OUR PERFECT FATHER
God Is the Answer to Your Deepest Needs - Part 1 of 7
Matthew 6:9
If somebody were to ask you "What do you need most these days?" I wonder what you'd say.
Some of you might say, I need more money, I need more time, I need…..
We're going to start a new series today called "God's Answer to Your Deepest Needs".
I'm hoping this series is going to answer two questions:
1) What are the needs in my life that God's promised to meet? and
2) How does He do it?
“Why would God even be interested in meeting my needs?” Obviously He doesn't need me. So why would God even be interested. Well because He is Our Father that’s who He is.
Jesus showed us that God is not some kind of impersonal force.
God is not some kind of angry tyrant waiting to deal you a bummer in life.
God is not some apathetic creator that really doesn't care about what's going on here.
In fact, Jesus defined God in two words. He said, "This is how you should pray, `Our Father...'"
In the Old Testament God is only called "Father" seven times.
In this chapter alone, Jesus calls Him Father over ten times; furthermore Jesus called God Father and told us to call God Father over seventy times in the Gospels. God wants you to know Him like a Father.
The point I want to make is simply this: God is a Person not a power. I like that because…
I can relate to a person.
I can get to know a person.
I can have a relationship with a person.
The problem is that for many people the word "father" brings up a negative image. It's a bad experience. It brings back childhood memories; sometimes it arouses regret, resentment, anger, fear, frustration, guilt. They don't have good memories of the term "father".
If God is like my father." No thanks, God! If that's the way God is, I'm not interested!
So Jesus qualified the term. Notice Jesus says, "Our Father, in heaven..."
He's not referring to a location because God is everywhere, He's talking about how Heaven is a place of perfection and God is a perfect Father in contrast to all of us who are human and very imperfect. God is a perfect Father.
The Bible says that God has four characteristics in his fatherliness toward us:
1. GOD IS A CARING FATHER
He wants you to know that you are loved and cared for. If you don't get anything else this morning, get this: You matter to God. God cares about you. He loves you. He's interested in you. Psalm 103:13 "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who honor Him..."
This is God's most outstanding characteristic. He's caring, loving, and compassionate.
One time the disciples were out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and a storm came up. They started taking on water and started to sink. They were tossed back and forth. They asked the most important question, the ultimate question: "Lord, don't you care?" We're drowning!
Have you ever felt like that? I'm going under Lord! Don't you care? The answer is, “Yes. Yes, I care a lot.” You have a heavenly Father who cares.
1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you!" Circle "He cares".
Does God care about your health? Yes.
Does He care about your house payment? Yes.
Does He care about your grades at school?
Does He care about how you get along in your family?
Does He care about whether you're a success or failure in life?
Does it even matter to Him? The answer is, “Yes.”
Psalm 35:37 "The Lord delights in the wellbeing of His servants."
Good News: "The Lord is pleased with the success of His servants." It's like, I love to see my kids succeed. Your heavenly Father cares about you.
2. GOD IS A CONSISTENT FATHER
He's reliable. He can be counted upon. He's dependable. He's worthy of trust.
James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from the Father who does not change like shifting shadows."
"Who does not change", Some people are unpredictable, but God is a consistent father. He's not moody. He never has a bad day. He never wakes up grouchy. He loves you just as much on your good days as He does on your bad days. It's not based on who you are, but who He is.
2 Timothy 2:13 "Even if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself."
That verse says even when I'm unfaithful and inconsistent, God can be counted on. He can't disown himself.
In a world where everything is changing.
In a world where everything falling apart.
If there's one thing I know, if there’s one thing I can always count on, I can always count on God to always act the same way toward me no matter how I feel.
He is always caring and He is always consistent, no matter what I think, no matter what I feel, no matter what I do, He is caring and He is consistent.
Malachi 3:6 "I the Lord, do not change." He is immutable, unchanging. Everything else shifts and changes but God is my rock. Nothing changes with Him.
Psalm 18:20 "What a God he is! All his promises prove true!" All. If God says it, count on it.
