Sunday Sermons

Fatherhood of God

Mark Dunagan
06/17/01 - Sunday Morning

Our Father

“Our Father who art in heaven” (Matthew 6:9)

God’s Father Heart

In the Bible God often reveals Himself to us as a Father and those faithful to Him are called His children (Matthew 6:9; Ps 103:13 “Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him”.) Maybe we have not thought about this concept of God as our Father as much as we should. In order to understand how God feels about our choices, both good and bad, reflect upon how children can either cause their parents to rejoice or grieve (Proverbs 10:1 “A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother”).

God’s Father heart is seen in His insistence that we cast all our cares and worries upon Him, and that such prayers are never viewed as a nuisance or inconvenience (1 Peter 5:7). God, the Being who governs the universe and has His eye on every person, actually exhorts us to pray to Him without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

God’s Father heart is seen in the fact that although there are billions of people on this earth, I am not lost in the crowd. God knows exactly where I am and what I have been doing. God has plenty of time for each child (2 Tim 2:18-19 “ Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness”).

God’s Father heart is seen in His earnest desire to see that we make good choices, choices that will deliver us from evil consequences, and needless suffering. Jesus manifested the heart of His Father when in observing the city of Jerusalem and the millions in it, He said, Luke 19:41-44 "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. "For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you, and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation”; Matthew 23:37-39 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! "For I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me until you say, ' Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord !'"

God’s Father heart is seen in the fact that He takes no pleasure in punishing people who are unfaithful, Ezekiel 18:30-32 "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct," declares the Lord GOD. "Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. "Cast away from you all your transgressions, which you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel? "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord GOD. "Therefore, repent and live."

Learning How To Be A Father

As we celebrate and contemplate Father’s Day, Christian men can learn valuable lessons regarding what it means to be a father, and how to father, from the characteristics of our heavenly Father.

God Expects Respect

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My respect?” (Malachi 1:6). As fathers, are we living in such a way that our children do have a healthy respect for us? Are we making it easy or difficult for them to respect us? In the Old Testament it was very important to God that children manifested respect towards their parents, (Exodus 21:15,17 “Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death”; Proverbs 30:17 “The eye that mocks a father, and scorns a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it”). The birds picking out the eyes imply that the corpses lie unburied. Notice that condemnation is issued for a mere “look” of defiance, “the eye that mocks”. God is just as concerned about respect for parents in the New Testament, as well (2 Timothy 3:2; Ephesians 6:1). The word “curse” in Exodus 21:17 means to “make light of”. While the use of profanity toward one’s parents is certainly condemned, a flippant and disrespectful tongue is likewise condemned.

God Makes Sacrifices

In the Old Testament it is said of God, “and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking” (Jeremiah 7:13). God puts a lot and time and effort into the fathering of His people. He constantly gives us His attention, effort and He even made the ultimate sacrifice (John 3:16). As Fathers we need to catch a glimpse of the eternal value of our children’s souls. The fact that they will face an eternal destiny behooves us to make whatever sacrifices are necessary in time and effort to help prepare them for eternity (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Next time we are tempted to not get involved with our children because we had a hard day, are tired, or so on, just think about the sacrifices that our Father has made for our souls.

The Constant Teacher

“And the Lord, the God of their fathers, send word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people” (2 Chronicles 36:15). God is always in that teaching mode. As fathers we need to see ourselves as lifelong teachers, who are always on call, and be ready to always give an answer (1 Peter 3:15), especially to our children. And to know how to respond (Colossians 4:6), to each question or complaint and each circumstance.

Compassion

“Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust” (Psalm 103:13-14). We see such compassion in the account of the Prodigal Son, where the Father runs to meet the repentant sinner. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Included in such compassion would be: 1. Remembering the difficulties, frustrations and temptations that one faces at a young age. Being able to tell your child that you faced the same things, what helped and what did not. Somehow it is easier to face trials if mom and dad do not dismiss it, but rather are able to sympathize with you and give you encouragement. 2. Extending complete forgiveness upon repentance. 3. Letting our children know how glad we are when they make the right choice or when they say they are sorry. Rejoicing in their repentance! 4. Being optimistic and always holding out hope to the one who strays, that the door for forgiveness is always open if only they will walk through it (2 Peter 3:9). 5. God does not withhold from us the pain that rebellion causes Him, or how He feels about it. Fathers need to be upfront with their children about the pain they endure when a child is unfaithful (Ephesians 4:30). 6. God continually exhorts the unfaithful to come back (Romans 2:1-4).

Discipline

“Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live…but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness” (Hebrews 12:9-10). Because God disciplines us for our good, as fathers we need to make sure that the motivation and goal of our discipline is for the spiritual good of our children, and not because we are simply angry or they have frustrated us. The goal of discipline in this section is, “the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (12:11). Any attitude or behavior that stands between my child and righteousness must be dealt with. 1. God does not give His children everything for which they ask. 2. If we are immature or have wrong motives, God does not give us something that we will only waste (James 4:1-3). 2. God does not immediately rescue us from difficult situations; God does not protect us from every trial or temptation (James 1:2-4). “And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna…that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3). Yet, God does monitor those temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13). God does not protect us from every temptation, but God is there to show us the way out.

Stability-Consistency

“Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God…He Himself does not tempt anyone” (James 1:13); “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow” (1:17). “As constant as the heavenly bodies are, they do exhibit changes as man perceives them. Seasonal variations, eclipses, phases of the moon, clouded skies, and the shifting shadows seen hourly on the sundial…But God’s character and nature are unchanging. He does not shift from giving good things to occasional evil giving” (Kent p. 56). I know that the world often interprets consistency, stability, and dependability as “boring”, but an inconsistent and undependable father quickly wears out his welcome. As fathers, we need to make sure that we are not tempting our children by an inconsistent example, hypocrisy, or some other stumbling block. In addition, we cannot afford to be moody or fickle, that is, one day behaving very faithfully and another day living like someone in the world. Children need a continual example of faithfulness and consistency. In addition, our rules need to be consistent and our mood needs to be consistent as well, that is, goodness is always praised and rewarded, while rebellion is always punished.

Parental Beatitudes

Blessed are the parents who make their peace with spilled milk and mud. Blessed are the parents who refuse to compare their children with others. Blessed are the fathers and mothers who have learned to laugh. Blessed are those parents who understand the goodness of time. Blessed are those parents who accept the awkwardness of their growing children. Blessed are the parents who can say “no” without sinful anger. Blessed are the parents who are teachable and always learning. Blessed are the parents who love their children in the midst of a hostile world.

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017