The Father’s Name has been manifested by His Son in the world—manifested in pure and sovereign grace. Of old He was revealed as the Creator, as the Almighty, or as the All-sufficient One, and as Jehovah; but by the Son the ineffable Name of Father has been manifested. Until the Son came to reveal Him as Father He could not so be known, for Jesus said, “Neither knows any man the Father save the Son.”
Faith might apprehend Him as the Source of all things,—the “one God and Father of all”; and as “the Father of mercies” and “the Father of lights”; but by the Son alone is the Father made known, according to His own divine pleasure. The world is incapable of knowing the children of God in their relationship with Him as such; but God’s children know the Father and His Name is made known to them, so that His wondrous love for His own Son might rest on them and be their hallowed portion.
The time is drawing near which was foretold by the Lord when Antichrist will appear, and coming in all the glamour of his own importance, the world will welcome him. He will appeal strongly to the admiration of men, but the exaltation of himself will vividly contrast with the meekness and lowliness of the Lord Jesus, who said, “I am come in My Father’s Name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in His own name, him ye will receive.” The short and blasphemous success of this deceiver will be the everlasting ruin of many, but eternal life and glory, and endless blessing, will be shared by those who receive the Son of God. Let us be glad and rejoice that our hearts have been opened to receive the Son of God, for how terrible will be the doom of those who reject Him and receive Antichrist instead. Being born of God, we are even now the children of God, and the Father’s Name is precious to us.
It was to His Father the Son said, “I have manifested Thy Name unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the world.” That which is manifested is to be seen. That which is declared is to be heard. Jesus both manifested and declared the Father’s Name. What He did showed what the Father is, manifesting to sight what His Name represents; so He said to the Jews, “The works that I do in My Father’s Name, they bear witness of Me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep”; and, again, “Ye neither know Me, nor My Father; if ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also.” He said, “He that sees Me sees Him that sent Me.” What the Father is was found in perfect manifestation in the Son, and those in whom the Spirit has wrought are capable of appreciating the heavenly grace of God made visible in the Lord Jesus, who has manifested His Father’s Name to those given to Him “out of the world.”
The supreme blessedness connected with this Name, and with those divinely favoured in knowing it, finds marked contrast to the world.
This comes out in the Lord’s prayer to His Father. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14, 16); “O righteous Father, the world has not known Thee”; and in 1 John 2:15, the Spirit says, “if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him”; and then in chapter 3:1, we are encouraged to “Behold, what love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God. For this reason the world knows us not, because it knew Him not” (N.Tr.). The Father was made visible in the Son on earth, “and the world knew Him not,”—not even the religious world! It is the same now in regard to God’s children,”—“the world knows us not!” i.e., in this heavenly and eternal relationship,—the divine relationship, where the life eternal is known in holy nearness to the true God and His Son Jesus Christ.
How important it is, therefore, that we should earnestly value the preciousness of the Father’s Name, made known as we have said, by His Son. He came in His Name, His works were done in that Name; He said, “Many good works have I showed you from My Father”; and again, “The Father that dwells in Me, He does the works”; “He that has seen Me has seen the Father.” To behold Him was to behold the manifestation of the Father. Inspired by the Spirit, John could say, “We beheld His glory,” for wondrous sign-miracles were done by Him in His Father’s Name “in the presence of His disciples.” To see God’s mercy, grace and love, with power, in holy activity in Jesus was to see the Father’s Name represented,—the Father’s Name manifested.
We may see how the ways and worship of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were affected by the Name of God made known to them; also of Moses and those in Israel who had the Name of Jehovah given to them; and, where the Father’s Name has become precious to the faith of God’s children, their walk, ways and worship are correspondingly affected. They are designated, “The true worshippers,” who “worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him” (John 4:23). Differing widely from the walk and ways of other men, Abraham was a pilgrim on earth, but a worshipper of God as He was known to him. Differing vastly from other nations, the nation of Israel was called out of Egypt and separated; and abundant sweet savour offerings ascended to God from their midst, expressing their worship according to God’s known Name of Jehovah. Differing still more greatly from other families, the children of God are in the world, but not of it, and unknown by it; and their worship is in spirit and in truth, rendering to God, in the unction of the Holy Ghost, their sweet savour offerings of praise, in response to the disclosure of the Father’s Name by the Son. The ‘true worshippers’ are thus found today.
Being born of God, redeemed in Christ, set in relationship to God as children, the manifestation of the Father’s Name by His Son is ours to rejoice in! The works done in that Name made this manifestation. What cause there was to bless God when His Son gave sight to the blind man, who afterwards worshipped in His presence! The works of God were manifest in him! Yet the religious leaders cast out the one who had received the benefit (John 9:35), and persecuted the Benefactor! He said to them, “Many good works have I showed you from My Father.” “Though ye believe not Me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” Sight for blindness!—Divine grace manifesting itself! Hearing for the deaf! Strength for the palsied! Health for the sick! Healing for multitudes suffering from all sorts of diseases! and speech given to the dumb! all showed grace acting in power, manifesting the Father’s Name! No wonder they exclaimed, “He has done all things well!” and spiritual sight sees the Father in the Son thus made visible.
Behold Him giving thanks, and feeding the multitude with five loaves and two fishes! Behold His glory manifested forth at Cana of Galilee, when He turned the water of purification into the wine of gladness!
Behold Him when He says, “Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard Me!” and Lazarus came forth from death, and from corruption also! Again, when He said, “FATHER, GLORIFY THY NAME!” and the voice from heaven answered, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again!” It was glorified in the resurrection of Lazarus, and again in the resurrection of the Son of God! Oh! what a sight for Mary to behold!—Jesus, her Saviour and Lord, alive to die no more!—actually “raised up from among the dead by the glory of the Father!” What could surpass the gracious words Mary heard from our risen Lord’s holy lips!—words she was honoured to carry to those He was not ashamed to call brethren. “Go to My brethren,” He said, “and say unto them, I ascend unto MY FATHER, AND YOUR FATHER; AND TO MY GOD, AND YOUR GOD.” Was ever such a divine disclosure of near relationship before made like this? Worship and blessing are the becoming response.