Fathers’ Day service Helen Smith preaching
Today we mourned the loss of a son and celebrated the birth of a daughter. This Fathers’ day, some will be celebrating a great dad, others will be facing painful memories.
Whatever your experience, let’s look at the father of fathers; Father God. What a father he is!
What is a father? What ‘s about God which makes Him a good father?
Some don’t have natural kids, but are father figures to many people – fatherhood is much bigger than siring children.
Let’s have a look at God as a father: Is 9
Jeremiah 3 v 4
Malachi 2 v 10 – God is the father of all
The New Testament brings Almighty God to a touchable level as father
Matt 6 v 9 “Our Father”
1 Corinthians 6 v 18 “I will be a father to you and you will be my sons
We need to choose to find good memories of our dads; there’s always a mixture of both good and bad memories, but whatever, we need to catch hold of the concept that God is the best father ever!
In Hebrew the word AB, translated as father, occurs 1205 times – it’s a major concept. It’s included in other words and titles, for instance:
ABraham; father of a multitude
ABsolom; father of peace
JoAB; Jaweh is father
The word AB conveys more than just Dad, but also the image of architect, builder, creator, etc.
What is God saying to us about His true meaning of Father? Generator, benevolence, protector, compassionate (Psalm 103), merciful, tender-hearted.
He is the father of a family bigger than me – explore that concept in Life Groups this week.
The core feature of His fatherhood is RELATIONSHIP. Poor fathering leads to poor family relationships; good fathering leads to good family relationships.
Good fathering involves a healthy balance of discipline and approval. A good father leads by example – he goes there first. God gave His son for us, going there first for us in terms of love and sacrifice. He never asks us to do anything He hasn’t already done.
Be proud of your heavenly dad! Remember what He has done.
Matthew 11 v 25-30; God is the best, wisest, strongest dad ever – and He invites us to come to Him. If you’re a father struggling to be what you need to be, He says, “Come to me”. If you’re a son struggling to come to terms with your father, He says, “Come to me”. He invites us to learn from Him – to be yoked to our Heavenly father, so He can teach us the way. [Explore this concept further in your Life Group]
The world longs for a good family life – it’s broken down in our society. We can show a better way as we brag about our heavenly dad – make people jealous for that same relationship – it is available to all who will come to Him in repentance and faith.
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