20/01/2025
GOOD WORD OF GOD FROM REIGNERS SANCTUARY
PREACHER: Prophet Joshua Gyasi
THEME: Do you know the Father?
BIBLE VERSE: John 10:15, AKJV: As the Father knows me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
EXPOSITION
Though Christianity accepts the existence of the Father, the reality is that He is relegated to the background in many churches. At times the impression is that the Father has quietly disappeared. Jesus is vital to true Christianity; He is the way to salvation, He is the source of truth, He is the path for an abundant life. But Jesus didn’t come just to bring us to Himself. He said one of the principal reasons He came was to lead us to the Father! Jesus said He came to reveal and help us to know the Father, and that knowing the Father was necessary for eternal life! There is more to Christianity than Jesus Christ alone. This may be a new statement to some in the Christian world. But if we honestly examine the words of Christ, we see that is exactly what He taught. Jesus is absolutely essential. Without His sacrifice and life, we would die in our sins. He is our Savior, and without Him we have no hope. We can’t underestimate His importance. But if we believe what He actually said, then we have to accept that Jesus taught us to seek the Father first. He was constantly emphasizing and highlighting the Father. He didn’t come doing His own will, "but the will of the Father" who sent Him. Jesus said that one of the distinguishing marks of His true followers was that "true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him". This is a direct challenge to those who neglect the Father. Jesus Christ directed worship and attention to the Father. He taught us to pray to the Father. He taught us to live by the Father’s Will and abide in His love. He said that by setting a right example we "glorify the Father in heaven". The most unfortunate idea that has arisen in Christianity is the idea of viewing the Father as harsh and distant while Jesus is the loving merciful one. Jesus actually taught that He and the Father are perfectly united by identical character. Jesus said plainly, "I and My Father are one". He didn’t mean they were the same being, but that they shared the exact same purpose and character. Their character can be summed up as love, unselfish, outgoing concern for each other and the creation. When asked by Philip to show them the Father, Jesus explained that knowing Him was like knowing the Father because "the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father who sent Me". In other words, He spoke the words given to Him by the Father. He labeled His work "My Father’s business". So when we read the words of Jesus Christ in the Bible, we should remember they were inspired by the Father. In essence, Jesus serves as the spokesman for the Father, communicating His message to human beings. So, one of the major ways we can learn about the Father is by carefully studying the life and teachings of Jesus Christ! It is clear from Jesus' words that the Father was at the center of His thoughts, teachings, prayers and worship. Jesus came to reveal the Father to us and to lead us to Him! It is through Christ's sacrifice that we can have access to the Father. That is why we pray to the Father "in the name" of Jesus Christ. In fact, God's plan of salvation for mankind will culminate in Christ delivering the kingdom to the Father. Everything Jesus said and did and in fact, the entire Bible leads us to the Father
PRAYER
Loving Father, words are insufficient to express the awe and wonderment of been Your child. Thank You, my dear Father. In Jesus' name I worship You, AMEN.