2020-06-21 FATHER'S DAY-LESSONS FROM A PERFECT FATHER

LESSONS FROM A PERFECT FATHER Bible June 21, 2020 Read Gal 4:4-7 – A little boy’s dad had been promoted to General. When Mom told the boy, he was silent for a moment, then said, “Do you think he will mind if I still call him Daddy?” I suspect he was okay with that, right? And tho He is highly exalted, neither does our God mind that we call Him Father – Abba – literally Daddy. In fact, He invites it. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father.” So I want to look briefly this morning at God as Father. To be clear, God is not everyone’s Father. We’re all God’s offspring by virtue of being created by Him. But only believers have been adopted. Jn 1:12: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” So, what we say today is only for those who are “in Christ”, who’ve committed their life to Him. We could not begin to exhaust in one sermon what it means to have God as Father, but here are five truths to increase our faith – and for fathers – some lessons from a perfect Father. I. Our Father Loves, But Never Enables God’s persistent love for His own is a theme of the Bible. They are His “treasured possession” (Deut 7:6), the “apple of His eye” (Zech 2:8), and “the people of his pasture” (Psa 95:7). This is how God sees you this morning – warts and all, Your name is engraved “on the palms of [His] hand” (Isa 49:15), and He “will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5). Psalm 36:5a: “Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens.” Zeph 3:17: “[God] will exult over you with loud singing.” Isa 62:5b: “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” That groom beams with delight as he sees her. What a picture of God’s love. As His child, God loves you with an everlasting love. Nothing we might do could ever diminish the infinite love that is flowing our direction every second of every day. Max Lucado says, “If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo would be in it.” That almost trivializes it, but God Himself has said that your name is engraved on His palm. So, we need desperately to wrap ourselves in our Father’s love. That doesn’t mean He meets our every whim. His is a mature and disciplined love that will never add to our tendency to stray just to make us happy. I saw a documentary recently about the WWI flu epidemic that killed over 500,000 1 Americans, mostly young adults. One young mother got it and was quarantined to her bedroom. Her 3-year-old daughter didn’t understand. She cried so pitifully that Mom ordered a little bed made up in her room for the girl. Mom soon died, and, of course, the little girl got very sick. Mom loved her, but not enough to protect her from herself. That’s not God’s love. When hard things come – we must realize they’re allowed by our Father for reasons of perfect love. Eliz Elliott writes, “God never withholds from His child that which His love and wisdom call good. God’s refusals are also merciful – ‘severe mercies’ at times, but mercies all the same. God never denies us our hearts’ desire except to give us something better.” So, Dad’s, learn from your heavenly Father. Love – but don’t enable. You wouldn’t give your 2-year-old a butcher knife. But I’ve seen Xn parents put a loaded gun in the hands of a 12-year-old in the form of an unfiltered, uncontested, unmonitored cell phone. Can’t bear the whining so they assist spiritual suicide. I’ve seen Xn parents host high school parties with the same lack of control as any secular parent. Beloved – we must learn from our heavenly Father to love without enabling. We must help our kids be accountable to God more than us, and when they complain and say, “You don’t trust me,” the answer is, “That’s right, because I don’t trust myself.” We all need the hard safeguards that genuine love provides. II. Our Father Instructs, But We Must Obey God didn’t just create us, turn us loose and say, “Good luck!” He’s given us incredible insights on every subject and challenge we confront -- in the Word – our instruction manual! Psa 32:8: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” And He’s given us His Spirit to help us get it: I Cor 2: “10) these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” It’s all there for the taking, but we must dig it out and put it to good use. G. K. Chesterton had but few memories of a father who died young. But those he had were precious. He had a toy theater with cut-out characters. One was a man with a golden key. G. K. could never remember what that man stood for, but he related him to his father, the man with the golden key opening to him all kinds of wonderful and thrilling things. That’s what God’s Word is to us! When it comes to our kids, God teaches in Eph 6:4: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of 2 the Lord.” We’re to instruct, but without provoking – not harshly, angrily, or over-expectantly, but lovingly. When kids get that input from Dad, they seldom stray. But you have to be there, Dad, emotionally as well as physically. Josh McDowell says, “Rules without relationship lead to rebellion.” That means you have to be there taking the lead in patiently instructing, disciplining, training, playing and worshiping. You can’t leave it all to Mom. God is ultimately looking to you to lead by precept and example. The goal is to move your kids from your authority to God’s. The minute they start school, they begin to move out of your sphere of influence. Even if you homeschool, that day looms. You can’t always be there to instruct them. But you can be in their heads? How? By hiding the Word in their hearts. Psa 119: 9, 11: “How shall a young man [or woman] keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. . . 11) I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Every Dad should be leading in Bible memory. You are negligent in your duty if you are not. My Mom and Dad memorized right along with us. We did the same – in the car, at dinner, family devotions. Get the Word into them. That’s what will whisper in their ear when you’re there. Give them the same Word your Father’s given you. This is huge. III. Our Father Tests, But Never Tempts Jas 1:13: “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” God would never steer us wrong. But He will test us, pretty much every day. Some big; some small; Some pop quizzes; some finals. Job 23:10: “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” He tests us to grow us. He wants to find the gold beneath all the waste of our lives. When we studied Jas we found there are 3 parties in every trial. Every trial is initiated by Satan, thru the world, flesh or demons, intending to destroy us. He wants to take us down. God allows the trial to grow us, to build us up. The third party: us! We’re the deciding party. Will we follow yield to the temptation, or will we follow the Spirit? What Satan intends as a temptation to destroy us, God intends as a test to build us up. Tempt and test are the same word in the Bible. What determines which it is in any given case – is us. