All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others

A God who is your Friend

See Jesus, see the Father… John 14.7-11, John #71

The God who is your Friend,

sticks closer than a brother.

Listen to this podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/2ed53c74/the-god-who-is...

When we ‘get’ Jesus, we are able to ‘get’ the Father. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, Jesus said. Take a look then: ~See Jesus born as a child, taking his first steps … see the Father’s heart, willing to let the Son be vulnerable. ~See Jesus learning to swing a hammer… see the practical side of the Father. ~See Jesus call his disciples one at a time—knowing they would one day change the world … see the wisdom of the Father. ~See Jesus take little children upon his lap and brush the hair from their little faces … see the tenderness of the Father. ~See Jesus find a place of solitude to pray … see the intimacy of the Father. ~See Jesus face loneliness … see the willingness of the Father; ~see Jesus get rejected … see man’s rejection of the Father.

In the next breath after “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” Jesus again identifies himself as the face of God to the disciples. It is not like it was a newsflash to the men, Jesus had told them before, I and the Father are one^*…hmmm. Though they were with him and had seen his work, though they knew Jesus better than anyone on earth, they again questioned because he had just told them he was going to leave them.

From John 14-⁷If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

⁸Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

⁹Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? ¹⁰Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. ¹¹Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

See Jesus, see God the Father. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. Jesus looks into their faces, imploring them to understand! ‘Don’t you see? To see me, is to see what my Father is like.’ Friends, take note: the God of all creation loves so much He came to us. First, he entered into a plain, ordinary home, into an unremarkable family from a simple village. As Jesus learned the trade of his father, we see God dignify the work of our hands. God became a tradesman … God knows and sees what it is like to have to ‘make ends meet’… he knows the anxieties you face - all of them.

See Jesus, see God your Father. God knows what it is like to be tempted. Remember the 40 days in the desert that inaugurated Jesus’ launch into public ministry? Surely you did not think that was the extent of the temptations Jesus faced! Struggling with addiction, are you? God sees and he understands; he extends a hand to you for healing, for freedom, for release.

God came, God felt, God struggled that he might identify with us, and we with him. The God who loves as no other came to us. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father ~ the Father who is your friend!

* John 10.30

5/Prayer: Heavenly Father, I cannot read Jesus' words, see him interact with people, willingly go toward the Cross and not thank you for your heart toward me! Praise God from your heart. Repent. Ask. Listen. Thank him for his good gifts.

5/Worship: take a couple minutes to listen to this song please:

God Who Listens, Chris Tomlin/Thomas Rhett: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1khJCXGcUI

Christine

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