Those grandkids of ours are tearing me apart.
On Tuesday the call had come to evacuate the area of the coast where our whole family had rented a beach house. We had been there for a total of three days. On Tuesday night, trying to avoid traffic, Zach packed up the truck, put the kids in the car seats, and they were going to be headed to his in-laws house across the state. Only one hitch; in the backseat Tucker was crying. Through his sobs he said that he didn’t want to leave Nan and Paw - our nicknames. The little four-year-old heart was feeling something. And our 60-year-old hearts were also feeling something at that moment. That little boy touched the father heart of me.
Stinking kid!! And then do you know what he did? Zach and hope eventually made their way to West Virginia to wait out some of the storm. And so on Monday we are at Dave’s Gym working out and we had brought little Tucker along with us. When the workout was over we were just messing around in his yard… Well… He has an electric fence surrounding some of his garden and Tucker’s mother had the fence unplugged and then told him to go and touch it while he was getting my attention to pretend he was being electrocuted. When I saw him about the touch that I yelled out his name and then he touched it and laughed. Again, that was out of the heart of the father wanting to protect his children.
But any love or any feelings I have toward my family are minuscule compared to the father in heaven…
Matthew 7:11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
We are beginning a four-week series called “I can only imagine” based off of the movie of the same name. Today I want to talk to you about imagining a father… A perfect heavenly father who loves you a million times more than I could ever love my grandson. Today I want to talk to you about a heavenly father who is perfect, gracious, loving and all of his dealings with us.
- A father with a personal love
- a father with a purposeful love
- a father with a providing love
- a father with a protecting love
- a father with a promised love
- a father with a proven love
- a father with a powerful love
- a father with a passionate love
Many of us are hardwired with memories when the word “father” or “dad” is spoken. Some of those memories are good and some of those memories are bad. Have you ever been involved in youth sports? I have seen just about every kind of a father at a ballgame…
- The abusive father who nothing is ever good enough for.
- The absent father who never shows up.
- The casual father who doesn’t seem to care whether he’s there or not.
- The father who works while he watches.
- The father who didn’t want to be there in the first place and he makes it known to everybody.
- The father who is overprotective of his kid and as always angry at the coach.
- The father who wants to be the coach - not because he can coach - he just wants to make sure his kid plays.
What comes to mind when you hear the word "God"?
Some relate to God as a coach; nope real personal relationship but lots of shouts of “run faster, jump higher, two more laps.” It’s like your job is to perform well.
Others think of God more as a teacher. To them, being a Christian means studying harder, learning more, memorizing doctrines and texts of Scripture and then regurgitating it all on test day. The important thing is getting all "A's" and graduating to the next "grade" of spirituality. God's primary role is to make sure we spell His name right and assign detention when we misbehave.
Then there are those for whom God is a boss. Christians are just so many employees who are responsible for getting to work on time and putting in a solid eight hours. God is there principally to fill out performance reports and to decide who gets a raise, who gets a vacation, and who gets fired!
How do you view him?
I don’t know what kind of father you ever had but maybe it is very difficult for you to entrust your soul to another father. But let me tell you a little bit about God as our father.
If I were to transport you back in the Jewish culture in the New Testament era they would hardly or maybe never speak of God as a father. The word “God” would conjure up images of fear, respect, maybe a father that couldn’t be pleased, someone who punishes, or an angry and yet powerful figure. It would probably be common that they would be rather terrified of this God in heaven. Certainly they saw God as unapproachable and distant.
The people that follow Jesus may well have been shocked when Jesus taught them to pray to their father - the Aramaic word being “Abba.” This is the very same word that Jesus used to address his father in all but one prayer. The word Abba meant more like dad or daddy. “Can you call God daddy? Is that sacrilegious? Is that going too far?” In the Jewish mind of the New Testament it would be inconceivable to address God as “daddy.”
Jesus teaches us to call God, ABBA Father…Father means our nourisher, our protector, our upholder, our security. ABBA means daddy, it is a term that means that there is deep relational intimacy and trust. It was a word that little children would call their fathers - of word of warm affection and trust. ABBA reveals that God is way more than a coach, or a boss, or a teacher.
Jesus taught us that God is our father. A perfect father.
YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN WILL…
- Provide
- Protect
- be personal
- be powerful
- be passionate
I want to go into two Bible stories today - one that reveals the heart of your father and the other that emphasizes the voice of your father.
THE HEART OF YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN
Maybe in one of the most shocking stories of the New Testament Jesus explained it best. You find in Luke 15 the story of the prodigal son.
The story begins with a son who wants his father to be dead so we can have his money now and live the life he wants to live. He is sick of the rules, the boundaries, the responsibilities and he just wants to do what he wants to do. He sees his father as controlling, restrictive, straight-laced, no fun and to tame. For some reason the father gives him what he wants; his portion of the inheritance right up front.
The kid predictably goes off binging on whatever the world could offer him; Wild living, wild parties, lots of drinking, lots of women, the life of the party right up until the day he spends his last dollar. Now he is broke and the economy has taken a downturn. He has no job, he has no friends, he has no prospects and no one will give them credit anymore. This young man ends up at a hog farm trying to find something to eat in the slop buckets that won’t make him sick.
