Abba Father

The Lord gave me a message last week, but even though I had a message last night when I went to sleep, I’m lying there and thinking, God, I don’t have an access to it. And so the what it means is the message revolves around this axis, this central point. This morning when I woke up I heard from my inner inner being this phrase abba father. Galatians 4 verse 6. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying out, “Aba, father.” Romans chapter 8 verse1 15 No, for you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Aba, Father.” Praise the Lord. This morning, all of us sitting here are the children of God. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Amen. When I go to brother Johnson’s house, my children will ask me as an illustration. I’m telling you, my children ask me, “Where are we going?” I and I tell them, “We’re going to our Johnson uncle’s house.” You mean China and house? And so they ask, “Oh, we’re going to Tint Auntie and Tina Auntie’s house. But now when they asked, you know how I answer?” I tell them, “I’m going to Elijah’s house. I’m coming to Messiah’s house. And I will I will take the name of the young child, whether it’s Judah or Josiah or Noah. And are they the ones paying off the mortgage of the house? And so God calls on us on to God onto heaven. He has given us the spirit of sunship. I am a father and we all have fathers. and my I’m not perfect as a father and my my father was not perfect. And so when Oolen was born, you know how many times I prayed on my behalf, let there not be mistakes for Oen. And I was always afraid holding Oolen as a baby that I would accidentally smother her. And so for it’s our own benefit that this law this country has so many laws on how to properly co-sleep with children. And so, but with all the tension I had raising Oen, when Nana came around, it was much more peaceful, my father. And in the Syriak language, it’s referred to as my father. And there is an Aramaic version and a Greek version. One is uh Abba which is father. One shows that intimacy and the second thing shows the reference. But in the old testament there is no concept like this. Jewish and and then their god is or Jesus is understood as the father of of Judah or the Jewish uh tribe, the Jewish nation. And they see a father as the father of the Jewish nation. But no one had the authority to say it was my father. When Jesus came, he’s saying he established abba [Music] father. And we see initially in Mark where Jesus calls out to his father Abba father that is now brought back in Romans and [Music] Galatians. Many times we have this issue. How does the law and the law of grace come together? And so many times we are caught in this uh cross-section where we don’t want to throw away the law but we also have to preach about grace as well. But God has come and pulled us out of the burden of the law and made given us the spirit of sunship. [Music] And so we read in second Timothy that the law was given for our own teaching and rebuke and our [Music] understanding and the law specifically stands there for that. But you and I live in the dispensation or the age of grace. Today when we sin we grieve the father. It is not to lose our sunship. But God has accepted us as the son or as his daughter. Even when the prodigal son when he went and committed sin, he is still the son and the father is waiting. Even After grieving his father that much, you will see the father running to him and hugging him. And why does he put shoes on his feet? Is it to walk in the house? But is is it to give him shoes to walk out again in faith? Why did he put a ring on his [Music] finger? with that ornament. So you have that authority when people see you that you are my son. Why did he put great garment on him? Not to just clean him up and and put him back. It was done immediately. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. We all need to have that confidence with us within us this morning. When we pray, we should not wonder, am I the daughter of the child of God? But when we pray, we pray with the confidence that we are the child of [Music] God. Now, God is not sitting alone in heaven, but he has us seated with him, seated with him in heavenly places alongside him. [Music] Many times this doubt creeps into many of our lives. Praise the Lord. Sometimes I tell this joke as a joke to my children. I I tell them I just adopted you. You were once, you know, another animal and we adopted you. And they’re not going to believe that. When they need something, they’ll come and quarrel with me. Whatever need they have, they come straight to us as parents this morning. We need to have that confidence. James chapter 5 7 verse 17 and 18. Thank you. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. He prayed earnestly that it would rain and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. Hallelujah. And he prayed again and the heaven gave rainise and and the earth produced its fruit. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. [Music] We see James taking a situation of prayer where it’s destitute and empty but it bears a situation that now gave rain and produced much fruit. We are familiar with this passage and this is written based on first kings chapter 17 18 and 19 and you know what tumult what uh what loudness is in those three chapters and there’s just a lot of noise in those chapters but there are two prayers that this the apostle James is bringing up and these are all silent prayers and the first prayer we don’t read at all in the Bible. And the first person to tell us is James. What is the second prayer that Elijah prays? Have we read it? And we read that Elijah bent down on his knees and bent down all the way and put his face between his knees to pray. But it doesn’t say what he prayed. He was praying. It’s talking about his silent prayer. In the midst of all this noise that’s happening in the world, these silent prayers are what’s shaking [Music] everything in the midst of all this tumult and shaken war. These silent prayers are shaking the nation. And we see that this silent prayers not only changed a nation but revealed the work of the Lord in a nation. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. These are silent prayers. It is coming from someone who makes a lot of noise and it is told to you by a servant of God who encourages you to make noise. And so the first one the first ones to make noise were the prophets of Baal. And we read in chapter 18 where it talks about the prophets of Baal were crying out. So Elijah is mocking them and telling them cry even louder. And so the prophets of Baal cried out even louder. And they were crying out to the point they were cutting themselves to show their noise. Violent noise. And we see a violent noise there. And we see in 17 verse 20 where Elijah is calling on crying out and it says he’s crying [Music] out and and that first crying out is when that dead child is being carried. He is crying out to the Lord. And then and the second prayer is when he carries that child and cries [Music] out in chapter 17. There’s something you should really notice. And it says there in the English translation that the Lord heard the voice of Elijah. [Music] Hallelujah. And it says he heard the voice of his prayer, the sound of his prayer. And we read in in First Kings chapter 17, 18, and 19 how the Lord is talking in the midst of all this noise. And Elijah comes to Ahab in those chapters and says, “I hear the sound of great rain.” Why is the Holy Spirit revealing this? Praise the Lord. Praise the [Music] Lord. And we he said, “I hear the sound of great rain, but we know the concept of rain. It is visual and also sensory, but there’s actually no noise. [Music] [Music] When we read in chapter 19 where God’s presence is being revealed to Elijah as he’s in the cave, we see a great wind, an earthquake, and a fire occurring. All these loud noises are happening. Why is it all written like this? There’s two silent entities here. One is the the pro the god Baal and chapter 18 there was no noise. There was no noise and and when it’s referring to the god Baal there was no noise from him. There was no response there. And no one paid any attention. Why was Baal silent? Because there’s a time that God [Music] works. All these times, all these years that Ahab was ruling, God was silent. But when a man came to work for the Lord, God started to work. Is there someone who is going to stand for the Lord? And if we look at other people and say they are not there, but are you there? If I alone will stand, God will work. with these people, these prophets of Baal. We’re doing some sort of drama. Will they pray for this fire to come down? And they will just say there’s no need for that. You just come down. And why did they do all these things? They were thinking they can do it. And so these these magicians of Pharaoh could do certain things. But certain things they could not do because God said that is enough. Even though they can fight a little bit, God said that is enough. And you need to stop. You need to go from there. When there’s there’s a time when God commands the forces of evil, it is enough. When they hear that voice, they are silent. And there is no answer. And it is silent and no one pays attention. Why is no one paying attention? They were not there. They were running. All those problems that are standing against you will run in a time. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. And the second person who is silent here is God. And we read in chapter 18 after Elijah prayed, the fire came down, consumed the burnt sacrifice, consumed the altar, consumed the dirt around the altar, even up to the water that was poured around the altar. Let me tell you my thought. It came down like lightning and everything that was there just evaporated and it was was there a sound like a thunder? I think there was. And but when the Holy Spirit writes, it’s not talking about a sound. Even the midst of great noise, God is working silently. Chapter 19 verse 13. In the wind, there was no God. In the earthquake, there was no God. But in that fire that broke the stone, there was no God. But there was a silent sound. Silence. It was still silent, very fine, silent. But in the silence, in the stillness, God spoke in chapter 18 verse 45, talking about when rain is coming and the clouds became darkened and when the wind blew and there was a great rain. But it’s not talking about a