Fathering in The Gospel
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Luke 15:11-31
Luke 15:11-31
Good Gifts
Approachable
Loving
Good Gifts
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 good gifts to those who ask him!
Introduction
Why I normally do not do Father’s Day sermons
Why I am doing one now
Story of my dad taking me to work
Gifts fro him both to better me and give me joy
I certainly portrayed my Hevenly Father through my earthly dad. Don’t ever limit your understanding of the fatherhood of God to your experience of your own father, it is a false idol for starters and wofully inadequate and we miss out on a good and perfect Father. Rather, take heart that God has none of the sins or limitations or weaknesses or hang–ups of your father.
And the point Jesus makes is: Even fallen, sinful fathers usually have enough common grace to give good things to their children. There are terribly abusive fathers. But in most places in the world, fathers are jealous for the good of their children, even when they are unclear about what is good for them. But God is always better. In him there is no evil. Therefore, the argument is strong: if your earthly father gave you good things (or even if he didn’t!), how much more will your heavenly Father give good things — always good things to those who ask.
Here is another implicit encouragement to pray: God will give us good things as his children because he has already given us the gift to become his children.
This insight came from.
Augustine: “For what would he not now give to sons when they ask, when he has already granted this very thing, namely, that they might be sons?”
Here are some of the ‘Good’ gifts he has given us
Jesus
Eternal Life
Perserverance
Joy
Laughter/Humour - Dad Jokes ‘Your god on toilet
Forgiveness
Love and Loving family
Holy Spirit/Power
Wisdom
Way of Escape
Full access to God 24/7
Beauty from Ashes - Collie
Peace
Victory
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
he will hear and he will give us good things. Sometimes just what we asked. Sometimes just when we ask it. Sometimes just the way we desire. And other times he gives us something better, or at a time he knows is better, or in a way he knows is better.
2. Approachable
The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
Foolish State
Some might have slipped off in the night and ran away
Some might have asked another to intercede
This one feels free to come right to his Father: “Father
Regardless this Son felt he could always approach his father, why? it doesn’t say but his father seemed tto be
A good man
Even tempered man
Paitent
Respectable
Kind and Gentle
A good relationship built
Wise State
Our HEAVENLY FATHER IS APPROACHABLE. “Come to Him as you are”
The far country … Riotous Living
a. Dreamed of great task, but found great temptation
b. Dreamed of adventure, but instead found agony
c. Dreamed of prestige, but instead found poverty
d. Dreamed of romance, but instead found rags
e. Dreamed of happiness, but instead found himself feeding the hogs
The Great Sin Divide
Maybe some of you are not talking to your onw Dads or kids or families becasue of hurt and brokeness. yourself stuck and not feeling like you can fix what you have broken, or if you have been sinned against you feel you cannot forgiven.
Perhaps you are in your own pig pen of sin, and you feel dirty and disgusting covered in the stench of sin and feel hopless and have given up. And feel like you have no where to turn.
The son and father
have sinned against heaven and before thee”
When he thought of heaven, he thought of his father
When he thought of his father, he thought of heaven
He could not be reminded of God without remembering his father
His father surely was a man who walked with God
The father at prayer, in devotions, in reverent walk
The father displayed the gospel, not legalistically trying to control the behaviour of his son. We see this in him not controlling his son by forcing him to stay
He instilled the gospel and how to live in his son we see this in the Son understanding his sin and foolish actions
The father had protected and set boundaries for his sons, we see this by his son realising he had broken those boundaries and how unsafe he was being and knew he needed that protection once more.
This Father was approachable even from the pigpen: “I will arise and go to my father”
Though the son had done wrong, and was ashamed of his unwise and sinful behaviour, he still thought of his father and all that he was and decided to go home.
Questions: Are you a godly/gospel Dad or Father figure that if your son/daughter went wayward they felt like they could go home?
If you are a wayward child and even if your own family rejects you, you can always turn to God.
Maybe as a child of God you are wayward, you can turn to God
There is always room in the Gospel to forgive and be forgiven. As it cost God is only begotten son so that we can return to our Father and apprach our Father in highs and lows of life and everything in between.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
3. Loving
A Father Who was Affectionate (v. 20)
Luke 15:20-21 “So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’”
To run in that culture was undignified and not done, but the father laid down his rights and norms to embrace his son.
“Ran and fell on his neck and kissed him”
It’s nonsense that manhood calls for coldness
The look of love
The father had been watching for him
Spurgeon: “out of breath but not out of love”
His son was returning
The time away made no difference
The smell of the swine made no difference
The rags made no difference … NOR DID THE EMPTY POCKETS
His son is home, that’s all that matters
The father showed the same love and assurance
1. To the one who stayed
2. To the one who strayed
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.
Nothing Says I Love You More Than The Cross
1. “Bring forth the best robe”
2. Father should take the problems as God the Father takes them
3. Your failures have not moved you away from His love. Return
Conclusion
A. Come Now to the Heavenly Father for He is Good
B. Are You Like Him?
C. Don’t Make Your Earthly Father Your Heavenly Father its a weight he can’t carry
