There are three places in the Bible where “Abba, Father” is used, which is very significant to the Christian.  Everybody does not have the faith to say “Abba, Father”.  When you get to the place that you can say “Abba, Father” without hesitation in your spirit, without any drawback, then you know that you are coming into a place in God, where God hears you.  You are coming into a place where God wants you to be established.  We need to be established in that kind of faith, established in that kind of experience and relationship with God whereby we cry “Abba, Father”.

Galatians 4:1 “Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, different nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;  but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the Father.  Even so we, when we were children, we were in bondage under the elements of the world:  But when the fullness of 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.  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son;  And if a son, then an heir of God thru Christ.”

The Word is saying, that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. Likewise, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.  But when the time had fully come, God sent His son, born of a virgin, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might have the full right of sons. Because we are sons, God sent the spirit of His son into our hearts, the spirit who calls out, Abba, Father.  So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and since you are a son, God has made you an heir.

Another Place that “Abba, Father” is used is in Romans 8:15:  “For ye have not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father”.  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

The only other time that “Abba, Father”, was used, was when Jesus was praying to the Father concerning the things that were about to happen to Him.  The cup that He was about to drink. When He was praying, knowing that it was just a short time before He was to be offered up as a sacrifice.  Mark 14:35 & 36  “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 what I will, but what thou wilt.”  Jesus cried, “Abba, Father”, at a time when He was in distress.  When He knew that His life was at stake; and He was going through the worst battle of His life and ministry.  When the pain and sorrow was the greatest He had ever felt.  Sure Jesus was ordained for this time, but He was still in human flesh, just like you and I.  He felt all of our sins that were laid upon His back, and He knew that He was going to die.  If you knew that you were going to die tomorrow, there would be certain feelings that you would be feeling and you would be down praying just as Jesus was, to let this cup pass from you.

One relationship that we have with the Father is one under authority, and this is good and fine.  This is the relationship that most Christians find themselves in.  And usually, that is the only one they have.  They know that God is all powerful and that He controls the universe.  And God is all powerful.  He is authority.  He is everything that they have need of.  He is the authority of life, and everything they have need of.  But that is all they know of Him.  And many do not even understand that.

There is a relationship that is greater than just “Father”.  It is “Abba, Father”.  The word “Abba” could not be used by  anyone that was a slave.  There was a law that a slave could not use the word “Abba”.  When he came to the Master he could not say “Abba, Father”.  He could only use the word Father to show the authority they recognized.  If your mother was a slave and your father was free, you still could not use that word.  The word “Abba” was used in a deeper relationship.  Paul tried to show us this “Abba, Father” relationship.  No wonder when Paul was talking about bondage and being free from bondage, and being free from slavery, he used the term “Abba, Father”.

Galatians 4:5-7  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.  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

How strong is that.  That we are no longer a servant but a son.  That does not mean that we do not have to serve God anymore, or that you don’t have to live right anymore.  A son that has a close relationship with his father would serve the father greater, would do more for the Father than a servant would.  For the servant only knows the Father as an authority figure. And sometimes when the eyes of authority are not there the servant may not do very much.  He has no stake in the matter, he is just a hired hand.  But the son knows that he is heir and joint heir with Christ, and that everything is at stake.  Everything in the kingdom is at his hand and he is going to be heir to it and joint-heir to it, so he has a lot at stake, so he will do more than a servant.  Everything the Father  has is his.

