A Better Father Than Abba?

(7 minutes)

This is the life-giving message we heard him share and it's still ringing in our ears. We now repeat his words to you: God is pure light. You will never find even a trace of darkness in him.  (1 John 1:5)

How we see the Father determines how we will relate to Him. Our perspective of Him shapes how we respond to His presence. Pastor Tim has used this example in John 15 to show us why the lens through which we see God matters.

Look at John 15:1-2 in the New King James Version:

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that is may bear more fruit.

Now, let's read that same verse in The Passion Translation:

I am a true sprouting vine, and the farmer who tends the vine is my Father. He cares for the branches connected to me by lifting and propping up the fruitless branches and pruning every fruitful branch to yield a greater harvest.

So, which is it? When we don't bear fruit does the Father "take us away" or does He lift and prop us up, giving us extra attention and care? What kind of Father is He?

Religion has always painted the Father with darkness, but John the Beloved tells us that the life-giving message that Jesus announced to the world was that God is pure light and we will never find even a trace of darkness in Him.

I love how Pastor Tim handled this on Sunday. He said, "When your children mess up, do you throw them away?" The obvious answer is, "No!" So then he asked, "Are you a better father than Abba?"

This is the heart of the matter. We've painted the Father with so much darkness that our parenting is more good and loving than His. We treat our children better than the God treats His. Using the analogy from John 15, it turns out that we're better gardeners, too. A true gardener cares for their plants. I've had the privilege of having some incredible gardeners in my own family and the attention and gentle care they give to these plants is mind-blowing. When a plant is struggling to survive, they don't just yank it out of the ground and throw it away. They give it special care and go to great lengths to ensure that the plant survives and thrives.

Are we better fathers than Abba? Are we better gardeners, too? Or have we inherited a very broken image of God? The only difference between the writers of the New King James Version and The Passion Translation is the way they see God. One is writing with a religious lens that still paints the Father with darkness, and the other writes through the lens of beloved identity that is no longer suspicious and leery of Abba's nature.

It's amazing to me that Abba chose to deliver these scriptures to us using three of the most loose, flexible languages in the world. Here's what I mean by that: the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages that these scriptures were originally written in use words that could have multiple meanings. These are not languages of precision. These are languages where one word could have up to ten different meanings, hence the multitude of translations that now exist for ONE Bible. If the languages were precise, there would be no need for multiple translations. It's almost like Abba preferred this way over the other because this way depends on us knowing His nature to get it right. If the Bible were more precise, we would likely depend on it more than actually knowing Him in intimacy. It takes intimacy with Jesus to read the scriptures with the right lens. These verses from John 15 are the perfect example of that, which is why Pastor Tim uses them often. Pastor Tim doesn't want you to be suspicious of the Bible. He wants you to be so sure and certain of Abba's nature that you can sense for yourself when something doesn't sound like Him because you've been with Him in intimacy and are convinced of His goodness.

Jesus didn't come and go through all that He went through so you could depend on someone else's relationship with God. He died to give you access again to the face-to-face relationship you were designed to have with Yahweh.

And now, because we are united to Christ, we both have equal and direct access in the realm of the Holy Spirit to come before the Father! (Ephesians 2:18)

You are not a foreigner or guest. You are a beloved son and daughter of Yahweh. You don't have to settle for religion's delusional view of the Father. You can see for yourself through intimacy with Jesus that Abba is pure light and there's not even a trace of darkness in Him.

Like Pastor Tim said on Sunday, you are safe to be vulnerable with Him. You don't have to be afraid of being fruitless in His presence because He's not a father that will throw you away. He's the Perfect Father and Good Gardener who will give you special attention and care when you're struggling. He will lift and prop you up. When you mess up, He doesn't get farther away; He gets closer. He loves being in your presence. And Jesus is the proof that Abba was unwilling to do life without you.

Are there areas where you are still suspicious of Abba’s nature? Areas where He is still painted with darkness? Forget everything you've been told about God, and stare at Jesus. Gaze into His eyes. Because when you've seen Him, you've seen the Father. And He's so much better than religion told you He was.

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Worship:  "Jesus, You're Beautiful" by Bethel Music

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

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