One With the Father
Memory Verses
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Background Scripture: John 8
Lesson Scripture: John 8:12-26
Introduction
Jesus has a beautiful relationship with His Father. He as God's only begotten Son came into this world to fulfill the plan of salvation. The light He brought, the love He gave, and the power He has are all given to Him by His Father. Jesus made it possible for us to have our sins forgiven, to forsake the lusts of the world, and to become one with Him and His Father in life and ultimately to be with them in eternity.
Key Verse
Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, 0 God (Heb. 10:7).
Lesson Scripture
JOHN 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
16 And yet if Ijudge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.
20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.
21 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.
22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.
23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
25 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that 1 said unto you from the beginning.
26 I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.
Studying the Lesson
Jesus, as the second person of the triune God, came into this world as an emissary with the responsibility of making God's will known to His people. The Jews were looking for a Messiah to deliver them from the rule of the Romans and restore them as an independent nation. They believed that Messiah would bring them freedom, peace, and equality. They knew the history of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and the prophets. They accepted that God had called these men from among them to proclaim His will, but now Jesus had come and was making divine claims that defied human reasoning. It would take faith in God to understand and accept that Jesus was the redeemer whom God had sent.
Jesus was the Light of the world when He came. His coming was announced with light—the brilliant glory of the angels that proclaimed His birth and the star that led the wise men to Bethlehem. The earnest seekers saw the light and rejoiced in the hope that it gave them. Though the Pharisees also saw the light, they rejected it. They disallowed Jesus' claim that God was His Father because they felt threatened by Him. They chose to regard Jesus as mortal man.
Jesus came to do His Father's will and was very plain in explaining His relationship with Him. He said, "And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him" (John 8:29). Together the Father and Son had the same mission, redeeming fallen man. Jesus yearned to acquaint His followers with His heavenly Father, and He gave them many opportunities to learn to know Him. If the Jews had fully believed the prophecies concerning Jesus, they would have accepted him as the Son of God but, because of unbelief, they continued in their sin.
Practical Truths for Today
Although it is difficult for us to envision the world before Adam and Eve sinned, we know God originally made the different parts of the creation to harmonize together. He created the celestial bodies to revolve and rotate in time to His provision. "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who bath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth" (Isa. 40:26).
"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). We believe that before the fall the earth was a wonderful place for man to live in communion with God his Creator. The fall of man cast a pall over the future of the human family—man found he had fallen out of favor with God. Adam and Eve had by their disobedience disrupted the original design of perfect harmony God had made. The world is left in a discordant condition burdened with the tumult of controversy and ultimately facing eternal judgment. Today, man's restlessness and seemingly insatiable desire to find pleasure speaks of a search for a former time when he was at rest and at one with his Creator.
Because of His incomprehensible love, God would not leave humanity in their hopelessly defiled condition. He moved to make a way for those who repent of their sins and who will believe in Him. They can have a relationship with God that satisfies the soul. God willed that Jesus, who is without sin, should come to earth and be offered as a sacrifice for the redemption of mankind. By God's "will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10). Jesus, as the beloved Son of God, being in perfect union with His Father, responded as our key verse says, "Then said I, Lo, I come. . . to do thy will, 0 God" (Heb. 10:7).
The fall left people rebellious against their Creator. Satan takes advantage of this and appeals to our fallen nature by offering us the things of this world, such as wealth, fame, power, secular education, and fleshly pleasures. When we become children of God, we are transformed in that we no longer conform to the world, realizing that it will lead us away from God. After we have chosen Christ and placed our confidence in Him, we have grace to abhor the lusts of the world so that they actually become irrelevant.
Being secure in Christ helps us to willingly submit to Him. In this security we experience God's bountiful care as He daily provides our needs. This is a precious relationship in which we want to do God's will. Realizing that this oneness is by the merits of Christ and not our own inspires us to honor and glorify Him. We aspire to be His servant and to yield Him our body as a living sacrifice.
Paul encourages us to follow Jesus' example. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.. being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:5-8). The cross and humility are part and parcel of Christian life. Humility causes us to stay dependent on God and keeps us from becoming self-righteous in our walk with Him. As a humble person we do not feel sufficient in ourselves—we look to our spiritual brethren to learn from them, because we know them as those who likewise have become one in Christ.
The Holy Spirit is the seal of our union with God and Jesus Christ. He interprets God's will to us and helps us keep our commitment to God by reminding us if we fail. The Holy Spirit amalgamates the law and prophecies of the Old Testament, the words of Jesus in the gospel, the instructions of the apostles, the doctrines of the church, and the writings of our forefathers to form solid conviction for a fruitful Christian life.
When our life is one with Christ in God, we have victory over the influence of the evil one, and we bear the fruit of the Spirit. This is the witness that our hearts truly are one with the Father. Let us never be reluctant to make a full surrender to God. Therein we find a precious and satisfying relationship with the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.
Questions
- Discuss: Jesus prayed to the Father that the believers would "be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:21).
- How can we portray to the world that Jesus and God are one?
- What attempts does Satan use to divide the Father and the Son?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).