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 is a powerful God is amazing when you remember that he special to have an intimate relationship with you today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip help to cultivate them even deeper relationship with God is his job to let you know about an exciting opportunity you have.

To visit the land of the Bible. Nothing tops studying the Scriptures in the real life locations where it all took place. That's what I'm eager to announce our upcoming trip to Israel and we want to invite you to join us will visit places like Nazareth, the Jordan River. The Dead Sea and Jerusalem including the Temple Mount and the garden to – is the flyby look at the itinerary. Find out more about the trip@inspirationcruises.com/C a BQ thank you, Skip we were in Luke chapter 11 as we dive into the teaching with Skip Heitzig. There was a dad who went to the fair with his five kids. 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 went over to his 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 know and 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, 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. what 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 of you at least 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 sought 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 though it 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, he said I thought I was praying for my little sister to get into trouble. Notice that the chapter begins with the 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 made 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 fresh 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 to different occasions to different audiences. Matthew chapter 6, he's up in Galilee, John in Luke 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. I'll let this be a template, let this be a guide.

Let these be your values when you approach the father. This is a template. This is a pattern.

This is an outline pray along these lines, not so much.

Something to be memorized is 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 believe that you know me well enough you will you we get. I want to show you the four attributes of God as father by the way, he's the only perfect father so that 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 then 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 the term of relationship that's 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 in 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 dads 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 in 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 praying 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. In 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 Greek 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 Jehovah's hot-air which is father Joe ever 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. Fact 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.

Ellis 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 visual, 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 cutoff Adonai LK Newman left, 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 is not really intimate. It's not really welcoming you probably know that the name of God was so holy they never spoke it be 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 ON because they fill 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 and 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 that he he never called him 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 Eli, Eli, and La Massad box 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 buyer is what might be called baby talk. It's what young kids learn to call their mom and dad that the Jewish comments as soon as a child is weaned child says Abad daddy Hima.

Mommy is still here in Israel today. When you walk around here little Hebrew kids Hebrew and Aramaic are the same and that word daddy Hima mommy so it is a very intimate term. And we are called to do that. Galatians 4 verse six we receive 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 back 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 and God might be ineffable, amazing sovereign transcendent majestic good, but I hope that's not all. Sometimes people talk about the good Lord what the big guy. I mommy people in the community. Recognizing the guy I've been talking to the big guy weapon 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 in prayers and his whole outlook on life.

It means he does not understand Christianity 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 so good so first attribute of God as father in this prayer is relatability. Father that Skip pricing with this message in God his father, 20, 20 now we want to share about a special resort that will help you understand the significance of what Jesus did on the cross for you.

Only half of American adults who call themselves Christian identify God is the basis of truth. This would a recent study by the cultural research Center at Arizona Christian University found in if that's the truth about truth among believers. It's more grim for unbelievers. What's your basis of truth here. Skip night so the word equals the Scriptures equals doctrine equals true truth. We are primarily people of the truth Daniel.

Chapter 10 calls the Scripture. The Scripture of true because the Scriptures tell us the truth about God, about us, about our condition about our need. We want to send you to truth affirming resources by pastor Skip to help you understand the nature of truth so you can pursue God's truth and apply in your own life there skips with bloodline in his booklet why truth matters. Both resources are our gift you when you get $35 or more today to help reach more people with this Bible teaching ministry, Jesus said, everyone who is of the truth hears my voice until 892 1888 to give today and will send you Skip Heitzig's book, bloodline, plus his booklet why truth matters is our way of saying thanks for your support. Does it connectwithskip.com/offer our experiences of God's strength and preference here on earth but this just a glimpse of eternity with him. That's why it's important to share the good news of Jesus, so others can know his love now and be with him in heaven forever. You get today you can help connect others to Jesus's life by keeping this teaching ministry going strong. Just call 892 1888 to give my help hundred 19 to 18.com/donate.com/donate. Thank you tomorrow Skip types of shares, contentment, and more of God's power and so may Skip presentation of connection communication goes, never changing truth ever-changing time