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The bible says that God is close to the brokenhearted and those who are lowly in spirit. God gives comfort to the Fatherless, by becoming their everlasting Father through Jesus Christ. Jesus said that he will never leave us or forsake us, and that he will send us the Holy Spirit. Our Everlasting father comes to us midwinter.
Merry Christmas! Welcome to Redemption Church in Plano Texas. My name is Chris Fluitt, and I am glad to have everyone worshipping with us. Thank you to everyone in person. Thank you to everyone worshipping with us online. I am always encouraged to know you are there.
We are in the 3rd week of our Sermon Series – Midwinter.
Midwinter
We are using winter as a metaphor for the condition of the world at that first Christmas.
Winter is… dark, cold, lifeless, difficult, and lonely. Christ came to a world that was in midwinter.
The Christmas story reveals how God responds to a world midwinter.
The Christmas story reveals how God will respond to us midwinter.
Isaiah 9:6(NIV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
In week 1 we talked about the Wonderful Counselor.
Last week we talked about the Mighty God.
This week I want to talk to you about the Everlasting Father who came to us midwinter.
The Everlasting Father comes to us midwinter.
The child born, the son given, will be called Everlasting Father. What is this all about?
Fathers are important. The world really needs to know this fact. Fathers, you are needed. Men, you are called to a high calling of fatherhood. Scripture shows us how important a father is.
The History of Fathers – God
When we read our Bible, on the first page we are introduced to God as Father. He is the Father of creation. He creates a man called Adam, and Adam is called the son of God. God is Father and we are even taught to pray “OUR FATHER who art in Heaven.” God is OUR Father.
Fatherhood is important. God as our Father is of essential importance.
The History of Fathers – Adam
God creates Adam. Adam sins. Adam becomes a father. And the following also shows the essential importance of fatherhood.
Romans 5:12(NIV) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
Let’s make sure we are understanding this verse…
Sin entered through one man. WHO IS THIS ONE MAN? Adam.
God as our Father brought life.
Now Adam as our father, because of sin, brings death.
Death through sin… through one man… to all people.
Adam has children. Cain & Able
The History of Fathers – Cain & Able
Isn’t fatherhood amazing. Imagine how it felt when Adam held his babies for the first time. Like all fathers, Adam no doubt felt the challenge, high calling, and humble privilege of fatherhood. Although Adam set out to be a good father, he passed on sin, and with sin came death.
The History of Fathers – Cain & Able Seth
Sin and death overtake Cain & Able. In a single day Adam loses both sons.
Adam receives another son named Seth. Seth also becomes a father and has children. Those children grow up to be parents with their own kids.
Entire books of the Bible are written to “Chronicle” the lineage of these fathers and children. Over and over again it says “Adam begat Seth… Seth begat Enos… Enos begat Cainan…”
One by one a new generation would be born. And one by one an older generation would die.
Adam died… Seth died… Enos died… And this phrase appears to describe death in your Bible. They died “and slept with their fathers.” Like their fathers before them, they now have died and are buried within the Earth.
Noah was a father. Noah died.
Abraham was a father. Abraham died.
Isaac & Jacob were fathers. They did also.
Moses and David met the same fate.
Prophets, Elisha & Isaiah also in death slept with their fathers.
This history of Fathers continues, on and on. People kept up with the history. In fact, today, many Hebrew people know the history of their fathers all the way back to Adam. They are able to tell you all their fathers back to Adam and to God! That is amazing.
In the time of the New Testament, it would be rare for a Jew to not know the history of their fathers. It was extremely important to them. Why was it important?
It showed them who they were.
-Children of Abraham. The Jews believed they were saved because of their lineage from Abraham.
-Children of Levi were priests.
-Children of Judah were kings.
-It was a great honor to be a child after the lineage of Moses or Aaron.
-To be a child after the lineage of a prophet like Jeremiah or Daniel, or a hero like Gideon, Barak, and Samson was a source of pride.
The history of fathers was something that would probably come up in conversation. Today we like to converse over “What job do you do? Where are you from? Where did you go to school?” In the Hebrew world this whole conversation was all tied in the question “who is your father?”
So, imagine the surprise when the child born, the son given, Jesus Christ walks up to a Hebrew named Nicodemus and says these words in John 3.
John 3:3(NIV) Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.
This is not how the conversation is supposed to go Jesus. We are supposed to compare our family trees. Our sense of worth comes from having a better lineage that the other guy.
Nicodemus was a power broker in the Hebrew community. He was a pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. This means he was a respected religious teacher and leader and was probably financially well off. It also meant that he probably could quote his lineage all the way back to Adam and God… Then Jesus basically says, “throw all of that away and start over… be born again.”
Be Born Again
Your relationship to Abraham is not enough… be born again.
Your relationship to king David is not enough… be born again.
Your father Moses is not enough… be born again.
The history of your fathers is no good… you need a new father.
This weirded Nicodemus out!
John 3:4_5(NIV) 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
Nicodemus tried to understand how he could be born again. It is not physically possible to be born again… But Jesus does not back down. Jesus tells him that this is a spiritual birth and not a fleshly birth.
John 3:6(NIV) Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
The Hebrews had placed much of their value on their natural birth and bloodline. They believed, and still believe today that they are God’s people because they can trace their lineage through Abraham.
But where had this family line gotten them?
The History of Fathers – Cain & Able Seth Enos Cainan
It had given them a lot of funerals. They had a graveyard full of fathers. Because their father, Adam, brought sin and death into the world.
This family line never saved them. They were enslaved, exiled, war-torn, and, at the moment of this conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, Israel was under the control of a ruthless Roman emperor.
