I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      Previously in our study of Deity, we considered the unity and diversity of God by studying the Trinity.

B.      In this lesson, we will take a closer look at one member of the Trinity – God the Father.

II.      THE FIGURE OF A FATHER

A.      In the spiritual sense, the term “Father” is reserved for God alone.

                                                             1.      Consider Matthew 23:9 – “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.”

                                                             2.      This means that the spiritual place of Father is held by the “one God, the Father, from whom are all things” (1Cor. 8:6).  No man can hold the position that rightly belongs to the Creator.

B.      Using the term “Father” to describe God invokes our concept of a fleshly father, which is significant as a figure to help us understand who God is and what He does.

                                                             1.      We understand that a father in the flesh begets his children so that he is a source of life to them, and they share certain traits with him.

                                                             2.      We also understand that a father in the flesh is to provide discipline and instruction to his children according to Ephesians 6:4.

a.       Discipline (or “nurture” – KJV) is the idea of physical direction or correction.

b.       Instruction (or “admonition” – KJV) is the idea of verbal direction.

c.        Both of these are necessary to bring up (lit. “nourish”) a child to maturity.

                                                             3.      With our understanding of fatherhood, we can understand that God the Father begets His children and nourishes them with discipline and instruction (these points will be expounded below).

III.   GOD AS OUR FATHER

A.      There is a sense in which God is the Father of every person.

                                                             1.      The apostle Paul described Him as the “one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:6).

                                                             2.      Notice Ephesians 3:14-15 – “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name…”

a.       There is a lesson in the original language of this passage that is lost in translation:  “Father” is from the Greek word pater, and “family” is from the Greek word patria.  The similarity of these words echoes the intimacy and integrity of the relationship between a father and his family, for they are an extension of him.

b.       In the case of God the Father, every family “derives its name” from Him, which means that every family has its unique existence from the Father and is an extension of Him.

                                                             3.      Every nation, tribe, clan, family, and individual needs to recognize their origin in the Father, for all of mankind was made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26).

B.      Our Father in heaven is the source of life and sustenance for all people.

                                                             1.      Paul spoke of the Father to Gentile unbelievers in Athens, saying, “…in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His offspring’” (Acts 17:28; the poet was the Cretan Epimenides from the sixth century B.C.).

                                                             2.      Jesus said that the Father in heaven “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45; see also Acts 14:17).

                                                             3.      Jesus also described the Father’s care and provision in Matthew 6:25-34.

a.       In this passage, the Lord admonished His Jewish listeners not to worry about their material needs.  Instead, they were to trust in the Father’s knowledge of their needs and His willingness to provide for them.

b.       To alleviate their concerns about material needs, Jesus gave this promise from the Father: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (v. 33).

                                                             4.      Likewise, notice Matthew 7:11 – “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

C.      All people have their existence and sustenance from the Father, but there is a special, spiritual relationship that exists only between Christians and the Father.

                                                             1.      In this spiritual sense, the honor of being children of God is a special privilege granted by the Father to believers in Christ only.

a.       Notice John 1:12-13 – “But as many as received Him (Christ), to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (also 1John 3:1).

b.       John’s writings speak extensively of being “born again” or “born of God” (John 3:3-8; 1John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18).  John’s emphasis is upon the spiritual change in which a Christian is transformed from an old life of sin to a new life of righteousness and love in the likeness of the Father.

                                                             2.      Through the gospel of Christ, believers in Christ can enter the Father’s household and family.

a.       The new birth of a Christian occurs by the imperishable seed of God’s word (1Pet. 1:23), and then the newborn Christian is adopted through Christ as a child unto the Father (Rom. 8:15-17; Eph. 1:5).

b.       Christians “are no longer strangers and aliens” to God, but instead they “are of God’s household” (Eph. 2:19, see vv. 11-22 for full context).

c.        Let us understand that new birth, adoption, and entrance into the Father’s family are granted via faithful obedience to the Father’s will via the gospel of Christ.  Jesus said, “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother” (Matt. 12:50; see also Matt. 7:21-23).

D.      As a loving Father, God nourishes His children with discipline and instruction for their own good.

                                                             1.      Hebrews 12:5-11 explains the benefits of the Father’s discipline.

a.       This passage draws on our understanding of the role of a father to explain how God disciplines us.  Because we understand fatherhood, we can also understand discipline from God and revere Him for it.

b.       Consider Proverbs 3:12, which is quoted in Hebrews 12:6 – “For whom the LORD loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights” (also Prov. 13:24).

c.        Notice that if we are not disciplined by our heavenly Father, then we are “illegitimate children and not sons” (v. 8).

d.       Therefore, let us appreciate the discipline of the Father as a great blessing.

i.         It is evidence that He loves us.

ii.        It is evidence that He considers us to be His children.

iii.      It promises to yield “the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (v. 11).

                                                             2.      The Father provides instruction to His children through His word in the Scriptures.

a.       The Scriptures are the Father’s inspired words recorded for man’s profit (2Tim. 3:16-17).

b.       Notice that the same word of God that is the seed of a Christian’s new birth is also the food that causes a Christian’s growth (1Pet.1:23- 2:3).

IV.    CONCLUSION – IS GOD YOUR FATHER?

A.      As we noticed, God is Father to all people in a sense, but is He your Father in that special, spiritual sense?

                                                             1.      Your answer is dependent upon your relationship with Jesus Christ.

a.       Notice the words of Jesus in John 8:42 – “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.”

b.       Also consider 1John 2:23 – “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.”

                                                             2.      If God is your Father in the true spiritual sense, then His likeness will be reflected in your character and behavior (love – Matt. 5:43-48; righteousness – 2Cor. 6:14-18; holiness – 1Pet. 1:14-19).

B.      If you are not a Christian, then you are like the prodigal son, and God is the compassionate Father who is watching for your return (Luke 15:11-32).  Why not come to the Father now?