Father’s Day Message 2016: “Our Father”

MATTHEW 6:9 “OUR FATHER…”

[unedited message notes]

Here we are on one of our special days whereby we remember and honor the fathers among us… Today, just like Mother’s Day, marks a distinct celebration of a role that in our modern culture has come under much discussion and exploitation…In the case of fathers, my generation had the Simpsons—not many family-honoring and father-celebrating story lines there. I don’t think entertainment has improved much since then…

Nevertheless, today marks a day that has been set aside since the turn of the 20th Century in America as a day to stop and remember and celebrate our fathers.

To begin, what are some practical ways fathers impact the family and society?*

Family :

Teenage delinquency

boys who enjoy high-quality relationships with their fathers are about half as likely to be delinquent, compared to boys being raised by single mothers or by fathers in intact families who only have low-quality relationships with them

Pregnancy

teenage girls living with their father in an intact family and enjoying at least an average-quality relationship with him are about half as likely to become pregnant as teenagers, compared to girls living with a single mother, or who only have a low-quality relationship with their father in an intact family.

Depression

for both boys and girls, a high-quality relationship with dad is associated with less depression. Such teenagers are less than half as likely to end up depressed, compared to their peers in single-mother households, or intact homes where dad only has a low-quality relationship with them.

Society:

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America — one out of three — live in biological father-absent homes.
Financially: Children in father-absent homes are almost four times more likely to be poor. In 2011, 12 percent of children in married-couple families were living in poverty, compared to 44 percent of children in mother-only families.
Mortality: Babies with a father’s name on the birth certificate are 4 times more likely to live past 1 year of age.

For the most part, we don’t need to hear these statistics to know that a father has a profound impact on the family and society…we have experienced much of this in our own lives…

SO, then, for the church, there’s got to be more considered about a father’s impact. How does a father impact faith?

The Southern Baptists, published these remarkable results from research done by their church resource division:

If a child is the first in the family to become a Christian, there’s a ~4% probability that the rest of the family will become Christians
If mom is the first in the family to become a Christian, there’s a ~20% probability that the rest of the family will follow
If dad is the first in the family to become a Christian, there’s a ~90% probability that everyone else in the family will follow his lead

Incredible…! But, there are, I believe, still more important realities to consider on this Father’s Day… Not the least of which are the realities of God as a Father.

God is a good Father…

The Father of the first man, the Father of the nation of Israel, and the Father of the Church.
This is a God who accepts children, and allows them to call Him, Daddy—Abba!
He provides a means by which He places His Divine nature in man—the life of God in the soul of man—2 Peter 1:4
- This is our God, the Rock of Ages..

And so, in preparing this message for this special day, I was confounded as to what I should teach on from God’s Word as it relates to God, our Father.
- I thought about exploring the Heart of God…so I spent a good portion of Monday preparing a message for that

But, in the end I went down a different path…A PATH WE ALL RELATE TO—A CONSIDERATION OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD…and so, we’ll spend our time developing Christ’s opening words on His instruction to His disciples on how to pray, Matt. 6:9…

And so, we come this morning to a consideration of perhaps the most comprehensive prayer ever prayed. We won’t cover each component of this prayer, but rather the first phrase, “Our Father…” This is the Lord’s Prayer embedded in Jesus Christ’s first public sermon, the Sermon on the Mount. And here, He is teaching His disciples how they should pray. The crowds have gathered around to hear what rhetoric might come from this rising carpenter from Nazareth, but His focus would be to put into His disciples the principles that they would need for the rest of their lives. And if you grew up in the church, you probably know that Christ’s disciples were not going to have an easy journey. He begins verse 9 of Matthew 6 with a conjunction that is no doubt put in place to strongly contrast His previous discourse, namely the method of pagan prayer.

And so, our time this morning will be (in the context of us as children)…

To consider WHO can pray…”OUR FATHER…”

Luther said, “The sweetness of the gospel lies mostly in pronouns…”

To consider HOW that reality impacts every aspect of our life

Lord willing this will be a message to test and confirm our faith…
To the Christian, this will be a most glorious reminder of who you are in Christ…
- A child, an heir to God and co-heirs with Christ; recipient of all the blessings of God, having the rights to God’s inheritance in Christ Jesus, and the crown of righteousness reserved for you who love Him and long for His appearing.
To the one struggling with the Christian faith or not a believer—a gospel call to repent and turn to the Father for salvation and eternal fellowship…

Incidentally, is it important in our modern world to take time to confirm our faith? To strengthen our faith!

