Who Is Your Father?

Well I am talking about “Who is our Father?” This morning. I am going to start with what happens when we get it wrong, before looking at who is our Father. When Jesus was walking on the earth. Jesus was heavy handed on one group. The religious leaders – they quoted Moses all the time – they had the old Testemant. Pharisees – John 8:42 NIV

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. They had the Old Testemant. - In Genesis – he Walked with Adam and Eve – Relationship.Gen 3:8Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as hewas walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid fromthe LORD God among the trees of the garden. -

• - Enoch walked with God and was no more (Relationship)

• - Noah as a Saviour

• - Revealed himself to Abraham – a promise keeper, protector, merciful

- What would you say is the most outstanding think about God – His most important Characteristic

• - Creator/Power/Holiness – What did God say

• - Moses– just received the law and Moses asked to see him face to face. He couldn’t – as there was still a sin problem. However he did see the back of God -

- Ex 34 5-7 NIV 5Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate andgracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” And what ultimately did it produce –

Let’s look at Saul/Pauls life. His view of God the Father was from a Pharisical POV. He saw God the way Pharisees saw God. A judgmental – Acts 1:1-5 1And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenlythere shined round about him a light from heaven: 4And he fell to the earth,and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thoume? 5And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.He came into a community that had so focused on the law. Based on their Captivity in Babylon/Persia, they forgot that he loved them. His loved returned them from captivity – although they fearful – The Romans came. They escaped into the law – they saw the only way out was Messiah that would come riding on horse to victory. But our Father had a different plan. You see we can have a distorted view of our Father. Pastor David Sweet talked last week Who is God Really. ― A.W. Tozer (The Knowledge of the Holy) “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. ... Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, just as her mostsignificant message is what she says about Him or leaves unsaid, for her silence is often more eloquent than her speech We are moving towards our image of God – By God for God. The pull of our creator is towards Him.

If our view of God – the father - is flawed then we will be flawed. It is so essential we get it right – Who is God – David touched on this last week. Thousand different things.

• - Cosmic light

• - Somewhere out there

• - Grandpa – sweet old Guy – Can’t operate technology.

• - Not Relevant

- Devine Referee or Scoreboard - Angry - Insurance – Act of God - Heavenly butler, or a slot machine. We would never admit this but it is like saying Hey Siri, Hey Google. God speaks/God solves the problem and they go back to their former lives

• - We could keep this going all morning.

• - AW Tozer -. ...” So thinking about this – if my view of God is all about the hits and the misses – my christian walk is all about how I am trying to be a better person. But when I mess up. My Christian walk has failed. If my view of God is wrong – my life, or as Tozer puts the secret law comes into affect. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. So who is God, I guess by my title and the start of this message, you have an idea of my Answer. So let me ask another question.

Why did Jesus come?

• - Came destroy the works of the evil one

• - To die in our place

• - To pay the price for our sin

• - So many things
  

  • - One overwhelming thing – to reveal the Father.

  • - His love

When Jesus came, he Revealed a completely different view of the God – the Father. It was there, but many missed it. He came to reveal the Father. Something that had never been reveal like this before.This is where Jesus came in to reveal the Father, his Love and his desire for Relationship. When you prayer – Often called the Lord’s prayer but it is not his prayer – it is a model prayer for us. (Forgive us our sins?) Relationship – Our Father – which art in heaven hallowed be your name Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. 189 times – God is a father Jesus is the perfect illustrated the heart of the Father. Anything you know about God that you don’t see in Jesus you have the right to question. John 14:9 – He who has seen me Has seen the Father. Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that theymay see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Let’s briefly look at the Father in action in Jesus life. As he is about to start his public ministry – he get’s baptized. As he comes out of the water. Math 3:16-17 ESV 16And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him,c and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son,d with whom I am well pleased.” This is my Son – said the Father. He didn’t say – this is my worker. Notmy Servant, not my Labourer, Who is about to do everything I commanded.It speaks of Relationship. Jesus hadn’t done anything yet recorded regarding His ministry. Has turned water into wine, hadn’t healed the sick, hadn’t walked on Water, hadn’t died on the cross. My Son – whom I am well pleased. He had his father’s blessing. Launching him into the missionblessed – not seeing how it goes. Jesus is teaching us here how to have a relationship with God, with our creator – it is in a relationship with a father. A child at a young age – Look at me. I have a Grandson who is 1 years old who loves affirmation. He wants you to see what he is doing. View of Father – Changes our actions. We have a Heavenly Father that loves us enough to send his son to die for us. But here is the challenge. If

God wants us to see him as our Father – and he does, the enemy will do everything he can to destroy Fatherhood. Pastor Patsy said two weeks ago how the family is under attack, as it represents the spiritual relationship. This generation is called the Fatherless generation. Not by accident. It is the insidious plan of hell. If he can crack up our concept of Father – he can create a stumbling block some people can never overcome. Think about our earthly dad. Lots of kinds of dad, for today – lets distill them down to ? - Discuss different types of Father- - Empowering Dad – not perfect – told you he loved you when you earned and when you didn’t. believed in you. He showed up. He wasn’t a pushover – that was passive dad. No boundaries – no tough love – so busy being you friend that there was no guidance.o He put boundaries in place. Even kids know that boundariesare there to protect them. If you put me at risk do you reallylove me. I remember just recently my daughters didsomething they never said they would do. In the middle ofsetting a boundary, I said the statement every good parentsays. Someday you will thank you me for this. And they did.Boundaries are our protection for our own stupidity. o Traffic lights – they are there for our protection.Here is the point –If God is like my Dad I don’t’ want any part of it. As theyread the Bible and see the scriptures about sonship, and scriptures like “Ifyou then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,how much more will your Father” God is not a reflection of your earthly Dad, he is the perfection of being a Father. He is everything you dreamed your father would be, and so muchmore. My Family – Mum / Dad So what was the result – I am a Christian – I see Jesus as a loving Saviour and God the Father as the disciplinarian. Who do I pray to - Jesus. I still am praying to God and they are one – but my view of God the Father was

