God the Father

I Believe • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

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Good morning everyone…It is so good to see you all. Yesterday we had so much for at Leaf River Daze and if you were a part of that event I want to thank you for all that you did. I do want to give a special thank you to Robin Spittler for managing to get us together a bunch of amazing games for Leaf River Daze, as well as other gaming opportunities in the future…It was so cool to see what we had and to see that all of that was supplied from you guys…so if you were a part of LRD in anyway, thank you so much for serving in that way. Now after church we all get to head on over to the Leaf River Daze Parade, stop on by the Bertolet building for your giant pork chop sandwich and then go find a place on the street for the parade. This year the best Pastor on Mount Morris blacktop will be the emcee of the parade so you will want to hang out close to the main rig so that you can make fun of me while I try and and introduce people…It’ll be so much fun!

Anyway, right now we get to welcome our kids back to join in with their amazing kids teachers…Now last week I asked everyone to message a teacher and thank them for all that they do…and maybe some of you did that…This week Im gonna ask you to do something different. You see, it takes alot of volunteers to keep LRBC going on a weekly basis and many of those volunteers do things without you even knowing about it. For instance…did you know that we have a few guys who faithfully come up to the church and mow the grass…Then we have another guy who has been working to get some mulch in and get some flowers planted around the new sign. The of course we have our safety team that is always serving us all every week. It just seems like we have so many people who are serving…but even with all of those that are serving…I wonder…are you serving? Let’s just let that simmer in your mind for a bit and think about how you are joining in as serving part of LRBC…You see, it truly does take all of us serving each other and serving those in our community around us in order to fully express the values that we hold as a church.

But what are these values that we hold as a church based on? Well…that is what we are talking about right now. We are in a series called, “I Believe” and in this series we are hoping to understand what we believe and why we believe it. Now, it is my hope that as we discuss what we believe as a church, that you will be encouraged in your own faith and walk with the Lord. Now these beliefs are called doctrines and it’s important for you to understand where these doctrines came from so that you would be able to express what you believe in various situations. I also gave us a working definition of the word doctrine so that we can all be talking about the same thing…Here it is, Doctrine is a set of guiding principles that helps us navigate the twists and turns of life. …

So, I have talked to quite a few of you this past week and I know for a fact that many of you had some pretty big twists and turns in your life just this past week. You don’t have to acknowledge it publically, but I wonder if the doctrine we are going to talk about today might be able to help you navigate what it going on in your life…and maybe even in your heart. But, before we get into today’s doctrine I want to remind us all why we should care about doctrine. You see, we care because it will help us navigate the twists and turns of life, but we also care becuase Scripture tells us we are supposed to care. There is this passage in 1 Peter that has kind of been our anchor passage for thi whole series. Actually…I would like to challenge you guys to learn this passage and commit it to your memory. That way you are able to be reminded about why doctrines are important. Maybe next week we can get a volunteer to come up and quote this passage for us…So, look up at the screen, look at your Bible, look at your phone, where ever you have the Scripture go ahead and look at

1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

So we are called to give a defense of the hope that is in us, and the hope that is in us comes from the doctrines that we are currently learning about. So we have looked at the Doctrine of the Bible. We have looked at the Doctrine of the Trinity, and this week we will be looking at the

Doctrine of God the Father

Now, remember last week as we looked at the Trinity we talked about how there is one God that exist eternally in three separate persons. The first person of the Trinity that we are going to look at is God the Father. Basically as we think about God the Father, I want us to take away a few very important things…Bit first, let’s take a look at what LRBC believes about God the Father.

