In Relationship With God The Father

When you say the words from the Apostles Creed

I believe in God the Father almighty…

What goes through your mind?

What image of God comes to mind?

God the Father almighty is a very powerful image.

Those few short words say a lot about God.

They highlight 2 important aspects about God

First God is powerful

and second he is also our father

Another way to think about this is that God is concerned about and has power over everything in the universe

and at the same time He is desires to have a close loving personal fatherly relationship with me and you.

And these two aspects of God are not in competition.

The God who created and continues to create the world

the God who has the power to determine your future

is also the God who loves you as a loving Father.

There are a number of people throughout history who have been both in a powerful position and a loving dad.

Every day when Barack Obama wakes up

He is both the leader of the United States of America

one of the most powerful positions in the world

and He is also the father to Malia and Natasha

But there is a big difference between Obama and God

Obama is the leader of only the USA and will only be for a period of 8 years.

God is the leader of the entire universe and will always be its leader

Obama is not perfect

God is perfect

Obama is a father to only Malia and Natasha

God on the other hand is willing and able to be a loving father to everyone

So how does God being God the Father Almighty impact us

Nehemiah chapter 9 verse 6 clearly articulates one of God’s qualities

You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

Everything we see, smell, touch, hear or feel has been created by God

All of creation is a gift from God to not just you and me

Not just to those who follow Him

But to all of humanity.

And Psalm 19 which was our call to worship this morning also highlights that because God created the heavens and the earth

through them God blesses us and speaks to us

in other words creation reveals something of God to us…

Listen to verse 1 again

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Think about what this means for our lives.

From creation we get an insight, a sample of God and who He is.

Charles Spurgeon a famous preacher once said: “Surely everything that comes from the hand of the Master himself, surely has something of himself in it.”

Martin Luther also highlighted the importance of creation when it comes to faith in God.

He called creation the mask of God, with a mask not fully revealing God but also drawing us to God.

In other words when we interact with creation we will get some but not a complete revelation of God.

For Luther creation also helps us appreciate God and God helps us appreciate creation which he highlighted when he said: “if I believe in God’s son and bear in mind that He became man, all creatures will appear 100 more times beautiful to me than before. Then I will properly appreciate the sun, the moon, the stars, the trees, the apples and the pears as I reflect that these have all been created by the Lord who is over all and the reason for everything.”

There are many good things in creation….

Think about some of the wonderful food you have eaten

Remember some of the scenes you have seen

What about the beautiful sounds you have heard?

Or the wonderful aromas you have smelt?

Or the beautiful things you have touched?

Creation reveals some of God’s goodness

and when we have hearts open to not only what has been created but also who created it, there are many things to thank and praise God for.

A considerable number of astronauts have commented that their faith in God and His wonder have grown once they have gone into space and looked at the earth. Bryan O’Connor a former astronaut says: “I can tell you I felt a sense of awe out there looking at the Earth that I have never experienced before.”

So what does it mean to relate to God the Father the creator?

As we interact with creation we will be drawn to God!!

We will not just say look how good this cake is or how good this scene is