noise there. But when did Elijah say, “I hear the sound of great rain.” There’s two silent prayers and there’s two works that God did silently in the silence. God is working for you. We don’t need to make much noise. I’m telling you out of my joy. God does not work in our great noise. He He listens to our silent prayers and he leads us and guides us with great works. When other people mock you when people mock against you. when when other people put you to shame and make you small and may maybe you fall down on your knees so no one can see your face but God is going to work for you. Many times we pay attention to the noise. The fire came down and all the noise is surrounding things. Listen to me all my children. Let me tell you all this message. Those who are with you in schools and colleges will make a lot of noise. You don’t have to make any noise. You just need to lean on to your God. God will do great works in your life. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. That is the grace of the Lord. We are reading about the spirit of servantthood and the spirit of sunship. And we see Elijah praying four times. He’s praying for the child, praying for the fire to come down. And he’s praying those aloud. And there’s two silent prayers. We don’t even read about that first prayer. And in the second prayer, there’s no sound. But in both prayers, God gave a powerful answer. And we see four times Elijah complaining. And it is the noise. He’s praying the first time for the child. And this mother came and brought this dead child and said, “Is this why you are here? And I it is true. I I am I’m very happy when I hear that God answers our prayer through testimony. And you can ask any of the servants of God who are sitting here if a prayer is not answered. It is the people that come to them and say you prayed. Where is the answer? complaint. It’s no one’s specific fault, but if you don’t get an answer in time, there’s a complaint. So, as soon as Elijah hears the complaint of his mother, Elijah turns to the Lord and has this comp as this noise. Is this why you brought me here, oh Lord? And there’s no answer. There’s no answer to Elijah’s complaint. And many times we sit and complain, but there’s no [Music] answer. I know that the sisters in this church are very faithful people. And I am fully confident you are wives that don’t nag your husbands. Do you but do you think that any of you nagging does any benefit many times on the phone we hit the mute button and the noise is going on the other side but we can’t hear it and it goes the other way as well and even with all this nagging God did not give a reply [Music] But when Elijah prayed, God brought life back to this child. And the second prayer is to God saying, “Take my life.” It is a complaint. It’s not a prayer. And there was no answer. After he was sleeping and rested, God came with an answer. Many times when our heart is restless, we don’t get an answer. We say many things in our restlessness, so there’s no answer. But when we are rested, God gives an answer. After he had rested and got up, God gave an answer again and said, “You have much distance to travel. and and it’s also to feed him and nourish him again. You’ve seen mothers forcefully nourishing their child. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. There is a time that God gives an answer. And so the next complaint is God, everyone’s trying to kill me. Everyone is against me. I am alone here. then no one is with me. And he’s just simply saying this, but but none of this is true. And there was someone who was with Elijah who was coming alongside of him to tell him all the news. And so God, he sent him away and he went into this wilderness. And what what dignity did Ahab give to Elijah? But even Elijah is saying no one is with me. And we see that God is speaking to Elijah nine times. And said, “Go to Kare or to Zarapath and go show yourself to Ahab.” And he told him twice to get up and eat. What are you doing here? And he’s telling Elijah, “What are you doing here?” See in chapter 19 verse 11, I want to tell you [Music] there we see an Elijah that is in the cave and God’s presence. God is passing in front of that cave. Let’s read chapter 19 verse 11. Then he said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” What did he say? He told him to go out. Go out. Where is God standing? Isn’t God out? If I say Joan, come here. I will say Joan go out. God is with them in saying now go out. So where is God in or out? God is on the outside, but he’s also on the label. Jesus, God is with you. When he reveals himself, he is with you. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. And he’s looking up at the height of the mountain and seeing the glory of the Lord. But the next verse says, “The Lord is surrounding him and speaking to him. And how is the God that is there is also here and that’s why God answered him and said what are you doing here? He said I am here but I’m also there with you too now you came here what are you doing here? Say that God is with me. He is right next to me. And I tell the inmates in the prison, you are alone in the cell, but who is there with you? God is there with you. And the bosses have big [Music] tables. And the more authority they have, they have a bigger table. [Music] Where do these people come when they talk to their boss? Do they come up right close to him? Only a few people. But where does everyone else speak from? They speak from the other end of the table. But your God is not a boss. Yes, he is the creator of the universe, but he’s also your father. Hallelujah. this morning. If God has made us worthy to call him Abba, father, who can question [Music] that? son story where the older son is coming from the field hearing all the noise in the house and he’s upset with all this noise for the younger son. So the father comes out and tells him something. You are always with me. Everything I have is yours. And so in this mind of the son, he is the mind of an employee or a worker. He thinks everything belongs to his father. And he’s saying everything is mine, but it is [Music] yours. Everything that a father and mother has, it’s for their children. They dear children of God and who are sitting in the his presence who don’t let anyone question your standing with God. No authority in heaven or under earth or on earth can question that. Many times the devil goes to God to bring accusations against his people using the law. And God does not say he did that, but he says this is my child. This is my son or daughter and he will come back one [Music] day. And this is the ministries that God appoints people to as well. We all say we’re all children of God. But when what do we call pastors? They are servants of God. They are true. They are servants of God. They are ministering. But they’re not simply servants. They’re sons. And they’re not simply servants. They’re daughters. We are standing here sons and daughters of the father. Many times that cross has a a point where it crushes our authority. Many times the things that we go through, the losses that we face has has a chance to bring down our status. We see the prayer according in Matthew and Mark. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? First time he’s saying my God, my God. Before that, it was my father, my father. But also it says in Matthew and Mark that he left his spirit with that cry. But Luke especially mentions a prayer in his [Music] gospels. But Luke ends with Jesus on the cross saying, “Father, I commit my spirit to you. If you sit in the position of a son or a daughter, when problems are trying to destroy you, He is coming down to hold on to you. And even in the prayers you pray, my God, when you look and pray, unto heaven, he comes close to you and said, your daughter and son. And with that confidence, Jesus saying, I commit my spirit to you, my father. We submit ourselves to the hands of the father. Now my father looks closely after me and I have one desire. My father has one desire and he is willing to do anything for me to be like him. When John and James were walking with Jesus and said let us bring down fire to destroy them like Elijah did. Which spirit are you under the authority of? I have not come to destroy but to save. What does it mean to save? My brother and my sister are those who are there. Hallelujah. God is looking. Jesus is looking at a nation that is living in sin and saying they’re my brother and sister. I’m here to save them. And Elijah many times did not have this. He’s someone that stood up front in the midst of ministry. But we see that God transformed Elijah and he is working and speaking to him in in telling him I am with you even in the cave. I am with you in the wilderness. I am with you wherever you are in your isolation. I am with you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. When Elijah was taken up, there’s a prayer of Elisha. My father, my father, the chariots of Israel. Hallelujah. My father, my father, and so when Elijah was taught those things by the father, Elijah also becomes a father. He was a father for who? And now someone he’s a father to someone who said let me go embrace my father and mother and come let us all stand this morning and let us grab the hands of the person that is next to you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The brother that is next to you, the sister that is next to you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. And we as a church that are sitting together is holding hands together. We are brothers and sisters of God. Who is my brother? Who is my sister? All who have confessed him are brothers and sisters. What answer do you need for pray in prayer this morning? The answers you need, you will you will receive them in. There’s answer to your silent prayer. There are issues that others do not know. There are issues you don’t share. But in your silent prayer, God is going to do a wonderful work and he is going to come down and answer your prayer with us. Hallelujah. We come to your presence, Father, today morning, Lord, as we are in your presence. Hallelujah. We look unto you and call out above father in intimacy and with reverence. Hallelujah. [Music] Hallelujah. Lord. Hallelujah. We pray together that all the loud noises that is happening in front of us that is happening around us you silence them you chase them away and you reveal your silent reply with miraculous words. Hallelujah. Amen. in Jesus name