Old Testemant – so I had a view of an Angry Father – so I prayed to Jesus.It’s things like that have people praying to Mary, the saints etc. Coming back to our view of God – the storms/earthquakes. What about the sunrise, or sunset – walking through the bush or a rainforest. If we have a wrong view of God the Father. When he revealed himself to Moses. Of all the things he could – I am the creator of the universe with unlimited power. “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”Ps 68:4 KJV - 4Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him. - 5A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. 6 God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. Jesus is the perfect reflection of the Father. Everything he said, everything he did was based on God the Father. Any thought you have of God the Father that is not modelled in Jesus is wrong. View of Father – Changes our actions. We have a Heavenly Father that loves us enough to send his son to die for us. Oh we can say the scripture for God so loved the World but do we really believe it. Lords Prayer – standing before the Father – giving account John 17:6-7 ESV “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them andhave come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me John 17:6 TPT Father, I have manifested who you really are and I have revealed you[e] to the men and women that you gave to me.[f] I relooked at the Gospels differently when I looked at it with a Father’s eye. Every Miracle.

Water to wine. At a wedding – wine was running out. Ok – lets be real. My Daughters wedding – wine was running out. It is within my power to fix it. Would I not fix it. I love my daughter – in fact – everyone at this wedding – my children. Matthew 8:2 If you be willing – heal me. As a dad, my daughter came to me with an ooowwwiee. I fix it to the best of my ability – hold it. I am the divine God – all good. In a storm – my children wake me to tell me – Don’t you care that we are drowning – As a Father – I take control and fix the problem.The woman caught in adultery. John 8:6 NLT 4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. Writing in the Sand – many sermons – what there were writing. I think Igot this from the last sermon I heard. That he was writing sins, who knows.But the power of grace was evident when in V7.7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right,but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” He never excused the sin – but he forgave the sin. The Father in action – rescue – set the path on the road again – go. Tax collector – Zacchaeus – skimmed from the top. Jesus didn’t challenge him yet he confessed – and made it right. He just wanted to see Jesus.He went for tea. Reveal the heart of God – Reconciliation/Relationship. He is better than we think so we need to change the way we think. You can demonstrate Mercy, grace, kindness and never tolerate sin. Our Father – Relationship with each other and with God. Jesus never broke character that He was revealing the Father’s love. I believe we have only an inkling of how totally devote our Father is to loving

us. Nina and I when we were raising Kids, and now our Grandson, remind ourselves no matter how much we love them, our Father in heaven, loves them more. Matt 7:7 NLT 7“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.8For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much morewill your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. So what should we think of the Perfect Father. I need a breakthrough – I need to know the “how much more” Need to see who He is, and ultimately who am I.C. S Lewis: Said something in reply to AW Tozer – Theological debate. - I read in a periodical the other day that the fundamental thing is how we think of God. - By God Himself, it is not! How God thinks of us is not only more important, but infinitely more important. Indeed, how we think of Him is of no importance except in so far as it is related to how He thinks of us. —C. S. Lewis, “The Weight of Glory” (1941) Oh Oh – which way do I Go. Pick between them. Both See him first – moving to my mental image of God, I need to see him as a perfect heavenly father, and as I see him, I begin to see how He sees me.Father sees you. Father wants to tell you this morning.1. I am loved/We are loved. 2. We are a child of God – Andy spoke of our ID – Rom8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back intofear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whomwe cry, “Abba! Father!”

TPT 3”15 And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,”[a] leading you back into the fear of never being good enough.[b] But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,”[c] enfolding you into the familyof God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us,our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, “Beloved Father!”[d]3. I am no longer a slave. Rom 6:7 NO longer a slave to sin. 4. I represent my Family - Pastor Tony – Back to Moses – we need to see the Father in all his Glory. See thegoodness of God – The love of the father. Search the scriptures –find our Heavenly Father.If you don’t know him. Today is your day. You can get to know him. Caleb will lead you in a pray shortly so that you can know a loving father. If you are a Christian, and struggle with knowing him as a Father. It could be based on your personal work, we are going to open the front of the church if you need prayer. We would love to pray with you. In closing – I want to read a scripture Jesus has died, and rose again, some have seen him so they have heard that he is risen. Why are you looking for the risen among the dead. John 20:19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. Whenever the Father gives us an assignment, in the command is the power to complete the assignment. Go in all the world, I am Send you as the Father has sent me. In law – your commanded, in Grace you are empowered.

Reveal the Father’s love to those around you. In your Home – in your workplace, in your street, in your mall. 5. We are sent by my Father to Reveal Him