Firm Founations: God the Father

So we began a series of messages last week that will take us through some of the fundamental beliefs of our faith as Methodists.

Why is this important right now? It’s always important to think about what you believe.

Consider this. Think about all the times you made a poor decision. Poor decisions are rarely the result of our desire. I mean we don’t go into them wanting to make a bad decision. No we go into them wanting to make a good decision.

Yet we don’t. Why not? A few different factors go into poor decision making. Sometimes

Situation Changes

Lack of understanding of all the factors

Failure to consider all the outcomes

Fail to connect to our core values… to what we really believe.

We all have some decisions to make in the coming days. Decisions about how to deal with a client at work. Decisions about how to handle our money. Decision about where to live. Decision about how to discipline our kids. Decisions about how to handle some conflict with our spouse.

In addition to all these personal decisions… Our church has some important decisions to make in the next days and months… and in all of these we will have different reasons for deciding the way we do.

But what I want to do in this message series is get down to the very core of our faith… when you strip everything away… what is at the core… our core beliefs.

Because I believe that at the core of our motivations as the people of God is our belief in God.

Last week I began with how we as a church view the scriptures. That as Methodists, we believe the Bible, 66 books of the old and the New Testament are the inspired word of God. That this book is “the primary rule and authority for faith, morals, and service, against which all other authorities must be measured” As our Confession of Faith states,

“We believe the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, reveals the Word of God so far as it is necessary for our salvation. It is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice.”

This book is very important to us… it’s more than just a book.

The words held here are inspired words. Words inspired by God.

Now this brings up another very important question that we need to be sure we are clear on… Who is God?

God is _____________

Whats the first thing that comes to mind?

Our Creator… Our Heavenly Father… Loving… Holy… Generous… Trinity

We could come up with a huge list I’m sure, but I just want to focus on just a few of these today… ones I think are most critical for us to get our minds around.

Our Statement of faith as Methodists declare:

We believe in the one true, holy and living God, Eternal Spirit, who is Creator, Sovereign and Preserver of all things visible and invisible. He is infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness and love, and rules with gracious regard for the well-being and salvation of men, to the glory of his name. We believe the one God reveals himself as the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, distinct but inseparable, eternally one in essence and power.

There is a lot we could cover here… But I want to touch on three things mentioned in this statement… His power in Creation, his Goodness as Father, and his generosity in Love.

First:

Let’s start in the beginning.

Genesis 1:1 NIV

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God is Creator

Would people say that you are strong?

What does it mean to be strong? I’m not just talking about your ability to pick stuff up. I’m also talking about your ability to carry burdens, or do you often crushed under difficulty? I’m also talking your ability to push through obstacles, or do you struggle to overcome?

WE wouldn’t say that because God created the universe and all that is in it he was strong… what we would say is that it proves God is able.

Creation proves, God is Able.

God proves by creating everything that has ever been known by speaking it into existence that he is ABLE.

Psalm 115:3 NIV

3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.

God doesn’t need help because God is able.

I remember when our kids were growing up, our son ran into this problem. He wanted to do something that we had told him not to do - I can’t remember what it was - but he came to me and asked for help. God never asked for help. He can do everything he wants.

He doesn’t need our help and he doesn't need our approval.

Daniel 4:35 NIV

35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”

There is a lot going on in this world that we are tempted to question… Starvation… Fraud… Wars… Disasters… Abuse… God what are you doing?

“This is God’s universe and God does things His way. You may have a better way, but you don’t have a universe.” J Vernon McGee

The passage from Isa 55:9 comes to mind… “9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God does what he wants to do… and as his children his ability… his power… is our greatest security

GOD’S POWER IS OUR GREATEST SECURITY.

Joshua 1:6–9 NIV

6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Second,

God is Father

God is more than Father. A core of our understanding of God is that God exists as a trinity. He is three in one God… in three persons in - (a) God as Father Almighty, who is the source of life, who makes Himself known in (b) God the Son, Jesus Christ, by the power of (c) God the Spirit who is present throughout the historical process, working to transform it according to God’s purpose.

We will spend time talking about God the Son and God the Spirit in the weeks to come because these are ESSENTIALS of our faith… They are each, Completely God.

How can that be? How can they be three AND one? There are lots of ways to show how things are three and one at the same time… but they all fall short of explaining how EACH of the persons of God are completely God… not different forms of God, but unique persons - yet entirely God. WE will talk about this more in a few weeks.

Today I want to focus on looking at God our father…

Isaiah 64:8 “8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

But really our perfect father

God is our perfect father.

Mat 6 9 “9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,”

In Luke 15 Jesus provides us a picture of God the Father. Prodigal Son...

God is Patient

He didn’t chase after his son… he waited for his son’s return.

2 Peter 3 9 “9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

God is Forgiving

He welcomed his son… not concerned with what he had done… only what he could give his son

Isaiah 43 25 “25 “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”

God is Intimate

When his son came back, he didn’t care what people thought… he ran out to meet him… he threw a party - what he had done no longer mattered… His child was home…

1 John 3 1 “1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

God cares for each of us.

I don’t like cats… I”m not crazy about cats… Some of y'all are cat people I know - I’m praying for you all - I’m not one of you and I’m not shy about sharing that.

I know they are part of God’s creation… I know they are cute… I know how sweet they can be… I just don’t like them. But you what… when my daughter asks for one I don’t think about all that… I think about her

Which leads me to the last reality of God I’d like to address today and that is one we often think of.

God is Love

Everything we have looked at so far, that God created and that God cares for creation, all came - as a result of - because of - His nature… which is His Love…

I’ll admit that this is often one of the more difficult realities of God to accept… What do I mean?

I mean I look around at it’s obvious to me that this had to be created, planned by a very intelligent creator.

Because God creates and sustains things it’s easy to see him as a FATHER… I mean my dad on earth wasn’t the greatest, but he did the best he could with what he had to do with.

It’s reasonable to say that God did all this because of his love. But what’s hard to get my head around sometimes is that HE loves ME.

-After all I have done...

-Apostle Paul … the least of disciples… don’t deserve to be an apostle… extinguish the church…

The other thing that causes me to struggle with God’s Love is that

-Of all the people in the world, he loves ME

Several years ago I came across a song by a band called Casting Crowns… some of the lyrics that struck me are...

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth Would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt?

Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin Would look on me with love and watch me rise again? Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea Would call out through the rain and calm the storm in me?

Then the Bridge goes like this…

I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow A wave tossed in the ocean (ocean), a vapor in the wind Still, You hear me when I'm calling, Lord, You catch me when I'm falling You've told me who I am ...I am Yours

God doesn’t love us because of our goodness… or our significance.

That's our way of doing things… not God’s.

God loves because that’s who he is… it’s his nature.

1 John 4:8–10 NIV

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

God’s love makes me good enough...

God’s love gives my life significance...

God wants something for you more than he wants something from you

Because God loves… God gives us what we long for.

LOVE… CONNECTION… LIFE