God our Father

But Mark Twain is reported as saying when I was a boy of fourteen years old. My father was so ignorant. I could hardly stand to have the old man around, but when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in 7 years. And of course, that was Twain's a passive-aggressive way of honoring his father, I guess, but it's a reminder of how we realize, how important fathers are as we go through our lives. But kidding aside. Fatherhood is the toughest job that a man will ever love. It is much easier. It is much simpler to become a father than it is to mature as a father who raises a god-honoring young man or young woman. The phrase in our culture. Who's your daddy demonstrates, the temporary power or just assertiveness of one person over another. and in our culture, that phrase is more valuable than fatherhood, which is a noble lifelong demanding character, shaping endeavor, that is fatherhood is the hardest thing you'll ever do, but it's probably the most important thing you'll ever do. In the fatherhood of God is a concept fundamental to Christian theology. Not only because Jesus taught us to address God as our father but also by the virtue of the unique relationship that God the father has with his son. The internally Eternal relationship with in the Trinity, God the Father, God, the son, and God, the Holy Spirit. And now some people ask me. Why do we address God as father? Why not as mother or why not is something some neutral way? Well, God does not have a body. God is Spirit. God is the Book of John tells us. God is spirit and his worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth. So, in that sense, God is beyond gender. But God has revealed himself in scripture as as a father, as a king. And as a husband, And so we need to address God as the scriptures address him how he has revealed himself. It's your goal. Today is not only to look at what it means to be a good father versus a bad father. I mean, there's lots of articles that you could read on that but our goal is to lift up our eyes, a little higher to take in the beauty of God's Plan of Salvation in the father, sending his only begotten son. The thing that is most precious, the person that is most precious to him that in sending his son, so that we might be adopted as his children, as we sang, amen. John chapter 1 verses 12 and 13 says this. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of, man. But of God, To all who received him, who believed in his name. He gave the right to become children of God when we place our faith in Christ and when we trust him for forgiveness of sins, we say yes Jesus. I will follow you all the days of my life. I will serve you. There is an identity in that that does not change. There is a permanent identity that God give to us as his children as his adopted children. Answer. The question is first question is, are you born again? Do you know that you have been adopted as God's child? I think that's one of the amazing pictures that scripture gives us is think about adoption of a child who's adopted by by parents who perhaps have no relationship with that child, what's whoever? But they are choosing in love to take that child into their family. There's no no greater picture of love and kindness of bringing someone into a family of that aspect of adoption. It's a first. What we're going to do is I'm going to give you two wrong ways to think about father or God as father. So this is a bit of a foil message. All right, there's two wrong ways and then we're going to point out the right way. So what I want to do is point out to wrong Paths of thinking about God as father and these are pads, which develop over time because children are born with a god-given need for Love from their parents. And they're born with a god-given desire to please their parents. And so one of the questions is what is God like that question is answered first by a child's parents. How does it how does a child, learn what God is? Like a child learns what God is like through their experience of God, through their parents? Robbery now wrote a book called Visionary parenting and he he refers to this passage that Jim mentioned Deuteronomy chapter 6 Verses 4 through 9. And he talks about different times of day, where there's potential for Spiritual discussion with your family in the morning before everyone leaves, the house in the car or on the way to somewhere, when the family then gets together at home over a meal or at the end of the day for bedtime. but he says this about how children experience what God is like through their parents, He says God gave you children so they could experience. Love protection, patience kindness, goodness and forgiveness. When children experience a parent who protects them, their hearts are primed and prepared to believe in a God who protects them. When children experience a parent who forgives them, their hearts are ready to believe in a God, who can forgive them. He said, parents are character on display at home. Is literally constructing. Our children's framework for understanding who God is. Are character on display at home. Is literally constructing. Our children's framework for understanding who God is, this is happening in a powerful way, through whatever takes place daily in our homes. And then he says this, our kids will remember who we are at home far more than what we accomplished in our work and our activities outside of home. So that's just a that's just a an emphasis on how children understand what God is like first through their parents. Here's the first wrong path that I'm going to point out and I think this is typical of a lot of people in general. Number one, people become bitter towards God, the father because of negative attributes and sinful acts of their own father's. How many of us had fathers who make mistakes all of us. So, For example, think, for example, what was your first impression of authority as a child? None of us recall, a doctor or nurse in the hospital room where we were born. We can't remember that far back. It's our first impression of authority, wasn't a doctor in a white coat in in the hospital room. Our first impression was probably when Dad said no,

