The Triune God: The Father
07.23.06
**NOTE: THIS IS A CONCEPT OUTLINE FOR THIS MESSAGE, NOT THE FULL MANUSCRIPT. GRAPHICS AND MULTIMEDIA ARE AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT THIS SERIES.
This morning we continue our series on the Triune God
and we begin by looking at the person of the Father and His relationship with us
I was surprised this week as I was preparing for this message
My first thought was “I’m dealing with the Trinity, gotta make sure I get this right”
I immediately reached for as many large, imposing, theology books as I could find in order to study the person “God the Father”
And I discovered that there are not a lot of writers who go into great depth concerning the first person of the Trinity.
In most of the books, the doctrine of the person of the Father consisted of a couple paragraphs.
I found page upon page concerning Jesus the Son of God, pages that expounded the deep truths of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity… but not much on the Father.
and that led me to begin to question “Who is God the Father within the Trinity, what is His purpose, and how does He interact with me in my regular life?”
Thankfully, the Bible is filled with examples of who God the Father is and how He relates to us.
There are a couple things to remember as we look at God the Father
•He is not simply a division of God (1/3 x 1/3 x 1/3)
•He is not a personality or characteristic added to God
•He is not a different perspective of God
God the Father is fully God
He shares in the characteristics, nature, will, of God
Yet, He relates to us in His own way
I Corinthians 8:5-6
After all, there is only one God.
Many things in heaven and on earth are called gods and lords, but none of them really are gods or lords. We have only one God, and he is the Father. He created everything, and we live for him.
All about relationship
Throughout the Bible we see God the Father interacting with people
We find a relationship that is unique in the world
It’s more than your typical “God/Humanity” relationship
•Where humanity lives in fear of the unknown while an indifferent God-character looks down and blesses one person, smites another, and sends a third on an impossible quest for a grail or a golden fleece.
•Where I, the lowly created, seek to appease the almighty Power whom I cannot know or understand
•Where I, the finite, struggle to comprehend the infinite
•It is a relationship of love
•A relationship of friendship
•We find a God who says, “I want to be a Father to you and I want you to be part of my family”
God the Father wants to have a relationship with us
The Bible shows us a God who, as a Father, is very compassionate
Always concerned for the well-being of humanity
Desires to be a part of people’s lives on a regular basis
This week I’ve read a lot of books and spent a lot of time studying people’s thoughts and opinions and insight into who the person of God the Father is…
Some said He is the Creator, and that His role and purpose is to be the Father of everything from before Creation – and that is true
Some said He is the Planner, and that His role was to put in motion the plan for humanity’s redemption – also true
One writer stated, “It is the Father who directs, the Son who acts and the Spirit that empowers” and that is true as well
But as I studied Scripture, I began to realize that God the Father is exactly that: a Father. And His purpose is to provide us with a place within God’s family, within His community.
Ephesians 1:3-6
How blessed is God! And what a blessing He is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in Him. Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ.
In Scripture, we see the Ultimate Father. Everything a Father could be, He is, because our concept of fatherhood is based on Him. He is a Father of love, His nature is love, His acts are love.
From before the world began He loved us.
He knew us.
He knew everything that we would do.
He knew how far we would fall.
He knew what it would cost Him to restore our relationship.
He knew that – and because of love – He was willing to give up the Son so that you and I could have new lives centered in God.
The Father’s love allows us to have a relationship with Him.
We respond to the love of God by becoming part of His family – not just in practice, but in name.
I saw over the past couple weeks how P. Dave and Lora took a boy into their home, and let him experience a loving family and loving parents. In just two weeks, you could see how much they cared for him, and how hard it was when he returned home.
The Father’s purpose is to love his creation, to love His people, and to adopt them as His children. It is our purpose to return the Father’s love (which is partially what we call “worship”) and to share it with those around us.
Let’s read this together:
1 John 3:1
What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it – we’re called children of God!
God the Father’s purpose was to create a way for fallen humanity to be redeemed through Jesus Christ, adopt them as His children, and then be to them Father, giving guidance, strength and comfort through the Holy Spirit.
The Father adopts us into God’s family
My dad grew up in a home that was anything but ideal:
His father was a Chicago mobster, a criminal
He was taken out of his home at the age of 6 and placed in foster care along with his brother and sister.
He was moved from children’s home to children’s home until a bit later he was placed in foster care in the home of Roy and Charlotte Jarrett.
They welcomed him and his siblings into their home and for the next few years they lived there, until finally, the Jarrett’s were able to adopt them. They became a part of that family, to the extent that, as soon as he was able, my father changed his name to the name of the family that had shown him such love and rescued him from such pain.
God the Father is looking to adopt people into His family. It doesn’t mean that we are relieved of pain, or hardship or trial, but it does mean that we have a community to support us, to bear with us… and a Father who cares for us and is able and willing to help us.
John 6:40
My Father wants everyone who sees the Son to have faith in him and to have eternal life…
The Father is accepting
God the Father not only adopts us, He accepts us.
He is interested in our lives and knows every thing about us. And He loves us anyway!
Psalm 103 says, “As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who love Him. He knows us inside and out…
One writer put it this way,
To embrace God as Father, takes the abstract notion of philosophers of an impersonal, first cause or prime mover, and reveals to us that God is a personal God, who seeks a relationship with us. God as Father becomes more than some exalted being who thunders from a mountaintop, and whose face could not be looked upon, and reveals God to be one who is filled with love and grace. God as Father makes God as one who is approachable, and who longs to embrace us as much as we long to embrace God. As God’s children, we are welcomed into a family that is more extensive than even the purest bloodlines. From God, who is Father, our being and blessings descend, and to God, we can turn our minds and hearts in love and gratitude. When we become God’s children, we enter a relationship that showers us with love, intimacy and care. And we respond with faith.
Our faith in God allows us to meet with the Father as His children.
Ephesians 3:11-12
God did this according to his eternal plan. And he was able to do what he had
planned because of all that Christ Jesus our Lord had done. Christ now gives
us courage and confidence, so that we can come to God by faith.
The Father is accessible
A couple days ago, my beautiful little girl decided it was time to wake up daddy at 4am.
She walked in to our room, blanket in hand, ready to snuggle in.
Daddy demonstrated how incredibly different he is from God by kissing her head, giving her a hug, and then promptly marching her back to her own bed with a detailed explanation of how visiting hours to M&D’s room ended at 8pm and would not start again for at least a couple more hours
But the moment that actually made me wake up and appreciate the relationship between a child and a parent, between my daughter and I, is when Caelyn popped open one eye, and said, “Daddy, I just need one more hug.”
What a beautiful moment!
When we respond to God the way a child responds to the love of their parents.
And to have a Father that will never turn away, never get grumpy, never question our need of Him, in fact, delights in just how much we need Him – this is how the love of the Father allows us to come to Him at all times for all things!
Psalm 103:3-5
He forgives your sins – every one.
He heals your diseases – every one.
He redeems you fro hell – saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy – a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness – beauty eternal.
He renews your youth – you’re always young in his presence.
God’s love is ever and always, eternally present to those who love Him. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all
Amen.
