Are you afraid of God?
Do you know God as your Father?
What kind of Father is God?
Does your experience with your earthly father impact your understanding of God?
In this message, Pastor Jamie explores the traits of God and encourages us to know Him as our Father.
God is a Father.
Romans 8:15-16
“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
You may not have had a physical father in the home, you can have a heavenly Father in your heart.
5 Traits of God the Father:
1) He protects. (John 10:29; Psalm 1:1)
2 Thessalonians 3:3 “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”
Divine protection is a byproduct of divine relationship.
2) He provides. (Philippians 4:19)
Matt 6:31-33 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?...’"
These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Provision from God comes from connection with God.
3) He is approachable. (Matthew 11:28)
Hebrews 4:16 “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
4) He disciplines.
Hebrews 12:7-11 “As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?… For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”
5) He loves unconditionally. (1 John 4:9-10)
Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
We didn’t change our behavior enough to earn God’s love. He began a relationship with us and, over time, our behavior changes.
“If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all.” -J.I. Packer, “Knowing God”
Have you met your Heavenly Father?
How well do you know Him?