“Can You Hear Me Now? Good!” - Week 1
“CHOOSING THE CORRECT CARRIER”
MATTHEW 6:9a & GALATIANS 4:6-7
INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES:
Like millions of others, I have a cell phone. In fact, our family uses them almost exclusively for our long distance needs, which comes in handy with two of our children living in Florida. We presently have a carrier that we are very pleased with. For those of you in the know, we are “IN” and so are our kids. But that wasn’t always the case. Previously, we had a carrier that we were not at all pleased with! I will not mention the company’s name, but it did have 3 initials & merged with another rather recently (probably had to). The reason it was frustrating was because of the “dead spots,” “dropped calls” and “outages” we had with this wireless provider. It is maddening to try & communicate when you can’t hear or understand the other person.
Oh, don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the phone, in fact, I had the latest design, a clip on my belt and it even had cool programming - it had games!! (Ask the guys, that’s important!) No, it wasn’t the phone that was frustrating it was the “soul” of the phone if you will, the provider. Because it doesn’t matter how good the phone looks externally or even how cool it works internally, if the heart of the phone, the carrier is bad, the whole thing is pretty much useless.
That got me to thinking. For a lot of people, that situation with my cell phone describes the life they lead. Oh, they have the “latest hot look”- hair professionally taken care of, cosmetics, name brand clothing.. And the programming on the inside is cool.. Exercise, education, the right diet.. All to make their “phone” enjoyable to use and pleasurable to look at. They look good on the outside, may even be healthy on the inside, but deep within, where it really matters, where no one can see, in the service area, their souls, their hearts, there is little if no attention given. The Bible, over and over again, refers to your soul, your inner being, as your heart and tries to communicate how important this part of your life is.. 1 Sam. 16:7 - “Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.”(NIV) Proverbs 27:19- “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects a person.”(NLT) And I believe God gets a little frustrated with us at times, I know he could with me, because there are times when we are so concerned about the “cool”things, the easily seen things in our lives we miss the really important things He’s trying to get across to us. It’s as if he could ask: “Are you listening?” “Can you hear me now?”
Well, for several weeks I want us to see if we can hear God with greater clarity. My prayer is that in doing so we can effectively evaluate the condition of our souls. How? By looking at the Lord’s Prayer. Most of you can quote the words.. but chances are you’ve never looked at it as a blueprint for living. Jesus didn’t just provide a “model prayer” here, although it is that, He was also providing a model for living. These words do more than just tell us what to say to God, they tell us how to know God and how to clearly hear and understand what He wants for us. When we hear him clearly and apply the principles in this prayer it’s as if we can hear God say, “Can you hear me now? GOOD!”
INTRODUCTION TO SERMON:
We begin with, Our Father in heaven..” With these words Jesus gives us the ultimate carrier, the one we can count on for the best clarity and benefits. Jesus begins by introducing us to the Creator and Sustainer of life. So, let’s dig into this first phrase but before we do let’s ask Him to bless our time together. (PRAY)
I. UNDERSTANDING THE PHRASE: “Our Father in heaven..”
(Video Clip - “In Good Company” - Chap. 8 - 0:41:30 - 0:42:10 - Length:0:40)
Does that bring up any memories about your Father? You may see a clip like that and remember an intrusive, blunt, inconsiderate man. Or maybe worse: abusive or neglectful. The fact is, for many people the word "father" conjures up a negative image. Because your earthly father was not all that he should of been, the term brings back childhood memories, arousing regret, resentment, anger, fear, frustration, guilt. The term "father" stirs up deep feelings. It’s like when you’re a little kid and your mom says: "You just wait until your- what? father gets home!" Then you go to church and you hear, "God is like your father." You feel like saying, “No thanks. If that’s the way God is, I’m not interested!” But that’s why Jesus qualified Who He was talking about. Not an earthly, imperfect father but a perfect ".. Father, in heaven..."
As we’ll do every week, it is important that we understand each of these phrases in the context and form that Jesus gave it. “Our Father..” Of all God’s names this was His favorite. We know He loves this name the most because it is the one He used the most. While on earth, Jesus called God “Father” over 200 times! I think it is His favorite because God wants us to know Him as a Person not a power. Oh, it’s not that God is not powerful.. He is all powerful. But He wants us to know that we can relate and have a relationship with a person. “Our Father...”
