Fatherhood (For us and by us)

Introduction

Garrett Price, married with 3 daughters, been in Amarillo for just under a year, honored to be here.

our story, newish to our faith, only preached a few times, this is my sixth, feedback welcome.

Would love to meet you afterwards.

Prayer for message -> Reveal his truth, touch hearts as He desires and plans, ect

Point 1 : God is our Father, Like it our Not

Today we’re going to talk about, surprise, Fathers. Not just being a father, but also being the child of a father. Each of us in here has a Father, whether that’s a biological father, an adoptive father, or even a that father figure person.

Primarily we’ll be looking at the Parable of the Prodigal Son, specifically on the picture of the Father in this text rather that the lessons that can be learned from the son.

People say that you can’t choose your family and to some extent this is true. Like it or not, you’re just related to some people. In the case of my Dad and I, I didn’t like it. For most of my life, I wanted nothing to do with him. Neither my earthly father or my Heavenly one. But this didn’t make me any less their son.

Isaiah 64:8 tells us

But now, O LORD, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand.

Ephesians 4:6 says :

one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

And Deuteronomy 32:6 puts it like this:

Do you thus repay the LORD,

you foolish and senseless people?

Is not he your father, who created you,

who made you and established you?

Many other verse that talk about God being our Father but I chose these 3 because

The first show God as our creator, we are the work of His hand and we are going to take a shape that is affected by him. Just as we are going to be affected by the influences of our earthly father, biological or not.

The second show that God is the boss, He is the Head of the global household. Just our earthly father’s set the rules for our families, God sets the rules for the Global Household

And the third insinuates that we have turned away from His rulings and guidance. I’m sure that all of us can think of a time when we planted our feet and disobeyed our dads, when we had to have it our way. As humans we innately want to do what we want to do.

Growing up, I despised my dad

Given a narrative by others about him that wasn’t honest

Didn’t want to talk to him, claim him, or be like him in any way

I view my Heavenly Father in much the same way

I didn’t understand him, didn’t want to talk to him, and certainly didn’t want to follow him. I believed that narrative of the world about Him being an absent, unloving father.

Because of the beliefs I held about my dad, I said some pretty hurtful things to him at times, I certainly didn’t respect him or treat him with kindness. I’m sure this hurt him, or at least disappointed him. In the same way, when we turn from our Heavenly Father, when we sin against him, it hurts and disappoints him. And this hurt and disappointment can lead to distance and estrangement.

Psalm 78:40 : How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness

and grieved him in the desert!

Isaiah 59:2 : but your iniquities have made a separation

between you and your God,

Point 2 : A Father puts the happiness of his children before His own, even when hurt.

Turning to the Prodigal Son now

Luke 15:11-13 : 11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 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. 13 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.

Imagine going to your Father figure and telling him that he isn’t dying fast enough and you want your inheritance now, but that you don’t need him or his influence in your life. That’s essentially what’s happening here.

Beyond this, imagine giving half of all of your stuff right now to one of your kids or grand-kids. Or even half of every pay check. How much would that inconvenience you?

The Father of the Prodigal Son could have demanded that His son stay, he could have refused his son’s request, he could even have gone as far as to cast him out or disown him. But he doesn’t do any of this, instead his simply makes a tough decision because it’s what will make his son happy. Or at least it’s what his son thinks will make him happy.

Knowing what I know now I realize that my Dad was always looking out for me. Even after he moved out. I didn’t know until years later but my dad lived in a van for over a year so that he could makes sure that I had a roof over my head, the lights were on, and food to eat.

Even when we aren’t following our Father’s rules, even when we have turned our back on Him, and even we make decisions that sadden Him, our Father still wants the best for us.

We know this is true of God as well;

Jeremiah 29:11 : For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

James 1:17 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

God wants the best for us and he is, without variation, a good and loving God.

Just as a good and loving father must sometimes let us fail on our own, or even provide discipline, God does the same.

As Father’s we make choices that feel like they’re killing us inside sometimes because it’s what our kids want. Even if that means we might never see them again.

Point 3 : A Father Forgives

The middle portion of the Prodigal Son tells of the struggles and hardships that the young man goes through. Basically, he runs off and lives how he wants without any thought to the consequences of his actions or any plan for his future. Actions that eventually put him at rock bottom. Where he has the realization that he needs to go home, that he needs his father’s protection and care, and that he doesn’t deserve it.

In Luke 15:20-24 we read about the son’s return

English Standard Version Chapter 15

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. 21 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.’ 22 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. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

I have learned, from personal experience, that a father will always love his Child.

Both from being a father myself now, and from the relationship I had with my own father.

After years of resenting him and keeping him out of my life. We finally sat down one day and had a grown up conversation. I realized that I had been misguided, incorrect, and totally unfair to my dad.

When I tried to apologize for it, he brushed if off and told me that it was okay, that he always knew I’d come around, that he loved me, and that he was proud of me, of the man I’d become

In the same way God always loves us. He always has hope that we’ll return to Him because he’s made way for us to do so, and he rejoices when we come home. He forgives and moves on.

Just in the book of Luke, directly before this parable we read the parable of the coin in verses 8-10. In it, Jesus tells of a woman who looses one coin out of ten and when she finds that coin is happy at its return, despite having nine other coins. A parable that ends with : Luke 15:10 : Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Psalm 106:44-45 gives us another example of this (read it below if I have time)

Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,

when he heard their cry.

45  For their sake he remembered his covenant,

and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

Closing

Children rebel against their fathers, whether that means our earthly father or father figure, or our heavenly one. For those of us that our father’s we must work to ensure that we are extending the some love and grace to our children that God extends to us. We must provide for our children in a way that is pleasing to the Lord, we must instruct our children in our heavenly Father’s rules and laws, and when our children grow stubborn and argue with us and turn their backs to us we must love and support them regardless of it. And we must be humble and loving when they return to us.

As children we need to stop and consider that maybe, just maybe, our father wants the best for us, that his way his truly in our best interest. No earthly father is perfect. We all makes mistakes. But our heavenly Father is perfect, He only wants the best for us, and in Jesus Christ He has made a way for us to put our mistakes behind us, to enter into right relationship with him, and to step into a new day and a new way of being. To love and be loved by Him and to be forgive for our Sin so that we never have to be separated from him again.

If you’ve never known God in your life, if you’ve never know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, it isn’t to late. Now could be the time. If that’s something you want all you have to do is pray to Him and be honest. Be honest about the sins you’ve committed and lived in, be honest about your need for Him in your life, and ask Him to come into your heart because you’re ready to follow Him as the Child of God you were meant to be.

If this is something you’d like to talk about more, I’d love to talk to you about it more after the service. Or if you’d rather talk to one of our other pastors here at Paramount about it I’d be more than happy to help get you in touch with one of them instead.

Closing Prayer -> thanks to God for allowing us to gather and worship, for Paramount, that His message is recieved exactly as it was meant to be received by the ones who needed to hear it, that he draw close to us in all we do, that if we don’t know Him he makes Himself known to us, if we do that he re-affirms his love to us, and that all of the Father’s know the impact they’re having and are fortified to make it the impact that He wants for those in our care.