June 21, 2009 Father's Day

Our Father In Heaven

Matthew 11.20-30

Today is Father’s Day.

God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

God is a Father.

I love getting Father’s Day gifts... a few years ago I got a Father’s Journal. It is filled with questions and pages to fill them out on. It is a legacy so they will have my written record for generations to come. For instance it has recipes from my grandmother and all kinds of life experiences in it. It is about me, my life and the connection to my kids.

I love being with all my children and grandchildren - in fact that is all I could ask for on this day.

It is significant that God is a Father. Jesus spoke of this often.
John 20.17 Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "

What does this scripture tell us about our Father in Heaven?

1. He is LORD of Heaven and Earth. v.25

He is supreme. He rules everywhere.

Jesus taught us to pray that the will of the Father would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

It is perfectly done in heaven.

It will be ultimately done on earth.
Romans 8.28 God’s sovereignty.

He is to be praised. We need to watch ourselves because unconsciously we can grumble against the Father. We have to ask the LORD to put a guard over our mouths and we need to guard our hearts- out of it comes the issues of life and out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1.17
All the good in your life is from the Father, our Father, your Father in heaven.

Praise Him in your heart and let that come out to your lips. Psalm 95.1-7

Praise the LORD, our Father for the blessings!


2. He takes pleasure in hiding spiritual truths from the "wise" and the learned and revealing them to "little children". v.25-26

If you want to get spiritual insight- hang out with little children! They can teach you a lot!
Reveal=
to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up, disclose, make bare, to make known, make manifest, disclose what before was unknown
God the Father chose the ones to do this to and you and I are among them! Therefore remain as little children in faith and obedience!

How horrible- there are people who think they have God all figured out... they lost their way! Trust in God like a child does his parent: Be completely dependent upon Him, look to Him for life’s needs, rest in His love.

Remember last week we spoke about how the wise and the learned viewed the disciples as "ordinary men"- this is what they were seeing- a bunch of nobodies who knew nothing (except Jesus Christ and Him crucified).

Those who see themselves as wise and righteous are out of the kingdom. They are not following the LORD who humbled Himself and became obedient to death. They are trusting in themselves.

God takes pleasure in the humble. I Peter 5.5
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

3. The way to know the Father is through the Son. v.27

I have never shaken hands with George Beverly Shea but I know him very well. He has a son named Ron. Ron has been to our church a number of times. He has stayed in my home. We have had lunch together a bunch of times. He has become a friend of my family. I know the father through the son. He is a lot like him. He speaks of him.

Jesus is the Way to God. No one can come to the Father except through Him. There must be repentance (v.20)

Knowing is both being acquainted and understanding. Apart from Jesus there is no true understanding of God the Father. If you just have the Old Testament you do not have a lot of grace, yet we need the Old Testament to point out sin. It points it out but how can we be delivered?.. through Jesus Christ.

Jesus, as we read a few weeks ago, showed us the key to understanding the whole Old Testament. Love the LORD your God (your Father in Heaven) with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself. On these two hang all the law and the prophets. Loving God with your whole spirit, soul and body and loving your neighbor as yourself. Knowing the Father through the Son and having the Spirit lead us.

4. What great benefits in truly being children of God vs.28-30

Children not born of natural descent but of God- eternal life!

Some children have things others do not have because of their fathers. My cousin’s family in New Jersey has a dad who can write prescriptions if his kids or grandchildren get an infection because he is a doctor. All the former United States President’s children have Secret Service protection because their dad was president.

But as believers we have a Father in heaven who provides benefits that are simply wonderful.

Rest The soul finds rest in God alone (Psalm 62.1) A peaceful settledness.
Amos speaks of the time coming when there would be a famine for hearing the Word of God and men would be
Amos 8.12 Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.

Learn... remain as little children taking in God’s Word.
A light burden and an easy yoke... no struggling because things don’t fit. No more staggering or wandering and endless searching.
There is no such thing as a perfect father on earth. We try to do the best we can (and we should continue to aim at perfection) and are thankful for forgiving children. But there is One in heaven Who is Perfect! God the Father, our God,
Our Father Who Art In Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us no into temptation but deliver from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory forever.

Amen!