You see, the word “Father” has two distinct meanings in scripture. First of all it’s used in the sense of paternity, which denotes birth. Understanding father in this way does not demand any connection between the father and child other than a physical connection. Anyone, as long as they have the physical ability to help conceive a child, can be a father in this way. In fact, a man can be the father of a child as far as paternity is concerned and never even set his eyes on the child. Now, those who know God understand that He is our father in the paternity sense. It is God who is the source of all life. Psalm 24:1- “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it; for He founded it..”(NIV)
But the unique and wonderful thing that Jesus is telling us here is that God is not only our Father in terms of creating us.. paternity, but God is our Father in the intimate relationship sense of this term. He is our loving “Dad.” We all understand this big difference between a “father” in the paternity sense, and a “daddy” in the relationship sense. As someone once said, “Anyone can be a father but not everyone is a “Daddy.” So how do we know it is this second sense that Jesus is using in this prayer? We know it because of the word Jesus uses here. It is the word translated “Abba” which literally means “Daddy.” Oh, yes, He has created us but what Jesus wants us to understand here is that God wants to be more than your maker, He wants to be your “daddy.” Some of you hear that and are uncomfortable with it. Calling God “Daddy” sounds irreverent, too casual. Well, certainly there must be a balance between the holiness of God, He is perfect.. And the closeness of God. But Jesus is emphasizing here that our Heavenly Father is available, accessible, nearby. Paul understood that concept. Acts 17:27- "God did this so people would reach out for Him and find Him since He is not far from each of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being... We are His offspring."(NIV) God is not a million miles away. He’s not “the force,” or “the higher power,” He’s close, personal, right here. You know, when my children were younger, I’d come home from work and walk inside and my children would come running and say.."O almighty procreator of our family! Awesome ruler of our home!” And later, as teenagers I come home and they yell out.. “Oh, Thou who dost supremely control the car keys and our wallets!" Okay, they didn’t do that. When they were little though I remember coming home and all three would come up to me and say, "Daddy!" Even now, my married daughter, when she wants something doesn’t say, “Father...”in pomp tones, she says, “Daddy.” My boys will greet me with “Hey, Dad.” And as a Dad it’s still thrilling to hear that. Jesus wants us to realize that same thing about God.. He’s close to us.. He’s Our “Daddy”..
Please remember these 3 Biblical and encouraging truths about God’s closeness.. (Write them down) (1) God is never too busy for me. Psalm 145:18 "The Lord is close to all who call on Him, yes to all those who call on him sincerely."(NLT) When you pray you’ll never get a busy signal His switchboard is never full. He can handle all your requests. (2) He loves to meet my needs. Mt 7:11 "If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."(NLT) I love taking my boys to pro basketball games, or see them do well in something, or take my daughter to the movies or hear her excited about something. Now, if I, as an imperfect father, a sinner, someone who has mixed motives, if I know how to be good to my kids, how much more does a perfect Father know how to take care of His kids? And He has a whole lot more resources than I do. (3) He is sympathetic to my hurts. You say, "I’m feeling low today." God understands. He can understand when you’re hurting many times when you don’t even know why you’re hurting. Psalm 34:18 "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."(NIV) He’s a close God, a close Father. You’ve had a tough week? God understands. You’ve had a difficult this month, year, life? God understands. That’s what Jesus means and how He wants you to relate to God.. Our Daddy... “Our Father..” And then Jesus adds..
“..in heaven..” Jesus isn’t referring to a location because God is everywhere. He’s talking about Heaven as an environment where God dwells as a perfect Father. In fact, there are three heavens talked about in Scripture. (1) There is the atmosphere or sky. Isa. 55:10- “...the rain and snow come down from heaven and stay on the ground to water the earth.”(NLT) (2) There is the realm of outer space or the stars. Psa. 8:3- “I look at your heavens, which you made with your fingers. I see the moon and stars, which you created.”(NCV) You see the stars and space do not control or determine man’s destiny. Their existence simply testifies to God’s faithfulness.
