Seeing God as Father - Part A

The term father is meant to convey a warm welcoming convivial intimate sentiment. In other words, God is not some impersonal ruler. God is a personal father God is amazing to remember the person wants to have an intimate relationship today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip help to cultivate an even deeper relationship with God as his child instituted after the message is Skip and submit share practical ways you can grow that special relationship with the Lord.

How does God expresses love as father, first of all, he invites us to come and have a relationship with the visa's call on the command and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you know not, be sure to stay with us after today's message to right now we want to tell you about a resource that will help transform the way you pray in the way you live. Recent research has found that Google searches for the word prayer surged worldwide alongside the spread of the novel coronavirus Google trends data shows that the search intensity for prayer doubles for every 8000 2/19 cases, but is there a right way or a more effective way to pray just best-selling author King Arthur where the panels ranging were to be on the frontlines on the front lines on her knees on the front line standing in the full armor of God, casebook, Lord, teach me to pray in 28 days offers simple but powerful instruction on how and what to pray and what to expect when you do, and it's on our way to say when you give a gift of $25 or more today to help keep this ministry on the air.

Give online securely connectwithskip.com/offer for call 800-922-1888 Chapter 11.

There was a dad went to the fair with his five he went to the shooting gallery and he was a pretty good shot and he did so well that he won the toy. The stuffed animal. When Robert was five kids to ask which of them should receive this gift and this is what he asked them. He said who's the most obedient to mommy who never talks back to mommy who does everything that mommy asks and all five voices in unison said you play with the toy daddy. I love being a father. I really love being a grandfather. If I do not. It's as much fun I what I had grandkids first.

Somebody once said that grandkids are God's reward for you not killing your kids I would take you back in time before I take it to our text in Luke chapter 11 take you back to the year 325 A.D. when a very important meeting took place in modern-day Turkey, ancient Asia minor and a little town called Nicaea, there was a dispute as to who the person of Jesus Christ was.

It was an argument in the church leaders of the time thought we need to get together and formulate a creed that expresses biblical belief in the nature of God, the nature of Christ, the person of the Holy Spirit. The role of the church, etc. so they came up with a creed called the Nicene Creed are the apostles Creed. Some of you know it by heart because you were raised with it others to be released are familiar with it, but it begins by saying we believe in one God the father, the Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth of all that is seen and unseen. So the creed begins by acknowledging God as father we come in Luke chapter 11 to the world's most famous prayer recited more than any other prayer, by far, known by most everyone, even unbelievers know this prayer. Luke chapter 11 verse one, begins now it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased that one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples so he said to them when you pray, say our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us and do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one that is been known for the last couple thousand years, as the Lord's prayer, and that's really not a good title for that's not the Lord's prayer. That's the disciples prayer. That's the prayer the Lord taught the disciples to pray the Lord's prayer would be John chapter 17 when Jesus gives that incredible monumental intimate prayer to his father, but this is the prayer he taught his disciples to pray and all that is famous.

Not everybody understands it, especially kids. For example, a three-year-old said our father who does art in heaven, Harold is his name. Another little boy said when I was young I thought the line red lead us not into temptation is that I thought I was praying for my little sister to get into trouble.

Notice that the chapter begins with a request.

The disciples are asking Jesus for instruction on how to pray Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. John the Baptist really taught his own followers how to pray.

Even the enemies of Jesus. Make note of this, they said John the Baptist is disciples fast and pray, but I think that the disciples of our Lord. After just seeing Jesus pray on this occasion and probably other occasions thought man something different and flesh about the way he talks to God so they said, Lord, teach us to pray. Now I don't think it's necessarily as much instruction as motivation is not that they didn't know how to pray they were Jewish. They grew up they had all sorts of prayers memorized already. They for example, knew a certain prayer every morning when they wake up every night when they go to bed at noon time there was a special prayer. There was one for meals was one for Passover for Pentecost for tabernacles they had all sorts of prayers they already knew. And so when they said, Lord, teach us to pray.

It's not so much. Teach us how to pray the Lord teach us to be doing it teach us to connect with God like you are able to connect with God and so verse two he said to them when you pray, say you should know that this is one of two places that this prayer is taught by Jesus. The first time is in Matthew chapter 6 in the sermon on the Mount.

The next time is Luke chapter 11 to different places two different occasions to different audiences. Matthew chapter 6, he's up in Galilee, John in a little Chapter 11 he's down in Judeo two different groups and probably he taught them this prayer are taught people. This prayer on several different occasions I like Matthew chapter 6 because when he teaches them this prayer. He says when you pray, pray in this manner pray like this.