Sermons that test or try our faith—to boil it down to its most fundamental aspects…those transferable points—truths of our faith based upon God’s Word to clearly articulate to a lost world…
Also, in order that our faith might be stretched, so that we more regularly reflect deeply on the things of God, our lives, and the things to come…A clear call amidst all of life’s distractions…

What difference would it make if we more regularly reflected on the humbling realities of sin, God, satan, our faith, our standing before God?
What difference would it make in our marriage, our family, our church, before the world?
Incidentally, what does the world think of the so-called Christian church at this present hour? If pressed, what would modern man say about the church and her reputation?
What has become of the church’s role in society today?
Is not the church, in the world’s eye, laughable… We are the Bible-beating, ignorant, old-school, antiquated, prudish, uptight, 1950s bigots, who are close-minded hypocrites that don’t agree on anything, and who refuse to accept the so-called data truths of science, allow for self expression, and self actualization…Who are enemies of choice, of love, those who sequester and subjugate woman, and now even of gender identity…
And how has a large portion of the church responded?
- I had a friend who visited a Christmas Eve service last year with his extended family, and they were handed glow sticks as they entered the service in order to keep up with the stage entertainment. His brother-in-law, who is Jewish, was there…he said it was a laughable sight…
  - Disgusting…we’ve become entertainers, the place where God’s Word is to be rightly divided is now full of smoke and mirrors.
    - No, the church is to be beacon of light, a bastion of strength who does not falter in the face of persecution or ridicule, a proclaimer of the gospel, who like Jeremiah points all people to the Ancient Paths and Good Way, the church stands when all others cower under cultural pressure—the church holds the Bible up (not in ignorance or blindness) but in all its splendor—The preacher teaches the Word to the flock, and then they go out 6 days of the week and not only feed themselves, but proclaim the Ancient Path and Good Way in their homes, places of work, and all of life!
So, now, more than ever the church needs to be clear of her mission, her purpose…to be clear on the most basic fundamental truths of her Christian faith..And to make certain as to who is of the flock of Christ…
To be purified with the Word of Truth…with a clear and plain message of the gospel front & center—Man’s need and God’s solution!
That is why the preacher or pastor is not only to encourage and edify the flock of God with a regular heralding of gospel promises and encouragements, but also to…
So, yes! The church needs a clear and plain message today, we need it now more than ever!
What is that clear and plain message?
- That there is a holy God, the only True God, YHWH, who looks down upon the earth, seeking those whose hearts are wholly devoted to Him…
  - That there is a gospel, the Word of Truth, available to all men—that tells them to fly to cross of Christ in repentance and confession.
  - But, the world—society—won’t respond to something they feel they have no need for…for the most part, even the church is tired of hearing the full gospel message…
- So, a message is needed that penetrates through the shell of reason, of rationality, of biases, and cultural contexts, and deep into the heart—a message that takes them to the throne of a holy God to show them their state before His perfection and holiness—a message that gives them the plain and clear message that they are lost and in need of rescue—AND THEN, a message full of compassion of love and mercy that tells them of grace and forgiveness and hope in the person and work of Christ—that He died for them to pay the penalty for their sin…a message of faith and heaven…
- A message to the Christian, who longs for His appearing, to live according to His precepts—remind them of the HOPE for another world…a place reserved for them in heaven…a city, whose Builder and Architect is God.
- A message to those of God’s fold not to quench the Spirit or grieve the Spirit, but to confess their sin and walk as ministers of reconciliation.
  - Yes, a message that calls the Christian to something great—a greatness found in faithfully serving their home, their place of employment, and simply being a light of faithful Christian conviction in any sphere…
- So, yes, we need this message! We need this message!
- WE need a message to tell us to press on!

