I Took a DNA Test and God is My Father, Part 2

Greetings, friends and new listeners, and welcome to The Sound of Faith. I'm Sharon Otz thanking you for tuning in today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. I'm excited to bring you today's message, I took a DNA test and God is my Father.

You may be aware of all the attention AncestryDNA is getting these days. Well, after a while he just decided he couldn't take it anymore. So he made contact with them and told them, you know, what he believed.

And of course, they were full of unbelief a lot in the beginning. But the one thing that even got them to even think about considering what he was telling them, to even say, I'll even listen to your story, is because of that address on that birth certificate of Benny's and their father's insurance policy. And not only that, their father's oldest child, daughter who's one year older than Benny, that address is on her birth certificate. Because they were neighbors. That got her thinking, okay, I'll listen to your story.

The other two, they were like, we didn't really hear anything from them. So Benny said, I am 99% sure that your dad is my dad, but if we want to be 100% sure, then you need to take a DNA test. Would you be willing to do that? So she said she would be willing and Sarah sent her one. So she took the DNA test and it came back. And it confirmed. What Benny already knew, that Benny Knotts is not a Knotts. And that that woman's father is Benny's biological father. So now he knew for certain who his father was. And that's what he did with these three women.

Amen. And they were reticent at first, which you can understand. They were shocked. Apparently their parents had a good marriage.

They were married for 53 years. So, you know, things happen. People make mistakes, don't they? Boy, I know you're all sitting out there quiet.

You're thinking about it. But you know, the older sister, she began to talk a little bit about Benny. And then the younger daughter started talking a little bit.

And then they sent in pictures. And when we began to see the pictures and they begin to tell things about their father, it turns out that Benny and their father have so many similarities in their ways. They share similar hobbies. They share similar abilities. You all know that Benny is an expert builder. He can build anything.

He is great to fix almost anything with his hands. Their father was the same way. The man who raised Benny was not like that.

Benny would be all by himself down in the basement building stuff. And his father wasn't into that. And of course, Benny is a big fisherman and all of that.

And so was this man. And so they began to see so many similarities. And then we began to look at pictures. And, you know, I had always thought to myself, who does Benny look like? I could see a little bit of his mom in him. I could. But when I would see pictures of Mr. Knotts, because I never got to meet him.

He had already passed when we were married. The girl looked like her dad, really. But I couldn't see where Benny did. And I always wondered who he really looked like. And now I know why. But when I saw pictures of his father, then I realized the great similarities, the resemblance.

Amen. Even before the DNA was confirmed, I already just by looking at the pictures, I said, look, look at the ears. Look at the eyes. Look this. I mean, I could just see it in the profile. I could see it. Amen.

And what a strong resemblance there was. Now, folks, you may think that this story is wildly unusual. But I'm telling you, it's not. I guarantee you this same story is over and over across this whole nation. I bet you today on Father's Day, there's a whole lot of stuff going on. Because with these sales, and they had them on sale for Mother's Day, and a lot of people are probably just now getting their DNA results. They bought it for Mother's Day, and now they're getting their results back, and their daddy's not who they thought their daddy was. Amen.

It's not unusual. This thing is being repeated across the country. I'm sure the same scenario is playing out thousands of times. Because with the advancement of DNA, who would have ever thought that the day would come that you would be able to find out who your biological father was? Through DNA. Now, we know that for this, that if a woman said, that man is the father of my child, and he said, no, I'm not, they could take what they call a paternity test because they knew who the man was that they were checking that she's claiming.

But if you don't know who your father is, he's out there somewhere in millions of people, there's no way to say, you've got to find them first to say, take a DNA test. But now, with many people, and more and more people taking DNA tests, that means that the DNA database is getting lots and lots and lots of more people on it, so more and more people will be coming up as your match. Once you're on there, you're on there, and that means in the years to come, other people decide to do it.

If they match you, then all of a sudden, you will get a notice, you've got a new match. And so you will be finding out this story is replayed over and over. Amen. There is no greater connection than the parent-child connection. Amen. No matter who gave birth to you, no matter who raised you, or what human family you belong to, knowing that God is your father, and having a personal relationship with him is what you were created for. And it's what your soul and spirit long for. It's what the sinner longs for. They may not know it, but that's what they're longing for, that relationship with God as their father.

