“DADDY” Matthew 6:9a
FBCF – 2/14/21
Jon Daniels
INTRO – How do you address your earthly father? Or, if he’s passed away, how did you address him? Most of us would use the term, “Daddy” or “Dad, or maybe “Pop.”
What is or what was your relationship with your father like?
- Was it positive or negative?
- Do you have good memories or bad memories?
- Is it loving & safe, or abusive & unsafe?
- Were you protected or vulnerable?
- Does he provide for you or neglect you?
- Do his actions & lifestyle point you toward Christ or away from Christ?
Lauren Walls testimony – “A father image to me as a young woman or a young girl…he was angry, he was unpredictable, he was abusive, he only wanted something from me – he wanted to use me…yeah…Coming to Jesus as my Savior took everything about who I believed [God] was & flipped it to truth, & that truth was he was the exact opposite of what my father was. He was kind & He was gracious. He loved me just as I was. I didn’t have to bring anything to him. He just wanted me in His presence. He brought healing & hope & redemption. It filled that void, & I no longer needed cutting, no longer needed my eating disorder, no longer needed pornography…God was constantly redeeming me, restoring me, & making me whole.”
- “You may have had an amazing dad or a horrible dad, but you have a heavenly Father, & beyond all that has happened to us in life, He wants us to know Him.” (Marian Jordan Ellis)
(https://thisredeemedlife.org/knowing-god-as-father/)
EXPLANATION – Matthew 6:9a
The more I meditated on this one aspect of God’s character & nature, the more I came to love & appreciate God as my Father – my heavenly Daddy. There are layers upon layers of His relationship toward us that are so rich & powerful & lifechanging. The very fact that this is the main way that Jesus related to God & the main way He taught us to relate to God is very significant.
In the OT, the people of Israel – God’s chosen people – did not usually think of God as an intimate Father, their Heavenly Daddy.
- He was the Lord God Almighty, “who sits enthroned between the cherubim” (Psalm 80:1)
- He was the God who came down to earth in a mysterious glory cloud with Moses “like a devouring fire at the top of the mountain” (Exodus 24:17).
- He was the Lord God who killed Uzzah when he reached out & touched the ark of the covenant (2 Samuel 6:6).
- He was the Lord God who was to be feared b/c He punished Moses for disobedience & never allowed him into the Promised Land.
- Even in the NT, the writer of Hebrews shows the judgmental power of God when he says, “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).
None of these is wrong or negative or should be disregarded or ignored. But Jesus came teaching us to call God by a new name. Call Him “Abba, Father” – “Daddy.” That name is name that would have been unusual for an OT Jew to use. But it’s the name that Jesus the name that He used in all of His prayers except when He was hanging on the cross & cried out, “My God! My God…” (Matthew 27:46). In that excruciating moment, He was expressing the depth of the separation He was experiencing as He bore the sins for all mankind. Every other time He prayed, He called out to His Father – His Daddy. And He instructs us to call out to Him that way, too.
APPLICATION – Praying to God as “Father” shows how personal He is to us.
3 ASPECTS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP:
THE INTIMACY OF OUR RELATIONSHIP - God is no longer far off & untouchable. He can be approached as an intimate Father – as our Heavenly Daddy.
- Gk word for “Father” – Pater – But more likely that Jesus used the Aramaic word Abba when He was giving these instructions. Aramaic was the language that He & most other Jews spoke. And Abba is more intimate & personal than Pater.
You may not feel comfortable actually using the name “Daddy” when you pray. It may seem too casual for you. But know that God truly wants to be that intimate w/ you when you talk w/ Him.
THE ETERNITY OF OUR RELATIONSHIP – We are praying to our eternal Father who is in an eternal place – “who art in heaven.”
- He is the eternal God
- He is in heaven, an eternal place
- He is our eternal Father who loves us w/ an everlasting love.
Interesting that the hymn of the US Navy is entitled, “Eternal Father.” First verse:
“Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm has bound the restless wave,
Who bid the mighty ocean deep,
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we call to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea.”
Not surprising that the hymnwriter chose to speak of God as our Eternal Father who provides protection for those who are in danger b/c that’s what Daddies do! We protect our children, & how much more will our Eternal Daddy protect us!
THE SINCERITY OF OUR RELATIONSHIP – When I think of all that it means for someone to be sincere, I’m aware that God as our Father is all of those things.
- He is totally trustworthy & truthful
- He is absolutely reliable & resolute
- He shows no partiality & no preference
- He completely devoted & dedicated to us
Some have said that the word “sincere” means “without wax.” Merchants in ancient times would use wax to hide defects in pieces of pottery. We can absolutely say that our Heavenly Daddy is without defects. Our earthly fathers had many defects – some may have been severe & damaging. But Abba is completely sincere in His relationship toward us!
3 TRUTHS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP:
As you think about those aspects of our relationship w/ God as our Father – the intimacy, eternity, & sincerity of our relationship – I want to remind us of these truths that will strengthen our prayer lives:
HE LOVES US – Everything we have talked about today flows out of the everlasting love that our Heavenly Daddy has for His kids. He loves us! He loves me! He loves YOU! And if you’re not one of His kids b/c you’ve never trusted Christ to save you, He loves you too & wants to have that eternal relationship w/ you! Love what Dr. Charles Stanley said: “Every person is born with a deep desire to be loved unconditionally, but when this yearning isn’t fully met, many hurts and scars can result. What security and wholeness there is in knowing that we can call God “my Father” and receive that unconditional love!” (https://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/knowing-god-as-our-father)
In Psalm 68:5, He has promised to be the “Father to the fatherless.” In Psalm 27:10, He has promised to never abandon us, even if our own earthly parents do so. Sinclair Ferguson – “…by the Spirit, we learn that we are not abandoned & unloved, but rather that we are loved by the Father, by the Son, & lovingly cared for by the Holy Spirit.” (https://gracequotes.org/topic/god-fatherhood/)
HE WILL PROVIDE FOR US – My Daddy: “The Lord will provide.” And He will. Great Scriptural support for this truth:
- Philippians 4:19 – “And my God will supply all your needs…”
- Matthew 6:31-33 – “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
- John Piper: “[God’s] fatherhood corresponds to his readiness to meet our earthly needs…” (https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/our-deepest-prayer-hallowed-be-your-name)
Story of David Brainerd, missionary to Native Americans in 1700’s. Caught in a terrible storm on way to minister to a tribe. Sought shelter in hollowed trunk of tree. Prayed for the Indians & for the Lord to take care of him. Hungry. Squirrel approached. Left some nuts. Storm lasted 3 days. Squirrel showed up every day & left nuts. (http://moreillustrations.com/Illustrations/provision.html)
HE KNOWS WHAT'S BEST FOR US – There was a TV sitcom called “Father Knows Best” in the 50’s – an idyllic family in the Midwest where the father always had the right answer to life’s problems.
It’s easy to give all the right answers in a scripted 30-minute TV show. But life is not scripted. Can be unpredictable, troubled, & harsh. It’s in those times that we truly do need to know that our Heavenly Father knows what’s best for us, even when we think that He’s not doing what we believe is best. That’s when we lean on the truths of verses like Romans 8:28 & Proverbs 3:5-6.
CONCLUSION/TAKEAWAY – I want to challenge you pray the Lord’s Prayer every morning over the course of this sermon series until the end of March. Not mindless repetition or heaping up empty phrases. But sincerely, fervently, genuinely calling out to your Father. And know that your Father in heaven – your heavenly Daddy – will hear you & respond to you.
If God is NOT your Father yet, then why not call out to Him today to be saved?