Having said that, we now come to our text this morning…

“OUR FATHER…”

In what sense is God a Father?
Is this a general reference, namely that God is the Father of all people?
In other words, could this be saying that God, because He is loving, is the Father of everyone? i.e. If we can accept God as Creator, then naturally, we should say that God is everyone’s Father?
- The…Father of all people, and THUS all could technically pray “Our Father…” Right?
Or, is Christ limiting in His scope?
- Notice the RELATIONAL CONNECTION that Christ is making with Himself and those He is instructing to pray this prayer… “OUR” [1P/Pronoun/Gen/Plural]
In other words, is Christ implying that not everyone can pray this prayer?
- Could Christ be saying, “Not everyone can say, “Our Father…””?
Remember what Christ said to the Pharisees in John 8…
We can at the least say that Christ believed there could be another father…that is to say, from a spiritual perspective, a person could have a father other than God…
And so, Christ could say to the Pharisees, who were the keepers of YHWH’s law, “you are children of the devil…”
And so, in 2 different ways, we’ve seen the title, father, used by Christ.
Are we comfortable saying, categorically, then that there are two spiritual fathers who rule humanity? God and the devil?
- That is not to say that they are equal, but that they are nevertheless fathers to children in an eternal and spiritual sense.
This is the fundamental message of the Bible! That there are really two realities in this life—that a person is either a child of God or they are a child of the devil. They are either born of God, or they are born of satan.
- Doesn’t the apostle Paul make this clear when he says that there is a ‘god of this age’ in 2 Cor. 4:4
- What about Jesus, when He said in John 12:31, “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.”
  - It is clear who Paul and Jesus are referring to…there is a ruler of this world who has authority over his children…
  - And so, Jesus again takes on this issue in Luke 11:21-22 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder.”
    - the strong man [the one with authority and power]—when overpowered—has his possessions [whose that?] plundered. What was Jesus talking about? That there is a ruler, and his possessions are satan’s children…and thus, he must be subdued…and his possessions reclaimed by God!

If there is still a question about the realities of two fathers in this world, Paul settles is once and for all in: Ephesians 2:1-2 & Romans 6:3-4
- Ephesians 2:1-2 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.”
- Romans 6:3-4 “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
That’s it…the stark contrast of a good Father and an evil father, not equal, but that both have children…And so it is a matter of life and death…either one is spiritually dead and a child of the devil, or one is spiritually alive and a child of God.
- Where did this spiritual death enter? Where did satan get his rule? Genesis 3—sin! Sin gave satan access to a new humanity. A spiritually dead humanity whereby he is the father and authority over them—look at history!
- How? By fellowship being severed…in the garden…
With that said, are you then okay with saying that this prayer is an exclusive prayer only for those who are God’s children?
Further, are you comfortable saying, then that those who are not God’s children are children of the devil?
That, we must! It is the message of the Bible, it is black and white!