And without it, you will never realize your full potential in this life. Amen. When God is your father, the resemblance is unmistakable. Unmistakable. Amen. You're going to share the same likes and the same dislikes. You all know I'm talking in the spirit now, don't you? The same attributes. You're going to have your father's attributes of righteousness and truth.

And these go against the worldly trends. And we know what Jesus said. If Jesus didn't say it, I wouldn't repeat it.

But since he said it, I will. He even looked at a group of religious but not right with God people and said, you are of your father, the devil, and his lust you will do. Amen. And how many know that once, that's who we were. We were the children of the devil. And we did the lust of the flesh because we didn't have any choice.

We had our father's attributes. The motions of sin was in our flesh. And we obeyed it. Whether we chose to or didn't choose to, we did it.

Amen. So knowing that God is our father is the most important thing in our walk. And the only way that we can know God is our father is through his son, Jesus Christ. No man comes unto the father, Jesus said in John 14, 6, but by me. And let me tell you, Jesus knew who his father is. Let's turn to Luke, the second chapter, Luke two, and we'll look at some verses in Luke and I'll paraphrase some while you're turning there.

I'll set this up. We're going to look at what Jesus first recorded words were in scripture. He was 12 years old and it was Passover. And at Passover, the family traveled from Nazareth to go to Jerusalem to celebrate. And they traveled in big groups, family groups, the whole clan. And Nazareth was a very tightly knit community because it was a city, it was near Galilee, but it wasn't down here at sea level.

It was up on a hill looking down. And they kind of were off the beaten path. So they were very close. It was a small town and it was very much family oriented because they didn't have travelers stopping in because they were up on the hill.

So they didn't have all those other influences coming in. And so they were traveling to Jerusalem when their family clan and there was time to go home and they were on their way home. And after a day, they realized we haven't seen Jesus. Oh, he must be hanging in the back with the teenagers. He must be back there.

Let's go find out. And when they went, they did not find him. He was not with anyone and nor had anyone seen him in a while.

Amen. So Mary and Joseph turned around and said, we've got to go back to Jerusalem and find him. The city would have been packed with all of these visitors.

It would have been very chaotic. And I can imagine the alarm that was in Mary's heart when they went back to Jerusalem. And after three days, they found him.

So let's look at verse forty six. And it came to pass after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the middle of the doctors, both hearing them and asking questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers because he was only twelve.

And when they saw him, they were amazed. And his mother said unto him, son, why have you dealt with us? Behold thy father. Behold thy father. And I have sought the sorrowing. And he said unto them, how is it that you sought me?

Whisked or knew you not that I must be about my father's capital F, about my father's business. Amen. So they found him and Mary rebuked him. Don't you know that your father, Joseph and I, we have been so troubled and so worried about you, looking for you everywhere. Why would you do this to us? And Jesus, in true rabbinical style, answered a question with a question, because that's how rabbis spoke and taught.

Amen. The person asking the questions controls the conversation. And he answered with a question. How is it that you are upset and how is it that you are so troubled?

How is it that you are upset with me and you're out looking for me? Didn't you know that I must be about my father's business? He wasn't referring to Joseph and the carpenter shop where he worked alongside of Joseph. He was only 12 years old. He was not ready for ministry, but he knew who his father is.

Amen. He knew who his father is and he knew what his mission and life was to be. He knew it. And let me tell you, saints, if anybody on earth knew who Jesus' father was, it was Mary.

If anyone knew truly who his father was, it was her. Amen. But Jesus was not ready yet. He was rambunctious.

He was raring to go, but he was not ready to go. And so the scripture says he went home and was subject to his parents. Amen. He came under their authority and for the next 18 years we hear nothing more about Jesus. And so whatever stories you've heard about what he supposedly did, that is all made up. It's not in the Bible for a reason. Amen.

Making mud pies and raising them up and whatever. He didn't do that. He was in fellowship and communion with his father. I do want you to look at verse 52. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.

Wow. He increased in wisdom, intellectually, in stature, physically and in favor with God and man, spiritually and socially with God and man. Amen. He increased with favor.

Let me say this to you. You can never be loved more by God than you are. Never. If you do wonderful things, he won't love you more. If you mess up and do bad things, he won't love you less. You cannot be loved any more by God than you are right now, but you can grow in favor. You can grow in favor with God. And what does that mean? That God can find you well pleasing in his sight. Amen.

Not that he loves you more, but because of your attitude and your actions and all of those things, you can grow in favor. So Jesus matured for the next 18 years. And finally, at the age of 30, he was ready because it was at the age of 30 that Levites were allowed to serve in the temple. Now, Jesus wasn't of the tribe of Levi. He was of the tribe of Judah.

