Shall we turn, in God's word, to the Gospel according to John? I would like to read two verses in that one chapter. First of all, reading chapter one and verse eighteen, then going back to verse fourteen. For in the will of the Lord, tonight and the ensuing Wednesday night, we would like to speak on one of the deepest and greatest subjects that we who were believers in this age should indeed value and that is God being our Father and we who were saved being his children chapter one of John reading in verse eighteen by the Holy Spirit John has written these marvelous words beyond our comprehension without doubt. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. Go back to verse fourteen and read those words that John precedingly has written. As we have it in verse fourteen and the word became or was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld its glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father. I feel very unworthy as well as unable to properly bring before your hearts as well as mine own the depth of truth that is found in these words that we have written and read. Regarding the person of God the Father and the person of God the Son. May I first of all remind you and remind mine own heart. The great Godhead, God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, they are persons. They have a relationship one to another as persons, not human beings, but divine and eternal in their character and in their persons. And may I say humbly but faithfully, there is no question of doubt that in the Word of God, the greatest truth that we can find would be that God has revealed himself to his sinful creatures who have rebelled against them. God has revealed himself. The progress of that revelation has been slow throughout the centuries. In the Old Testament there were revelations of God from Genesis all the way through. to his beloved people who were his. And progressively God has revealed himself to mankind. But never has there been a greater revelation of himself as the revelation of himself as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through the only begotten Son. for may I humbly state never will you find in the Old Testament read it all the way through the intimate the personal the deep and loving character of God as it has been revealed by the coming of his Son into this world you may read the Old Testament through And you may find only, I believe, somewhere in the neighborhood of five or six titles that are given to God by the name of Father. But all of those titles in the Old Testament, they're only in relation to Him as the Creator. Not in the intimate relationship that you find Him mentioned in the New Testament. and revealed by the Lord Jesus. May I just briefly for just a moment, there are many names in the Old Testament attributed to God by which He was revealed and through which He was revealed. Let me mention just three particular ones simply. You may remember that God said to Abraham in chapter seventeen of Genesis and verse one, I am the Almighty God. walk thou before me and be thou perfect. I am the Almighty God. He presented himself to Abraham as the omnipotent God. And my beloved, you and I can never measure nor comprehend the greatness of his omnipotence, even as the Creator, the Almighty One. I think it has been stated by astronomers that in the great milky way, which they have observed in the universe around us, there are eighteen million stars. Every one of those stars weighing a billion times more than our Earth. For the planet Earth is one of the smallest of all God's created places, as far as we can determine. And one has well stated that if God was able, or if it was possible, to put all those eighteen million stars in one bag, it would not be any trouble for God to fling that bag wherever He wished by His omnipotent power. He is the Almighty God, but I'm sure is the Almighty God. It makes you and I, if we realize, feel very small. Then to Moses, God revealed himself in Exodus, rather, chapter three, verse fourteen. There at the burning bush, God said to Moses, as he declared his name, I am, that I am. Meaning, I'm the self-existent God. I always existed. I never was created. I am an eternal being. And God never did have a beginning. From eternity to eternity, as Moses wrote in the Psalm ninety, he declared from everlasting to everlasting, thou art gone. You and I have a beginning. But we never have an ending. But God never had a beginning. Whether God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. One other name. valuable in the history of Israel in Exodus chapter six and verse three. God declared himself by another name to them, the name of Jehovah, a redemptive name on behalf of his redeemed people, Israel. But all those names were precious and many other names can be found attributed to the great Godhead and to God. But may I repeat again, It's not until you come to the New Testament you've got a revelation of God greater still. As we have it in our eighteenth verse of chapter one of John, no man has seen God at any time, the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. And not until the Lord Jesus Christ came to the earth could God ever be known as Father. Now in contrast to the Old Testament naming of God as Father, in our New Testament you'll find this. You'll find during the life of the Lord Jesus in Matthew's Gospel that he refers to his Father twenty of forty-three times I believe you find in Mark's Gospel he refers to God as his Father only five times in Luke's Gospel he refers to God as his Father sixteen times and then in the