Now, what would modern man say to this (assuming he acknowledges the idea of a god)?
- Wouldn’t he say, there many sincere people in this world who pray…and who may even say in their prayers, “Our Father…” wouldn’t they be able to pray this prayer…even though the object of their prayer may be different?
  - They are good moral people…couldn’t Christ be addressing them to pray, “Our Father…” too?
- But, the point here isn’t whether or not a person is able or capable of having in their prayers with, “Our Father…” is it?
- What is Christ introducing to the world?
- The question is, “Why did He come to our earth, anyway?”
That’s the real question…
- Christ was introducing something new into this world—and something that was not easily received then, and certainly not easily received today!
  - His message was simple, man is born not positionally related or right with God—there is a need built in to every soul at birth—a need to be rescued or saved from their plight being a human…Adam’s sin was imputed…Look at the first words of a child—MINE! or GIVE ME!
    - Sin entered through Adam, and its consequences are immedicable…so man has an eternal need:
      - A need for fellowship with God, b/c that’s how he was created, and that need can only be filled by a new soul—a recreation.
    - Man must be born again. There must be a regeneration to reconcile sinful man to a holy God. A rebirth!
- So, yes, God is exclusive in choosing who are His children…He has to be…He is forced to be, otherwise He is not just!
- And He gave one way…one path…one road for His children to walk in order to be His…
  - What did Jesus say in John 14:6, ”I am the way, the truth…the life”
- If the answer is that easy, then why doesn’t man accept this teaching?
- Why isn’t the whole world Christian?
- The answer to that is simple…modern man—man throughout history—doesn’t feel he has a need. He doesn’t see that even though…
  - He may be a moral man, a sincere man, a good family man…he is still disqualified from eternal fellowship with God, b/c of Adam’s sin he inherited (imputation), and any sin he has ever committed or thought…
    - And so, he must be shown the essence of sin.
    - That sin is more than just missing the mark or the standard of God.
    - Sin is anything, any action, any thought, any intention, any deed, any anything that doesn’t at the core of that action, thought deed, etc. bring glory to God.
      - In other words, sin is more than missing the mark [commission]—sin is the [omission] of ascribing glory to God in every aspect of life!
- And so, the questions to modern man [in order to bring him face-to-face with the Holy God, the Lord of glory] are…
  - Have you always honored God in thought, deed, or action?
  - Have you always lifted your heart to God in praise in the good times and bad?
  - Have you in trial and tribulations always presented a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving and worship?
  - And if not, then you are not a child of God, you are not a Christian.
  - And that’s the purpose for Christ coming in this way with this message of HOPE—knowing that men wouldn’t receive Him—most of His own people would reject Him, and not until He is resurrected do His closest followers come back to Him…
  - And so, if anyone has failed to honor God in any way, with their possessions—if they have failed to give Him glory in everything, then they are therefore not a child a God.
    - They are not Christians. They have revealed their heart…the heart of their father, the devil.
      - And thus, they cannot, they certainly cannot pray, “OUR FATHER…”
  - Something must happen…God must act…there must be a Divine initiative brought about upon their soul for them to see their need and turn from their wicked ways.
  - God must move, and until then, man (though moral and sincere) is hopeless and unable to pray…”OUR FATHER…”
- But, again, this teaching is hard for the world to understand, isn’t it?! This is a hard reality to consider—this is a hard and plain message to ponder, much less accept.
- Didn’t Christ, the greatest Teacher of love and grace, intend for this prayer to be inclusive and open to everyone?
  - How could this One, who is so loving, be exclusive…?
- Or was He teaching something here that His disciples would need to know not only at that time, but also in the years ahead…?
- What about for us here today…is there a particular application? Or should this just be read generally?
  - How can we benefit from the notion that God is “OUR FATHER”?
  - How can we take delight in this idea that being a child of God has nothing to do with me—my goodness—my morality, but everything to do with what God has done on my behalf?
  - [HANG ON…THE APPLICATION IS COMING]

We have to address another objection to this message, which would come from the religious world—they would vehemently deny such a notion…that your gospel is the only way to God…
- Don’t the Mormons call God the Eternal Father, and pray to Him as such?
- What about the Hindu—who believes that God is not only father, but mother, grandfather, etc.?
- Couldn’t they pray, “Our Father…”
- One must certainly agree that this is the case, but the question again isn’t, “CAN this prayer be prayed?” But rather, “WHO can pray this prayer and be heard by God?”

MAIN POINT:

So, we would have to conclude that…
- While all could technically pray this prayer, there is a ‘RELATIONAL DISTINCTION’ being drawn between those who are “heard” by God and those who are not… “OUR FATHER”
- In other words,
  - that there are illegitimate children who pray this prayer, and that there are legitimate children who can pray this prayer is a reality, but it is only those who are ‘RELATIONALLY JOINED’ to God through Christ who are legitimate children of God and are therefore “heard by God”…as their Father…to have a family identification with Christ… [consider also, Isaac & Ishmael, Jacob & Esau]
So, the question is, who has this RELATIONAL CONNECTION with God whereby they can receive this instruction from Christ, and truly be able to pray, “OUR FATHER…” and it be heard?
- First, and most obvious, it is His disciples, but it must also include those who will become His followers, and therefore are able to have God as their Father as well…

Let me hurry on to my next point…regarding God as a Father in history… [input OT Scriptures at bottom]

