June 22nd, 2022
Last Sunday, we celebrated Father’s Day which has had me thinking about what it means that God is our heavenly Father. This is one of the foundational truths of Christianity, and it’s one we say a lot without understanding the significance. You may start your prayers with “Father,” as Jesus told us to, but if you don’t have a revelation of what it is to be a child of God, you’ll live as an orphan. When I became a Christian at 17 years old, God had to teach me how to be His daughter. 1 John 3:1 says,
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so, we are.”
The first thing we have to understand is that the Father loves us. I battled fear and anxiety for years and the key that set me free was not courage. It was the truth that the Father loved me. 1 John 4:18 tells us,
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
The love of the Father will eradicate fear in your life. Your anxiety may seem totally unrelated, but it’s rooted in being disconnected from the love and safety of the Father. You have to know that He loves you and wants good things for you. If we had an earthly Father that told us to our face that he loved us and then left us starving and outside, without the things that we needed, would we believe him? Of course not! God isn’t like that either. He has plans and purposes for our lives and it’s His delight to provide for His children. God sent Jesus to destroy every work of the enemy and absolutely nothing comes from our Father’s hand that isn’t good. Luke 12:32 says,
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
God delights in giving us good things, just as a good earthly Father loves to give to his children. However, we have to ask for the things He wants us to have. The Bible tells us that we don’t have, because we don’t ask, or we ask in error (James 4:2-3). Matthew 7:7-11 says,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
He is waiting for us to ask Him! That alone is powerful, but there is more. If your earthly Father said he loved you and provided for you, but then completely ignored you, would you believe him? I don’t think so. You’d be cared for. You’d hear him say that you’re loved, but without relationship, that’s not love. Knowing God as our Father means being in relationship with Him. Philippians 4:6 says,
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
God wants us to talk to Him about everything. He is concerned about anything that concerns us. However, if all we ever did was talk to God and He never said a word, that wouldn’t be relationship. God wants to talk to us, and we can know His voice as intimately as our closest friend. With that being said, we have to receive everything He says. Knowing God as our Father doesn’t just mean receiving His love, but also His correction when necessary, knowing that His discipline is always because He loves us. Hebrews 12:6-8 says,
“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. “
Receiving God’s correction will protect us from bad decisions and their consequences. No good earthly father uses pain or difficulty to teach their children lessons and God doesn’t either. He isn’t controlling and will let us make choices with consequences, but nothing that brings us harm is from Him. He uses the instruction of His Word and the guidance of His Spirit to lead and shape us, just as a father teaches his children. We can’t grow up in Him without hearing His voice and obeying!
Finally, we have to understand that we are special to Him. There are seven billion people on this planet and many more that have lived throughout history, but not one human being is insignificant to God. Jesus illustrated this in the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (Luke 15). In each story, something precious was lost and there was great rejoicing when it was found! You may feel like you’re just a face in a crowd, but you’re not. You are as precious to God as if you were the only person on the earth. Luke 12:6-7 says,
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
I want to remind you this week that you are not just a number. You are a child of God, fully known and fully loved. Romans 8:15 says,
“You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
I want to encourage you to cry out today “Abba! Father!” because He’s waiting to hear the sound of your voice. Jesus came to destroy every barrier between God and humanity. He died on a cross so we could know the love of the Father just as He does. That love will break the power of sin, fear, and rebellion in your life. It will heal every trace of brokenness and set you free. You are not insignificant! You are completely loved and there is a seat at the King’s table, your Father’s table, with your name on it.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so, we are.”
The first thing we have to understand is that the Father loves us. I battled fear and anxiety for years and the key that set me free was not courage. It was the truth that the Father loved me. 1 John 4:18 tells us,
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
The love of the Father will eradicate fear in your life. Your anxiety may seem totally unrelated, but it’s rooted in being disconnected from the love and safety of the Father. You have to know that He loves you and wants good things for you. If we had an earthly Father that told us to our face that he loved us and then left us starving and outside, without the things that we needed, would we believe him? Of course not! God isn’t like that either. He has plans and purposes for our lives and it’s His delight to provide for His children. God sent Jesus to destroy every work of the enemy and absolutely nothing comes from our Father’s hand that isn’t good. Luke 12:32 says,
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
God delights in giving us good things, just as a good earthly Father loves to give to his children. However, we have to ask for the things He wants us to have. The Bible tells us that we don’t have, because we don’t ask, or we ask in error (James 4:2-3). Matthew 7:7-11 says,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
He is waiting for us to ask Him! That alone is powerful, but there is more. If your earthly Father said he loved you and provided for you, but then completely ignored you, would you believe him? I don’t think so. You’d be cared for. You’d hear him say that you’re loved, but without relationship, that’s not love. Knowing God as our Father means being in relationship with Him. Philippians 4:6 says,
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
God wants us to talk to Him about everything. He is concerned about anything that concerns us. However, if all we ever did was talk to God and He never said a word, that wouldn’t be relationship. God wants to talk to us, and we can know His voice as intimately as our closest friend. With that being said, we have to receive everything He says. Knowing God as our Father doesn’t just mean receiving His love, but also His correction when necessary, knowing that His discipline is always because He loves us. Hebrews 12:6-8 says,
“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. “
Receiving God’s correction will protect us from bad decisions and their consequences. No good earthly father uses pain or difficulty to teach their children lessons and God doesn’t either. He isn’t controlling and will let us make choices with consequences, but nothing that brings us harm is from Him. He uses the instruction of His Word and the guidance of His Spirit to lead and shape us, just as a father teaches his children. We can’t grow up in Him without hearing His voice and obeying!
Finally, we have to understand that we are special to Him. There are seven billion people on this planet and many more that have lived throughout history, but not one human being is insignificant to God. Jesus illustrated this in the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (Luke 15). In each story, something precious was lost and there was great rejoicing when it was found! You may feel like you’re just a face in a crowd, but you’re not. You are as precious to God as if you were the only person on the earth. Luke 12:6-7 says,
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
I want to remind you this week that you are not just a number. You are a child of God, fully known and fully loved. Romans 8:15 says,
“You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
I want to encourage you to cry out today “Abba! Father!” because He’s waiting to hear the sound of your voice. Jesus came to destroy every barrier between God and humanity. He died on a cross so we could know the love of the Father just as He does. That love will break the power of sin, fear, and rebellion in your life. It will heal every trace of brokenness and set you free. You are not insignificant! You are completely loved and there is a seat at the King’s table, your Father’s table, with your name on it.
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