Abba, Father

Quote: “Insanity is an inherited disease. You get it from your kids.”

Into: Nine things you will never hear dad say:

1. Well, how ’bout that? I’m lost! Looks like we’ll have to stop and ask for directions.

2. You know Pumpkin, now that you’re thirteen, you’ll be ready for unchaperoned car dates. Won’t that be fun?

3. I noticed that all your friends have a certain hostile attitude. I like that.

4. Here’s a credit card and the keys to my new car. GO CRAZY!!

5. What do you mean you wanna play football? Figure skating’s not good enough for you, son?

6. Your mother and I are going away for the weekend. You might want to consider throwing a party.

7. Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with your car. Probably one of those doo-hickey thingies--ya know--that makes it run or something. Just have it towed to a mechanic and pay whatever he asks.

8. No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring. Now quit your belly-aching, and let’s go to the mall.

9. Whaddya wanna go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for you to spend. (Brian Mavis--SermonCentral.com)

Your Heart Needs a Father:

Rom 8:15-17 15For 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." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Through a dramatic series of events, we go from condemned orphans with no hope to adopted children with no fear. Because of His of justice He cannot dismiss your sin, but because of His love He cannot dismiss you.

People don’t adopt children so they will get more money or have more sleep. Adoptive parents don’t adopt children because of what they have, but because of what they need. They need a home. If we can’t earn our adoption through good works, can we loose it through a bad performance?

Prodigal: One who is given to wasteful luxury or extravagance.

What kind of Father do we have? Luke 15:11-24

1. A Father who gives us a free will. (v. 11-13)

a). Even when our choices hurt us, God lets us make them anyway. The prodigal son wasn’t ready for his share of the inheritance. But the father gave it to him anyway. The son cared more for the things of this world than he did for his father. He had a lack of respect and appreciation for his father.

Ex 20:12"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

b). Not only does He let us make bad choices; He will also let us go our own way. V.13 Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country. Our selfish desire will blind us to God’s will is for our lives because we are too focused on self to see God’s best for us. God knows the best way for our life, but He allows us to make the choice of His way, or our way.

Illustration: When I was seven years old I decided I would strike out on my own. My father would take me to the local candy store on a regular bases. When I was seven years old he got too busy with farming and wasn’t able to take for a while. So I dicided that I would strike out on my own and go to the candy store on my bicycle. I soon found out that getting to the candy store on my bicycle wasn’t as easy as it was in my father’s truck. All the sudden the houses began to look not so familiar and the next thing I knew I was lost. In my strange surrounding I just pulled my bicycle to the ditch and my grand adventure came to an end. I sat there for what seemed like forever not knowing what to do when around the corner came my father. I’ll never forget the look in father’s eyes when he got close enough that I could see them. It wasn’t a look of anger; it was a look of love. My father simply got out of the truck and loaded my bicycle, he didn’t preach me a sermon on running away, or punish me for getting lost. He gave me the one thing I needed a way home. I didn’t hear the rooster crow like Peter did. I didn’t feel the fish belch like Jonah did. I didn’t get a robe and a ring and sandals like the prodigal did. But I learned from my father on earth what those three learned from their Father in heaven. Our God is no fair-weather Father. He’s not into this love-‘em-and-leave-‘em-stuff. I can count on Him to be in my corner no matter how I perform.