(3) And then there is the realm of God, and that is what Jesus uses here. Heaven is wherever God is. Oh don’t misunderstand, Jesus said that heaven is a real place where we will live forever. He promised that in John 14:2-3 when he said, “There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home... And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live.” But the truth that Jesus wants us to understand is that in a sense we are already in heaven because heaven denotes the realm of God, where God dwells. And we can live “in God” and have God live in us! Acts 17:28.. “For in Him we live & move & have our being..”(NIV) Nature is God’s workshop, the sky is His resume, the universe His calling card.. And incredibly He wants to live with us and in us... “Our Father, in heaven..”
II. APPLYING THE PRINCIPLE:
But what exactly does that mean to me? Well, let’s make some application here and see what it means for our daily lives. In this first phrase Jesus is giving us this principle: God is a Father who wants you to know him on an intimate basis. He wants a relationship with you. He wants you to know how very much He loves you. Because when you realize how much He loves, you will want to shape and live your life in a way that pleases Him. And the bi-product of living a life that pleases him is the best life you could ever have here & now and a life of eternal bliss in the here-after. So, let’s look at what kind of Father God is like. The Bible gives a number of characteristics we could apply but let’s look at three.
(1) God is a caring father. He wants you to know that you are cared for by Him. If you don’t get anything else this morning, will you get this? You matter to God. He loves you. He’s interested in you. And He shows it. He is a compassionate Father. Psa.103:13 (Change) "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who honor Him."(GW) You may remember the time when the disciples were out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and a storm came up. They started taking on water and started to sink. They were afraid. Where was Jesus? I love this.. He was asleep. He’s the only One on the boat that trusts God enough to apply the Father’s care and sleep through the storm. But the disciples are afraid and they ask Jesus: "Lord, don’t you care?" Have you ever felt like that? I’m going under Lord! Don’t you care? You know what He does? He turns to the violent sea and says, “Shhh..” And the storm stopped! Immediately the Bible says. I mean, the ripples didn’t even go to the shore, they just flattened right out. What was Jesus saying with that stilling of the storm? “Fella’s, the answer to your question is Yes. I care a lot.” He cares about us the same way.
He is a concerned Father. 1 Ptr. 5:7 "Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.”(LB) Does God care about your health? Yes. Does He care about your house payment? Yes. Does He care about your grades at school? Yes. Does He care about how you get along in your family? Yes. Does He care about your success’ or failures in life? Yes!
God is also an encouraging Father. Psa. 35:27(Change)- "Praise the greatness of the Lord, who loves to see his children do well." (NCV) I love to see my kids succeed. Let me ask you. How come you get so excited when your child makes the Honor Roll or sinks the winning basket? Love. You love it when they do well because you know how good they feel. I heard of a guy the other day who told Rick Warren, "My problem is I don’t love God enough." Rick said "No, that’s not your problem. Your problem is not that you don’t love God enough. Your problem is you don’t understand how much God loves you." When you really know deep inside that God really cares about you, that you matter to Him, that He always has His loving eye on you, you’re going to love Him back!
(2) God is a consistent father. God is changeless. That means you never have to worry about Him changing His mind about you. He’s worthy of trust. James 1:17- "Every good and perfect gift is from the Father... who does not change like shifting shadows." (NIV) Some fathers are unpredictable. I know some teenagers that say, "I never know what to expect from my dad. I can’t figure him out. One minute he’s tough, the next minute he’s easy. It all depends on the mood he’s in.." Listen Dad & Mom.. Inconsistent parents produce insecure kids. Take your cue from God, He is a consistent father. He’s not moody. He never has a bad day. He’s consistent. His consistency is not based on who you are but on who He is!