We believe in God, the Father, an infinite personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. — Leaf River Baptist Church

OK…thats some pretty good and intense stuff right there, and just like last week, we are going to break this statement down into three parts. First we are going to look at

God’s Existence

Right off the bat as a church we believe that there is a God. Not only do we believe there is a God…Now previously I have stated that everything we believe as a church is based on pure Biblical facts. That is true, but as we saw last week, sometimes we must use reason and logic along with what Scripture says. That said…God does not start his story with an account of where God the Father came from. You see, right in the begining of reverything we simply see that God was…Yeah, look at

Genesis 1:1 (ESV)

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Did you catch that…There is no discuss about who God is or where he came from, we simply see that he is. Then later on we see that as God speaks with Moses he says this,

Exodus 3:14 (ESV)

God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

Yeah…just “I am”…thats pretty awesome I think. We see that through Scripture that as God is telling his story, there is simply an understanding that he exists, isn’t there. Of course since we believe that the Scripture is God’s inspired Word and that it is without error we can understand that what is being said is true. If God simply assumes his existence and does not have to prove it…then why do I? Proof for God’s existence comes, first and most importantly, from God’s testimony about himself. He has provided irrefutable proofs for his existence in the Bible…which we believe as truth.

Now…I know what you’re thinking…isn’t that circular logic? Scripture says God exists and God’s proof is in Scripture…Well, when is the last time you wrote a message to someone and started off with something like, “In the beginning I was born from my mother and father. mom and dad’s name is David and Sandy. David was born in 1949 and Sandy was born a few years later. Now that I have proven that i exist, let me tell you about this opportunity that I have for you to be my friend.” Yeah…that would be just dumb wouldn’t it…Since this is God’s message to us, then of course he is simply going to start talking, just like you would if you we were texting back and forth to each other. The message is the proof of existence!

So once God’s existence is realized then the next thing we are going to do is look at

God’s Character

Now, how can we know God’s character? I mean, its not like he is sitting in front of us physically talking to us, so we can’t judge his motives or see his facial expressions like we can with someone that is sitting right in front of you. So…how can we understand God’s character? You see, in our statement of faith we said that we believe God the Father is a God that concerns himself in the affairs of men, and that he hears and answers prayers…What would led us to believe any of that? Well…what leads us to believe these things are the Names of God. You see, there are multiple names that are associated with God and that is pretty meaningful. Let me tell you why. You see, in the Ancient Near East, that would be the time of the Old Testament authors, names were meaningful. A person’s name symbolizes all that one is and does. The meaning of a person’s name comprises that person’s character, position, and actions within that person’s context. To God and to the people of Israel, God’s names were especially important because they revealed aspects of who he was in himself, in his actions within himself, and in relation to his creation. God’s names represented him so much that how one treated God’s name was equivalent to how one treated God

Now, imagine that for just a moment here. Imagine that the way you treat God’s name, is how you are actually treated God himself right now? That should make you pause as you use his name in a way that does not bring God glory…But more than that…we needed to know and understand why we can believe that God is a God who cares about the details of our lives…so, lets take a look at a couple of specific names together. First we will at the name Jehovah-Raah, which means The Lord my Shepherd. That is a name we see in

Psalm 23:1 (ESV)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Now that phrase, The Lord is my shepherd is actually the name Johovah-Raah. This is a psalm written by David where he is calling out to the Lord and recognizing all of the things that the Lord had done for him. You see, David was a shepherd and he knew what it took to be a shepherd and what care and concern God had for him, and so a shepherd gave the name of a shepherd. I want you to understand what that means…This is not just a short and cute poem that people read at funerals or at other events…This is a song that David wrote about the God that is caring for him actively. Throughout the Old Testament this phrase is used as a name refering to God the Father.

That’s not all though…remember this in

Genesis 22:14 (ESV)

So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

This one is really interesting becuase it is actually a name that was given to a mountain, but it is a name that holds alot of weight. Remember this is the story where Abraham was told to go and sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. However, at the crucial time, God stopped Abraham and provided for him a ram to sacrifice as a substitute for Isaac. That’s huge…Then as a result, Abraham named that mountain after his God, Jehovah Jirah, which means The Lord will provide.

I love that…let me tell you a story about that specific name, and I have told this story before (I think). Anyway, shortly after Collin was born our car was stolen, and someone spent $4000 to give us a car that we needed because they knew that God is a God that concerns himself with the affairs of man…That person that gave me this car said that what God kept bringing to his mind was the name Jehovah Jireh, and he knew that God was using him to provide a need for me and my family.

