this man Jesus is a sinner the man replied if this man were not from God he couldn't have done this and they threw him out of the synagogue Jesus comes and finds the man and he says do you believe in the son of man that's what he called himself son of man remember the man had not seen Jesus he was blind when Jesus healed him the man said who is he sir I want to believe in him Jesus said you have seen him now and he is speaking to you now the man said yes

[41:22] Lord I believe and he worshipped him Jesus is speaking to you today will you believe will you worship only Jesus Jesus was not interested in keeping man-made laws he was not interested in bad theology about why bad things happen only meeting needs with grace and then the song that comes to mind from reading this passage sing it with me amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now am found was blind but now

[42:30] I see and all God's people said amen amen amen! amen! amen Thank you.