Celebrating Father God

[shalom-dodi]

We just celebrated Father’s Day. At least in Canada and the United States.

For some people it was a great day, a time with family and friends honoring our Dads.

For others, it might have been a difficult day. Some of us lost our dads. Some of us maybe never knew our dads. Others may have had an abusive dad.

But whether it was a nice day, or a sad day or something in between there is ONE thing I want us ALL to remember.
No matter what our human daddy was like we each have an Abba Father Daddy. And He is perfect.

Imagine how our life would change if you completely trusted God as your loving Father. All the time. Not just as an academic understanding without out real heart connection but believing and trusting God as our “Daddy”.

I went to the internet to see what a few sources had to say on the topic.


Jesus showed us that the Almighty God is our Abba Father! Our dear Papa! 
Mark 14:36:  And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Dodi Note: Well this is an interesting choice. Jesus is praying just prior to going to the cross (for the joy set before Him, He endured death on the cross and you and I were part of His joy. Remember, Hebrews 12:2 Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.)
I guess, having God as our Abba Father does not mean all our troubles will go away. Jesus’ didn’t. But our Father will always be with us to help us endure the difficult times. And my and your difficult times are not nearly as difficult as Jesus’.

The Holy Spirit lives in the heart of all of us who follow Jesus and he intercedes for us from deep within, crying out, “Abba Father” Romans 8:15:  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Dodi Note: this is one of my “heart” verses. Imagine. The God of the Universe who created it and keeps all things together, has invited each of us to His very own son or daughter. And with that the ability to come before Him any time we want to and be welcomed.
Once I read a story about President Kennedy when he was in the White House. He had a daughter and a little young son. Here is the picture and the story:
This picture of John F. Kennedy with his son, John F. Kennedy Jr., gives us a faint glimpse of the awesome reality that believers have been adopted by God the Father.  The president of the United States is arguably the most powerful person on the planet.  And here we have a photograph which captures the unique access his children have to him.  Many very important people never have the opportunity to enter the oval office.  But John Jr. hangs out under the desk while his dad works on important business.

Access to the Father

How much greater it is to be children of the Almighty God!  As powerful as the president of the United States may be, God is infinitely more powerful.  Our heavenly Father rules the universe.  He is orchestrating millions of significant events at every moment.  And yet He welcomes us to sit at His feet and enjoy His presence.  We can speak to Him, and He hears us.  What an amazing privilege – may we not take it for granted.
http://www.3riversgrace.org/3rg-blog/ou ... e-universe

Isn’t that grand?

But we cannot reap the benefits of having such a powerful father unless we step into our place as sons and daughter. We can’t or generally won’t unless we understand the nature of God and his powerful never ending love for us.

Many people still need healing from a faulty image of God. Our view of God can be biased by how our relationship with our natural father played out. And of course no one has ever had or been a perfect father except God.

Do you need healing of your image of God? I know I did at one time and still am learning to trust, lean and rely more and more fully in/on Him.


Many people need healing in their image of God.

Do you?
From our internet source at SoulShepherding:
Your answer to this question will tell you: Can you look back over your whole life and say, “My Father God has always been good to me.”?

If not, your heart is hurting and your image of God needs healing.

Therefore we are going to spend some time looking at some verses about the love of our Father, our Abba.

Let these words of life from Scripture seep on down into your heart. Consider how much your heavenly Father loves you!

We are the Apple of God’s eye.
Deuteronomy 32:10:
“He found him in a desert land,
    and in the howling waste of the wilderness;
he encircled him, he cared for him,
    He kept him as the apple of his eye.
We talked about this recently. I found a photo.
PHOTO
Look at this verse. God found him, even out in the wilderness. Doesn’t life feel like a howling wilderness in some moments? And yet, our Father knows exactly how to find us. Not only that he is with us.
The verse says, he encircled, cared for him and kept him close.
The secular meaning of “apple of my eye” is: Figuratively it is something, or more usually someone, cherished above others.

We are the Apple of God’s eye.
Psalm 17: Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings
Zechariah 2:8 For this is what the LORD Almighty says: "After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you-for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye-
We are instructed to:
Proverbs 7:1-3 My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.

That is interesting that God keeps us as the apple of his eye and we are instructed to keep His Word as the apple of our eye. To cherish and guard it above all else. And of course, to live it.


