I Believe in God, The Father Almighty
The Essentials: Why Truth Matters • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewBig Idea: God our Father gives us every reason to worship him. 1. His power is seen in making all things by his word (vv. 1-9) 2. His wisdom is seen in carrying out his eternal plans (vv. 10-17) 3. His love is seen in delivering those who hope in him (vv. 18-22)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Apostles’ Creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
Does confessing this make you uncomfortable?
It’s probably one thing for us to say “I believe in God” but to ascribe to him the name of Father could be difficult. Let alone that we’re using a masculine name.
Furthermore, to say, in this world where so much evil occurs that he is “Almighty” seems out of place.
And then to say, in our “scientific” age that he is “Creator” might rub against the theories and explanations of the origin of the universe that are espoused in academia.
You might hear these us confessing these truths and wonder why in the world should we devote our lives to this God?
This seems so out step with the nature of our world today.
I don’t want to be a cultural apologist today, or even answer all the questions that skeptics might raise about how we articulate who God is.
I just want us to see Him as he has revealed himself in the Bible.
I want to answer the biggest question we might have.
Why should we worship God as “the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth?”
Psalm 33 is our text this morning, and it starts by calling us to rejoice - be glad! Get loud with praise and thanksgiving and songs because of who God is! (vv 1-3).
For those of us who are Christians here’s good biblical ground for loud songs and praises…
But why? Why should “sing to him a new song?”
The answer is that in the rest of this Psalm we see three fatherly attributes of God that if we embrace and believe, will fuel our worship of him as “the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.”
His power is seen in making all things by his word (Psalm 33:4-9)
His power is seen in making all things by his word (Psalm 33:4-9)
The first attribute is seen in vv. 4-9 - his power as Creator
But it’s not just a power of domination and iron-clad coldness.
Listen how the Psalmist writes the nature of God and the character that underlies his power.
4 For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
His word and work go together - and it’s upright and faithful, or “right and trustworthy” - integrity in his word and word.
Furthermore he loves - he is biased towards and included to “righteousness and justice” - he loves what is good and true and right!
So verse 5 culminates saying “the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord!”
God’s enduring, “never giving up, never falling short, never ending faithful love” is the position from which he acts toward the world.
God’s power works from his steadfast love - so it’s not a cold, indifferent, hostile power.
It’s a devoted, warm, beneficial power aimed at the blessing and support of his creatures.
This kind of thing would never of been said in the surrounding pagan religions about their gods - their gods did not operate from position of fatherly kindness but an indifferent and tempestuous perspective
In the Presence of My Enemies: Psalms 25–37 Chapter 10: Good Reasons for a New Song (Psalm 33)
The whole raft of pagan deities was capricious; one could never know what they might do or un-do, and because pagan deities had such an unpredictable character, one could never be sure of anything.
In the Presence of My Enemies: Psalms 25–37 Chapter 10: Good Reasons for a New Song (Psalm 33)
For the earnest pagan the earth was not full of unfailing love but of constant fear and never-ending uncertainty.
Constant anxiety!
But not our God - God the Father!
He displays his power that stands on his love by his benevolent creation of the world.
vv. 6-7 speak to God’s creation.
By his word the heavens were mad e and by the breath of his mouth all their hosts.
He speaks and it comes to be! He says “let their be light” and it. is. so.
He shapes and fashions, separates and fills and the waters are set in their boundaries and containers.
His unlimited power is expressed by his authoritative and powerful speech!
We’re called in verses 8-9 to respond by seeing his great power and wonderful deeds and “fearing” and “standing in awe of him”
This fear is not a horrified trembling at a terrible and angry being - not what some would call a “sinful fear”
But the jaw-dropping awe and wonder and delight in the amazing and good power of your dad!
Spurgeon described this fear like this:
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XLVIII A Fear to Be Desired (No. 2,801)
In this childlike fear, there is not an atom of that fear which signifies being afraid. We, who believe in Jesus, are not afraid of our Father; God forbid that we ever should be. The nearer we can get to him, the happier we are. Our highest wish is to be for ever with him, and to be lost in him; but, still, we pray that we may not grieve him; we beseech him to keep us from turning aside from him; we ask for his tender pity towards our infirmities, and plead with him to forgive us and to deal graciously with us for his dear Son’s sake. As loving children, we feel a holy awe and reverence as we realize our relationship to him who is our Father in heaven,—a dear, loving, tender, pitiful Father, yet our Heavenly Father
And we stand in awe and amazement at our Heavenly father
9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
Have you considered the power of God in his creative work? That he spoke and all things came to be?
The universe and its absolute immensity is the work of God’s upright, faithful, righteous, just WORD
And it’s a powerful word that issues forth from his love.
His fatherly kindness is seen in his delightful creation of the stars and heavenly bodies, it’s there in the manifold complexities and creativity in flora and fauna of this planet. His beaming smile is seen in his structuring and crafting of the land and seas.
All made by his word! - He is the almighty creator of heaven and earth!!
1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
The first fatherly attribute of God, his power seen in the creation of the world by his word.
The second fatherly attribute of God that will fuel us in our delight and worship of him is…
His wisdom is seen in carrying out his eternal plans (Psalm 33:10-17)
His wisdom is seen in carrying out his eternal plans (Psalm 33:10-17)
We have God the creator, but what about Almighty?
The Psalmist continues to call us to worship in vv. 10-17
He takes us into deliberation hall - politics, as it were, on the global scale.
