ABBA
FATHER: WE ARE
FRIENDS
OF JESUS
By
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
“Ye
are My friends, if ye do whatsoever, I command you.” (John
15: 14).
During my 1968
Norway crusades, I learned that nearly
all
Evangelical Churches there were
called Friends: Free
Friends, Pentecostal Friends, Evangelical Friends, etc.
Another
unique thing was hearing people who were blessed by my Message,
saying Abba Father, instead of the usual Amen.
Abba
is the transliteration of the Aramaic word for father. It was used by
Jesus Christ during His awful trial in the garden of Gethsemane just
before going to the CROSS to die in our place!
It
means papa or daddy, but as used in the New Testament in
conjunction with Father, it is not only personalized but spoken in
reverence and respect. The double title of Abba and Father shows
intimacy and dignity!
Being
the Son of God, Jesus was intimate with His Father and as a man He
prayed that the CUP would pass from Him, but He knew
that He must drink the bitter cup and do the Will of His Father,
Who had sent Him!
The
Bible says: "And He went forward a little, and fell on the
ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass
from Him. And He said Abba, Father all things are possible
unto Thee, take away this CUP from Me: nevertheless, not as I
will, but what Thou wilt." (Mark 14: 35, 36)
St.
Paul used those those two words Abba, Father in
his epistles to the Romans and Galatians teaching us that the same
Holy Spirit that was in Jesus of Nazareth is also in us crying
out to our Heavenly Father, and that we can have the
same intimacy with Him as Jesus had.
“For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
For ye have not received the spirit of Bondage again to fear;
but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry
Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself beareth witness that we are
the Children of God.”
“But
when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that
were under the law, that we might receive the Adoption of Sons.
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son
into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Gal.4: 4-6)
NO
LONGER SLAVES, BUT FRIENDS!
Jesus
called His disciples friends! “Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
"Ye are My
friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you
not servants (slaves); for the servant (slave) knoweth
not what his lord doeth: but I have called you Friends; for
all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto
you.” (John 15: 13-15)
Abraham
was the only man whom God called His friend, because he trusted the
Almighty completely and was willing to give up the best he had to
answer the call of God! The Holy Bible states:
“And
the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it
was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend
of God”
(James 2: 23)
St.
John made this emphatic statement regarding our access to God our
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ His resurrected Son and our Saviour:
"For
the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and
show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was
manifested unto us.
That
which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may
have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father,
and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
(1 John 1: 2, 3)
WE
MUST OBEY THE MASTER!
Jesus
called His disciples, friends! By the power of the Holy Spirit we
are are able to walk with Him and He will call us His friends. We
must, however, do whatsoever He has commanded us to do!
Here
is the injunction of the Lord in the matter of receiving Eternal
Life: “This
then is the message which we have heard of Him and declare unto you,
that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that
we have fellowship with Him, and walk in DARKNESS, we lie and do not
the Truth.
“But
if we walk in the Light as He is in the LIGHT, we have fellowship one
with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from
all sin. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1
John 1:5-7). Amen.