God is trying to show us a relationship of “Abba, Father”.  A lot of Christians have not come to an “Abba, Father” relationship.  They have come strictly to a servant relationship, where they serve God because they know the rules, and they know the relation of what a servant is to a master.  They know the rules and they go by the rules as long as the Master is around.  Then some are faithful servants and will go by the rules rather the Master is around or not.  They are faithful.  They will do whatever they are suppose to do.  But then, there is a relationship whereby we are no longer in bondage of this world or the things of this life.  We have found a relationship with God.  We are no longer in bondage to fear.  He said in Romans 8:15   “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”.  There is a relationship you can find with the Father that no longer just recognizes His authority, no longer just recognizes His greatness, no longer just recognizes how powerful He is, and how magnificent He is, but there is a relationship that you can find with the Father that begins to let you know that you are free from the bonds of this world.  That you are free from fear.  That you have a Father-Son relationship.  A genuine love that binds you and constrains you from sin.  That you no longer just don’t commit sin, just because you know that it’s not the right thing to do.  You know longer do things just because you are a servant.  You no longer do things just because you are expected to do them.  But you have come into a relationship with the Father where there is a genuine love flowing from your heart to His.  There is something there that the world can’t explain.  There is something there that is so powerful that it is beyond a servant and Father relationship.  It’s beyond a do this and do that relationship.  It’s a relationship that you have found with the Father where you have the right to call Him “Abba”.  You are no longer in bondage.  You are no longer a slave to sin.  You are no longer in bondage to the law or to this world.  You have been made free.  Whom the Son set free is free indeed.  You have a relationship with the Father whereby you know that He is the author and the finisher of your faith.  That you know that you have become a part of His family.  You are not just one of the hired hands.  You know that you are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.  You know that you are somebody in Him.  He said in one place that you wouldn’t even be called servants anymore.  Wherefore thou are no more a servant but a son and if a son then an heir of God thru Christ.  No more just a relationship of the authority figure.  And the servant figure.  But you have found something deeper, something greater, something more powerful.  Something so powerful that the world can’t explain it.  And a lot of the church world can’t explain it.

Look at the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. The younger son had gathered all his goods, went out and wasted all that he had.  He even live riotous living.  He lived a wicked life.  He went out into the world.  He ended up in a hogs pen and ate hogs food.  But he came to himself.  He said to himself, In my father’s house are many servants and they eat and drink well.  They have a servant relationship, and they get plenty to eat.  They have a servant relationship, and they get plenty to drink.  There is not any of them starving and they just have a servant relationship with my Father.  They recognize that He is the authority.  They recognize that He can supply all their needs.  They do for Him and He honors them, and gives to them.  So the son said to himself, I will go back to my Father’s house and say, Father I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  I have sinned against you.  I’ve done all the things that I wasn’t suppose to do.  Father, I’m not worthy to be called your son, so just let me be your servant.  He knew that if he could just be a servant, he would get plenty of food to eat.  If I can just get back under your authority again.   Whatsoever you tell me to do, I will do it.  Because I know that I will have plenty of food to eat, that my needs will be met.  I know I will not have to live in the hog pin any longer.  And sometimes, that is the kind of attitude that it takes to get back in the graces of a Father.  Just let me do anything, just let me live under your authority.  But when the son went back, even while on his way back home, the father ran to him, put His arms around him, loved him, He put the best robe in the house around him, and a family ring on his finger.  He said to the servants, now go out to the stalls and kill the fatted calf.  The one we have been saving for a special occasion.   For we are going to have a feast tonight.  We are going to have a party tonight, for this my son that was dead, for this my son that had been lost, now he’s home again, he’s born again, he’s alive again.  He’s alive! Now we are going to have a feast.  We are going to be happy.  We are going to celebrate.  Our neighbors are going to know that something good has happened around here.  The father had a great feast for his son that had come home.  They were feasting, they were rejoicing, and they were dancing.  They were letting people know that his son that was dead now he is alive and home again.  The father had received his son well.

Now here come the other brother.  Here come the one that had been there all the time.  The one who had never left his father.  He came up and said, what is all of that noise.  They said, your brother is home.  Your brother is here, he’s back again, he’s well, he’s not dead, he’s happy.  But the elder brother was sad.  He could not forgive the younger brother for leaving and living the way he had, and for wasting all his goods.  He said, I’ll not go in.

But there’s music in there and there’s dancing in there, and rejoicing in there.  Somebody’s happy, somebody’s feeling the spirit, somebody’s rejoicing, somebody’s glad that there is still a saving grace.  Somebody’s excited that Jesus Christ is still the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Somebody’s excited that His grace is still sufficient, that His mercy is everlasting.  Somebody’s excited that he still can cleanse, and set free.  Somebody’s excited that he can still take an alcoholic and loose him and set him free.  Somebody’s excited because he can take the dope addict and whore monger and set them free.