So 1.) He is caring and 2,) He is consistent. That's the kind of God who wants to meet your needs.
3. HE IS A CLOSE FATHER
The Bible makes it very clear that He's nearby when you need Him.
Acts 17:27 when he talks about how God is everywhere. "God did this so people would reach out for Him and find Him since He is not far from each of us."
God is not a million miles away. He's right here. He's here with you. If you open your life to Him, He'll be in you, in your life.
Today, many kids grow up with absentee parents, they're never around, and they’re never at home. But that's not the way your heavenly Father is. God is not detached. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He is a close God.
Three Encouraging things…
1. God is never too busy for me. Psalm 145:18 "The Lord is near to all who call on Him."
When you pray you don't get a busy signal. Whenever you say, "I've got a burden, a need I've got to talk with You about……." God doesn't say, "Not now. I'm busy."
He's never too busy for you. You can talk to Him at any time. (Jesus on the Mainline)
2. He loves to meet my needs.
Matthew 7:11 "If you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him."
Matthew 6:31-32 "So don't worry saying `What are we going to eat? or what shall we wear?' Your heavenly Father knows you need these things."
The point is that good fathers take care of their children, and you can count on your heavenly to meet your needs because He has unlimited resources to do it.
3. He is sympathetic to my hurts. You say, "I'm feeling low today." God knows and He understands completely.
Psalm 34:18 "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
You've had a tough week? God understands.
You've had a tough day yesterday? God understands.
A difficulty this week, this month, this year, this life? God understands.
He is sympathetic. He is close to the brokenhearted. He saves those who are crushed in spirit. That's what it means to have a heavenly Father.
Our Father, He's not just my creator. He loves me. He makes a difference in my life. He made you and I for a purpose. That's how God wants you to relate to Him. Because He is a caring Father, a consistent Father and a close Father.
4. GOD IS A CAPABLE FATHER
Nothing is beyond His ability,
Nothing is beyond His resources.
Nothing is beyond His power.
Whatever problem you've got -- at home, at work, at school -- God can handle it. He is a capable Father.
Luke 1:37 "For nothing is impossible with God." Nothing is impossible with God! God is capable.
Ephesians 3:20 (Living Bible) "God is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes!"
God wants to meet your needs. He wants you to stop looking everywhere else to have those needs met. He wants you to look to Him.
Philippians 4:19 "My God shall supply all of your needs." That means everything, finances, all your needs. God takes care of His children.
The logical question is, “Is everybody God's child? Is God the Father of everybody? If He takes care of everybody's needs, is God the Father of everybody?" Well yes and no. Yes, every human being is a child of God in the sense that we're all created by God.
But not everybody has a relationship to God who was created by God.
Not everybody is able to call Him Father.
Not everybody has that personal relationship.
God says, "Yes, everybody's My child in the sense that I created them all. But, no, everybody's not my child, in the sense that not everybody has a relationship with me." That's why they don't have all their needs met.
So how do establish this relationship? God says in Galatians 3:26 "We are children of God through faith in Jesus Christ." Isn't that simple?
We're not children of God by getting baptized or tithing or promising to go to church or promising to be perfect. If you had to be perfect to be a child of God, no one would be a child of God.
God made it so simple nobody could say it was too hard to understand. He just said, “Put your trust in My Son. Believe on Him. “Jesus Christ is the bridge.
Jesus said, "I am the way" not “I might be the way,” or “I hope I'm the way, or I point the way.” He said "I am the way. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
God says if you want to be a part of My family, if you want to establish that relationship, if you want to feel My caring, consistent love, put your trust in My Son Jesus.
The Bible says, "To as many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become the children of God." Believe and receive. We believe and we receive.
You were physically born into the human family, then you get the choice to be spiritually born into God's family. How do you get spiritually born? We are children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
God wants you to have a close relationship with Him.
He is caring
He is consistent
He is competent
He is close.
He wants to provide for your needs. Your greatest need is to first start trusting Him and by coming and saying, "Jesus Christ, I want to put my trust in You." Today's your day. There's no reason to wait. Today's your day.
