God is our Father...Jesus makes it personal
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Early history
For centuries, the Eastern Orthodox Church has appointed the second Sunday before Nativity as the Sunday of the Forefathers to commemorate the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh, starting with Adam and emphasizing the patriarch Abraham, to whom God said,
In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed
— Genesis 12:3, 22:18
The triune God in creation
Father concieves
The word is spoke (The son)
The Holy Spirit is deposited
Matthew 6:9–13 (NET 2nd ed.)
So pray this way:
“Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored may your kingdom come may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Matthew 6:13 (FSB): Following this phrase, many ancient manuscripts add an affirmation that the kingdom, power, and glory belong to God. Although this statement likely is not original, it appears to have been incorporated into Christian liturgy from the earliest days of the church. It probably comes from David’s speech in 1 Chr 29:11.
Jesus makes it personal
Jesus makes it personal
Jesus has come to minister, preach and teach the word of God. This is not different from any other priest or teacher at that time. However, this time it's different because his appearance is about deliverance, and he makes it personal
John 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? lHe who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
It's important to see the characteristics of the father that can be duplicated by his children.
What is a father?
What is a father?
Jesus personalizes God the Father
Abba (father)Noun Sense
(Aramaic) father, probably as an informal term that a child would be privileged to use with his own father.
In most cases where the father is identified as a constant figure in the life of the child, the name is considered honored and worthy.
Isaiah 63:16 For you are our father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, Lord, are our father; you have been called our protector from ancient times.
The above passage is one of the few Old Testament verses that refers to God as father.
Jesus had an earthly father, Joseph.
The Surrogate
Let’s review. Thus far, we have the scandal (the scandal of Christ’s conception) and the Spirit (the Spirit’s significant role in Christ’s conception). Finally, we have the surrogate, referring to Jesus’ surrogate, earthly father, Joseph.
If the Holy Spirit is the shy member of the Holy Trinity, Joseph is the shy member of the holy family. But shy or not, his importance ought to animate our minds.
Look again at this passage before us and see how Matthew writes this story. He starts, quite plainly and straightforwardly, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way” (1:18). But notice he does not immediately describe the birth. There is no nativity. There is no mention of Mary’s labor and delivery. Moreover, unlike Luke’s Gospel, where the reader sees the unfolding events through Mary’s eyes, here in Matthew it is through Joseph’s eyes. Verse 18 introduces the situation. Then the rest of our passage focuses on Joseph and his conception, if you will, of the conception of Christ.
In church tradition Joseph has earned the nickname not “Shy Joseph” but “Quiet Joseph.” That is because he never speaks. That is, in the Gospels we have no record of him uttering a word. But here, while Joseph may indeed be quiet (so to speak), we see how his actions—his “prompt, simple, and unspectacular” obedient actions—speak louder than words (cf. his actions in chapter 2 as well). Look again with me, starting in verse 19, and pay attention to Joseph:
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife.… She will bear a son, and you [singular] shall call his name Jesus.…” When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called [the child’s] name Jesus. (vv. 19–25)
Joseph is the subject of most of the sentences above.
When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.----Mark Twain
What I've realized is that life doesn't count for much unless you're willing to do your small part to leave our children — all of our children — a better world. Any fool can have a child. That doesn't make you a father. It's the courage to raise a child that makes you a father.—Barack Obama
Natural
Father
Any man having a child or children. Also: A Father; Fatherhood; Fathers; Human father
Heavenly Father
Psalm 59:10 The God who loves me will help me; God will enable me to triumph over my enemies.
Jeremiah 1:5 (NET 2nd ed.): 5 “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.” (Made plans)
Hebrews 11:40 For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us.
Hebrews 12:5–6 (NET 2nd ed.): My son, do not scorn the Lord’s discipline or give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.
The will of the father is destined to become our will.
The will of the father is destined to become our will.
1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus...
The children begin to read the father’s thoughts and perceive his patterns.
1 Kings 15:8 (NKJV): So Abijam rested with his fathers
1 Kings 15:8 (NKJV): So Abijam rested with his fathers
Rest = completed job
Fathers = success