Psalm 68:5-6
NIV “A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.  God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing.”  
ESV Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
    is God in his holy habitation.
God settles the solitary in a home;
    he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
    but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
Dodi Note: a Father to the fatherless (including those who had really bad fathers)…..a defender of widows….he sets the lonely in families think family of God, church, The4G….and leads us out of any area of emotional bondage where we have been kept prisoners into a secure place as His Beloved Children.


Isaiah 64:8“ NIV O Lord you are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are the work of your hands.”
Dodi Note: Do you remember the verse we have discussed before? Actually when I looked there are several.
Jeremiah 1:5 is the one I remember most often. It says: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
But the same theme is in other verses as well.
Isaiah 44:24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,
Isaiah 44:2 Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen
and….
Psalm 139:13
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

Our Father is not an absent, uncaring, aloof father. He is a hands on love motivated Daddy who loves us intimately. Maybe we really really need to get to know him better. That happens as we spend time enjoying Him in prayer, His Word and Worship. Worship does not not have to include singing. Worship can be just noticing the beauty He has given us and expressing gratitude.

Another verse about how close our Father is and how tuned into us he is:
Matthew 6:4: “Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Dodi Note: This is talking about our giving back to God of our time, talent and treasure. We are invited to do that right? We serve God and we give actual money to Him via our local church or perhaps here as well.
People may not notice but GOD does. Because remember we are hands on clay and apple of His eye people.

Matthew 6:8:“Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Dodi Note: This verse reminds me of another one along the same thing. God knows our thoughts. He cares. He is at work to help us. Life is hard, God is good and walks with us in the hard times.
Psalm 139:4
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

We do not have to worry about having enough. Matthew 6:26“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?”
Dodi Note: We do have a part to play. We have to receive and most of us need to work. We don’t want to be “sluggards” ha ha.
That is an actual verse. It is in Proverbs but also 6 other places in ESV.
Proverbs 6:6: Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.
Ants are busy workers.
Almost every time it is used God, our Father is cautioning people not to be lazy.

This next one is a GRAND verse:
Matthew 7:11
“If you then, though you are evil, 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!”

Dodi Note: When we ask for something we need God gives it to us. He never mocks us or withholds any good thing. Sometimes he makes us wait. Other times he says “no”. But He always gives us every GOOD gift we need. At the time we need it. In the exact way we need it.


Matthew 18:14“Your Father in heaven is not willing that any one of these little ones should be lost.” 
Dodi Note: We are His “little ones”. He guards and protects us.

We could spend an entire night on the next passage”
Luke 15:20b, 22-24 NIV
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him… But the father said to his servants, `Quick!  Bring the best robe and put it on him.  Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it.  Let’s have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Dodi Note: This passage is really neat in ways we might miss. First of all in Hebrew culture, no father would ever RUN anywhere, especially to welcome a wayward son home. Because remember they wore robes and in order to run, they had to lift them and THAT was supposedly indecent.

And second and even better. That father saw his son when his son was a LONG way off. Which indicated he was hoping and watching for his son to return.
God never gives up hope or stops loving us when we stray.

He welcomes us “home” every time we repent and return.

John 14:6,9: “Jesus answered, `I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me…. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”

Dodi Note: From this for tonight, I want us to remember that every single good thing we have ever read about Jesus is true also for our Father God. The reason is given here. If, or because we have “seen” (known) Jesus we have seen the Father. They are one in nature and character.


Romans 8:15“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.  And by him we cry, `Abba, Father.’”
Remember the new song? I am no longer a slave to fear, I am a Child of God.?
Perfect love casts out fear. As we have pondered these verses I hope any fear as in being scared of God have at least begun to change into the sort of fear that is a reverential awe for His goodness toward us.


The next promise is found in at least two places. One OT and one NT.
“I will be a Father to you and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:18 & 2 Samuel 7:14
Dodi Note: God has promised to be each of our Abba Father who loves and cares for us.

He is the PERFECT Father. “[God is] the Father from whom all fatherhood derives its name.” (Ephesians 3:15)

And He has chosen you and me:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us…. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his [children].” (Ephesians 1:3-5)

We have access to Him at any time, just like John John Kennedy did because he says so: Ephesians 2:18“Through [Christ] we… have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
Dodi Note: But remember this refers to those of us who are born again.

Two last reminders: 1John 3:1:“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God!”

And as a prayer because it is a prayer: Ephesians 3:20-21
“Now to [the Father] who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

You all have a nice week.

https://www.gotquestions.org/Abba-Father.html