Powerful Jesus Truths about God the Father on High

Today, we delve into John fourteen, where Jesus imparts profound truths about our heavenly Father, God. It’s astonishing how, amidst the explosion of knowledge in the past fifty years, many have overlooked the fact that the most crucial knowledge one can possess is knowledge of God. Who is He, and what is He like? Let’s consider a hypothetical scenario: if we were to discover inhabitants on other planets, the achievement of sending men to the moon pales in comparison to sending them to heaven. Understanding God takes precedence above all else. ¹ Now, when we speak of knowledge of God in this podcast, we’re not referring to generic knowledge. For instance, acknowledging that God created the Heavens, and the Earth is a valid statement. However, there’s a significant difference between this general statement and a more personal one, such as “God, my heavenly Father, created the Heavens and the Earth for me.” Both statements hold truth, but the latter establishes a deeper, more intimate connection. I’m specifically talking about knowing God’s present characteristics and understanding Him in a personal way, as if we are walking together and sharing our lives. That’s why today, our focus is on the “Powerful Jesus Truths about God the Father on High.” Join us as we explore this topic on this week’s episode of Light on Life.

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Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put it into operation.
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Everyone wants to know the answer to the question: ‘What is God like?’ More individuals have asked this question than any other. Strive to know Him more.

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Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11). Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony.
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Question: Share a story where where you learned something about God’s nature and character that you didn’t know beforer. Share your testimony in the comments section below.

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If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the Gospel of John. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 47 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. He and his wife Sharon of 42 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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Prayer

Podcast Notes

Well again, welcome.
Let’s pray.

Father God, it’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth that we want to know you better — that we want to know you more. Grant unto us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you. We ask for this unveiling in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

God the Father: What Is He Like?

Everyone wants to know the answer to the question: ‘What is God like?’
More individuals have asked this question than any other.
It makes sense that we who are God Creations ask questions about our creator.
This question stirs in the heart of the young.
Don’t underestimate it.
Religions the world over have stood up and given their opinionated answer.
But, it’s just that opinion, not facts — not truth.
What is God like?
What is He really like?
And, with that thought, here is the Illustration of the Day.

Julie never doubted that God existed; but she often wondered, “What is God like? Is there one way to know him or many? Is he Father, Son, and Spirit? Is Allah God? Are there many gods or goddesses? Even if there is only one God, how do we know what he or she is like? Is God a taskmaster, waiting for us to make a mistake? Is he loving and compassionate without reservation, allowing everyone into heaven? Julie’s questions were real and deserved serious consideration. One of Julie’s Christian friends said that the God of the Bible wanted to have relationship with her. This appealed to Julie and she began to read the Bible to understand what it said about God. She realized that the God of the Bible is multifaceted—he is loving but also calls himself Judge; he forgives sin yet also calls us to obedience. Julie was both thrilled and terrified at the idea of such a God. Though she still had doubts, Julie decided to give the God of the Bible a chance. She chose to believe in Jesus and trust him as Savior. When she did this, she no longer just read about God. She experienced him as Creator of the universe and the most intimate friend anyone can have. Now when people ask Julie, “What is God like?” She points them toward God’s Word and her changed life as evidence for who God is.

People want to know — Julie wanted to know — you want to know.
Is there a way to know?
Absolutely.
If you want to know what God is like, listen to someone who would know — God’s Son — Jesus.

The Father God: What Jesus Said

Jesus helped us in John fourteen.
In fact, He shares a boatload of information on what God is like in this chapter.

John 14:1–5 (ESV) — 1 Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

Twenty-two times in John’s Gospel, Jesus mentions something about God the Father straight-up and personal.
It’s exciting!
For ages people, you in fact, want to know who He is.
And, when you get to heaven, yes — we want to see Jesus — yes we desire to meet the Holy Spirit but everybody, and I mean everybody, wants to meet the Father.
That’s why you will see massive numbers of people heading for the Throne.
They want to worship Him.
We get to know a bit about the Father directly from someone who should know — His Son, Jesus.
All we have to do is read — believe what we read — and act on what you read.
So, here are some Father facts from someone in the know.
Listen to what Jesus said about your heavenly Father God.

Twelve Things Jesus Said about God the Father in John Fourteen

John 14:2 (ESV) — 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

In the Father’s house, there are many rooms.

As we focus on this verse home in on the word ‘many.’
‘Many’ implies abundance, and it’s a key piece of knowledge in your search to know what God’s like.
God is known by His name El Shadaai, which, in Hebrew, means the God who is more than enough.
Your Father God is more than enough.
Many rooms — more than enough rooms — maybe even too many rooms.
The Father God is a too much God.
The Father God is not a minimalist when He blesses.
He is a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over God.
Rake by scrap by mentality — the ‘just barely making it’ — that’s not Him.
He has abundant, overflowing resources.
Listen to Him.