The people were in the house rejoicing but the brother just wouldn’t go in or forgive him.  He said, no, I am not going in around that brother that has done all that wrong.  No, I’ll not forgive him.  I’m not going to have anything else to do with him.

Did you know that is just what is happening to the church world.  They can not understand how God can pull people out of the hog pen.  They can’t understand how God could take people that were harlots, and dope addicts, and alcoholics, and wash them and cleanse them and bring them into the church.

There is a people that pride themselves in old-time Holiness, but they don’t even know what it is.  Old-time Holiness is letting people get saved.  Old-time Holiness is getting people delivered.  Old-time Holiness is getting people set free.  Old-time Holiness is having the power and authority of God in your life.  Old-time Holiness is getting a vision of compassion that you can reach out and touch somebody’s life and loose them and set them free.  God’s looking for Old-time Holiness.  He’s not looking for a people that sits around and denies the power of God, denies the authority of God.

Some even recognize the authority but they are still right here where this older brother was.  He was at the place where he told his father, Father all these years I have served you. [ I want you to see the relationship, here.]  This elder brother wasn’t a bad person.  But the elder son said, Father all these years I have served you.  All these years I was here, I didn’t go out and waste, I didn’t go out and do anything wrong, I stay right here and did the thing I was suppose to do.  I’ve serve you all these years, and you didn’t even give me a kid.  (which was a goat).  And here your son has come home and you have killed the fatted calf for him.  What did the Father say?  He said, son, all that I have is thine.  Everything that was in my authority, everything that was in my house, everything that was on the farm, everything that was in the kingdom, everything that I have was always thine.  Son, everything I have was always yours.  It was forever with you.  Anytime that you wanted a fatted calf you could have gotten a fatted calf.  Anytime that you would have wanted the blessings you could have had the blessings.  But the elder son sort of told on himself.  He said, you never gave me a kid, which is goat.  And a lot of Christians across America this day, had rather eat goat meat, than King’s food.  That fatted calf was King’s food.  When the lost son had come home from out in the world, his father gave a feast with the fatted calf.  And this other brother said, no, you never even gave me a goat.  Why?  Because that was all he was expecting, was goat meat.

Did you know a lot of Christians, all they expect is goat meat.  They don’t expect God to move in the service with prophesy.  They don’t expect God to move in with dancing.  They don’t expect God to move in with anything miraculous.  They don’t expect God to heal anyone.  They don’t expect God to do the mighty.  They don’t expect God to be a mighty deliverance God.  All they want to do is hang around, hoping for a little goat meat.

But I am persuaded of better things of you.  As Paul said one time.  Hebrews 6:9   “But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.  For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”   The young man was willing to be a servant.  He was willing to start at the bottom of the heap, so to speak.  But there is no way to start at the bottom with God.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not talking  in relationship of working for God.  But when you come in you come in as a son.  When you are born into the kingdom, you are a child of God.  You are just as much a child of God the very day that you ask God to forgive you of your sins, the very day that you accept Him as your Father, your just as much a child of God then, as you will be twenty-five years later.  You’re a child of God.  Now all of this is by faith and we are growing all the time.  We grow up into the Lord, Jesus Christ.  Sure we have a lot of growing to do.  Sure, we have to come into the son ship with him.  But God sees you from the beginning as His son.  That very moment you get saved.  That very moment that the son came home out of the hog pen.  But that just tore the elder brother up and it tears some people up sometimes.  To see somebody come right out of the dope house, right out of the prostitute house, right out of the garbage dumps of this world, and God come and saved their souls and put something inside of them that is real.  And people that have been serving God for twenty-five years will say, how can God bless him.  How can God bless her.  A year ago she was working over at the Madam’s place, and now she has the nerve to sit on the front row seat.  But see, that’s God.  Just a little while before and the son was down in the hog pen, eating hog food.  But he found a relationship with God that a lot of Christians have not found yet.  He found a relationship with God where he began to recognize the Abba, Father.  He began to recognize not just Father, but Abba, Father.  Abba is close to Daddy.  It’s just like saying, “Daddy”.  Sometimes in your relationship with your Father if you only have an authority relationship with him, you will say, Father this, and Father that, and usually in that relationship the son or daughter and the Father don’t have too close of a relationship.  But you get in one of those relationships where that little son or little daughter just crawls up in your lap and says, Daddy, would you do this for me.  It’s no longer Father, but it’s Daddy.  Daddy, I have a need. Daddy, I know that you are the best Daddy in the world.  Daddy, you are so strong.  Daddy, you are the most handsome man in the world.  Daddy, you are so good.  You, Daddy’s, know what I am talking about.  There is not anything you would withhold from a relationship like that.  If that little girl crawls up in your lap and says, Daddy, I need a new dress, you will say, what color.  Daddy, I want some ice cream.  Daddy says, wait till after supper.  But Daddy, I want some ice cream now.  And we’re lucky if we don’t give it to them now, because they get to rolling those pretty brown eyes at us, or pretty blue eyes, and begin to make us feel that love that we have for them.