Or when he spanked us, or when we didn't understand why, or when our armed was yanked, by a parent to pull us away from the edge of the sidewalk perhaps.

There's a great resource that I've used in preaching. It's called the dictionary of biblical imagery, and it's a dictionary that give different aspects of biblical themes and I thought I do. I'll look up fatherhood. That'll be a good resource for this message and this is what it said in the first paragraph of the dictionary of biblical imagery. We do not find any good Fathers in the Bible. In fact, it is difficult to think of a human father who functions well over the course of his lifetime. I thought, well, it's going to be a great message. But what's the point? The point is, you look throughout the scriptures. You look it, look at sinful father to every human. Father is beset by sin. We need to admit that Noah was overcome by drunkenness Laban. Lied to Jacob and put his daughter Leah into a forced marriage. Jacob favored. His son Joseph, which caused resentment in the family failed to rebuke his greedy. Son, David failed to discipline his son Absalom. So, all throughout the scriptures, you see, two broad categories of fathers. There is the tyrannical angry, father, or there is the inept password, father, and they talk about those two general categories. And that's why I book likes to Weber's book. Tender Warrior is so insightful because the title. It communicates, two aspects of being a father that are both important. Both being a warrior, both both being willing to fight and to protect and to go to bat for once family. But also being tender and understanding what they need. So then what is the solution to either of these? Two faults in Tendencies, either being tyrannical, and angry or being inept. And passive. The solution is christ-like humility. That is humility before God, in all our endeavors as fathers. Psalm 127 the most important word in Psalm 127, is the first word unless Unless the Lord builds the house, it's Builders labor in vain. Let's look at that passage again. Unless the Lord watches over the city, The Watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early.

Eat and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil. He gives to his beloved sleep.

The psalmist Solomon here is recognizing the limits of his own strength and every father needs to recognize his complete dependence upon God in every area of life.

Dad says, you cannot watch over your children, 24/7. You don't have the ability to Shield them from the hurts of life, from disappointments, from wrong choices that they will make in vain, we toil to give them a better life than what we had growing up. That's probably the most common thing I hear from parents is that well I don't want my child to have to struggle like I did or I don't want them to have to deal with life life's difficulties as I did. What we have to realize that we can't we can't prevent completely prevent that from happening. Our children will deal with challenges and obstacles that we didn't have to deal with.

So, unless we are humble before God and recognize children as a gift of God's grace.

We will not be parenting them as God wants us to parent them. That is in all likelihood, we will bring up our children with our own insecurities, bring upon them our own insecurities because of the hurt and send, which Our Father brought upon us. I mean, that's the most common way that people are brought up, is because we'll this father treats this son this way because his father treated him that way.

