Our Father In Heaven

In Christ, God is our Father too

John 20:17 ESV

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

As our Father, God...

Gives us everything we need

Matthew 7:7–11 ESV

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Questions for adults:

How do we see God providing for us today?

If we really trust that God is going to provide for our every need, how will that change our priorities in life?

Questions for kids:

What are some things your parents do to take care of you?

Does God take care of you? How do you think he does that?

Does God want us to ask him for the things we need? How can we do that?

Disciplines us

Hebrews 12:7-11

7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

questions for adults:

Discipline normally carries negative connotations with it. Why is discipline a good thing?

What does it look like for God to discipline us?

How should we respond to God’s discipline?

What does this teach us about our own role as parents, uncles, aunts, or grandparents?

questions for kids:

what does “discipline” mean? Is it good thing or a bad thing?

Why is discipline important?

When we receive discipline, how should we think about it? What should we do?

Makes us his heirs

Romans 8:15-17

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

questions for adults:

What does it mean to be an heir?

The inheritance you receive is based on the possessions of the one giving the inheritance. If this is the case, what is our inheritance as God’s heirs?

What does it mean that we are fellow heirs with Christ? If we get to share in his inheritance, what else can we expect to share in?

questions for kids:

Have you ever known you were going to get a really great present, but you had to wait to get it? What does that feel like? What does it feel like when you finally get to open the present?

Did you know that God has a gift for you waiting to be opened? He has what we call an inheritance waiting for us in heaven. *explain what an inheritance is* What do you

Forgives us and welcomes us home

Luke 15:11–32 ESV

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”

questions for adults:

When we go through seasons in life where we have felt distant from God, it’s common to also feel like God doesn’t want to see us or hear from us again. This leads to even more distance and can have a compounding, crippling effect on our spiritual lives. According to the Scriptures, is this how we should act? What should we do when we have felt distant from God because of our life choices?

When someone we know has been distant from God and then displays a desire to repent and come back again, how should we treat them?

questions for kids:

When you sin and feel bad, you might also feel like you want to hide it. If you knew for certain that God would forgive you when you tell the truth, would you still feel the need to hide your sin?

Do you think that God gets angry at you when you tell the truth about sin, or does he celebrate that you have come back to him and asked for forgiveness?

God in Heaven