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil [one].” Help us make it a test, not a temptation. Do you see? So, you’re short on cash this month. You’re the church treasurer, and there’s money in the bank. The temptation comes – borrow a little. You’ll be able to 3 pay it back before it’s ever missed. Do you see it? A temptation initiated by Satan intended to destroy you. Whether the money got back on time or not, your character would take a hit. But God allowed this as a test, intended to build you up, better able to resist the next time. Same event – vastly different intentions – and you make the choice. Every temptation is like that, whether it is to loose your temper, be impatient, start a flirtation, engage in porn, skip devotions, plot to get even – whatever. And you decide – temptation or test! Now, Satan can only go as far as God allows. So, I Cor 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” That’s your heavenly Father’s protection. Testing – but not beyond your endurance. Isn’t that how you want to parent? Gradually give kids the chance to succeed or fail on their own. Teach them the principles we just learned. Memorize I Cor 10:13 with them. Let that be the voice in their head the next time a buddy comes around offering drugs. Let it be God reminding them their body is the temple of the HS, given to glorify Him. Gradually put them under God. And when they fail, as we all fail, then what? I Jn 1:9: “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Memorize that one. Use it often to clean the slate and start again. God is a benevolent Father. He knows we’ll fail, but He wants us to fail less. IV. Our Father Disciplines, But Never Punishes Discipline is a necessary part of a life broken by the Fall. We all need it; we all need to know it’s an act of love. Heb 12:5b-6: “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6) For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” God doesn’t discipline angry; it’s out of love. It’s not the punishment you deserve; Jesus already took that at the cross. It’s discipline, intended to help you not make the same foolish mistake again. Now, there’s a lesson. How many times have you disciplined your kids out of anger – and then we wonder why they revolt. Before discipline you must ask, “Why am I doing this? Because I’m mad? Bc I’ve been disrespected? To protect my reputation? Or is it bc I love my child enough to cause a little pain for a lot of gain in their life?” Take yourself aside and have that conversation beforehand. Attitude is everything when it comes to discipline. 4 When I was a kid, what hurt worse than any discipline was the tears I occasionally saw in my dad’s eyes. Worse than any penalty. Showed me he loved. That ought to be the attitude any time we discipline in whatever way we choose to do so. That’s what separates discipline from punishment. And take your kids to the cross so they can see the real price paid for their sin. Teach them to ask His forgiveness. What we are doing is discipline to help them avoid the same wrong action in the future. It is done out of love – never hate or anger or spite. V. Our Father Heals, But Leaves the Scars God is a wonderful Father, isn’t He? So quick to forgive. The moment we confess that we failed – again – He forgives. He restores the joy of our fellowship. We don’t have to hide all day wondering what kind of bad mood He’s in. Psa 103:10 – “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” That’s because Jesus already paid for us. So, how much will He forgive? Well, David committed adultery, betrayal and murder. Then, for a whole year, he wouldn’t fess up. He married the girl and tried to sweep it all under the carpet. But guilt plagued him. Psa 32:3: “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.” He was miserable. But confession released him. Psa 32:1; “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” 6b: “I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’, and you forgave me the iniquity of my sin.” Vv. 10b-11: “steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. 11) Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice!” Do you see the healing of confession? And if God would do that for a murderous adulterer, would He withhold it from you? I don’t think so. No sin is too bad to be forgiven by this Father. Some of you desperately need that this very day to make confession and find healing. BUT – Healing doesn’t mean no scars. Confession means the onus of sin is off your back; the slate is clean; forgiveness is given – but the consequences of sin remain. David suffered great consequences in his family the rest of his life. The scars were pretty deep. Yet the healing was real; the fellowship sweet; the joy restored. Some lessons there for us. We must not hold grudges after we’ve granted forgiveness. But forgiveness doesn’t mean no consequences. You broke you brother’s bike? Now you’ve confessed and sought forgiveness. That’s freely given. But you still have to buy the parts and fix the bike. See how it works. 5 No sin is without a scar. May be a big one; may be a little one, but while we walk away forgiven in the smile of the Father, we go with a scar. Jennifer Garner said, “Nothing looks better in your 50’s than sunscreen applied in your 20’s.” That’s true spiritually as well. We must teach our children that forgiveness is free and abundant; but scars remain. So, learn from them. Conc – I hope we take two things away today. I hope we all, men and women, kids and adults, go away with a greater appreciation for the priceless privilege of having God as our Father. We are all incredibly loved and cared for. Second, I hope dads will derive some lessons for their own parenting. Maria Kefalas is a sociologists specializing in family issues. Altho she’s a self-identified feminist she acknowledges that children without an active dad in the home is operating with one hand tied behind its back. She says, “Women always tell me, ‘I can be a mother and a father to a child,’ but it’s not true.” Growing up without a father has a deep psychological effect on a child. The mom may not need that man,” Kefalas says, “but her children still do.” So, guys, I hope you’ll take the challenge. Whatever the age of your children – let’s Father like our heavenly Father fathers us. Let’s pray. 6