So step one is to Humble ourselves as dads and Men. And humble ourselves in forgiving, our own fathers. That is give to God the hard things about your own life as a relates to your father to your Earthly. Father, Give to God the hard things about your life as a relates to your Earthly father. What's Step 2 in humbling ourselves release your children from your own unbiblical expectations. That's one thing I've learned over time as a parent is I have this expectation of my children and then I have to realize is that my expectation is that my wife's expectation or is that a Biblical expectation? Or is that an expectation that's being put up on me from some something else I picked up. We went to the NC State orientation this past week. And the funniest thing was the police officer, the campus police officer, who was giving his presentation, he said, parents you and I will be very happy if your students graduate 4 years from now, without a criminal record. So that was the one take away from the orientation. I thought was was funny but we we listen to an academic advisor and the economic adviser said this they said they talked to a student who is stressed out about his Academic Program which was pre-med. And his parents and his two siblings were all doctors. And he came to his adviser and he said, you know, I'm really struggling with this pre-med. I'm working as hard as I can and I'm barely, you know, getting through. I've always loved the indoor outdoors and I want to study Forestry. And so, the academic advisor came up with a curriculum and and you know, sat down with him and said, you know, if you really have an interest in this, I think it's something that you could. I mean, you've already taken some science classes and biology different things. I think it's something you you would do well in. So, we end up taking a bold step and telling his family, And what happened? When he told his family, they were relieved. They said, you know, we saw you struggling. We saw how unhappy you you were. And even though the rest of us pursue that career, we want you to feel free to pursue something else. He was free because he was released from an expectation that wasn't necessarily biblical. A lot of times we put expectations on our children, that will, if I achieve this, or if I did this, then my children and my kids should at least do that much or even more. Step 3 and humbling ourselves as men before God, is this be careful? Not to confuse blessing with virtue. Notice versus verse 3. In Psalm 127, behold children are a Heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward. Notice the parallelism in the verse their children and fruit Heritage from the Lord and reward. Heritage from the Lord, meaning a gift of Grace, from the Lord. Having children is a blessing and the image here is of a man who has a legacy, he has a measure of security and protection. He has a good reputation in the community because he has children. But be careful. A man who has lots of children has a blessing but that does not mean that he is more virtuous than the next father or that his children are more virtuous than others. I mean, there's a, there's a movement called the quiverfull movement coming from Psalm 127. Blessed is the man who has children, who they will be, like, arrows in his quiver. And the movement, the quiverfull movement says we're moving a people who wants to have as many kids as possible. Because we feel that we're honoring God in that way. Won't be careful it would. Let's not confuse God's blessing with virtue. A man with many children is just as sinful as a man with one or two children. Jobe had the blessing of many children, but he all had to offer sacrifices on their behalf because they were rebellious. So we'd be need to be careful by not confusing blessing with virtue. And it's important for us to recognize perhaps you were the child, who was not given as much attention, perhaps you were the oldest and you had the highest expectations put on you. Perhaps you were the youngest and you were you were, they took it easy on you compared to the other children. You were not forced to mature in certain ways that as the older children were So whatever the case it is a wrong path to become bitter towards God, the father because of the negative attributes and the sinful acts of our own father's. We all have baggage and we all have filters. and so, when we read the scriptures, we have to be careful to set aside those filters and 2 to bring to God, the difficulties and the experiences that we've had with our own father's, made some of you lost your father's that at a young age and you didn't have that time with them that you hoped you would have

So we need to be careful, not to become bitter. Because that will lead us down a wrong path about thinking as of God as father hears the other wrong path. Thinking that God's common Grace as Creator means. That all people personally know, him as father by virtue of Being Human. And how many times have you heard this phrase? We were all God's children. We're all human beings, right? The average person says to themselves, if there is a God and he made all people, then I must be one of his children. We are all part of the human family, right? there's a difference between having an awareness of God as Creator and knowing god as your heavenly father, that is a crucial difference. There's a difference between having an awareness of God as Creator versus knowing god, as your heavenly father. Now in a sense, yes, God is what we recognize as fathers in our own lives. We attributed that to God because God is the creator of everyone. So Genesis 1:27 says this. So, God created man in his own image. In the image of God. He created him male and female, he created them. So, male and female both reflect and complete the image of God in humanity, that all people are created in the image of God, that means they have a certain dignity, a certain value, a certain respect, certain capabilities capabilities to communicate capabilities to, to reason to rationalize. All people have that by virtue of God being their creator. And God is kind to all of his creation. Psalm 148 says this, the Lord is gracious and merciful slow to anger, and abounding, in steadfast love of the Lord is good to all. And his Mercy is over all that he made.