What do we know about God as Father—how has He manifested Himself as Father in history…?
- It began in a garden…Adam & Eve…
- Then, there is Abraham from Ur of Chaldees?
- Do you remember the promise that God gave to Abraham?
- In your seed will all the nations be blessed…land…descendants…
- Then from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to…
  - Joseph…but really Judah (Messianic line)
  - But through Joseph God incubated a nation…He put them in the womb of Egypt (70 people in all) and let them grow and develop
  - He made them shepherds, so that the Egyptians would not be associated with them
  - And thus, they were given the land of Goshen near the Red Sea (northeastern part of Egypt)
  - But, then they became persecuted, they were now slaves of the Egyptians…their incubation had reached its finality—they had flowered as a people—they had matured and were ready to be born…
  - Thy cried out to their Father, and their cries reached His ears…He heard, and He was now ready to bring them forth.
  - But He didn’t just wipe out or remove the obstacles in the way…he didn’t just clear out the authorities in place to make it easy for His children despite their frailty and weakness…
  - No, God worked through humans…He worked through broken people.
  - Is there a message here for us today? Does God still work through weak humans? WHY? To show Himself strong! What does He require of us? The same thing He required of them—FAITH! WILL YOU TRUST ME…!
  - He heard the cry—the weak cries—of His children, and thus began his work through a little baby boy, a Levite that got sent down a river in a wicker basket, who was to be snatched up by the daughter of the most powerful person in the land, Pharaoh.
  - This little levite boy was given back to his mommy to nurse, but he grew up in the way of the Egyptians…until his time of maturity had come.
  - Then, this little boy became a man who lost control of his emotions, and murdered a man only to then become a deserter and an Egyptian fugitive…
  - He fled to the wilderness and remained there as a shepherd for 40 years…now over 80 years old…
  - God had to bring this little levite with a speech problem to a place of brokenness…
    - Incidentally, is there a lesson in this for us today?
    - Can God use circumstances that don’t make any sense to us in the moment to bring us to a place of trusting Him completely?
  - Then, after 10 miracles and demonstrations of God’s power through this weak and frail man and his brother, God brings this group, now in the millions to an apparent dead end.
  - It is here that God brings these slaves through their birth canal, as it were, of the Red Sea…they crossed over on dry land, and God liberated them!
  - What was the cost of this liberation?
  - First born males—livestock and children!
  - But, God doesn’t make them slaughter their children as the other pagan religions did, no, no, He accepted the tribe of Levi as the redemption price.
    - That is why the Levites are not mentioned in the 12 tribes or on any map…they are consecrated, set apart wholly to the Lord.
    - They had a special function!
    - And what was that?
  - The Levites were to be the mediators between the other tribes and God. They were to serve as the priests to the people.
  - God had given them a law—Mosaic Law, a standard—as He was Fathering them, He was providing, in His love and mercy, a way for the Holy God to fellowship once again with His people—people He Fathered.
  - How was this fellowship established?
  - A tabernacle was built, and all His laws and rituals were put in place…and then they had to wander in the wilderness b/c of sin…awaiting the land of promise given to Abraham…
  - These were the only means by which a sinful humanity could fellowship with a Holy God.
  - Then God led them to their promised destination…
  - A land of hills…that is to say a land where the irrigation would come from heaven—THEY WERE FORCED TO HAVE FAITH!
    - Even in the OT, God did not believe in a prosperity gospel.
    - God’s people would have to trust Him for everything in life—God would be their sustenance, He would be their Warrior in battle, their Provider, their Father!
  - But, through the Mosaic Law, there was a condition for this blessing of protection…what has the condition based upon?
    - Obedience. And from obedience would come blessing…
  - How did they fare?
    - History tells us…
      - 722 BC the northern tribes were overthrown by the Assyrians
      - 586 BC the southern tribes were overthrown by the Babylonians
  - Had God failed to Father His people?
    - No, no, His people disobeyed. They lost their faith in their Father…they trusted in themselves—just like Adam! They disobeyed His law, and thus were exiled—cursed—the law couldn’t save them, wasn’t meant to, and it still can’t today!
    - And so, as a loving father chastens and disciplines his child, so too God disciplined His children, the Jews.
  - God has not forgotten His promise to them…read Romans 11…there is something to come in the future for His children, the Jews.
  - And, it was in the middle of this rebellion that Christ entered the scene.
  - The Roman’s were now in control of Judea, who took it from the Seleucids and the Ptolemies, who took it from the Greeks, who took it from the Persians, who took it from the Babylonians, who took it from the Assyrians, who took it from the Jews, who took it from the Canaanites.
  - And so, after 400 or so years of silence from God to His children, the Israelites, He sends His Son, born of a virgin, born in Bethlehem, of the tribe of Judah, a priest from the order of Melchizedek.
  - Here comes the Lord of glory to earth…brought up as a tradesman, not a scribe or Pharisee or Sadducee…
  - No, no, He would not be of royal origin, He would be from Abraham’s seed, from the line of Shem, from Noah, from the line of Seth, from Adam…first-born of all creation, the Lord of Glory!
  - God would send His own Son…to Father a new people…
  - He would Father, as He continues to be the Father of His people, the Jews, a new humanity.
  - He would Father a new group of children, those that are grafted in to the tree.
  - God, through the work of His Son, and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, would usher in a new humanity that He would Father through adoption, bring the nations to the well-spring of life—eternal life and salvation—being made right with God, having a pure estate before their Father!
  - This is the story of God’s new people…the people who make up His temple—the dwelling place of His Spirit…
And so it is, God has, through the work of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, brought about new children—adopted Children, that He Fathers…This is the story of the Christian… “Our Father…”
- So, then what constitutes being a child of God?
  - Being made new…being born again! Being brought forth by God
- How is one brought forth?
  - The Word of Truth reaches the mind—it is reasonable, rational, understandable—then it goes to the heart and by grace through faith in Christ’s person and work on their behalf, they are saved—transformed! IT’s a transfer of trust from their work to God’s work!
- What is the process by which someone becomes a child of God?
  - He calls them by His effectual call…they hear the word of truth and fly to Him.
- What are the benefits of being a child of God?
  - Adopted, heirs, co-heirs, recipients of the inheritance of God, crown of righteousness, rewards for their labor in the ministry…
- How then does being a child of God impact our everyday lives?
- And so, we can now pray, ‘OUR FATHER”