Amen. But nevertheless, he was going to follow the pattern of the age of 30 being the age when they were considered mature to go into the ministry. Because Jesus came to fulfill all the law. He wasn't going to be having these Pharisees and doctors saying, who do you think you are? You're only 25.

You can't be telling us anything. How many get the picture? So at age 30, he was ready. Let's look at Luke 3 and verse 21. Now, when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized and praying that heaven was opened and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him. And a voice came from heaven, which said, thou art my beloved son in thee.

I am well pleased. So Jesus had to be baptized to fulfill righteousness. But not only that, but not only that, when he was baptized, he was now full of the power.

Amen. He was full of the power. And God said here, you are my son.

He was personal. Thou is Old English. The good thing about paying attention to the vow, I always go with say you because I know people get hung up on this, these, the vows and the vines. But thou here is important because it is singular. If you say you, you don't know if I mean just him or all of you. But when you say thou, you're talking about one person. And God said, thou, you, Jesus Christ, you are my son. I claim you as my son. And not only that, I love you. You're my beloved son and I love you.

And not only that, but I am well pleased with you. Now you'd think he was good to go, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you think he was good to go? He's 30 now. He just got baptized. God just spoke out of heaven and said here, I'm making a public announcement.

I'm authorizing you because you are my son and I love you. I think he'd be good to go. But not yet. Let's turn to Luke 4 and look at verse 1. And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan. Where did he get full of the Holy Ghost?

When he was baptized in the Jordan River. That doesn't mean that you have to be baptized to get the Holy Ghost. You can get the Holy Ghost as soon as you get saved. But this was a public thing that the Holy Spirit came down in the bodily shape of a dove and sat upon him.

Amen? And he was baptized and full of the Holy Ghost and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness being 40 days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing and when they were ended he afterward hungered. So Jesus was full of the Holy Ghost but the Holy Spirit didn't lead him out to go start his ministry. He didn't lead him to go to Jerusalem and start healing people. He didn't lead him to go to Galilee and start healing people and preaching.

No! He was full of the Holy Spirit and led him straight into the wilderness for 40 days. And there Satan came to put him to the test. And I'm not going to read all the temptation because you know what it is and we always say and it's true that he was tempted in three things. The lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life according to what 1 John 2 15 and 16 tells us that's all that's out there in the world and these are the bait and the lures that Satan uses. But what I want you to zone in on is in addition to being tempted and tested on these three things, he was being tested on his identity. Look at verse 3, And the devil said unto him, If you be the son of God, command this stone that it be made to bread. Look at verse 9, And he brought him, that would be Satan, to Jerusalem and set him on a pinnacle of the temple and said unto him, If you be the son of God, cast yourself down from here. Satan was testing him on his identity, who he was and who his father was.

Amen. Oh but Jesus did not fall for it. He knew who his father is. The last thing he heard 40 days ago, the last voice that he heard in his ears was, This is my son. I love him.

I'm well pleased with him. And when God spoke that to Jesus, Jesus had preached one sermon. He hadn't healed one sick person. He had not performed one miracle.

He had not done anything. God didn't love him for his actions. Amen.

God doesn't love you and me for our actions or lack thereof. Amen. He loved him because he is his son. Amen.

He loved them because he is his son. Come on, if you're a parent here today, perhaps you have a child that you just clash all the time with that child. You're always bumping heads and getting into it and getting aggravated. Amen. But you love them. You love him. You love her.

Whatever. Amen. You love that child. Yeah, you may not always get along and sometimes you don't like the way they're acting, but you love your child. Amen. I know you do because you're a Christian. Now I guarantee you, I'm sure I will allow for the fact that sinners out in the world may actually stop loving their kids.

That's possible. They're of their father, the devil, and the devil doesn't have love for anybody's kids. Amen. But if you're a Christian, even if you got a difficult, difficult child or grandchild that you have to always pray about. I'll put it that way.

Boy, if that child is in danger, if that child is in trouble, you're going to make sure they get in a safe place and then you'll go back to all the other issues. Amen. How many know what I'm trying to tell you? God loved him and the last thing that Jesus heard his father say is, you are my son and I love you. And saints, let me tell you this, when you get in some of your severe trials, Satan's going to play the same card on you. He'll play the same card because he doesn't want you to be reminded of the fact that God loves you and you're in a trial and you're hurting, you're hurting really bad. And he says, if God loves you, why?