You see, the names in Scripture lead us into the character and actions of a God that concerns himself with the affairs of you and I. Those names give a whole lot of other information to so I recommend you study those names a little on your own if you want to be encouraged by who God is…Now that I know a little about God’s character it would be helpful if we understood a piece of

God’s Glory

Yeah, if I know who God is…I mean, truly know who God is, then I will desire to see God’s glory. There is one place that we see that more than any other place in Scripture, and its a hard passage to look at.

John 19:17–18 (ESV)

and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.

John 20:3–9 (ESV)

So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

You see, this is the thing that brings God glory, because this is the thing that brings his creation back into relationship with the Father. As a church we believe that God the Father had a plan to redeem you and I (me) and save us from sin and death. God used Jesus to do that…but you will have to come back next week to hear what we believe about Jesus.

Now, what do we do with this information that we talked about today? Well, we could just put it up in the brains “junk drawer” and maybe one day you can sift through all the stuff thats up there and decide what to do with it. Or…you can make a decision to do something with it today. You can make a decision to seek after God in a real way…I don’t mean that you will attend church, which is a great thing, but you will commit to actually getting to know who God is. Listen, you can study about God, or you can get to know God…Think about how you got to know your friends today…You didn’t just read about them and get to know them. You lived life with them and you grew to either trust them or trust yourself in various stressful situations. That same thing is true with God. So many times in life God will give you opportunities to see if you are actually growing in your relationship with him, or if you are just learning information about him. Make the decision today to not just learn more information about who God is, but to put that information into practice.

Let me give you an example. My life seems to be a bit stressful from time to time, just like everyone else’s. Well this past week was particularly stressful with various things that needed done and decisions that needed to be made. I was driving all over and just felt like things were never ending. Then…I got a call, actually while I was in the middle of writing this sermon, that call was not an encouraging call. There is a pretty stressful task that had been taken care of that was now being placed back on me to take care of. I don’t know if you have ever experienced those times when you’re just like…NOOOOO…but that was one of those times. However, as I was listening to the guy sharing this info, I just had a peace…Now it was a stressful peace, but it was a peace, and do you know why I had that peace? Because I have lived stressful times with the Lord before and every time I have chosen to trust him and his timing…it ended far better than I could have imagined. So I remembered that, and do you know what else I remembered…Jehovah Jireh…The Lord will provide!

I don’t know what everyone is struggling with this morning, but I know you are struggling. I don’t need to know the details of your struggle to be able to tell you that we are worshiping a God that can handle your details. I know that because God the Father is a God who mercifully concerns himself with the affairs of man, and even went so far as to send his own beloved son to die the most painful death in history so that you can have a relationship with him and have the opportunity to trust him through this struggle…so, what will you do with it? Will you allow God to use this struggle to grow your reliance and your relationship with him…or will you deal with it yourself?

This morning we are going to be moving into a time of communion and this morning I am going to ask each person to come up and pick up your own elements as you pass in front of the cross. I will be available for prayer to the side if you would like someone to pray with you that you will have the strength to trust God in your situation. I want to remind us all why Jesus spread his arms out wide on this cross…I want us to remember that Jesus didn’t have to die…You and I could have just been forgotten about and deal with the consequence of our own sin…BUT…God’s character is one of love and mercy towards us, we see that through Scripture...do you see that in your own life?

As we prepare for communion, let me read to you what Jesus said

Mark 14:22–24 (ESV)

And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

The juice you will drink this morning is a representation of Christ blood that was spilt so that you can have a relationship with God the Father. The bread that you will eat is a symbol of Jesus’ body that was beaten and broken so that you can have a relationship with him…Today, as you come forward and take these elements and as you pass in front of the cross, make a commitment to grow in your relationship with the Lord…If you are here or joining us online and you realize that you don’t actually have a relationship with the Lord, then i want to encourage you to reach out to me or someone else in order to discover who God is and how a life with God will change you into the person God designed you to be…the only thing missing in your relationship is you...