Gospel of John I hope you've read it through I'm sure you may have noticed the repetition of the revelation of God the Father and His name, one hundred and fourteen times. And then seventy-nine times in the rest of the New Testament. And put them all together, you've got two hundred and fifty-seven times the name of God as Father is in our New Testament. Oh, beloved, I say, that blessed Son of God came to the world to reveal His Father. But may I be reminded with you, look with me in Matthew eleven and verse twenty seven, very carefully for one moment. I want you to observe with me a very important fact. In Matthew eleven and verse twenty seven, they are the words of the Lord Jesus, which we indeed need to take deeply to our hearts and consciences and minds. Chapter eleven, verse twenty seven, The words of the Lord Jesus saying, And note them carefully, As he says, All things are delivered unto me of my Father. And no man knoweth the Son but the Father. Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son. And he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. know first of all if I may emphasize and I humbly feel my inadequacy please let's think of the greatness of our God and how small we are as dust in his sight but here you have the Lord Jesus making a statement concerning himself first no man knoweth the Son but the Father. What does he mean? I fully believe he means this. It is an impossibility for any human ingenuity and mind to apprehend the fullness and the greatness of the Son, who is only known to his Father. May I quote the words of another that I valued for many, many years? There is that regarding the person of the Son of God, which only God the Father can comprehend. All that you and I can do is bow in worship and adoration at His feet, making no attempt to penetrate what is impenetrable. or to define what is indefinable, or to comprehend what is incomprehensible to human creature mind. My beloved fellow believer, may I say, and I confess it, you and I have no perfect and never will ever perfect knowledge of the complete greatness of the Son of God, which the Father has of His beloved Son. But then, as the Savior went on to say in our text, Thank God, neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. Can I meditate for just a few moments with you on this claim? Listen very carefully. May I take it to my soul, too. you'll never know God, whether the Father, whether the Son or the Holy Spirit, except by divine revelation. Divine revelation. Did you ever notice this? In Matthew chapter sixteen, when Peter made the declaration to the Lord Jesus, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, Recall the answer that the Lord Jesus made. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah. Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee. No human mind, no human intellect, no human source of knowledge, revealed it to Peter. But he went on to say, Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but My Father, which is in heaven. The Father reveals the Son. And then as we read in chapter one of John eighteen, the Son reveals the Father. It's a divine revelation. It's a divine revelation from the beginning to the end. If you and I are going to know God, and likewise the work of the Holy Spirit? Or did not the Lord Jesus speak of him coming in chapter sixteen of John? When he shall come, he shall guide you into all through. May I bring before your heart how important it is this to realize, look, you and I here, I believe perhaps all of us are the same. It's been a work of divine revelation. to bring us to the knowledge not only of our redemption but to be able to say to God our Father and the Lord Jesus acknowledge as our Savior together with the Holy Spirit the revealer of God's truth in his precious word but go back to John one eighteen for a moment please I want you to dwell with me on those words no man has seen God at any time the only begotten Son I think you will find if I'm correct no more than five times in our New Testament always written by John himself the Apostle he's called the only begotten Son now let me emphasize it does not imply that he was ever derived But that it's a self-existence that you have, a perpetual relationship with the Father, the only begotten Son. A permanent relationship and attributed only to this blessed person. And if you please will note the only begotten Son and note carefully who is in the bosom of the Father. Beloved, listen. Think for just a moment if you can comprehend the thought. How long? How long in the bosom of the Father? Forever. In the heart of the Father. Through all the past eternity. Even in time. When he was walking upon the earth. as well as forever he will be in the bosom of the Father. Note the word is, the only begotten Son who is, not was, is, even when he was here upon the earth. Look with me in John chapter three for just a moment. We're in that chapter in his conversation to Nicodemus. I want to point out something that the Lord Jesus said in verse thirteen. in that chapter three in relation to his conversation with Nicodemus are precious to recognize the words that he speaks and here you have the Lord Jesus saying let me read this twelve verse with you if I have if I have told you earthly things he says to Nicodemus and you believe not how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things and no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man, and note the next words, which is in heaven. It was Jesus as the Son of Man speaking to Nicodemus, and referring to himself at that same time he was