Our Father in Heaven

Dearly loved people of God,

We’re starting a series of sermons on praying; that is, talking to God. Off the top, I invite you to marvel at calling God: “Father.” We can call the Lord Almighty, “Father”! The great God who created the universe, says, “You can call me ‘Father’.”

Can we pause and soak that in?

We know that not every dad lives up to that role very well. Even the best human fathers let us down. But most guys take on parenthood by squaring their enormous shoulders, determined to be the best daddy they possibly can.

So as kids, most of us look up to our fathers. Our dad is big and strong. He’s the wisest and funniest! At age 2, 3, or 4, we don’t understand them, but we trust them. When we were small and they tossed us up in the air and caught us, we giggled. We knew Daddy would catch us! Now you’re no longer a toddler, but Jesus urges to put that kind of childlike trust in your heavenly Father.

As we say that, it might hit you that there’s more difference between us and God Almighty than between a pre-schooler and her Daddy. Our Father in heaven is working on projects on a cosmic scale that we can’t comprehend, no more than a 3-year-old can follow his Dad’s bookkeeping on a spreadsheet. How does God say that through the prophet Isaiah?

As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

(NIV)

The Lord’s height, his majesty and holiness are so great it’s uncomfortable. We feel out of place in the presence of such goodness.

Yet God’s word through Hosea reveals a tenderness that could move us to tears.

· Can you picture the Lord Almighty as a proud daddy taking his child by the arms to take their first steps?

· Picture a child’s smooth, fat cheek against papa’s whiskers – add that to your mental imagery of God: “to them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek”

Does that stir your emotions?

That’s the tender love that your heavenly Father has for you.

Jesus says, “Oh, you want to talk to my Father? You can talk to him as “Our Father in Heaven . . .” You have that privilege. The Creator of the Universe says, “Call me Father, or Abba, even Papa.”

How do you get to be on such intimate terms with God Almighty? I mean, not only is he so big and powerful, but there’s another barrier. God is so holy and good; he has a problem with us.

In our daily Scripture readings during the past week, we looked at the previous chapter in Hosea’s prophecies. God scolds his people. He sent Hosea with stern words because, instead of trusting him for their crops and security, instead of trusting his promises and well-earned reputation of caring for them, they went off worshipping false gods. As if Baal, or some other idols, could keep them safe, feed them, and make them rich.

That’s where this imagery of God’s fatherly care and concern comes from. The Lord points his dearly loved children back to their history and Bible lessons and tells the story again, “Out of Egypt, I called my son.”

Have you heard the account of how God redeemed his covenant people from slavery in Egypt?

They were trapped doing stuff they didn’t want to do, ruled by a cruel tyrant, and unable to worship God, their Creator. But the Lord heard their cries. In his compassion, with signs and wonders, the Lord brought his children up out of slavery with a mighty arm and an outstretched hand.

That’s our story too. Apart from God, we’re slaves to sin. We’re trapped doing stuff we don’t want to do, ruled by a cruel tyrant, and unable to worship God, our Creator. But the Lord hears our cries. In compassion, with signs and wonders, the Lord rescued us.

God the Son became fully human – like us in every way except sin – and took the punishment for our sin upon himself. Jesus died in our place on the cross. Since we died to sin in Christ, we’re not slaves to sin any longer.

Because Jesus rose from the grave on the 3rd day, we are raised to life with Jesus. Our sin is washed away and we’re raised to live for God and with God. God the Holy Spirit has come into our lives as a guarantee of all God’s grace. We celebrated that 2 weeks ago on Pentecost Sunday:

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

(NIV)

The phrase “adoption to sonship” might sound off-putting to some. In it’s original context to Christians living in the heart of the Roman Empire this was radically inclusive language. Daughters didn’t inherit the way sons did. But believers, female and male, are adopted through Christ, with all the inheritance rights of sons and with all the privileges as God’s children through God the Son.

One privilege is talking to the Creator of the Universe the way that Jesus talked to his heavenly Father. Alongside Jesus, we address God Almighty, enthroned on high, as “Our Father in Heaven.”

As Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray, his assurances about answers from our heavenly Father sound lavish:

“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.

For everyone who asks receives;

the one who seeks finds;

and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

(NIV)

Does it get any better than that?

It sounds like Jesus has written us a blank cheque!

Yet these words have become a huge stumbling block for some people, because at times it feels like:

we asked but didn’t receive,

we went looking, but didn’t find,

we knocked, but it feels like

the big door between me and God still feels shut.

Does this mean that God doesn’t live up to his own advertising?

At least a decade ago, friend of mine, someone I’ve know since we played in a playpen together, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was married with 3 little kids. Every believer who knew her was praying that God would spare her life.

So we cried bitter tears when she grew weaker and weaker and her husband went home from her funeral alone with three little kids.

Did God not hear? Did our heavenly Father forget his promises?

Not a chance!

We still live in a world stained by sin. Jesus has conquered sin and death, but the king has not yet returned to the world to put everything right. The Kingdom of God has come and it’s still coming. When Christ returns, he will establish Shalom: everything will be restored to proper relationships, every sickness healed, and every tear wiped away. The process of renewal has begun in the church and in the world, but it isn’t complete. Not yet.

Meanwhile, our heavenly Father hears our prayers and gives good gifts. Jesus explains, using your experience with the fathers you know.

Which of you fathers,

if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?

Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

(NIV)

Maybe I know too many men with a weird sense of humour, ‘cause I could see some dad giving their child a snake as a shock to make them laugh, not with a poisonous snake, but in the right situation handing your hungry teenager a harmless garter snake could be funny.

Joking aside, most parents want the best for their children. They like to set their kids up with good things. In their role as the Papa, guys like to give good gifts.

Listen closely to Jesus’ words, then:

If you then, though you are evil,

know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your Father in heaven

give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

(NIV)

Jesus assures us that our heavenly Father has and will pour out God the Holy spirit on his dearly loved children.

Before anyone says, “big deal, I asked for a sports car,” we ought to recall that it is God the Holy Spirit who assures us of our salvation. The HS assures us of God’s deep, deep love for us. The HS helps us pray.