APPLICATION:

So, how do we apply this today?
- Let me put this in an illustration: “when you were little, and assuming your dad was around, did you think your dad was perfect? or at least the strongest person in the world? or the most handsome? And in that infatuation you had with your dad, were you obliged—obligated—to tell all your friends? I mean, were there times when you would get fighting mad if someone said that their dad was stronger than your dad…
- But then, what happened?
- As you grew older, did you maintain that belief about your dad?
  - No…
- Why not?
  - Your dad failed you at some level
  - He probably let you down in some way.
  - You might have seen him lose his temper or do something mean to one of your siblings or your mom.
  - He might have left you at a young age.
- And as time passed, and you grew older, perhaps some of the sore spots have worn down, and you’re able to look at your dad with more realistic lenses.
  - And then you realized that he was never supposed to be the strongest, the handsomest, the tallest, the best, or whatever
- At some point, you had to realize that your dad is just like you—a human. And that guarantees failures and mistakes, etc.
- In other words, your dad was destined to let you down…even if he is a good man, he was at some point going to let you down…
- ***Your dad was never meant to be perfect, but in his imperfection, point you to the One who is perfect–the Perfect Father!***

KEY POINT: But…NOW, how does this same type of “letdown attitude” get transferred to your Heavenly Father?

In other words, in what ways do you let yourself believe—just like you did with your earthly dad—that your heavenly Father has failed you, or let you down? Or He hasn’t lived up to your expectations…Have you simply transferred the failure or let down of your dad to God?
- Your life isn’t what you had hoped for…only you can answer that question. I don’t want to be clairvoyant, but we live in a world of let downs!
Be honest with yourself.
Don’t let this be just a passing thought.
Linger on this for a second.
In what ways have you let yourself believe that your heavenly Father is not the best, b/c your dad wasn’t the best? Hasn’t given you what you feel is your due…He hasn’t been sufficient in every way? in everything?
What are your defense mechanisms? Financially? Relationally?
How to you manage the let downs in life? The tragic situations where no explanation is given…?
Let me put it this way…
- Have you ever caught yourself thinking that God let you down, even in a small thing? What about…
  - When have you ever thought, God has let me down in my…
    - Marriage
    - Life
    - Relationships
- But work this out practically…
- You may say, ‘I don’t relate to this…’ Don’t you?
Let’s take another angle…
- What is your response when…
  - your husband won’t do what you’ve asked him? Your wife is on your case about this or that…?
  - your kids won’t stop talking back?
  - your boss is lying…
  - your caught looking at pornography
  - intimacy is not what you hoped it would be…
  - your job isn’t making ends meet…or just isn’t satisfying you…
  - your smart phone broke…
- Do you…
  - lose your temper?
  - drink and drink and drink…a little more, a little more?
  - raise your voice?
  - lash out with hateful words?
  - give the cold shoulder
  - break something
  - push things under the rug…
    - What do you do? What are your defense mechanisms to control your world? To not have to trust God—to mitigate trials and difficulties, setbacks and failures.

