Father Heart of God
Notes
Transcript
How does God feel about you?
How does God feel about you?
I am a sinner. I sin repeatedly.
I absolutely hate it when people throw trash on the ground. Especially when I see people throwing trash out their car. I sure many of you can agree with me that such action is very bad.
Just this week, one thing I had to have a serious talk with the Lord was I saw a man at a red light, roll down his window and just threw out trash. And I verbally cursed the man, “crash and die.”
I had burned with anger. I used my mouth; which the Lord gave me to bless, but actually used it to curse and hate. I had sinned horribly.
When the Lord convicted my heart very deeply about it, I had to have a very serious talk with Him.
But during that conversation with God, how do you think I felt? Bad? Accused?
More importantly, how do you think God felt during that conversation? Angry? Upset? Disappointed? I dare say, maybe happy?
But what is critical in moment of sin and weakness is the question, how does God feel when He looks at me? And your opinion about it.
The reason why this question is so critical is because the way we view God’s heart towards us in our weakness determines how we approach God.
If you view God as a glad and joyful God who loves to forgive, there will be no shame in approaching Him. But if you view Him as mostly mad or angry in our sin, you can’t dare to approach Him. Or better yet, you emphasize His absolute holiness and feel like He is watching you like an eagle ready to strike you the moment you sin.
The truth is...
The truth is...
John 14:8
Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
The disciple Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father and Jesus replied
John 14:9
Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
So we can actually see what the Father is like when we look at Jesus. Jesus is the perfect representation of the Father.
Hebrews 1:9
9 “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.”
Psalm 16:11
11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
In these two passages, Jesus is depicted as someone who is absolutely filled with joy and gladness.
So Jesus being the perfect representation of the Father, if Jesus is anointed with the “oil of gladness,” the Father is also anointed with the “oil of gladness.”
Lets search the scriptures just a little bit more to see how He feels towards us who believe.
Isaiah 62:4-5
4 It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,” Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”; But you will be called, “My delight is in her,” And your land, “Married”; For the Lord delights in you, And to Him your land will be married. 5 For as a young man marries a virgin, So your sons will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you.
Hephzibah, you will be called “My delight is in her.”
As a bridegroom rejoiced over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you!
What a sentence...
As a man cannot contain himself over his bride on a wedding day, the Father rejoices over you!
The prodigal son
The prodigal son
We see our passage today. It’s a very familiar passage most of us.
But this story is so good and precious at showing us the Father’s heart.
Saw
The father was earnestly looking and waiting for the return of his son.
Compassion
The father had compassion and tender feelings. Not anger.
Ran
The father had enthusiasm; it was unusual for a father to run to a rebellious son.
Fell on his neck
The father embraced him instead of being disgusted and angry.
Kissed
The father’s kiss signified the restoration of favor.
You realize the son only got through two points out of three?
He wanted to say
I have sinned
No longer worthy to be called your son
Make me one of your slaves
But he only got to point two and got interrupted by the father.
Not only interrupted but the father doesn’t even respond to his son. It’s not that the father didn’t want to hear it, the father was completely preoccupied with joy that his son had returned.
And the father, in an instant, restored the son.
Best robe
God provides us with the garments of salvation (Isa. 61:10; Zech. 3:4).
Ring
Authority was entrusted to him to represent the family business.
Sandals
Slaves did not have sandals; only family members received family privileges.
Fatted calf
A calf was killed for special occasions to show honor to important guests.
Be merry
The father rejoiced and enjoyed the prodigal on the day that he repented, even though he still had many areas in his life that needed to be changed.
The result
The result
The greatest emotional need for us humans is the assurance that we are enjoyed. The happiness we experience from some sort of accomplishment is nothing compared to being loved and enjoyed by another.
This is why we see countless successful people in the world fall into depression and some worse.
When the prodigal son story becomes real in our hearts and we begin to truly feel and live out from this truth; that God is filled with gladness and He enjoys us, our hearts, our lives will be fulfilled.