speaking, dwelling in the bosom of the Father in heaven. My beloved, let me say lovingly, he never has been any other place but permanently in the heart of the Father. All through his life, and may I go further to say, I don't know whether you'll accept it, but I do, even when he died on the cross. He was still in the bosom of the Father. John chapter ten, the Lord Jesus in verse seventeen said, Herein does my Father love me. Because why? I lay down my life that I may take it again. Oh, the joy of knowing. He was in the bosom of the Father. Now may I also make it carefully, clear, when the Lord Jesus cried in agony upon the cross in the darkness of his suffering, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He didn't say father. He knew his father loved him. He knew his father had sent him to fulfill the love of his own heart. to do his will to the very end. But as a man, in all the perfection of his humanity, he tasted what no one other had ever done to be forsaken by his God. And here's the thought. Here's a sinless person forsaken by God. And Christ, why? Why hast thou forsaken me? And undoubtedly, there's only one answer to the question, why? And if you've got a lot of whys, you better think of the question the Lord Jesus raised. He was one not worthy of death. He had not sinned. But you remember what John has written and what Paul has written. He tasted death. And Peter has written. He tasted death. In the book of Hebrews, he tasted death. for every man. But may I also remind you, do you know in the Gospel of Luke when it was all finished? Remember what he prayed at the end in Luke's Gospel? Father, into thy hand I commend my spirit when the work of salvation was done. Oh, beloved, may I say, please take that word in, John who is in the bosom of the Father. And he came to make him known. Now let's raise the question quickly. How has he made him known? Go with me to verse fourteen in our chapter of John, if you please. Verse fourteen. And we have John saying, as we have well read, those precious words. And the word The Lord Jesus was, became, and was made flesh. And tabernacled or dwelt among us. And John says, we, undoubtedly including the companions who were with him and had been with him during that life when the Lord Jesus was on the earth, we beheld his glory. The glory as an only begotten of the Father, full of grace. and truth. Now let me couple it with this fact before going further quickly. He came to reveal the Father as an intimate person in whose bosom and in whose heart he ever dwelt. Let me repeat it again. My beloved, there are many attributes and qualities pertaining to God in this person. Here's the greatest revelation. He came to reveal him as a father. Was made flesh. I'm sure many of you may remember the Lord's prayer as it is so called. When the disciples came to the Savior after they had witnessed him praying, Lord teaches to pray. He gave them that patterned prayer beginning with what? after this man appraising, saying what? Our Father. Let me repeat it again. I wanted to emphasize the importance and the blessedness that you and I have, which no Old Testament saint had, or did have. We can call him our Father. Remember in the Garden of Gethsemane, the account whether in Mark or whether in Luke or Matthew, The Lord Jesus addressed his Father in the hour of that agony, Abba, Father. The most dearest expression he could make to the Father. And it means, Dear Father. And then you may remember the words in Romans chapter eight and Galatians chapter four. God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your heart, to my heart, that we might cry, what? Aba Father. Have you not noticed, I'm sure some of you may, that worship Him that sometimes we sing? Abba Father, we adore them. Listen, may I humbly say it, what a privilege, Abba Father, to call God Father. I think at the moment I speak, It happened back in nineteen twenty something after preaching the gospel on the street corner, which if I were to do today I'd probably go to jail. But at the close of that street corner meaning, Anne came to me and said, I'd like to talk with you if you'll come to my house. He said, I'm a socialist. He meant I'm a communist if he would be here today. But I'd like to talk to you. I don't believe there is a God. I went to his home. did the best I could to try and show from the scriptures and so on that God was real and so on and bring the gospel but I never will forget as he questioned me and master my knowing God I never will forget I made a statement to him young believers I may have been in my early twenties I said I know God as my father he looked in fact He staggered back in his chair and in horror and surprise said, Your Father, he couldn't understand it. How could he? You know, he hadn't been born again. Oh, beloved Lord. Okay. Think of the words of the Lord Jesus. How do we come to the Father? John fourteen six. Jesus said unto Thomas, I am the way, the truth, the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. But look with me, if you will, please, in John chapter fourteen. And I want to show some of the ways that the Lord Jesus revealed the Father in John chapter fourteen. as you have in the words of the Lord Jesus himself to his disciples. Let me particularly read, if I may, these words in chapter ten where the Lord Jesus declares, verse fourteen, verse ten rather, and eleven. Note the words of the Lord Jesus. As speaking to his disciples, he tells how he revealed the Father. and how he did it. Chapter fourteen verses ten and eleven. Note the words carefully in this fourteen chapter. Believers thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me? No, no. The words that I speak unto you I speak not of or from myself. But the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Note two ways that he revealed the Father. By his words. Second, by his works. He never spoke until the Father gave him the words to speak. He never did his work. without the Father telling him what to do. Look with me in John chapter five and verse nineteen. John chapter five. Look very carefully in John chapter five and verse nineteen. These precious words of truth regarding how he spoke and what as well as what he did as we shall see. In verse nineteen you have the blessed Lord Jesus. saying in verse nineteen. And if you may remember that as he was speaking on this occasion, he may have been speaking to the Pharisees. Now notice in verse nineteen. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do. For what thinksoever he doeth, These also doeth a son likewise. Let me pause for just a moment. Oh my, how it convicts our own heart and conscience. Everything that the Lord Jesus did, the Father gave him the works telling him what to do. He never performed any work. without the knowledge and the instruction of his father. Go to chapter eight, if you please. Chapter eight, verses twenty eight and thirty eight, I believe you'll find, regarding his words that he spoke. Chapter eight and verse twenty eight. Now know what we have here. I am one that bear witness of, I am one that bear witness. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth, I think I got verse eighteen, and look at it right instead of twenty-eight. Go down to chapter to verse twenty. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing, note it, I do nothing of myself, but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. You have a similar thought in verse thirty-eight. I speak that which I have seen with my Father, and ye do that which ye have seen with your Father. And thus the Lord Jesus in two ways. No other reveal the Father during his lifetime, by his words and by his words. But then on the other hand, one more thing must be mentioned and emphasized. The greatest evidence of revealing the Father to us was that His death upon the cross, His death upon the cross, fully and completely revealing the Father's love. Let me quote the words that you have in First John chapter four, verse ten. Here in his love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. And in verse fourteen of that same chapter, he declares the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. My beloved, please. that death upon the cross of Calvary persuades the believer the complete revelation of the Father's love by sending the Son to be the Savior of the world. And, oh, beloved one, the joy it is to say, as we would close our meditation tonight before going further next week in the will of the Lord. You and I have come to the Father. Let me quote again John fourteen six. I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Let me quote the words in the same chapter. In verse, I think in verse seven, when Philip asked the Lord Jesus, Lord, show us the Father and we'll be satisfied. And then in verse nine, the Lord Jesus said, Philip, Have I been so long time with you? Yes, sayest thou to me. Show us the Father. He that has seen me has seen the Father. Meditate upon it. Oh, beloved, we have come to the Father. And he says, the Lord Jesus says, You have seen the Father. You saw him through me. You saw him through me. and the joy of knowing and acknowledging it with joy the blessed fact we have not only come to him we not only are saved but you remember in that same fourteenth of John the Lord Jesus said to Thomas or any question how can we know the way and the Lord Jesus told him you know the way you know the way my beloved look you and I We've come to the Father. We've seen the Father. We know the Father. What a relationship. Please let me say, can you find anything on the earth like that? Humanly speaking? No. But oh, the joy of realizing. Oh, if we only had the time. Do it yourself. Go through the gospel. Go through John's particular gospel. A hundred and fourteen times. He speaks of the Father. And let me give you the thought. You can't know the Father without knowing the Son. You can't know the Son without knowing the Father. What a fellowship. And close with this thought from first John chapter one, verse three. You may know it well. Our fellowship. is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. What a fellowship. And beloved, may I humbly say to my soul and my conscience, if you and I would enjoy more fellowship with the Father and with His Son, we'd be in better fellowship with one another. Shall we pray? Oh, beloved Father, oh, we think of John saying, we heard, we saw, we handled him and we write these things unto you that your fellowship might be the same for our fellowship is with the Father with his Son now Father we've been telling thee of some of our problems in our prayer meeting Lord help us to keep coming to thee Father The Lord Jesus said, Ask anything of my Father. My Heavenly Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him. Father, we confess to thee humbly, earnestly. We need to know thee better. And through thy dearly beloved Son we can. And we pray, O blessed Lord Jesus, Revealed by the Spirit through thy word, more of the precious truth of this sacred relationship. We are children of the Father. And grant, Lord, help us to behave as thy children. We ask it in the precious name and for the glory of the Lord Jesus. Amen.