In effect, what are you saying with those responses?
What are you saying when you have those sinful responses?
- The same thing Adam and Eve said, I don’t need God…I’m in control of my own life…the master of my fate, the captain of my own ship…
- It’s not enough to go to church.
- It’s not enough to attend Bible studies
- It’s not enough to complete the 2:7 book series and BTCP and Young Guns and DTS
- This is a hard truth, and nothing but plain words will penetrate the heart of the unbeliever in this room this morning.
- I’m not here to condemn you.
- I’m not here to make you feel bad for messing up and losing your temper.
- God knows that’s not the business of the pastor or preacher.
- I’m here to tell you that there is a real force that is working in the sons of disobedience…
- I’m here to tell you that either you are born of God, or you are born of the devil.
- And if you were to die this morning not being a child of God, then you will get exactly what your heart desires—your father, the devil.
- But the only problem is, your eternal state will be utter torment.
- Can I say it any plainer here on Father’s Day 2016?

But God, oh the glorious contrastive conjunction…”but”…
- But God, being rich in mercy…He is rich in mercy even to you, no matter your past!
- God, is rich in mercy.
- “in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.”
There it is…the key…the lighting bolt…the catalyst….the radio active, thermonuclear charge…the gospel of Jesus Christ.
You must be born of God to be a child of God.
How are you born of God?
God brings you…He transfers you…He births you, as it were, into His family, as His child.
You are brought forth by the word of Truth.

What is the word of Truth?

It is the gospel message that says…
- Before time, in the mind of God, He loved you…you were foreknown…before the foundations of the world.
- Then time began…God put a man and woman in a garden…
  - To bear His image to the world
  - To walk in His fellowship and intimate companionship
  - To grow in their knowledge of God and to love Him by obeying His commands…to be fruitful and multiply
- Then God gave man and woman the injunction to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
- They ate, and severed fellowship with God…they rebelled! God was not honored in everything…as He was to be…
- This was the introduction of sin…
- Their consequences were toil and labor and spiritual death (severed fellowship) and ultimately physical death.
- Their sin passed on to every human, so that now you are born in a sinful condition (imputation of sin).
  - Simply survey history—look at your own life and thoughts, has there ever been a person who didn’t sin?
  - Only One!
- And only that One is the only One, then, who is able to offer his life in your place to pay the penalty for your sin.
- You see, that is the gospel—God requires a payment for your sin (your not worshipping Him in every aspect of your life, thought, deed, intent), and He won’t simply wink at your sin and walk away…No, no, He is just and will deal with it—He will pour out His wrath because of your sin.
  - And so, that is where the gospel message is most beautiful—Paul said that God, through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross—satisfying the wrath of the Father, propitiating Him, became both Just and the Justifier for man!
- God, so loved the world that He sent His only Son…so that whosoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life.
- That’s it.
- And, by your faith in the person and work of Christ for your salvation, you can be saved. Born again—birthed of God…It’s a transfer of trust from you to Christ!
- Look to the cross, fly to his side…
- See yourself there among the crowds scoffing the Lord as He was brought forward by Pilate…hear yourself saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
- See yourself there as one of His disciples abandoning, running, and hiding as He was mocked…
- See yourself spitting and goading Him..
- See yourself as one of the thieves on the cross ridiculing Him, and laughing at Him…
- Then, see yourself as the thief, who turns to Him, with desperation…Lord, remember me!
- See yourself flying to His bosom and being received into the strong arms of the Father….
- See yourself flying to the cross and clinging to the bloody body of the Lord of glory hanging there upon that tree for you.
- See yourself kissing His feet and thanking Him for the pain and torment and shame He received on your behalf.
- Do you see it was your sin that nailed Him there?
- Do you see that it was your shame and guilt that caused Him to be beaten and bruised?
- Do you see?
- But, O, can you feel His arms reaching down to you…grabbing hold of your face and looking into your eyes, and saying, I did this for you….
- You are my beloved.
- Before the foundations of the world, I knew you would turn away from me and pursue your gods…
  - I knew you would be distracted by pleasure and be addicted to that porn
  - I knew that you would rather be entertained than read my Words to you
  - I knew that you would rather choose comfort than come into my house and enjoy fellowship with my children.
  - I knew that you would abandon your first love and pursue success and money and fame and power
  - I knew that your thoughts would be disgusting and ugly and putrid.
  - I knew that you would kill with your looks and hate with your glances
  - I knew that you would speak harsh with your kids and lie to your boss
  - I knew that drink would satisfy you more than me
  - I knew that your emotions would be fickle and fragile, and that you would constantly lose control
  - I knew that your anger would hurt deeply those you love the most…
  - I knew that your desire to please your friends would be more than your desire to please me…
  - I knew that you would lie on your taxes, and fudge your financial reports…
  - I knew that you would shade the truth here or there…you would gossip and slander…push white lies…
  - I knew…I knew…I knew…
- And so, I hung there on that tree for you. I died in your place, because you had nothing to offer…
- Even your righteous acts, and the giving you gave to your church had impure motives…
  - I died for those too…

