06-21-26 Before Me, There Was HIM

The Lord’s Day is treated as more than a date on the calendar, because every day God gives becomes another chance to display Christ outwardly. God is not presented as someone who only hands out blessings, but as the eternal Father who existed first, loved first, and still deserves to be known for who he truly is. The title, “there before me, there was him,” becomes the center of everything, because God’s fatherhood comes before every human role, responsibility, and identity.

Fatherhood becomes the window that makes God’s love feel heavier and more real. The pictures of Sofia and Noah show little moments that pass fast: learning to walk, eating strawberries, holding bottles, stealing hats, needing protection, needing provision. Those moments expose what a human father wants to be: present, responsible, patient, loving, protective. But human fatherhood also exposes limits. A father can love deeply, work hard, and sacrifice, but he cannot give salvation. Only God can do that, and God already has.

John the Baptist gives the right posture when he says, “He must become greater, I must become less.” John came before Jesus in one sense, but John knew Christ surpassed him because Christ was before him. John could have made it about himself, but John pointed away from himself and toward the One who was always first. That same truth presses on every role in life. Before a person is a father, mother, son, daughter, worker, or anything else, that person is called to be a child before the Father.

God’s perfect fatherhood is shown as power and tenderness together. God is King, Judge, Creator, Alpha and Omega, but God is also Father. His desire is not just that people follow rules, but that his children come home. Genesis to Revelation shows a Father protecting, saving, correcting, calling, and loving people who keep running away. Nothing can separate God’s love from his children, even though many things can pull human love away from God.

The prodigal son shows what coming home looks like. Sin takes a child far away, wastes what was given, and leaves that child ashamed and hungry. But the Father sees the son while he is still a long way off, runs with compassion, and restores before interrogating. Romans 8 then gives the name for that restored relationship: “Abba, Father.” The Spirit teaches God’s children to cry out not only to the Almighty, but to Dad. The deepest cry of the soul becomes simple: to be with the Father again.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s love wants children home [41:46] God’s desire is not reduced to rule keeping or religious behavior. The Father wants his children near him, in his presence, where restoration and communion happen. A life can look successful on the outside and still be far from home if the heart is no longer moving toward the Father. [41:46]
• 2. Christ must become greater [33:06] John the Baptist gives the shape of true humility: Christ increases, and the self decreases. Earthly responsibility can become so loud that even good callings start to take the place of God. A person does not become less by honoring Christ first, because every other role finds its right place under him. [33:06]
• 3. The Father restores before interrogating [55:19] The prodigal son expected shame, questions, and maybe a servant’s place. The father answered with compassion, arms, kisses, clothing, food, and celebration. God’s restoration is not denial of sin, but the holy love that runs toward the returning child before that child can finish the speech. [55:19]
• 4. Abba is more than a title [01:00:11] Romans 8 gives believers more than a formal relationship with God. The Spirit teaches the heart to cry “Abba,” the tender language of a child who belongs. God remains King and Judge, but adoption means his children can approach him with the nearness of sons and daughters. [60:11]
• 5. Salvation belongs only to God [32:12] Human fathers can protect, provide, correct, and love, but even the best father has limits. Salvation cannot be bought, earned, inherited through family, or manufactured by effort. God’s perfect fatherhood is seen most clearly in the gift no human parent could ever give: redemption through Christ.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [21:54] - The Lord’s Day and God’s Glory
• [22:59] - Before Me, There Was Him
• [24:31] - Lessons From Fatherhood
• [28:18] - Human Fathers Have Limits
• [32:12] - Only God Can Give Salvation
• [33:06] - He Must Become Greater
• [35:26] - John Points To The One Before Him
• [41:46] - The Father Wants His Children Home
• [44:00] - Nothing Separates God’s Love
• [49:34] - God Is More Than Creator And Judge
• [52:21] - The Prodigal Son Comes Home
• [59:17] - Romans 8 And The Spirit Of Sonship
• [62:34] - The Soul Cries Abba Father
• [65:50] - Come Back To The Father

Bible Reading

John 3:30
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” [33:06]

John 1:30
“This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’” [35:26]

Luke 15:11-24
“And he said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.” And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.’” And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.” [55:19]

Romans 8:15-16
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” [01:00:11]

Observation questions

1. In Luke 15, what specific actions does the younger son take before returning home, and what specific actions does the father take when he sees him coming back? [55:19]
2. In John 1:30 and John 3:30, what does John the Baptist say about Jesus, and how do those two statements show both Jesus’ greatness and John’s humility? [35:26]
3. What are some of the limits of human fatherhood that were highlighted, and what is the one thing a human father cannot give? [32:12]
4. In Romans 8:15-16, what words are used to describe the believer’s relationship to God, and what does the Spirit lead God’s children to cry out? [01:00:11]

Interpretation questions

1. John says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” What does that look like when good responsibilities begin to take up so much space that a person starts living as if those responsibilities come before God? [33:06]
2. John 1:30 says Jesus was “before” John even though Jesus came after him publicly. How does that truth shape the way a person should think about identity, calling, and personal importance? [35:26]
3. The father in Luke 15 restores the son before fully hearing his prepared speech. What does that reveal about God’s heart toward a repentant sinner who is returning in shame? [57:17]
4. Romans 8 says believers cry, “Abba, Father.” How is that different from only thinking of God as Creator, King, or Judge, and how might that change the way a person approaches him in daily life? [01:00:37]

Application questions

1. Which role has been loudest in this season of life—parent, spouse, worker, provider, student, caregiver, or something else—and how has that role competed with simply being a child before the Father? [38:54]
2. God’s desire is not only outward rule-keeping but that his children come home. Where has the heart felt distant lately even if life still looks fine on the outside? [41:46]
3. The prodigal son came to a point where he knew home with the father was better than life far away. What has been pulling the heart away from home lately—distraction, shame, sin, exhaustion, ambition, or independence? [54:27]
4. The Father sees returning children while they are still a long way off. Is there any fear that God will respond with disappointment, interrogation, or rejection? What would it look like to actually believe he responds with compassion? [55:26]
5. Human love can be deep, but salvation belongs only to God. Has there been any quiet trust in family background, good intentions, or personal effort instead of resting in what Christ alone has done? [32:26]
6. “Abba” is the language of closeness, not mere formality. What would need to change this week for prayer to sound less like reporting to a distant authority and more like coming near to a Father? [01:01:15]
7. Everything in this world is temporary, but the soul’s deepest cry is to be with the Father again. What practical step could help re-center life around going home to him—slowing down, repenting, praying honestly, opening Scripture again, or asking for help? [01:02:39]