Bible Studies
It Matters Who Your Father Is (Jn. 8:39-47)
Series: Additional StudiesIntroduction:
1. You might remember the scene. It was Star Wars Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back.a. Luke Skywalker was in a light sabre battle with Darth Vader.
b. He had just had his right hand cut off.
c. Hampered by his injury Darth Vader attempted to persuade him to come over to the dark side.
d. Vader reminded Skywalker of his quest to identify his father and then stated, “I am your father.”
2. It does make a difference who your father is. 3. Jn. 8:39-47 bears testimony to this truth.Discussion:
I. Our deeds testify to who our father is.A. The Jews took great pride in being the children of Abraham (39-40).
B. They thought this gave them claim to being in the family of God (v. 41).
C. Jesus contradicted them on the basis of the evidence of their deeds (39-47).
1. They did not do the deeds of Abraham.
2. They did not love the Lord.
3. They did not understand, because they could not hear His word.
4. They wanted to do the deeds of their father, the devil.
a. Murder.
b. Lying.
c. Unbelief.
D. Notice the emphasis here on hearing, believing and doing.
1. If you hear from your father, the devil. You hear lies, believe lies and it results in murder (death).
2. If you hear from your Father, God. You hear truth, believe truth and it results in life (51-52). (Note the association between hearing, believing, repenting, and being baptized.)
a. They were longing to stone Jesus.
b. They would kill the one who came to them with words of life.
II. We are powerfully influenced by our father.A. Illustration of damaged “love receptors.”
B. The mars that we have as a result of the devil hinder our understanding of God as Father.
C. This should give us pause as we consider the influence that we have on our children. Are we toxic parents? Do we hinder our children’s ability to understand God as Father?
1. In the 2013 book Families and Faith (Bengtson, with Putney and Harris, p. 186), a secular research study about how families transmit their faith to the coming generation, it is observed that “parental warmth is the key to successful transmission.”
2. “The warm, affirming relationship pattern was most likely to result in the successful transmission of religion. Children responded best to parents who were unconditionally supportive, who provided consistent role modeling of religious practices, and who did not force their beliefs or practices on their children.”
3. Cold, distant, or authoritarian parenting; parenting that was ambivalent or sent mix-messages, when one parent was perceived as sometimes warm, sometimes cold, or where one parent was seen as warm and the other as cold or distant; and were parents were strained or preoccupied or distracted by marital, financial, health or substance abuse problems there was less likelihood that they would transmit their faith.
D. It stands to reason, in light of this, that it would make a difference who our marriage partner is. This too is confirmed by the research study.
1. (Previously we have looked at the biblical evidence and considered both the principles and the examples from the O.T. and the N.T. and concluded the evidence is overwhelming regarding the people of God marrying people of God in order to perpetuate to the next generation faith in God.)
2. “Our results show that parents in a same-faith marriage help perpetuate religious continuity across generations. This is most likely if there is a strong religious commitment, the partners regularly attend religious services together, and religion is high salient in the lives of both partners. Moreover, religion can strengthen same-faith marriages, leading in turn to more effective religious socialization of children in the family” (Bengtson, p. 187).
E. If our father is the devil we communicate lying, murder, unbelief and such like. Perhaps not so much these specific acts as what they represent—a course (direction) of life.
1. There are such toxic parents that mar their children with severity. Sexual, physical, emotional abuse.
2. There are less toxic parents that mar their children with less severe marks.
F. The message of the gospel is that there is healing available by being adopted into the family of God (Eph. 1:5-9; cf. Matt. 5:48; Titus 3:1-8; 1 Pet. 4:3ff ).
III. But what if that part of the family of God that we are associated with continues to manifest toxicity?A. Just as a biological family transfers symptoms of disease to the next generation families that are supposed to be Christians can do the same.
B. While the family of God consists of all the people of God in the world our experience of this family is felt most strongly in a congregation. Congregations can be toxic to the children in the family.
1. Evidenced in 1 Cor. 5:9-13.
2. Congregation where an individual was sexually harassing teenage girls.
3. Websites advertising self help groups for those coming out of “Churches of Christ.”
4. First, I was shocked, then offended, but realize that some congregations are toxic, even those who bear the name “Church of Christ.”
C. Some are so “rigid,” “legalistic,” and “demanding,” that they are toxic.
1. There is structure, “backbone,” and rules, but these are not rules without grace. The Lord is to be respected. His will obeyed.
2. It is not “Do this because I say so,” without reasoning and persuasion about the WHYS.
3. It is not stern judgmentalism that is to characterize the family of God.
4. What if such an approach characterizes a preacher? An eldership? Bible class teachers? Each congregation takes on a tone. Just like parents do. What kind of congregational family do I want my children to grow up in? The question is who is the father that is being evidenced?
D. I view with amusement the migration of Christians from one congregation to another.
1. People migrate for various reasons. But is it a case of “birds of a feather flocking together?”
2. Do some migrate on the basis of “toxic vs. healthy” perceptions? We might ask what kinds of families are attracted here? What kinds of families find us unattractive?
3. We could expect that some would want to murder us. We could expect that some would find us healing. How do those families reflect who we are perceived to be? What image of “father” are we communicating? Is it the image that God, the Father would have us communicate?
4. These are tough questions, but tough questions that we need to wrestle with. And maybe one of the considerations is, “Are we winning the hearts of our children?” (cf. Matt. 15:3-9). This may be a mark of where we are congregationally. It may be a reflection of our perception of God as Father. Can you bear to ask and hear your children’s perception of you?? What terms would they use? Terms used to describe the God of Scripture? Or terms used to describe the devil?
Conclusion:
1. Warm and supportive inter-generational relationships create shared beliefs and values. 2. Parents who are demanding and overly zealous in pressing their “faith” are less effective in creating shared beliefs. 3. Luke Skywalker was resisting the dark side. Even if his father was allied with the dark side and his right hand was cut off still with one hand he would resist and choose a different father. 4. Who is your father?