Beloved friends, can you see that this is the gospel…this is the meaning of life…
- That is to say, to be made new! To fly to God and life in His eternal fellowship!

What is the mission of God: To redeem and reconcile a rebellious mankind on the basis of His free grace and love through the person and work of Jesus and Christ, and regenerating and indwelling work of the Holy Spirit…
God has to make you new! You have to be made a child of God!

And, as God’s child, love as He loves! [THAT’S THE APPLICATION]

And so, you, child of God, can pray, “OUR FATHER…”
- And the arms of God, the Father, will hold you in a loving embrace…He will whisper, I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will never let you go. You may wander in your sin, but you are never outside my gaze. I may chasten you in your sin, but you are never unloved.
- All the promises of God are yours in Christ Jesus…
- Walk in the newness of life…
If you are His child here this morning, then go on…keep praying…be about the Father’s work…

YOU WANT A PRACTICAL APPLICATION? REFLECT the relationship with your Father to your spouse…your children…your grandchildren…your place of work…your society…your culture…
- Amen.

What does the Bible teach about the Father’s love?

Look at Israel…

Exodus 4:22-23 “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.”’”

Deuteronomy 8:5 “Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.”

Deuteronomy 32:6 ““Do you thus repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you.”

Ps 103:13 “Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”

Isaiah 63:16 “For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is Your name.”

Isaiah 64:8 “But now, O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.”

Jeremiah 3:4 ““Have you not just now called to Me, ‘My Father, You are the friend of my youth?”

Jeremiah 3:24 “Then I said, ‘How I would set you among My sons and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’ And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father, and not turn away from following Me.’

Jeremiah 31:9 ““With weeping they will come, and by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, on a straight path in which they will not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.”

Malachi 1:6 ““‘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?’ says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’

Malachi 2:10 ““Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?

Malachi 3:17 ““They will be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.”

Deuteronomy 1:31 “and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’”

Proverbs 3:12 “For whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”

http://www.fatherhood.org/statistics-on-father-absence-download?utm_campaign=FF7&utm_source=hs_automation&utm_medium=email&utm_content=12054335&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8ktaooCLoPdZU39-WuoHz94QJjPcx4GDneTT5iOjz2smGHbqjYkgMonzJidUdAzc2TDQcCbIXCVN9QjhmMaaVmFVva2A&_hsmi=12054335

http://dads.org/articles/new-evangelization-needs-focus-fathers/

— June 20, 2016