They had this cherished family line, but they were still living midwinter.
I think we may have the same problem…
We may point to people in our family and say, “Grandma was a powerful prayer warrior and devoted Christian…”
As wonderful as that is, Jesus says it is not enough. You must be born again. Your relationship with a praying grandmother can not deliver you from your midwinter.
We may point to the long line of Christians on our family tree. We have always been Christians and we will always be Christians…
I remember going to visit my 100-year-old great aunt Mabel Legg with my dad. We were visiting and as usual we turned the conversation towards the Lord. My Dad was encouraging her faith and I’ll never forget my aunt cutting him off by saying, “Clyde, we have always been Baptists, and no matter what you say we will always be Baptists.” I found that odd then, and I find it odd today. We weren’t trying to convert you Aunt Mabel. We were very hopeful that you had already been converted. We weren’t trying to dissuade you, and we were also proud of our line of Christians in the family.
Maybe you have a family tree like this… Like the Hebrew you place much of your hope on your family history of belonging to a denomination. We have always been ‘fill in the blank’ and we will always be ‘fill in the blank’. I am not trying to convert you to my denomination and dissuade you from yours today.
…But I will tell you, your family line is not enough to pull you out of your midwinter. I echo the words of Jesus – “You must be born again.”
The lineage of Nicodemus could not save him. Your lineage cannot save you.
A broken relationship
That original Christmas, the world had a broken relationship with God. From the time of Adam onward, man had a broken relationship with God because of sin.
It did not matter that Nicodemus could trace his history through Abraham, it always led back to a disobedient Adam. And this is why Jesus says, “you must be born again.”
It does not matter how glorious or inglorious you’re your family line is, it also all leads back to a disobedient Adam. “You must be born again.”
We need a new family history.
Isaiah 9:6(NIV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
The child born; the son given will be called everlasting father.
A New History of Fathers – Jesus
Jesus offers us the new birth he told Nicodemus about, and through this new birth Jesus becomes our everlasting father.
Through the new birth of the Spirit, we gain a new family line.
John 14:18(NIV) I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
The King James version reads I will not leave you comfortless… The word translated as comfortless and as orphans literally means “FATHERLESS.”
Jesus says he will not leave us fatherless, but that He will come to us. And if you go read the context, Jesus is talking about being born again by the Spirit. He is talking about the Holy Spirit that will arrive after His ascension.
Romans 8:15-16(NIV) 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
It is through the Spirit, the new birth, that we are made children of a new father.
Who is the One who gives us this new birth of the Spirit? John the Baptist declares that it is Jesus.
*Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Jesus, the everlasting Father is the one who gives us the ‘new birth’ of the Spirit.
When you are baptized in the water, a person, perhaps a pastor or minister baptizes you in the water.
When you are baptized with the Spirit, it is no other than the Lord Jesus Christ who baptizes you in the Spirit.
It is a great honor to baptize someone in the water. I love to perform that good work. I am always looking to baptize someone in the water…
But the honor of receiving a Spirit baptism goes to the Lord Jesus only.
The History of Fathers – Cain & Able Seth Enos Cainan
This covenant is completely different from the old-lineage model. You are not connected directly to Adam as your original father… you have to trace back thousands of years to get to your great, great, great, great,… grand- father Adam.
But Jesus Christ, the Everlasting Father, is also called the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45). We don’t have to trace back through hundreds of generations to get to our Everlasting Father.
A New History of Fathers – Jesus & You
You connect directly to the Everlasting Father. Jesus Christ is your direct source.
The original Adam is going to be saved by connecting directly to the Everlasting Father.
Abraham is going to be saved by connecting directly to the Everlasting Father.
King David… etc.
Everyone on Nicodemus’ family tree, if they are to be saved it will be because they connect directly to Jesus.
Jesus, the everlasting Father looked at Nicodemus and said you must be born again.
You have direct access to the source of life, because the Everlasting Father came to us that first Christmas.
This lineage of earthly fathers… it is filled with graves and tombs.
The History of Fathers – Cain & Able Seth Enos Cainan
Every father on this history of fathers is dead and in the grave. By clinging to this history, you have no hope of avoiding the grave. Nicodemus is in the grave today.
This is because Adam as a father brought sin & death into the world.
But when Jesus Christ is your Everlasting Father…
A New History of Fathers – Jesus & You
You know what everlasting Father means? It means no more graves.
Adam’s family line filled up cemeteries… But Jesus, the everlasting Father empties cemeteries. Jesus defeated death, hell, and the grave… Jesus has never seen a grave he can’t empty.
He is everlasting. He will never die.
He is everlasting Father. His children will live forever.
The Everlasting Father said this at the funeral of his friend Lazarus. “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;” And he calls Lazarus out of the grave.
The Everlasting Father comes to us midwinter.
Midwinter is a time of death. This world has experienced a lot of death. How much death?
They estimate over 100 billion people have died in the history of the world. 100,000,000,000… there are 11 zeroes in 100 billion.
The condition of the world at that first Christmas was, that of a broken relationship from God and that world was constantly dying.
Does this describe us? Are you midwinter?
Do you have a broken relationship with God?
Are you full of death? Are things dying around you and within you?
Jesus, the ‘everlasting father’ comes to us individually and offers us the opportunity to be born again.
Have you been born again? If you haven’t been born again or if you don’t know that you have been born again, this is your moment. I want you to meet me in this altar today.
The Everlasting Father is here right now. You can be born again of His Spirit today.
If you are born again you have reason to rejoice.
If you are born again, why don’t you operate in His Spirit, so that life is flowing in you.
You can connect directly to the Everlasting Father today. His Spirit and life are yours, today.