That is God is kind to all people in the sense that were able to grow crops and to cultivate and to flourish. But notice how the Bible talks about all people Jobe 12:10 in his hand, is the life of everything and the breath of all mankind.

And acts 17 verses 24 through 26. The God Who made the world and everything in it being Lord of Heaven and Earth does not live in temples made by men. Nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything since he himself gives to all mankind, life, and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the Earth, having determined a lot of periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place that they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him yet. He is actually not far from each one of us. The Bible talks about God in relation to all Humanity as the Creator. And he created all people so that they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. To the ways. The Bible speaks about God in relation to all humanity, is the language of creator. That is the, he is the creator, he is the one who is gracious in allowing humankind to live to breathe, to produce families. But the Creator is also the one who will hold all humankind to account. Psalm 94 verse 9 through 11, he who planted the ear. Does he not here? He who made the eye, does he not see verse 11, the Lord knows the thoughts of a man. They are but a breath.

So what I'm saying is that the Bible teaches that God relates to all Humanity in one particular way as their creator but God relates to his people. Those who have faith in Jesus Christ as their father. And so there's a distinct difference there. And the Hallmark of generic theology. Which was developed in the later 1800s. And the early, 1900's was this phrase, the universal fatherhood of God, and the Brotherhood of Man. We Are All God's Children. We were all brothers and sisters, as long as we give lip service to God and treat one. Another nicely Now, that sounds good when you're having an ecumenical prayer service and you don't want to offend anyone.

It's like someone remarks about President Eisenhower, he had a very specific belief in a very generic God.

The universal fatherhood of God denies, the deity, the authority, and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. And you say well, but isn't it valuable in society for people to have a concept of God as father? Yes but not one that leads them astray, not one that leaves them down the wrong path. Because we think of the universal fatherhood of God as if God were a Santa Claus figure or a kind elderly, Grandpa who stops by once in a while. God is not your buddy. He is not your butler. He is not your boyfriend. God the father is the creator. And so this is what Arty France, a Biblical scholar wrote about the teaching of Jesus, in terms of the fatherhood of God. Jesus teaching of the fatherhood of God is not there for a general statement of God's benevolence to his creation. That is God is the Creator and he sustains the universe. But that is not how he relates to his people, as father. Jesus teaching on the fatherhood of God is a specific relationship of love and Trust. Open only to those who have entered the kingdom. It is totally opposed to a vague Universal. Is a more formal religiosity. It is an exclusive and intimate relationship. There is no suggestion in Jesus teaching of a general fatherhood of God, embracing all Humanity. It is the disciples privilege of knowing and depending on God as his father in Heaven. That is something into which only Christ can introduce a person. So again, the question each of us must ask his do I know God as my heavenly father through Jesus Christ because God has revealed himself completely and fully in Jesus Christ. Answer the Book of Matthew tells us this All things have been handed over to me by my father and no one knows the son except the father, and no one knows the father except the son and anyone to whom the son chooses to reveal him. Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for. I am. Gentle and humble in heart. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. And you will find rest for your souls. I'm sorry. For my yoke is easy. And my burden is like, God has revealed himself through his son and Jesus is the one who offers us to come to the father. j.i., Packer, put it best, he said, a Christian is a person who knows God as his father

Now there's one other passes that I want to refer to in the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul prays this way, and he says, for this reason, Ephesians chapter 3 verse 14 and 15. for this reason, I bow my knees before, the father from whom every family in heaven and on Earth is named from whom every family, meaning from all from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on Earth is named The principal there is that is that all the Perfections of fatherhood come from God himself?

That's why I want to close with three aspects of knowing God. The father that I think are astounding for us, if we meditate on them.

The first aspect is this his personal unending, love on yielding love.