Malachi 3:10 (ESV) — 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

‘Windows of heaven’ — ‘pour down for you a blessing’, home in on those words.
Pouring is the language of abundance.
Windows is plural also implying abundance.

Acts 2:17 (ESV) — And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

Pouring is the language of heaven.
So, God is El Shaddai — dare we say it? God is not El Cheapo.
He is the God who is more than enough.
So, when Jesus said, ‘In my Father’s house are many rooms — I go to prepare a place for you.’
Just know that means there’s plenty of space for you.
You will not have any complaints about your heavenly accommodations.
That’s what your Father God is like.

John 14:6 (ESV) 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

No one can come to the Father except through Jesus.

Here’s the second ‘God the Father’ fact you need to know and you get to know.
Your heavenly Father is a precise God.
He gave us an exact and accurate avenue to Him.
These are God’s GPS coordinates to the Throne upon which He sits.
If you want to get to heaven, punch in J-E-S-U-S.
God’s way is a precise way.
Now in life, everything is not that way.
We make decisions on how to solve a problem at work.
At times, multiple ways can get you to the same place.
Someone calls in on your job and you are responsible to see that hole gets filled.
You can choose or person A or person B, both are qualified.
Both, will get you where you need to go.
I must make that call in the work environment.
Which call do I make? Well, “there are many ways to get to Tulsa.”
If you don’t live in Tulsa and you are trying to get there, there may be many ways you can go.
There are many ways to get to Tulsa but, that’s not true when you are trying to get to heaven.
You can only gain access to God one precise way and one way only.
No one comes to the Father except through Jesus.
Now, you must have help to not understand what the term ‘no one’ means.
No one [in the Greek] means no one!
Accepting that no can get to heaven apart from Jesus, makes life uncomplicated.
This is the gospel — this is His gospel.
That’s what you tell people.
A few people say ‘But, what about this or what about that?
As soon as you add the word ‘But’ — ‘but, what about…’ you add complication.
You don’t have to be confused — it’s plain and simple: no one can come to the Father except through Jesus.
That’s what God is like, precise.
Some are incessant and want to press the matter: ‘What about ‘so and so’ in some foreign place — ‘they’ve never heard of Jesus.’
Now, you may not know the answer to that — you may not realize what Romans one has to say about this.
Someone may say, ‘But, you need to explain this ‘quote unquote’ special circumstance to me so I can understand and tell others.’
No, you don’t need that explanation — the gospel is proclaimed, not explained.
If anyone knows the Father God, it’s Jesus His Son, and He said no one can come to God except through Him.
People think they need to understand everything fully — that’s not true.
You don’t need to understand it, but you need to believe what God the Father said and, that’s faith.
If you want to get to God, Allah is not way.
If you want to get to God, Buddha is not the way.
If you want to get to God, ‘fill in the blank’ is not the way.
If you want to get to God, Jesus is it, period.

John 14:7 (ESV) — 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

If you know Jesus, you know the Father also.

Jesus is God, and He is like His Father to such a high degree that if you know what Jesus is like, then you instantly know what the Father is like.
Now why is this vital to know?
Well, if you want to know what God is like, you just hit the jackpot!
Instead of just reading John fourteen to know what God is like, you now have all the gospels to devour.
Follow Jesus in Matthew and you’ll know what God the Father is like.
See Him in Mark and you’ll know what God is like.
Pursue Jesus in Luke and you’ll know what God is like.
Shadow Him in John and you’ll know what God is like.
Every conversation Jesus had gives insight into knowing what God the Father is like.
How he answered questions — how He didn’t answer questions.
The way Jesus handled the religious crowd — that’s the way the Father God would have handled it.
When Jesus walked up to the fig tree and found no fruit on it and cursed it — God would have done the same.
The miracles that flowed through Jesus flowed from the Father first.
To know Jesus is to know God the Father.
Right on the heels of this.

John 14:7 (ESV) — 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

If you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen the Father.

Knowing God and seeing Him is the same thing.
People say all the time, ‘I want to see God’ — or they say ‘I want to hear His audible voice.’
Why?
What do you think that would do for you?
Some people even make the mistake of pressing God on this in prayer.
They bombard the Throne with this kind of prayer request.
They somehow think this is what it means to seek the Lord.
One minister I heard of wanted to see God — He reasoned along these lines.