We can have a relationship with the Father that goes beyond the just authority figure.  That Abba, Father.  That relationship where you became a real child, and not just a servant.  That relationship where you became a child and have a relationship as a child.   He said, you earthly Fathers, don’t you do good for your children.  If they ask you for an egg will you give them a serpent.  If they ask you for something you will give them something good.   Matt 7:9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your  children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

When you have a need just crawl up into God’s lap, and say, Daddy, I’ve got a need.  Daddy, I want you to supply all of my needs according to your riches in glory.  And when you love God, and you love Him to a place where there is nothing there between your love.  Just pure Father and Son love, just pure child and Father love, there’s nothing to hinder.  You are a child and you know you’re a child.  Can you imagine what being a child of God means.  We take it so for granted sometimes.  You are a child of God.  Think about it.  How much do you love your little child?  Think about God’s relationship to you.  You’re His child.  You’re heirs and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.  No longer in bondage to the elements of this world.  You don’t have any obstacles that can hold you back.  You are not in bondage to anything.  You are in the Kingdom of God.  You are a child of the Most High.  Your Father is the strongest Dad on the block, so to speak.  He’s the most handsome Dad in town.  He’s the strongest Dad in town.  And He can whip anybody on the block.  If a child runs and crawls up in his Daddy’s lap and says, Daddy, that man down the street, he’s been picking on me, the Father will be out of his chair and down the street in no time.  Let the devil start messing with you.  You just go running to Abba, Father.  Our Father is all powerful.  You are His heir, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.  As he was in the world so are you.  Then when you have to go thru a battle or a trial, you can crawl up in His lap and get consolation.  You can get assurance.  You can get comfort.  Jesus just crawled up in His Father’s lap, there in the garden, and said, Abba, Father.  He was saying, Daddy, I don’t want to do this.  But, not my will, but your will.

Many people treat God as a foreigner, somewhere way off.  They recognize His authority, Oh yes, I know there’s a Higher Being.  I know there’s a Greater Power of the universe.  I know there’s something out there somewhere.  No wonder they are not going to get anything.  How can you receive anything if your dependency is on something, somewhere out there.  You get your needs met by knowing that your dependency is  in Him.  That you have received the Spirit whereby we cry, Abba Father.  We are joint heirs with Jesus now.  There’s a spirit in you saying, “Abba Father”.  Daddy, help me.  Daddy, fix it.  My son used to come running to me, he thought I could fix anything.  Still does, I think.  That’s the kind of relationship God wants with you.  He wants the kind of relationship where you think He can fix anything.  He wants you to run to Him if something goes wrong, and know that He can fix it.  Just get to Him, and He can fix it.  That’s what God wants for you.  He doesn’t want us to just have a servant relationship.  Oh, you would get by.  You would have plenty to eat, with a servant relationship.  you would have shelter, and clothes, and respect.  And you would have an authority relationship.  But you would never have the intimacy that a Father and a son will have.  God wants His children to begin to cry, “Abba, Father”.

Rev Larry Wright, was not only a great evangelist but my mentor and uncle. His passing was devastating to our who family. He was the founder of World Mission Outreach in Nicaragua. Larry changed the lives of thousands of people. He will always be loved and missed.