Let this be a template, let this be a guide. Let these be your values when you approach the father. This is the template. This is a pattern. This is an outline pray along these lines, not so much. Something to be memorized as something to be modeled. Although it is memorized by many and recited by many and sung beautifully by many and not so beautifully by many others. It is something to be modeled. What I like to do with you today on this day, Father's Day is look at one verse that not even one verse but in verse two.

One line 1 stanza of verse 24 words. Our father in heaven. Believe it or not I need a whole sermon to you that you know me well enough you earlier we get it.

I want to show you the four attributes of God as father by the way, he's the only perfect father so good man you're off the hook. In that sense God is the only perfect father, the only perfect parent there never has been a perfect dad. There's never been a perfect mom.

Although, the closest to a perfect mom would've been my mom. She was an angel. But she had a temper, but I want to show you four attributes of God as father first is his relatability, his relatability, notice the term father when you pray, say, our father that's a term of relationship as a term of family relationship.

It's always interesting to find out what people think God is like CS Lewis told the story of a little boy who is asked what God was like and he said as far as he could determine God was the sort of person who's always snooping around to see if anyone is enjoying himself and then trying to stop it, and I found a lot of people have that view of God is like a heavenly hall monitor or vice principal. No offense of your vice principal, but you do have a reputation if you want to know what God is really like you.

Look here, God is like a father. Now I realize that that term is not a happy term for some people.

For some people. They have difficulty with the term father because for some, the term father or dad carries baggage with it because of their earthly dad's baggage of disappointment, resentment, images of abuse, neglect, for example, if you're a child who was abandoned by your father, and raised by a single mother, you might find it hard to relate to God as a father in a positive sense for you. God is an uncle or God as a coach or God is a big brother would seem more suitable for you and more meaningful.

But here's what you need to know the image of God being a father comes from a Jewish culture and ancient Jewish culture, which was far more stable and family oriented than our own culture and the term father is meant to convey a warm welcoming convivial intimate sentiment. In other words, God is not some impersonal ruler. God is a personal father to us. That's not revolutionary, were used to train father were used to thinking of God as a heavenly father because we were raised with the biblical background. Many of us, but what you need to know is that when Jesus used the term 2000 years ago. It was absolutely revolutionary. It had never been done and I want to explain that to you.

If you go back in time and ancient times to the pagan belief systems and the Jewish belief system, God as father was unknown. First of all, in the pagan belief system, the gods were distant they were petulant. They were angry. In Greek mythology that many gods, all the gods had to be placated yet to really watch your step around them. Be careful what you say what you do, you never quite knew where you stood with the great gods.

So the idea of God as a father was foreign to them now in Roman mythology. They did have a father figure called Jupiter. Jupiter comes from the words of Job. This pot tear which is father Joe never heard the term by Jove.

It comes from the worship of Jupiter. Father Jove, which means father day or father sky so he was called a father figure, but it was a very vague idea of a hidden God. A hidden deity who had no contact with the material world because the material world was bad was evil so he was sort of tucked away up there hidden away from what's going on here that idea gave rise to a system called Gnosticism never heard of the Gnostics, you should know about them because first John is written against them factor was very prevalent in the early church.

The idea Gnostics they believe Jesus was the son of the hidden father sent to redeem the world from the work of the inferior creator.

So once again, the whole idea of a warm familiar father God was unknown in the ancient pagan world almost turned to Judaism in the Jewish religion. God wasn't father God was master God was ruler.

The Hebrew word Adonai means that God was also mighty L Shaddai, another Hebrew term, mighty God, God is referred to in the Old Testament as a father only as the father of the nation of Israel, the progenitor of the Hebrew race never individually never personally now that the Jews respected God revere God, that's admirable you listen to their prayers, and it's obvious that they respected God.

A typical Jewish prayer goes.roof Qatar Adonai Elohim omitted. If hot alarm translated Blessed are you, Lord God King of the universe. That's beautiful. It's reverential that's holy but it's not warm and fuzzy. It's not really intimate. It's not really welcoming you probably know that the name of God was so holy they never spoke it. They referred to God not they never called him Yahweh.

His name they simply called him ha Shem ha Shem, which means in Hebrew, the name the name of a Jewish person when writing out God, even to this day you get an email or text or a letter from a Orthodox Jew.

