OUR HEAVENLY FATHER
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I would like to thank all of you Fathers out there today. It is a tough task to be a Father. a Father has to make difficult decisions, has to help guide and lead, instruct, discipline their children.
It is often an uncomfortable job filled with difficult matters and long sleepless nights. You see Being a father is a multifaceted job and takes courage, dedication, determination, and lots of patience. a Fathers most difficult job might be
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Maybe that is why there is so much instruction about fathers and children in the book of Proverbs. Listen to some of wise saying from the book of Proverbs
He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.
Discipline your son while there is hope, And do not desire his death.
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.
Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.
Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching;
Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding,
I think in Deut. God through Moses emphasizes how important the task of the father is in the spiritual guidance of the home, his children.
“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
“You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.
“You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,
so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth.
That’s the task that we have been given. It’s a lofty one and difficult one. Some of us have had good Godly fathers and some of us might have even had terrible fathers or no fathers at all. But each and everyone of us have a Heavenly Father and he is comparable to none. Many in the world today would have you believe that our Heavenly father is some fake figment of our imagination, and a t best he is a distant entity in the sky that is unreachable, unknowable and disinterested in our lives, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. God wants nothing more than to have an intimate relationship with his children. He sent us probably the greatest letter (love letter) a Father could ever give -bible- reaching out to us and telling us about himself and the ultimate sacrifice that he made for us - the giving of his one and only son. When it comes to our Heavenly Father there is no-one better at being a life guide. He explains and shows us how to live and even if we lack wisdom...
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
there is no better encourager,comforter, and caring father than Our Heavenly father
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”
who comforts us in all our affliction 2 Cor. 1:4
He is our Provider
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
He gives us good gifts Luke 11:11-13
He is our protector
nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
He gives us his armor Eph. 6 but maybe the greatest trait or quality of our heavenly father is the fact that he our forgiving father. This is what I want to focus on the time we have left this morning. Please turn to Luke 15:11-32. In the parable of the prodigal son we see this wonderful trait displayed. I believe this depiction of this earthly father is exactly how our Heavenly Father feels about his wayward children. Notice the son becomes ...
dissatisfied - had everything he needed but that dissatisfaction with what he had lead him to
desire - more, to enjoy the things he never experienced and that lead him into
self deception - he believed he was missing something in his life and thought he could get it elsewhere so he made a
decision - to leave home and all it restrictions and rules so he took is fortune and
departed - to a far country, and while he was there he
delighted - in every worldly pleasure he could possible even dream of. and while living in his sin and rebellion begins to realize his own
disillusionment - he realizes that sin and pleasure only satisfies for a season and only leaves him empty physically and spiritually so he finds himself in
despair - desperate for even the pigs food and then it
dawned - on him that he could go back to His father as even one of his hired hands and it would be far better than what he was in now.
And I want you to note the Fathers 5 responses as his son comes home
he saw him from a long way off - so he must have looking for him, he was wounded from the hurt wondered about him continually
he felt compassion for him - He was filled with great emotion love, concern, care
he ran - he was so excited and concerned for his son that he couldn’t wait for him to get there, he ran to him
embraced him - threw his arms around him and brought him close
and kissed him - love and affection
he celebrated and welcomed him back
Brothers and sisters that is our heavenly father. He is a forgiving father.
Are you in need of a forgiving father this morning? Have you turned away from your heavenly father for sin and the things of the world. If so your Heavenly father is eagerly waiting and watching for you to come home. if your not a christian this morning you come to him through belief, confession, repentance, and baptism but if you already obeyed the Gospel and fell away you can confess and repent and walk in the light and yes he will forgive you. Now is the only time you are guaranteed to have this opportunity, won’t you come while we stand and sing