I have a saying that I've picked up over the years, you find out who your real friends are when you need help moving.

God, the father is the only one who loves you in all the circumstances of life. He loves you from eternity past, he loves you throughout your entire lifetime and he loves you into eternity. The scriptures that we sang about first John, chapter 3, verses 1 and 2. See what kind of love the father has given to us. I think that Aunt Ivy has that the father has lavished upon us that we should be called children of God and so we are the reason why the world does not know us. Is that it did not know him. You see the difference between John is talking about two different ways? One, one group knows God the father as his children, the other group does not Beloved, we are God's children now and what we will be has not yet appeared but we know that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is.

to think that the God who made the universe, Reaches out to us. And says, I want you to be my child, I want to adopt you. I want you to come to me as your heavenly father. Psalm 103 verse 13 and 14 as a father shows compassion to his children. So the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him that is those who trust him. Those, who Revere him for, he knows our frame verse 14, and he remembers that we are dust. He knows our frame and that he remembers that we are dust. God knows the Frailty. Of Who We Are. And he is compassionate. His personal unyielding love unyielding meaning. He's not going to give up on you. Secondly, his constant protection and presents his constant protection and presence. Can you remember a time when you were forgotten literally, or you felt forgotten by your father or by your mother? God is infinite. He is omnipresent, he can Sprint across the Galaxy because he made the Galaxy.

I will never leave you or forsake. You Hebrews 13:5 says, keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have for. He has said, I will never leave you or forsake. You that's an assurance of God's provision of his protection and of his presence. And so when we have a fear of rejection, when we have a fear of Abandonment when we feel that our family isn't you know you feel like the black sheep in your family for whatever reason. God the father is, there he is. The one that's not going to give up on you. I remember a poster that I saw as a young child, I don't know if it was in our house or somewhere else, but it said it had the picture of a child getting ready for bed and it said, give all your problems to God, because he's going to be up all night anyway. Psalm 121 the Lord of Israel does not Slumber or sleep.

Thirdly an astounding aspect of God. The father is his refining. Discipline for our good Hebrews chapter 12. Verses 9 through 11 is refining discipline for our good. Besides this. We have had Earthly fathers who discipline Dawson? We respected them, shall we not much more be subject to the father of spirits and live 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 in his holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. But later, it heals the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Now this is aspect is very difficult for some of us because they all we knew was an angry discipline growing up. But let me challenge our conception of God.

Brothers and sisters, many of us want. God is our cheerleader. But we do not want him to be our trainer. Many of us want God to be loud and enthusiastic enthusiastically supporting us when we jog out onto the field, but we don't want to be sidelined and given correction. God, the father's discipline in our lives is the perfect mix of Love support and correction. He disciplines us for our good. And we have to submit it to the Lord and say Lord, I'm trusting that you're that? What you know is good for me is even better than what I think is good for me.

Johnny Cash, put it this way in an interview about his life as a Christian. He said, if you're going to be a Christian, you're going to change your going to lose some old friends, not because you want to. But because you need to That's the kind of discipline that God brings in our lives sometimes. So do you know God as your heavenly father and do you pray to God as your heavenly father? Let me close with this short article on prayer. By Pastor Kevin DeYoung. He talks about addressing God as father. and he says this which is I think beautiful on the aspect of the Lord's Prayer and end saying our father

He says, what makes the Lord's Prayer? Christian prayer? First is an awareness of the one to whom we pray. God doesn't want or need or Delight in the mere repetition of words and phrases. He Delights to hear from his children to know that we love him that we want to be with him that we trust him and that we believe he cares for us that we know that he can do anything about everything. What we need when we pray is less awareness of ourselves and more awareness of God. And he closes this way. He says, so don't grovel, don't squirm and don't be afraid. Come to God as a child comforted that your father loves you and confident that he wants to hear from you. Jesus said, let the little children come to me. For the kingdom, belongs to such as these.