June 21, 2015 – Pastor Matt James – “The Un-Invisible Father”
Happy Father’s Day!
- Not every father knows how to be a good father.
- Some guys have some ideas that seem right but might not be the best way to raise his kids.
- Pictures: Mothers VS Fathers
- I think a lot of guys are confused about what it means to be a father or what it means to their kids.
- Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:15 Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. (Guardian or a person who guides, also teacher or instructor)
- There are plenty of Christians who can tell you how to live your life and raise your kids.
- But a father gives life to his children and takes them through life; they experience the whole journey together.
Sometime in a man’s life he will become a father or will be like a father to someone and he needs to be ready for that moment.
Video: Fatherhood by SkitGuys is going to help me describe what a father does.
- Apparently there is a lot to being a good father.
- As dad you try to make the most out of every opportunity.
- Any man can have kids but a father takes the time to raise his kids.
- A couple counts the cost of having kids and the joys outweigh the difficulty.
- God knew all the problems that would come into the world when He created it but the joy of being our Heavenly Father was greater than the difficulties.
- Though the troubles would be great the reward would be immeasurable.
Paul writes to the Roman Church about the Heavenly Father’s dilemma caused by the actions of the people God created.
Text: Romans 1:18-25 (Tough Scripture)
God wants every person to know His Qualities.
- A father celebrates over his new child and he takes him home to raise him. His life will never be normal again.
- He teaches his child how to walk, eat, talk, learn, play etc.
- You want your kids to trust you because they are learning about life through you.
- A good father wants his children to respect him because he has to teach them about what is right and wrong. Got to whoop!
- The qualities of a good father cannot be hidden because they are evident in what he does for and with his children.
- God can’t hide His Qualities.
- Like a dad playing hide and seek with his kids.
- Or wrestling with them he lets them win.
- God is too good and too big to hide His Qualities. Though they are considered invisible He has Qualities that shine as bright as the sun.
- He has the way of life so He cannot hide what is good.
- James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
- He is not darkness, He is light and His Qualities burn as bright as the sun.
- A father wouldn’t hide what is good from his kids.
- Even a person outside of this man’s family can see how good he treats his family. His Qualities are evident.
- God has Eternal Power: God created an amazing universe.
- There is a site that can take you all the way down to the fabric of space and time and all the way out to the fabric of space and time.
- So far we have not found the end of anything either way we look.
- The closer we look at creation the more we see the need for creation over evolution.
- Things are far more complex and delicate than what evolution can produce and protect.
- The universe is huge! 14 Billion years old??? Because that is far as we can see with our telescopes.
- Astronomy says that the universe is gigantic so we have a biblical problem, apparently the world is more that 10,000 years, or is it?
- All I can say is that God is the Almighty God.
- 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
- Man puts a limit on creation because we cant fathom an eternal God.
- Creation declares the Eternal Power of God.
- Man refuses to thank or credit God for His creation.
- Divine Nature: God has set some necessary boundaries for us to follow.
- God sets the boundaries according to His godly nature: holy, perfect, righteous, loving, good etc.
- God didn’t get His godliness from anyone else, He thought those up all on His own.
- 42:8 “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.”
- People try to change what is godly by their wickedness. They suppress the truth so they can do what is evil. They try to make what is evil resemble God.
- God is holy and good and since we are created in His image then godlessness or the absence of godly things destroys our lives.
- If we are from God then our life comes from His Divine Nature and we need His Qualities in our lives. We need His holiness.
- We function best when we do the things of God.
- God does not do evil or wicked things.
- His Divine Nature is clearly seen in godliness as well as the absence of His godliness.
- My bad behavior makes a mess of things and proves that God is good.
- My godly behavior keeps order in my life and proves that God is good.
- You cannot conceal what is good because it is obvious by the fruit it bears.
- God has wrath against godlessness and wickedness of men.
- My Dad had wrath when I disobeyed him. We were good kids!
- Or the time I nearly burned down the house I knew my dad’s wrath was gonna kill me.
- If it weren’t for my dad’s wrath I might have burned down the house next time. That is disciple.
- I experienced both my Dad and step-moms wrath when I brought the truck back dirty.
- Like a cat bringing in a mouse we cant chose what to bring to God as righteousness.
- Our righteousness is dirty to God. God chooses what is righteous.
- He cannot accept what is not holy. He must teach us what is good.
- God has wrath so it will bring holy change in our lives.
- God has wrath because He has something valuable to protect.
- His Reputation and His House are Holy.
- 16:12 Kings detest wrongdoing, for a throne is established through righteousness.
- Psalms 23:3 He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
- God is going to teach us what is good because it is His nature to be good.
- He cannot allow people to discredit His name because it is the only truth out there.
- 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.
- Our wickedness does not change God’s righteousness; it only puts us in the way of His wrath, He is going to protect His Character.
- He is also going to protect His children who trust in His Character.
- He will protect His House from wickedness at all costs because His children are counting on Him, on His Good Qualities.
- God has Wrath so that He can also have Mercy
- Romans 1:16-17
- 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
- If it weren’t for God’s wrath there would be no mercy.
- We were objects of God’s wrath because in our sinful nature we were His enemies.
- Our sinful nature does what is contrary to God and opposite of what God does. It is God less.
- God cannot allow what is evil to be part of what is righteous.
- This is why our bodies are destined for destruction but our souls are being renewed daily in Christ.
- God’s wrath against our wickedness was put on Jesus so we could find mercy from God. We cannot survive His Wrath.
- Without God’s wrath on Jesus there is no forgiveness of sins.
- As the Good Father He is, He has found a way to remove us from His coming wrath. Now and at the Judgment.
- His wrath allows people to fully experience the wickedness of their hearts.
- But His wrath on Christ is the only way to the Father.
- Now we rejoice because we find mercy in the Good Qualities of our Heavenly Father.
Prayer:
You are the Only Good Heavenly Father. We can trust in You completely without reservations. We can have absolute faith in You to be as Good as Your Name is. There is no other name by which we are saved, thank You, Jesus. Thank you for being our righteousness and our redemption. Thank You for taking the full strength of God’s wrath for us. You are kind, perfect and holy. God, You are our Father without end, without fault, without lies, and there is no darkness in You. You are Good. Raise us up to love and trust You. Help us to know You completely as You know us completely. Thank You, Heavenly Father.
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