And because of that He can be counted on. 2 Tim. 2:13 "Even if we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, because He cannot be untrue to Himself." (GW) Isn’t that an incredible verse? It says even when I’m unfaithful and inconsistent and unreliable, God can still be counted on. Because of His very nature, He’s consistent and faithful. That’s such good news because everything in the world is changing. Constantly. But while everything else is falling apart and changing on me daily, there’s one thing I know I can always count on. I can always count on God to always act the same way toward me no matter how I feel. He is always caring and He is always consistent, no matter what I think, no matter what I feel, no matter what I do. In Malachi 3:6 God says, "I am the Lord, I do not change."(NLT)
Do you know in a survey taken by James Dobson that the number one cause of resentment in children is broken promises from parents. "I promise to go shopping with you for that new dress.... I promise I’ll take you fishing Saturday.... We’ll do it.... We’ll get around to it.." And they never do. But God always keeps His promises because He’s a consistent Father. I like that bumper sticker: God said it, I believe it. That settles it. I’d like to change it a little.. “God said it. So whether I believe it or not. That settles it.” God is truth whether I believe it or not.
(3) God is a capable father- Nothing is beyond His ability, His resources. Nothing even taxes Him. He is capable of comforting you, no matter the problem you’ve got, at home, at work, at school, God can handle it. Luke 1:37 " Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." When my children were smaller it always amazed me the things that they expected me to fix.. broken toys, decapitated dolls. When kids are young they think you know all things, can fix anything and afford everything. Most of us, when we were growing up, had the attitude of "My daddy can do anything!" One boy said to another: "My dad can beat up your dad!" 2nd boy said: "Big deal! So can my mom!" I used to think my dad could do anything! But as I grew older, I began to see that my dad had some limitations. When it came to money, he had limited resources. When it came to advice, sometimes he was just guessing! When it came to life, he sinned. And we realize that our human fathers are limited. But God has unlimited resources, unlimited knowledge, unlimited power!
Let me ask you. Why are you looking everywhere else to have your needs met? You’re looking to your husband, wife, boss, girlfriend, boyfriend. None of them will perfectly meet your needs. But God will. Phil. 4:19 "And this same God... will supply all your needs..."(NLT) God will supply all our needs. Not all your wants.. Your needs. And He’s capable of doing more that we can even dream. Eph. 3:20- "God is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of - infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes!"(LB) God says, “You think of the biggest thing you can think of and I can top it! Think of the biggest problem you can give me, I can handle it. Think of the biggest request you’d like to make, I can meet it.” Now, that’s not to say he will all the time because that might not be best for you.. but He can! Because He is all knowing, all powerful, has all resources.. He is the most caring, most consistent, most capable Father of all.. And He wants to show you that.
Two important questions: (1) Is everyone God’s child? Is God the Father of everybody? Well, yes and no. Yes, every human being is a child of God in that we’re all created by God.. the paternity part. So in this sense, everybody is a child of God. But not everybody has a relationship to God who was created by God. Not everybody is able to call Him "Father, Abba, Daddy". God says, "Yes, everybody’s My child in the sense that I created them all. But, no, everybody’s not My child, in the sense that not everybody has a relationship with Me." So the next crucial question is: “How can I make God Father, my Daddy? Gal. 3:26-28- "You are all God’s children when you place your faith in Christ Jesus. Clearly, all of you who were baptized in Christ’s name have clothed yourselves with Christ. There are neither Jews nor Greeks, slaves nor free people, males nor females. You are all the same, God’s children in Christ Jesus."(GW) How does God adopt you into the family? He does that when you place your faith, your trust in Jesus Christ. Isn’t that simple? We’re not children of God by going to church, or giving money or being good people.. Because we could never be good enough. God knows that. So, He made it so simple no-one could misunderstand. He just said, “Put your trust in My Son. Jesus Christ is the bridge.” Jesus said in John 14:6: "I am the way.."(NIV) not, “I might be the way,” or “I hope I’m the way,” or even “I point the way.” "I am the way... No one can come to the Father except through Me."(NLT) And what can I expect from God when I place my faith in Jesus? Gal. 4:6-7 “You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Daddy! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.” God says: “When you become a part of My family, I establish an eternal relationship with you. You get My caring, My consistent love, My capable comfort.. You get Me!” It is incredible.. The Creator of the universe, the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-possessing, all-present God wants to have an intimate relationship with you! So, call Him Holy.. He is. Call Him King.. that’s true. But if you want to touch His heart and have Him touch yours, use the name He loves to hear- “My Father... who is in heaven..”
