Our Loving Heavenly Father-Father's Day 2022

Introduction

You know one of the coolest parts of Father's Day? It's getting to talk about God as our father! How often do you stop and consider the reality that God identifies himself as our father in heaven!

On one hand this is a pretty straightforward idea. Everyone knows what a father is what a dad is. But what does it really mean that God is our father? Do you think of God as your father.

You know in the Old Testament they didn't really talk much about God as our father. But in Jesus New Testament he calls godfather over 165 times!

Mark 14:36 ESV

36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

You know, ABBA is about on par with the term daddy . are you comfortable with calling God daddy or Papa? Should we be comfortable with this level of intimacy with God?

Can we be respectful to God and yet close to Him?

What does God want out of our relationship with Him? How does He want us to see Him?

Romans 8:14–16 ESV

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Did you catch that? God has put His spirit in us crying “Abba! Father!” Crying out to God in an intimate “Daddy” cry our souls cry out to God.

God wants us to be close to Him. and know how much He cares for us.

Our soul according to Romans shouldn’t be whispering to God we should be shouting out to God as our Father.

The obstacles to us having a close relationship with our Heavenly Father.

But what gets in the way? What are obstacles to knowing God our Heavenly in a close and personal way.

Let’s explore this in the book of Matthew.

Matthew 7:9–11 ESV

9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Even the best earthly Fathers are evil by comparison to our Heavenly Father

No matter how much we try to imitate God come on by comparison we fall short. And so the image of God that we see in our fathers... our human fathers is incomplete. We simply don't understand how to relate to a perfect, loving father because even the best fathers fall short.

Now I'm sure you can ask any father here and he will admit that he is not perfect. This is not to put down human fathers. But instead to show how magnificent God is.

Remember when God called the Israelites out of Egypt. He said a man, Moses to lead them out. It was a nearly impossible job and yet God equipped Moses to do it. As Moses was taking the people into the desert God told Moses that he would reveal himself to Moses. And remember how he showed himself and described himself to Moses?

Exodus 33:19 ESV

19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

God showed His identity in his grace and Mercy!

David expanded on the identity of God later in the Psalms.

Psalm 103:6–8 ESV

6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Obstacle #1 We don’t understand our Heavenly Father

One of the biggest obstacles to us coming to know God close and personally is that even the best fathers reflect a poor image of our heavenly father. Far too much of what we reflect as fathers is the world around us. And not our gracious and just and merciful heavenly father.

God the Father wants us to experience the breadth and depth of His love for us.

Psalm 103:8–9 ESV

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.

Obstacle #2 We don’t accept God’s love

Psalm 103:8–18 ESV

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.

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