HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO A GREAT GOD AND FATHER IN HEAVEN

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO A GREAT GOD AND FATHER IN HEAVEN

On Sunday, we celebrate Father’s Day and are mindful of our earthly fathers. Many of us have fond memories of our fathers; how they loved and cared for us, protected us, worked hard to support and educate us, and gave us good things. But Jesus revealed that we also have a Greater and an Eternal FATHER– GOD OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN as found in the LORD’S PRAYER.. ‘OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN..’ Mt6:9-13.

The Holy Bible tells us who GOD OUR FATHER in heaven is. HE IS ALMIGHTY, THE CREATOR OF EVERYTHING; ALL-KNOWING, and EVERYWHERE- OMNIPOTENT, OMNISCIENT, and OMNIPRESENT. GOD IS LOVE, GOOD, HOLY, JUST, OUR SAVIOUR, DELIVERER, HEALER, and OUR HELPER. HE IS ALSO a GOD OF JUDGMENT and a JEALOUS GOD! 

GOD OUR FATHER- ONLY WHEN WE ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST

No Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Jew or anyone else can call God ‘FATHER’ unless he is a believer in Jesus Christ, and is BORN AGAIN. WHY? Jesus said ‘I am the WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE: NO MAN cometh unto the FATHER, but by me’ Jn14:6. God became OUR FATHER when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and became BORN AGAIN. Jesus said ‘.. Except a man be BORN AGAIN, he cannot see the kingdom of God.. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God’ Jn3:3,5. We are adopted as children of God when we ‘..have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we (can) cry, Abba (our), FATHER ’ Ro8:15.

The blessings of Our Heavenly FATHER are only for His children. Here we see that God is either OUR FATHER or He isn’t! But no one needs to be left out. All he needs to do is to humble himself, pray, repent of his sins, and accept Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, for He died for our sins. When we study the Bible, we learn about GOD OUR FATHER in heaven– His nature, His attributes, His power, His love, His promises, and His plan for us.

Jesus said ‘.. for your FATHER knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him’ Mt6:8. Then Jesus said ‘If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your FATHER which is in heaven give GOOD THINGS to them that ask him?’ Mt7:11. OUR FATHER God knows our need before we ask and is ready to help us when we ask Him.  Jesus also said ‘If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly FATHER give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?’ Lk11:13. 

GOD OUR FATHER- HIS PROMISES and BLESSINGS

It is very important to have GOD OUR FATHER on our side. The Bible states ‘If God be for us, who can be against us?’ Ro8:31; ‘..No good thing will He withhold to them that walk uprightly’ Ps84:11; God has ‘..pleasure in the prosperity of His servant’ Ps35:27. Paul wrote ‘.. my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus’ Php4:19. Peter stated ‘Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you’ Pe5:6,7. God said ‘.. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’ Heb13:5; ‘There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling‘ Ps91:10; ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved‘ Ro10:13.

GOD OUR FATHER has countless promises and blessings for us! Ep1:3 states ‘Blessed be the God and FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed US with ALL spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ’. The key to God’s blessing is our faith in Him and His Word. Heb11:6 states‘But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him’. Faith and obedience are essentials in receiving from GOD OUR FATHER. Jesus said ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you’ Jn15:7; ‘.. that whatsoever ye shall ask of the FATHER in my name, he may give it you‘ Jn15:16.

OUR FATHER’S GREAT LOVE FOR US

Next, we look at OUR FATHER’S great love towards us! What did God do for us? God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ to give His life and to die for our sins, that we might have everlasting life. Jesus said ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ Jn3:16. Paul said ‘He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not with him also freely give us all things’? Ro8:32. John wrote ‘Behold, what manner of love the FATHER  hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God’ 1Jn3:1. When we love and believe in Jesus Christ, OUR FATHER will love us. Jesus said ‘For the FATHER himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God’ Jn16:27.

Suppose that you were a son or daughter of a very rich or powerful person. You would be very privileged and have access to the finest in life, whether they be homes, food, clothing, luxury, schooling, travel, medical care, pleasures, etc. You may be honored and esteemed with many people catering to your needs and desires.

In a spiritual sense, our relationship with GOD OUR FATHER is like that. We are related to a great FATHER with unlimited resources. GOD OUR FATHER in heaven has great lovingkindness toward us! Our relationship with GOD OUR FATHER gives us access to all His blessings and help. We should never be hesitant or timid in seeking God’s help for our needs. Heb4:16 states ‘Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need’. Ps46:1 states ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble’.

King David wrote ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever’ Ps23:1,6; ‘.. thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee, thus will I bless Thee.. I will lift up my hands in Thy name’ Ps63:3,4. Our relationship with GOD OUR FATHER speaks of His great love toward us, and of the intimacy, access, privilege, blessings, kindness, goodness, mercy, peace, help, strength, and favor we have with Him.

GOD OUR FATHER- A GREAT INHERITANCE FOR THE OVERCOMING SONS 

The scriptures also state that there is a future great inheritance coming from GOD OUR FATHER to His worthy sons and daughters. Re21:7 states ‘He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son’. To receive this great inheritance, we need to be holy, as OUR FATHER is Holy 1Pe1:16, and perfect ‘even as your FATHER which is in heaven is perfect’ Mt5:48.

This is the main reason the Holy Spirit is given to us- to perfect us in Christ. 2Co3:18 states we ‘.. are changed into the same image (as Jesus) from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord’. We need to overcome the lust of our flesh. 1Jn2:16 tells ‘For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the FATHER, but is of the world’. Ga5:16 states ‘Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh’. We are not to love the things of the world. 1Jn2:15 states‘If any man love the world, the love of the FATHER is not in him’.

Jesus said ‘Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth’ Mt5:5. He said ‘.. Come, ye blessed of my FATHER, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’ Mt25:34, and ‘.. it is your FATHER’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom’ Lk12:32. Paul wrote ‘ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ’ Co3:24. Paul said ‘In (Christ) also, we have obtained an inheritance..’ Ep1:11; ‘That in the ages to come God might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus’ Ep2:7.

Our inheritance to come is the redemption of our body Ro8:23; to never die Jn11:26; and to be like Jesus Christ 1Jn3:2. Our future inheritance is to inherit a kingdom God has prepared for us before the foundation of the world! OUR FATHER has a kingdom to give us to rule and reign with Him forever. The ‘children of God.. heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ’ Ro8:17, will inherit everything that God has Re21:7. Jesus said ‘I come quickly; and my reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be’ Re22:12. To all this we say ‘THANK YOU FATHER GOD’, and ‘HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO A GREAT GOD and FATHER IN HEAVEN’!

P.S. The highest thing our rich and powerful FATHER  GOD in heaven wants from us, and the only thing we can give to Him is our gratitude and praise to Him! Ps92:1 states ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High’! PRAISE GOD!!!