“You appeared to this man over here. I don’t think it’s fair that you appeared to so and so and not me. You’re no respecter of persons.”

He kept pushing.
One day, the Lord spoke to this man in his spirit by His Holy Spirit.
This is what the Lord said to him:

‘You keep pushing me to appear to you and if you keep pushing, I will do it. BUT, it will set your faith life back two years and you may never recover.’

Do you understand this statement: it will give you some insight into knowing what God your heavenly Father is like.
Do you understand why this could set a person back?
Seeing God could seer your senses to where the next time you run into difficulty, you press again to see Him instead of trusting His Word.
Trusting His Word — that’s faith, and that’s how we should walk.
The just shall live by faith, not by physical seeing or hearing.

John 20:29 (ESV) — 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Faith believes without seeing.

John 14:10 (ESV) — 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

The Father and Jesus are ‘in’ each other.

On this idea of believing and seeing comes the next fact about what God the Father is like.
Jesus and the Father God are in each other.
Listen to Jesus closely: ‘Do you not believe?’ were His words.
That means that you are supposed to.
As a lover of both God and Jesus, you are supposed to believe that the Presence of Jesus is in the Father and the Presence of the Father is in Jesus.
This takes faith — it will not be something you can see with your eyes.

John 14:10 (ESV) — 10 …but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

The Father does the works.

That means the Works of Jesus were the Works of the Father.
The Father handled the miracles in Jesus’ ministry — He did the works.
Some think that because Jesus is God and, you know He is, that healing originated with Jesus.

Mark 7:31–37 (ESV) — 31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Jesus didn’t heal this deaf man.
Look at what He did – ‘He looked up to heaven.’
That power came from God the Father.
Look at some of the other miracles which occurred in Jesus life.
Jesus walking on the water was not Jesus acting out of His own power.
No, the Father was the supplier of Jesus’ ability to walk on water.
The same thing is true for the multiplying of loaves and fish.

Matthew 14:14–21 (ESV) — 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Do you see it?
Same thing — Jesus looked up to heaven.
He looked up to His Father.
So, God the Father, working through Jesus, multiped the food so that there was an abundance.
The Lord God is the omnipotent one.
Jesus, the Son of God, laid aside His omnipotence to become a man born of a woman — born of a virgin.
It wasn’t Jesus’ power — it’s the Father.
So, if you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.

John 14:15–17 (ESV) — 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

The Father is responsible for the Holy Spirit being in your life.

The reason why every child of God has the Holy Spirit living in Him today is because God the Father answered this Jesus prayer that came from His lips.
Where do you think the inspiration to pray that prayer came from?
It came from God the Father.
The Holy Spirit having such a prominent place in your life is the will of God.

Luke 11:9–13 (ESV) — 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Think of all the marvelous leadings you have had in your life.
God directed you here and there all by His Spirit.
The reason you have the privilege of being led by the Spirit is because of God the Father.
Jesus asked the Father to give you a life-long companion — one who would abide with you forever.
Just know, it was all God’s will.
Now, we will take some more time to talk about what your Father God in heaven is like.
We will do that in an upcoming podcast.
There’s more here in John fourteen to talk about.
A multitude of other passages exist that show us who He is like.
Are you impressed that God would reveal Himself to us in this way?
You should be.
He’s not the big secret so many think that He is.
Can I tell you, there’s been a great amount of misinformation on the Father God.
But if you’ll read the Word, if you will take the time to look, you will see who He is.
Your fellowship with Him will grow as your knowledge of Him increases.
Intimacy will be the result — you’ll see His heart as you meditate on all the Word reveals to us about Him.

Now Father God, it is our heart’s supreme desire to see you, know you and walk with you. Thank you for sharing who you are with us. Help us by your Holy Spirit to increase in the knowledge of God — in the knowledge of who God is. I thank you for doing that in Jesus Name, Amen.

Powerful Jesus Truths about God the Father on High.
You guys have a great God week and we will see you next time for another edition of Light on Life.

#S3-011: What’s the Value of a Good Name? [Podcast]

__________
References:

A Survey of Bible Doctrine ↩

emeryhorvath.com

Equipping people to pursue God's glory

Powerful Jesus Truths about God the Father on High

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Nineteen

by Emery Horvath

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Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the Gospel of John. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

Podcast Notes

God the Father: What Is He Like?

The Father God: What Jesus Said

Twelve Things Jesus Said about God the Father in John Fourteen

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download |Subscribe to PlayerFM

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the Gospel of John. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

Podcast Notes

God the Father: What Is He Like?

The Father God: What Jesus Said

Twelve Things Jesus Said about God the Father in John Fourteen

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