Father’s Day
Introduction
- The origin of Father's day?
- It is a good idea
- There are a lot of fathers (and bad fathers) in the Bible
- Bad fathers: Isaac, Jacob, David
- Some good fathers: Prodigal son
- The Bible shows us the ultimate Father - God Himself
- Rom 8:15
- Talks about the experience of having God as our Father
- He is our creator and the Father of the human race
- God can become our Father in a deeper and special sense (by redemption)
- This verse gives us an insight into this deeper relationship
It is Unexpected
- We live in a blessed 'Christian' society but what we/people assume is often wrong
- It is not a 'spiritual deal' - explanation
- It is not religion
- This is not taught by the Bible but often is critiqued by the Bible (and Jesus)
- Rom 8:15
- This is about a relationship - not bondage or fear
- You have received as a gift - the (Holy) Spirit of adoption
- You can cry out "Abba, Father"
- The gospel is the language of relationship, family, love, loyalty, intimacy and freedom
- Maybe Christianity is not what we think of it?
- Maybe we need to challenge our assumptions?
- Not religion but relationship
It is Wonderful
- Imagine the relationship we can have
- Compare v17 and v14
- God on the outside and God on the inside - this might give some people cause for concern
- We think life lived separate from God is 'normal'
- The Bible teaches that this is not normal
- Explanation
- God on the inside is how we were designed to work and function
- Our problems often come because we have tried to shut Him out
- Becoming a Christian is not about branching out of the mainstream but becoming what we were meant to be
- Is it not wonderful to know this?
- Is it not wonderful to know that we can be restored to this situation?
- Adoption
- Not just a child (in our modern times), but a slave (in Roman times)
- To go from slave to child - a change of status
- You become an heir - you have an inheritance (v17)
- We become an heir with God Himself
- We become a joint heir with Christ
- Adoption and inheritance
It is Available
- Spiritual maths:
- Holiness + sin = judgement
- God is Holy and we are sinners
- Because we are sinners (explanation) we cannot just be adopted
- We need a solution - Jesus
- Jesus - explanation
- He has come to bring us to God
- Mark 14:36 - "Abba, Father"
- The one person who was sinless, had access to the Father, was the beloved Son of God...
- Dreadful things are happening to Him in Mark 14 - explanation
- Not "Abba, Father" but "My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
- He came to take our sin upon His shoulders
- He came to take our place
- Our sin goes to Him and His righteousness comes to us
- 'We cry out "Abba, Father"' - Rom 8:15
- Explanation
Closing Remarks