The nations - the rulers and politicians and structures of power.... they have their plans and their agendas
And God upsets them all - the strategies and ambitions of the nations and their plans are futile in opposition to God.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
God’s plans have never been foiled or upset. His ambitions, his will, his aim has never taken a loss.
What the wisdom and designs of the Lord, that flow from his fatherly heart of love “stand forever… to all generations”
And if you’re in Christ - if you are his child then you stand on the “blessed” side of his fatherly love.
It’s a really good, really good thing if you’re “the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.” - v. 12
Side note:
Verse 12 is not about the United States of America - nor is it a promise that if a political nation of this world gets its act together in the world they will be blessed by God.
It’s not speaking of geo-political nations and kingdoms, it’s saying if you are God’s people—his children which are adopted into his family by the work of his Son, Jesus Christ—then you’ve got his good aimed right at you!
This is good news because anyone can get in on God’s fatherly kindness and love.
But don’t bank your hope in the counsel and wisdom of this world and its kingdoms!
God, our Father, is there on his throne and he sees the whole scope of things.
There are no hidden conspiracies he isn’t aware of, no back-room deals that he’s not privy too, no secret agenda that will foil his plans.
He’s fashioned our hearts, that is he knows human nature intimately and he sees EVERYTHING!
And in his wisdom, all of it’s going exactly according to plan — for the good of his children!
So don’t trust in the kingdoms and politics of this world.
16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.
They won’t save you! This world’s power is impotent and weak.
But grab hold of the wisdom of God!
In God’s wisdom he defeated the pride of this world by sending his Son to die as a substitute in our place.
In God’s wisdom he delivered up his Son, Jesus “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23) to crucifixion in order to raise him up on the third day so he would stand as Lord and Savior for all who trust in him.
It was God’s wisdom that determined that all who place their hope in Christ will be rescued and saved from their sins.
Not the externally righteous, not the ones who do all the good deeds, not the ones who earn their way and perform well enough to be saved - but those who are weak enough and humble enough to cast their whole lives on his mercy alone!
God’s wisdom confounds the wise - and he accomplishes his eternal plans
No one will thwart God!
Your Heavenly Father cares for you:
His plans are for your good and flourishing and he won’t be thwarted in carrying them out.
1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
The first fatherly attribute of God, his power seen in the creation of the world by his word.
The second fatherly attribute of God, his wisdom is seen in carrying out his eternal plans.
The final fatherly attribute of God this Psalm shows us to fuel our worship is his…
His love is seen in delivering those who hope in him (Psalm 33:18-22)
His love is seen in delivering those who hope in him (Psalm 33:18-22)
So maybe you wonder, what must happen for me to get the attention of this wise, powerful Almighty Creator of all things?
Maybe you struggle to see and worship God and call him “Father” because your experience of a father has been a poor one.
You’ve always felt like you’ve had to walk on egg shells with your father and be perfect for him to like let alone love you.
Maybe your experience has been one of having to perform greatly and do excellent for your dad to say “I’m proud of you! I love you!”
I wonder if you view the fatherhood of God as difficult because your dad is gone or out of reach and has very little or no time for you at all.
I am sorry if you are one who has a painful and difficult experience of fatherhood from your earthly fathers.
God, the Father doesn’t relate like that. He is love - and love defines his fatherliness
So the question, who has God the Father’s attention? Who are his eyes of love set on?
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,
Those who hope in his steadfast love!
Whoever has their life banked on his fatherly kindness and love have his glad, smiling, delighted gaze!
If you’re looking for God the Father to be your salvation, rescue, and supply - the one who will protect and keep you - the one who causes his children to flourish, then you’re looking in the right place.
He is full of lovingkindness and fatherly goodness.
Here’s how he has displayed and shown that love - delivering all those who hope in him!
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
For all who believe on Christ Jesus, who trust in God the Father’s mercy and cast themselves on him, the love and grace and blessing of God rests on you!
God the Father is not angry against you and filled with wrath looking to destroy you when you mess up and sin.
He’s not uninterested or disassociating with you because you’ve sinned and ruined his perfect record.
He’s not distant and distracted because you’re a needy and weak nuisance.
His affection is positively set towards you.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Psalm ends with two terms that help us understand what hoping on him means:
We wait (v. 20) - that is we expect and anticipate and yearn for him.
We do this because he’s the help, not the things of this world.
He is the protector, not the securities of this life.
We rejoice (v. 22) - we’re glad, merry, happy in him
Why? He is trustworthy and we believe it. He’s name as “Father” delights us.
What other God would be so close to his worshippers that they could call him Father?
That’s God for us - and we’re happy and pleased in him.
So we hope (v. 22) - we live and bank our lives on him. And the blessing of verse 24 falls us on
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
Conclusion
Conclusion
So why should we worship God as our Father?
Big Idea: God our Father gives us every reason to worship him!
His fatherly attributes of power, wisdom, and love are all aimed at our good and well-being.
They are displayed in his steadfast love and work in sending his Son for us.
Let us rejoice brothers and sisters!
Let the praise of God sound from our lips and lives because of his steadfast love and faithfulness.
We can confess with the Heidelberg Catechism:
Q. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE WHEN YOU SAY, “I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH”?
A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by His eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ His Son.
I trust God so much that I do not doubt He will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and will turn to my good whatever adversity He sends me in this sad world.
He is able to do this because He is almighty God; He desires to do this because He is a faithful Father.
1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.