Have you ever had that question in your heart? If God loves me, why? Why is he allowing me to go through this or this to happen to me?

He'll start off that way. Then he'll go from asking you that question, then he'll answer it for you. God must not love you or he would get you out of this, not have let it happen in the first place, et cetera. How many know what I'm telling you? And then he'll go further if you don't rebuke him, he'll go from God must not love you or he'll go to God doesn't love you or he would.

And he may not have done this with any of you yet, but he did it with me. And I've told this story before, so I won't repeat it today. But when I was in that severe trial, I actually heard loud voice.

I won't say it's audible, but honestly, it seemed like it was audible. It was so loud. God hates you. It scared me.

It was so powerful and so mean. God hates you. But the very fact that God let me go through that whole thing and I preached it before that whole thing the next day, I got the greatest revelation I ever had.

How much God loves me. I thought he let me go through that horrible thing last night and it was bad to show me the devil is a liar because he loves me because Satan was trying to kill me for real, trying to take me out. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't do it. Because when Benny began to rebuke Satan in the name of Jesus, it broke. The devil will try to use that same card on you and the same card on me.

Amen. Jesus didn't fall for it and don't you fall for it either. He knew at age 12.

Now think about it. The 12 year old Jesus knew God was his father. He said to Mama, Mama, why are you so upset?

Don't you know I got to be about my father's business? And Mama said she didn't know what to say. The scripture says they didn't understand what he was talking about. She understood but she didn't understand.

But nevertheless, we are not told what she said but basically she said, well son, I understand but you're coming home now and don't pull this stunt again. Because the scripture said he went home and was subject. That tells me somebody got a good scolding and he had to grow after that. He had to grow in wisdom. He was 12 and he knew the Torah.

He could quote the Torah but he didn't have all wisdom yet. He was still growing in wisdom. Amen. And sometimes when you're 12 year old and 13 year old and even 16 year old makes you want to bop them upside the head, just tell yourself they're growing in wisdom. They're growing in wisdom. They're growing in wisdom.

Amen. I told you the frontal lobe of the brain is not fully developed until age 25. And that's the part of the brain where a person's initiation or actions are to take risks. Risks.

That's why teenagers and young people will do stupid things because they don't appreciate the danger and the risk. Amen. So he knew who his father was. He had to go through this test and we know the 40 days he was tempted and we know that he passed all the tests and when he was done he said Satan, the Lord rebuke you. And Satan departed. Now he is ready to go on his first mission and it only makes sense that he would start his first evangelistic mission in the town of Nazareth where he grew up while we're still in Luke and we're still in chapter four. But let's look at verse 14. And Jesus returned, that's from the temptations in the wilderness, in the power of the Spirit unto Galilee and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues being glorified of all. Amen.

I hope you're enjoying this unique message. I took a DNA test and God is my father. The current rage is DNA testing through services like AncestryDNA.

It's actually rewarding to trace your ethnic roots back to Europe or Africa or Asia, but many have been unexpectedly shocked to learn their father is not their bio father. This happened to my husband Benny. He found out that Benny Knotts is not a Knotts. Since all the players involved are deceased, there are many questions that cannot be answered. But the good news is he has been united with his three new sisters he never knew existed.

But there is even better news. Benny took a spiritual DNA test and God is his father. Many today do not know who their bio fathers are. Others who do know have no relationship or restrained relationship with their fathers.

The feeling of rejection is a heavy load on the heart. Jesus was rejected by his own people and most did not accept that he is the son of God. But as early as age 12, Jesus knew who his father is and he was eager to be about his business. He said, if you don't believe me when I say God is my father, believe the works I do.

If you were born again of the incorruptible seed of God's word, the attributes of your heavenly father are evident in you and God calls you his beloved son or daughter. I took a DNA test and God is my father is available on CD for a love gift for the radio ministry of $10 or more. Request SK205, mail to Sound of Faith PO Box 1744 Baltimore, Maryland 21203 or go online to our e-store at soundoffaith.org where you can also purchase on MP3s. Recently we have had to cut several radio stations because of finance. Don't let this station be cut. Help us today with a generous love gift for radio. To receive the CD, request SK205 with your minimum love gift of $10, mail to PO Box 1744 Baltimore, Maryland 21203. Until next time, this is Sharon Ott singing Maranatha.