Who's A Good Father?

Welcome

Happy Father’s Day!

We’re wrapping up a series that I call Family! where we have been looking at many of the families named in the genealogy of Jesus Christ as documented in Matthew 1.

Today as we celebrate the fathers, I want to jump away from the listed genealogy and look to another important father in Jesus’ teachings. Jesus taught us that he considered God to be his Father and ours as well.

Today we’ll be looking at the first part of Luke 11. Please join with me as we read our focal scripture for today...

Luke 11:1–13 CSB

1 He was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say, Father, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone in debt to us. And do not bring us into temptation.” 5 He also said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ 7 Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s shameless boldness, he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

[pray]

This text might seem to be filled with a smattering of unrelated sayings and stories of Jesus, but I see a thread running through them that applies to fathers and to families.

Of course the Good Father in this parable is God. But Jesus compares the actions of God as father to our role as earthly fathers. While this passage is about how we can all relate with Our Good Father in heaven through our prayers and petitions, there are some applications that we can make in dealing with our earthly family as well.

Fathers,this message is for you. However, at the same time this message is also for all of us as we seek to relate to God like the Good Father that he is to us.

I. A Good Father Listens to His Children

Luke 11:2–4 CSB

2 He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say, Father, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone in debt to us. And do not bring us into temptation.”

When our children are young and in the home, it seems like we have a thousand opportunities a day to listen to them.

Sometimes we are listening to their stories

Sometimes we are listening to their emotions

Sometimes we are listening for what they are up to [when it gets quiet and there are toddlers around]

Honestly there are times that we are better at this than others. It seems like we might sometimes stop listening after the thousandth time we hear “Dad!”

Principle: A Good Father is always listening to his children.

It is a good thing that we have a good father who hears us when we pray to him. Jesus is teaching us in this passage that we can reach out to God anytime that we want to praise him, to ask for forgiveness, to provide for our needs and to protect us in times of trouble.

II. A Good Father Knows When to Give

Many of us fathers understand that we don’t need to give our kids everything that they ask for. But there are times that it is a blessing for a parent to be able to give good things to their children.

In this parable, Jesus tells the story of a friend who goes to a nearby home asking for food. Let’s read it...

Luke 11:5–8 CSB

5 He also said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ 7 Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s shameless boldness, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

This parable is not comparing God to a grouchy neighbor in the middle of the night.

Nor is it comparing us to a neighbor who doesn’t know anything about limits and boundaries.

Instead, this is parable is about prayer. There is a principle here to be learned.

Principle: We have to be persistent in asking, but God knows when the time if right to answer our prayers.

We know that God hears our prayers. Jesus taught us this when he gave us the model prayer as an example. This parable is really about sonship more than friendship. While Jesus talked about friends and neighbors, in relation to prayer, we are like God’s children going to him and asking for him to meet our needs.

Now God, as a friend and a father wants to meet our needs. But he wants to meet them in his time and according to his plans. We cannot always expect our children to know our timing and our plans when they ask us for things. They don’t have to wait for a paycheck or balance paying bills with paying for wants and whims that children sometimes experience.

It is the same with God. God will respond to our cries and weigh our requests according to his plan and his ways. Another of Jesus’ parables says this...

Luke 18:1–8 CSB

1 Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect people. 3 And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, 5 yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out by her persistent coming.’ ” 6 Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them? 8 I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

We can go to God like the widow and beg for him to meet our needs, and he will hear us, but we shouldn’t expect him to jump and respond every time we ask for something. This is the prosperity gospel that teaches that God is there to give us every good thing upon our demand.

The neighbor in the parable did get out of bed and respond to the neighbor in need because of their persistence. But God knows exactly what we need and when we need it.

We should be persistent in our prayer. But we should respect his response and know that he is working things in his time for a proper response.

III. A Good Father Hears His Children’s Requests

Just as we, as fathers, hear our children and weigh their requests appropriately, God hears our prayers and stands ready to respond when it makes sense according to his plan...

Luke 11:9–10 CSB

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Principle: A Good Father always answers his children when they ask.

It’s important to understand the way the verbs work in this passage. When we read it in English or Spanish, it loses something in the translation.

The text actually says, “Keep on asking and it will be given to you. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

Now God may hear us when we come crashing at his door in an emergency looking for a quick answer. But just because we have an emergency does not necessarily mean that God is surprised by our urgent circumstances. The proper way to pray is to pray and keep on praying.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 CSB

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray constantly, 18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Jesus called this abiding with him John 15:1 and following...

John 15:1–7 CSB

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.

These verses actually expound upon the focal text. The way to pray to God and get his attention is not in the urgent moment, but in the ceaseless prayer that persists over time.

IV. A Good Father Knows How to Answer His Children’s Requests

Jesus continued with another short parable about how fathers respond to their children’s requests...

Luke 11:11–13 CSB

11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

Principle: A Good Father only gives his children what is best for them.

We, as fathers know that our children ask for all sorts of things. I can recall asking my father for an Atari gaming console back in the day when they first came out. He said no for a long time, but at the right time he did get one for us and we had a lot of fun. But we had to wait for the right time.

One thing that we can expect in prayer is that we will get an answer from him. We may have to hear a “no” response or a “wait” response, but we know that God knows exactly what we need and when we need it.

Romans 8:28 CSB

28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

The point of this verse is that if our earthly fathers know how to give us good things and protect us from what is not good for us, surely God, our Father, will do this even more.

Conclusion

You might be here as a father with your children and providing them good things.

You might be here knowing that you have to protect your children from the evil things of the world.

There might even be others who have lost their fathers or did not have good fathers in this world.

God knows this and understands this. God is compassionate and loving to those who are broken hearted.

My prayer for you fathers who are here today is that you know Father God and that you put your trust in him and that you pass this faith along to your children.