You know the story - he decides to go home. But it’s very risky; what will his father do and what will happen? What will they do? This boy is well aware that he has disgraced his father and his family and could actually be stoned to death by his father’s village before he ever makes it to his father’s farm. He prepares a speech, he just wants a job, he’s hoping for mercy.
And this is where Jesus shocked them all…
Luke 15:20 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.
Now that is some kind of a father. And Jesus is telling you right now… That is your father in heaven.
For the first time this rebellious kid knew the heart of his father. What a great father.
Do you know what one of the sweetest words you’ve ever heard come out of the mouth of a child? It’s usually the word DA – DA or MA – MA. Or if your grandparent’s when they form that syllable that identifies you. I’m wondering right now if you have found kind of relationship with God that you can call him daddy.
And whenever I talk about the prodigal son story I always say the same thing; don’t go changing the end of this story. This is your story. This is the story for all of us. It’s exactly the same.
THE VOICE OF YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN
Let’s turn to one other Bible event for a moment because in this one event I think that you’re going to hear the words that every one of us want to hear this morning.
This is not a story of rebellion, this is a story of obedience. This is not a story about a brat, this is a story about Jesus who already knew the heart of his father and willingly submitted to him.
Here is the story…
After the birth of Jesus, the family of Jesus ended up settling in a little town called Nazareth. We really only know one thing about this period of the life of Jesus. The father of Jesus was a carpenter and so we know that Jesus also took up that business until the day it was time for him to fulfill what God had sent him to do.
When Jesus was around the age of 30 he showed up at the ongoing ministry of John the Baptist who was actually his cousin. John was in the wilderness baptizing the massive crowds that were coming to him. There was a deep spiritual hunger among the Jewish people and they saw something in John that they were not seeing in the professional credentialed priests of their day.
When Jesus showed up John immediately recognized that Jesus was the son of God. Jesus asked to be baptized - this would be the event that would set him apart for ministry. At first John didn’t want to do it but Jesus insisted it was the plan of God. So John baptized Jesus and here’s what happened…
Matthew 3:13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
My dad wasn’t really one to be vulnerable and express many of his feelings. Occasionally he would make it known through one way or another that he was proud of us.
Some of you have been waiting a long time to hear your father say something validating and affirming and encouraging to you. That may never happen on this planet but right here we have a heavenly father speaking out three things that we all need to hear.
First, he says, “this is my son” and identifies Jesus as his very own. Your Father is saying, “you are mine.”
The moment that Jesus does what God requires of him a voice booms out from heaven saying, “this, this one standing right here, this man in the water, this one is mine, my son.”
This always happens at baptisms!
Have you ever made a new friend but you’re never sure of what they thought about you until one day, they introduce you to some other people, and they say something like; “this is Brian, you really ought to get to know him because he is an awesome guy and a great friend.” When somebody identifies you like that it’s one of the best feelings you can have.
Have you ever express pride in one of your children? I remember several times people saying, “who is that woman playing the piano and singing with that incredible voice?” Me… “That’s my daughter…”
The main designation of those who follow Jesus in the Bible is not Christian, is not disciple, but rather “child of God.”
Remember these words… Romans 8:15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
Secondly your Father is saying, “I love you.”
Matthew 3:16 …as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
Not only is the father pointing to Jesus as his son, but is also saying, “I love him… I love him so much.”
Don’t we all want to hear those words? Your father is saying to you, “I love you.”
- With forgiving love
- with undeserved love
- with comforting love
- with guiding love
- with caring love
- with proven love
- with rewarding love
- with unending love
- with rescuing love
- with protecting love
- with providing love
- with faithful love
There was a story about a missionary that went to a village to share the love of Jesus. As was custom, in order to have permission to live with the villagers, you had to marry into the village. The missionary knew this and when he came to the chief of the village, the chief offered his most beautiful daughter. However, the missionary asked if the chief had any other daughters that were without a husband. Confused, the chief said, “Well, yes I do.” He presented his other daughter, who many in the village thought would never marry because she lacked the outer beauty that would draw you to her. The missionary took the less beautiful daughter as his wife and they traveled for several years, sharing the gospel of Jesus with surrounding villages of the same tribe. Eventually, they found themselves back at his wife’s home village, but nobody recognized her. She was so stunningly beautiful and had grown so confident, because her husband had spoken love and truth to her every day of their marriage. She was so radiant and rested in who she was. You could clearly see that she was loved well by her husband, because her husband was loved well by Jesus. The identity that was once spoken into her had changed once she married the missionary. She eventually learned about the love of God, and that love shaped the way she lived her life. Love shaped her life, and it transformed her spiritually and physically.
1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and so we should lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
Jesus did that for you. Nobody else.
Thirdly, the father says to the son, “you bring me great joy.”
Matthew 3:16 …as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
Don’t you love it when there is joy in a relationship? When you’re with somebody and there’s no tension, weird expectations that aren’t met, anger; but you both are just enjoying each other’s company?
Let’s be in that relationship with the father - where it’s not complicated, where there is not constant friction him some sort, but like in this baptism moment there’s just obedience and the father delighting in the Son and the son delighting in the father.
Window in front of you…God is rewriting it
Hear the voice of your father today…
- I am for you
- I have chosen you
- I love you
- I will never forsake you
- I forgive you
- I want you
- come to me
- I am with you.
