Father’s Day – The Heart of our Father

Reachcommunity   -   June 19, 2022

 

  • Announcements: Refreshing Weekend with Anna Donahue this Fri. 7pm, Sat. 6pm, Sun. 10am

Main: The Heart of the Father

Introduction: 

  • Today is Father’s Day… 
  • Happy Father’s Day dads.
  • I trust you will all enjoy the meal of your choice. 
  • I would like to minister to and on our Heavenly Father.

1. God has revealed Himself to us as Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

Matthew 6:8-13 (ESV) 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

  • God could have revealed Himself as He pleased. 
  • And so he chose as His primary affectionate identity to HIs children to be *Heavenly Father*
  • Our Heavenly Father and Heavenly God-head is our Creator. 
  • He created us each uniquely hand made by design. 
  • Our Father has a heart of compassion and interest in His creation.
  • Our Father knows what we have need of. 
  • “your Father knows what you need before you ask him”
  • Ela… it is a natural thing to have more interest in something that you created verses just purchased. Ex. Building a house verses just buying one. Ex… hanging your kids art around the house even when it is not Picasa’s 
  • Our Father’s interest in us is our motivation for coming to Him.
  • Confidence that He knows and will respond. 
  1. Our Father in the giver of good gifts. 

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!

  • As an human Father I want to give good gifts to my children.
  • Now, this is not the case every time and with every human father. 
  • Which is why our need for recognizing the dependability of our Heavenly Father. 
  1. He is the Father of lights.

James 1:16-18 (NKJV) 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

  • He is the Father lights 
  • because when He comes into our life the lights come on. 

1 Peter 2:9 (ESV) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

  • He is the Father of lights because he brought us out of darkness into His marvelous light. 
  • No darkness or shadow in Him.
  • No shadow of turning – because His light cannot be blocked. 
  • Ela… on how a shadow comes from the light being blocked.
  1. There s a desire in us wanting to make our Father happy. 
  • Making our Father happy is a right desire. 
  • If we really get determined not to make our earthly father happy we can be considered to have a Father Complex.
  • Ela… Mr. Google says: In psychology, ‘daddy issues’ are described as a ‘father complex. ‘ A father complex develops when a person has a poor relationship with his or her father. The need for approval, support, love, and understanding progresses into adulthood, and it may result in bad decisions with relationships.
  • Even when our earthly Father may not deserve it we still want to make them happy. 
  • I believe this inherent desire comes from our being made in the image of God.
  • God originally put a desire in us for us to make Him happy.

Exodus 20:12 (ESV) “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

  • There is no defined term as a Mother Complex. 
  • Many people have created a Father Complex with our Heavenly Father. 
  1. The desire to make our Heavenly Father happy came under attack when sin entered the world.

Genesis 3:1-5 (NIV) 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? ”2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

  • “Did God really say”?
  • This questioned may have seemed innocent enough but was full of division, doubt, and hatred towards our Heavenly Father. 
  • God gave man life.
  • Our Father gave mankind all they needed. 
  • Man had no reason to doubt our Father’s motive and truthfulness until…
  • Obedience is better than sacrifice. 
  1. What makes our Heavenly Father happy?

Philippians 2:13 (NKJV) 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

  • It is our Father’s good pleasure to work in you. 
  • Our Father takes pleasure in his people 

Psalm 149: 4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. 

  • Our Father wants us to grow up but still wants us to need Him. 

Psalm 147: 11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. 

  • Our Father takes pleasure in those who reverence Him. 

7. Our Father is happy when we decide to return to Him.

Luke 15:11-24 (ESV) 11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

  • It makes our Father happy when we listen to Him.
  • The Father does not hold us back when we are determined to go. 
    • ✴  The Father divided his living among both of them. 
    • ✴  Allowing him to create such a trail in his life. 
    • ✴  Exchanging a light burden, working for the Father, for a heavy burden trying to survive.
  • The son wanted to be free of restraint. 
    • weary of restraint 
    • Lusting for independence; 
    • People all over want to be independence of God but you can’t get away from Him. 
    • Ela. the young want independence the old want true companionship. 
    • Wanted to get far away – where the people would not know him
    • when people want free of our Heavenly Father they also go far away.
  • Commentary on the Prodigal Son Parable. 
  • “Among all the parables of Christ, this is most excellent, full of affection and set forth in lively colors. The old father sees a long way off, for dim eyes can see a long distance when the son is the object. His heart moves within him, and he has compassion on him. “He runs.” It would have been sufficient for him to have stood, because he was old, and a father, and  even more so an offended father. 
  • But love descends rather than ascends…: the son goes to the father; the father runs to the son. Then, he does not stop and embrace him or take him by the hand, but rather he falls on him and incorporates himself into him. He speaks not a single word- his joy was too great to be uttered—but he puts his whole mouth forward and kisses him, giving him the badge of peace, love and reconciliation. Through this example is declared that great goodness of God, who most mercifully pardons the sins of the truly penitent.”

8. Our Father is happy to show mercy 

24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 

  • The hero of this story is the receptivity of the Father. 
  • Our Father is happy to receive us back and comfort us. 
    • He is the Father of all comfort… 
    • He comforts us by receiving us and again allowing us near. 
    • So that we can be comforted. 
    • So we can comfort others with the same comfort 
  • When the younger son “came to himself”. 
  • That “what am I doing” moment. 
  • Arise and go to your Father. 
  • The younger son became a son twice over… the first time by birth and the second time by choice.
  • We all have to come by choice to respond to the Father’s welcoming back nature.

In conclusion: Prayer time.