A GREAT Way to honor God our Father

 I’ve been doing a series on how the very personal name “YHVH” applies certainly to God our Father, but also to the Word of God Yeshua, or by his Greek-English name Jesus Christ. 

I mentioned that there are teachings going out that – at least the way I see it – end up diminishing the glory and stature of my Savior Jesus Christ. Now in one way, nothing can diminish what glory and position he is being granted in heaven right now, but among ourselves, yes there are things we say, teach and do definitely diminish him in the eyes of other believers. 

So this blog is about a way to honor God our Father – BY the way we honor His Son.

John 5:19-23   Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”

Read verse 23 again a couple times. We honor God our Father by honoring His Son, whom he loves and commends.

It was our Father who said, “This is my BELOVED Son, in whom I am WELL pleased” at Yeshua’s baptism and again on the Mount of Transfiguration. Peter recalls that time.

2 Peter 1:17-18   “For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”

This is the same apostle Peter who started his epistle this way in 2 Peter 1:1:

Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our GOD and SAVIOR Jesus Christ”

Certainly God the Father is also our Savior, but so is Jesus Christ.

Certainly God the Father is Supreme, but he does everything through His Son, Jesus Christ as I show in the sermon. So let’s honor the SON – and in so doing, we honor the Father also.

We certainly dishonor our God and Savior when we live a life of sin. By our LIVES we either honor or dishonor God. Our LIVES are our greatest sermons. Please read 1 John 2:3-6; 3:7-8, 10. We must not bring the name of Christ or our Father into disrepute by our wrongful actions and behavior. I have in the past and even from time to time - and so have you. We must be people who can see areas of our lives where we’re overcoming old ways. Now, washed by His blood, we move forward in a life of holiness as we place our faith in the righteousness of Christ living HIS life again in us.

Certainly when we take Yeshua’s name in vain and say as an exclamation “JEEZ! Jesus Christ!” – we’re taking his name frivolously. When we dishonor Christ’s name, surely we dishonor His Father also. I personally try to avoid even the substitute words, the euphemisms, for God and Christ. So I avoid words like “Gosh, O my gosh, Jimminy Cricket (letters of JC – Jesus Christ), Jeez” and so on.

And I also believe when we wrongly teach that the name “YHVH” never, ever, ever applies to the Son of God, that also dishonors Him – and therefore dishonors our Father. Some are erroneously teaching lately that in every instance, 100% of the time, that when we read in the Old Testament --“the LORD” (in all caps) -- that this always refers exclusively to God the Father and never to Christ.

That’s not just semantics. It diminishes the role of Yeshua in the eyes and ears of those who are being taught this.

Folks, let me remind you. You can hear my full sermon “Part 3, YHVH does sometimes apply to Yeshua the Word” for a full exposition. Let me just remind you though:

• We’re not marrying our Bridegroom’s Dad. We’re not. We’re marrying Yeshua our Messiah (2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 19:6-9). But someone calling himself “the LORD” also calls himself our Husband. That cannot be God the Father. In several verses he even calls himself the LORD of Hosts. Read Isaiah 54:5 – “For your MAKER is your Husband, the LORD of Hosts is his name”. There’s more on this in my latest sermon on “YHVH – Part 3”.

• And Zechariah 14 says Someone called “the LORD”, and even “the LORD of Hosts”, will come to fight the armies gathered around Jerusalem. HIS feet will land on the Mount of Olives and HE will rule from Jerusalem for a thousand years and people from all over the world will come worship this LORD. That HAS to be Christ, when you compare it to Rev. 19-20.

SO I teach we need to give Yeshua his proper honored place too as He sits in majesty and honor on the right hand of God the Father Most High.

Remember John 5:23 – we either honor and glorify God our Father or we can dishonor God our Father – by how we treat and teach about Yeshua, our Savior.

2 Peter 3:18 – ‘but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.’