Understanding Christ and His Relationship with His Father (DCLC – July ’87, Part 4)

There are eight chapters in the New Testament that come closest to opening the veil for us, revealing what was happening inside Jesus Christ. You have to look really carefully to see it, but it is there. This is one of those passages, by the way, this is a continuation of what happened last night. This all took place, it appears, in about a 24-hour period, or perhaps even less. This particular passage is beyond me. I would like to preach it with all of its truth and all of its glory and all of its revelation, but I can’t do it. All I’m going to do tonight is read this and comment as I go along. That’s about all I can do. Someday, maybe the Lord will help me to know better what is in this passage. Nonetheless, there is one thing in it above all else, and it will become very evident as the evening moves on.

We’re going to get a peek at what went on in heavenly places. If induction means anything, if you can deduct or induct from what He says here about His experience with the Father, then we get a peek at eternity past and His own life here on earth. And I’d like to pray for just a moment.

Oh, Father, thank You for our cleansing under the blood of Christ. And now we come to You before the record of a brother who lived with Your Son. If there’s anything on this earth that it would seem to me that You want to bear witness to, it would be this. I ask You, Lord, to bear witness in all our spirits and in all our hearts in Christ. Amen.

A lot of conversation here, some of it is extraordinarily negative, but let’s speak nonetheless, because there are some wonderful things here.

Jesus, therefore, once more spoke to them, saying,” I am the light of the world.” This is verse 12. Now again, you look at Him in eternity past and see Him speaking of the light that burst out of the other realm and lit up this entire universe. And also, that He is at present the only real light in this cosmos and on this planet.

“The one who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light in.” And I’m paraphrasing here. I’m just going to walk through this thing with you. He’s going to have the light of My life inside of Him. Why is He saying this? Because inside of Him is the light of the Father’s life. And when He says that He is the light of the world, He is telling us that the Father is the light of His light. If you need a parallel reference for that, please go to Revelation and see that Christ was the center of the city, the new Jerusalem, and that God was in Him—the light of Jesus Christ. Christ is the light of the world because God is the light of Christ. And you have the light of Christ because Christ has the light of the Father.

And now I need to repeat it again. Whatever the Father is to Christ, Christ is to you. All right. The Pharisees answered Him and said, “You’re witnessing to yourself.” And there’s a law that says you need two witnesses. And therefore, if you talk about what you are and that you’re light and all that, no one knows that but you. And you’re witnessing to yourself. Therefore, we don’t listen to you because it’s not valid. Jesus said and responded to them, “Though I am witnessing, yes, concerning Myself, My testimony is valid, for I know where I came from.”

And there we stand in the midst of someone who can remember the future because He has known the past. He remembers not only time and space, but He remembers the ancient past. He knows when He was in His Father, and His Father was the light, and that light was put inside Him in the incarnation, and He remembers it all. He knows where He came from. He came eternally from the Father. He is very keenly aware at this moment that the Father is in Him and He is remembering who He is.

My brothers and sisters, you are at least looking at Someone who is having no problem with self-esteem. Now, do you know why He’s having no problem with self-esteem? And why He’s so confident? Because He has been to the past, far beyond His birth, far beyond the creation, and He has stood in the Father, and the Father has been light to Him. And He knows that He can impart that light to others because the Father has assured Him of that, and probably because He has seen it in the future, probably just probably. For I know where I came from, and I know where I’m going. That could mean anything. I’m going back to the Father; I am in the Father, or I’m going to the consummation of the ages, where I will be made King of kings and Lord of lords. I have no idea, I have a notion, He meant all of that. I think my Lord lived on this earth knowing exactly what glory awaited Him, just as He knew what glory had already been His. We will go along and see if that is valid. If I lose you at any time, will you interrupt me? For I know where I came from; I know where I’m going. While you do not know where I came from or where I’m going, you’re just judging by what you can see; you’re judging according to the flesh.

He has so much internal remembrance in both directions of who He is. “As for myself, I’m not judging you, I’m not judging anyone, and if I am judging, My judgment is valid. For at this moment, I’m not alone, at this moment I am not alone.” Here stands one clearly remembering the past, clearly remembering the future, and clearly knowing that His Father is in Him and He is not alone; there are two present. It is not I who is judging; it is I and the Father who stand here speaking to you now. The Father who sent Me, and He doesn’t mean sent Me in Jordan or sent Me from Nazareth, but He remembers and recalls that glorious moment when the Father entrusted Him with the future of eternity. Future of creation, future of space-time, future of everything. The Father put everything into the Son’s hands and sent Him into this world to work out one of the most, if you please, terrifying? Is that an acceptable word to you? One of the most terrifying, one of the most awesome, no, the most terrifying awesome responsibility ever placed on one. But the Father did it for a reason, and the Son knew it.

Now, right now, the Son is standing there in front of these people, so internally aware. Aware that His Father’s passing judgment on them, aware of the past, aware of the future, aware that the Father is in Him speaking in Him right now. And keenly in remembrance of that time when He was sent.