They spell God this way G – D they never put the Owen because they feel human hand should never write out even the name, God, or the idea of God because he is so holy and we are so unholy there is a Jewish translation of Psalm 134 behold, bless ye ha Shem, the name all you servants of ha Shem that stand in the house of ha Shem in the night seasons. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless ye ha Shem ha Shem bless the out of Zion even he that made heaven and earth very distant, very remote, very transcendent German scholar doing research in the New Testament discovered that in the entire history of Judaism in all the existing books of the Old Testament and all the existing books of extra biblical Jewish writings dating from the beginning of Judaism until the 10th century A.D. there is not a single reference of a Jewish person addressing God directly in the first person as father never once so here this the first Jewish rabbi to call God father directly was Jesus of Nazareth.

That's why it was so monumental, so earth shattering and this is the reason many of his enemies wanted him dead because he so freely spoke of God as the father your father. My father that assumed a certain intimacy that they didn't like John chapter 5 Jesus said my father has been working until now and I have been working there for the Jews sought all the more to kill him because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his father making himself equal with God in the four Gospels, Jesus calls Godfather over 160 times.

In fact, about 100 times in the Gospel of John alone father father father father father father father everywhere back P he never called them anything else but father except one time one time and that is when Jesus was hanging on the cross and Mark's gospel said one of the things Jesus said from the cross is Eloi Eli and Lamas outbox 20 which is translated my God, my God, why have you forsaken. That's the only time he addressed them, not as father but as my God, why did he do it then because he is quoting Psalm 122. Anticipating the time when the father would turn away from the sun as the sun was bearing all of the sin of the world upon himself but then he quickly immediately reverted back to the familiar term father, into your hands I commit my spirit so that is the history of our Lord Jesus, introducing God is the father and the New Testament as a goes on gets even more intimate than that.

Even more familial than that three times in the New Testament and Aramaic term is used by member that word by Obote is what might be called baby talk. It's what young kids learn to call their mom and dad that the Jewish comets as soon as a child is weaned child says Abad daddy E mom mommy is still here at Israel today. When you walk around here little Hebrew kids Hebrew and Aramaic are the same and that word daddy mommy so it is a very intimate term. And we are called to do that. Galatians 4 verse six we have received the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his son into your hearts, crying Abad father God is our father in Jesus gives you permission to call him that before Jesus ascended into heaven after his resurrection he met Mary Magdalene and he said go tell my disciples, I am ascending to my father and your father to my God and your God so beautiful so all that to say this when we talk to God were not talking to the force were not talking to the first uncaused cause. The first universal principle, we are talking to our father in heaven.

I got a question for you what your relationship with God like you. God might be ineffable, amazing sovereign transcendent majestic good, but I hope that's not all.

Sometimes people talk about the good Lord or the big guy. I mommy people in the community.

Recognizing the guy I've been talking to the big guy I've been talking to the good Lord it's it's like it's a dead giveaway that you don't have any kind of close, intimate relationship with the father. If he's just the big guy, JI Packer, in his great book knowing God writes if you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers, and his whole outlook on life. It means he does not understand Christianity very well at all for everything. The Christ taught everything that makes the New Testament new and better than the old everything that is distinctively Christian, as opposed to merely Jewish is summed up in the knowledge of the fatherhood of God father.

He writes, is the Christian name for God that Skip the message from the series 2020 here Skip as they share practical ways you can cultivate a deeper relationship with God as his child, as we learned today.

Jesus desires for us to know God as our father and Skip as my father. How does God express his love and intimacy as our father and what can we do to cultivate that special relationship have that is a very very important concept. Judaism has always been very respectful of God to call him master ruler mighty or Almighty. And sometimes when they want to talk about God. They won't even say the name God though to say ha Shem in Hebrews means the name Adele know they're speaking about God, the very first rabbi historically to call God father was Jesus of Nazareth, and I believe, about 160 times in all the Gospels. He refers to God as my father or our father or the father.

So how does how does God express his love as father, first of all, he invites us to come and have a relationship with them. He says call on me that's a command and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you know not so think about it God who doesn't need anything or anyone is pursuing you, and once he pursues Sue pursues you.

And you say yes to him. He adopts you.

You become a part of his family.

You you enter the royal family and then because of that you get an inheritance forever so it's an incredible package deal. So thank you Stephanie are experiences of God's strength and presence here on earth for this distant glimpse of eternity with him. It's important to share the good news of Jesus, so others can live his life with him in heaven. When you give a gift to connect others to Jesus rabbi keeping this teaching ministry going strong visit. Connect the skip.com – donate to give the gift now that's connected skip.com/donate or call 800 9218 8892 thank you tomorrow Skip a picture of God's power and so may Skip presentation of connection communications to guns, never changing truth