The One We Hardly Know

He Does Stuff. Jesus made an incredible statement about God the Father earlier in John 5,

But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” . . . Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. (NASB) John 5:17, 19

What does God the Father do? He does “stuff”! He does all kinds of things. God the Father does whatever He wants to do. Jesus gives us a glimpse into His power and authority when He reveals this divine truth,

Pray, then, in this way:
Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven. (NASB) Matt. 6:9-10

Just think, God the Father’s will is done in heaven. Whatever He wants to happen happens in heaven, and some day the same will be true in the new heaven and new earth. But for now, He has given Satan great freedom to do as he wants in this world.

According to Acts 1:7 and other scriptures, God the Father is the master planner of the times, seasons, and events in the universe.

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority . . . (NASB) Acts 1:7

He has planned it all. He controls the nations. Romans 13:1-4 tells us that God establishes nations and the Old Testament is full of examples where God brings them down.

He is the master planner, and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit willingly obey Him (Luke 22:42; John 15:26). God the Father also controls heaven including all of the angels (Heb. 15:13). The demons, including Satan, are not completely free to do what they want (Job 1-2). God the Father “runs the show!”

His Best Plan. Rejoice that God the Father not only makes these great plans, but He is also powerful enough to make them happen. He is not weak and just wishing that things might occur. There is nothing that frustrates His wishes. He is all knowing so that His plans are perfect. He already knows the result of His actions. He is an awesome God.

But His greatest plan involved Jesus Christ. God the Father sent Jesus to die for us (John 5:36). The scriptures tell us that He had planned Jesus’ death. He made it happen. (Luke 23:46). Then He raised Jesus from the grave ( Acts 2:24-25), and some day He will give Jesus the kingdom (Matt. 26:29).

As a result of all of this, God the Father can now forgive our sins because Jesus died for us (1 John 2:9-10). While Jesus was dying on the cross, Jesus asked God the Father to forgive the sins of His murderers. Jesus did not do it nor did the Holy Spirit. It is God the Father who has the ultimate authority to forgive (Rom. 3:24).

This is a wonderful and important truth. God the Father planned everything so that He could forgive your sins. Why? Why does God the Father do these things?

What Is He Like? Who is God the Father? What is He like behind the closed doors of heaven? We have seen only a few things about Him. What motivates Him to do these things? What is God the Father like? Does He have emotion? Why does He care for the birds in the sky and on the ground (Matt. 6:26 ), and count the hairs of our head (Matt. 10:30)? Jesus answers our questions with one of the most exciting statements in scripture,