A Father’s heart

andy cottingham
Thursday, December 7, 2006

The idea of Fatherhood is fundamental to our existence.

Creation and the created order of things teaches us about the requirement of
Fathers.

As soon as humanity appears in the Bible we find Fathers. Adam and Eve had
children, it was the natural order of things.

The social structure of God’s people revolved around the Fathers. They took
responsibility for the family. They were expected to lead, teach, provide for
and love the family.

Why was it this way? Some sort of social construction? Or the result of natural
selection?

We need to look further back to find the answer.

Deuteronomy 32
You deserted the Rock, who fathered you, you forgot the God who gave you
birth.

If biological terms our Fathers give us life, This is also true spiritually.

God introduces himself to us as our father. The Lord’s prayer sums this up
perfectly.

SO WHAT KIND OF FATHER IS HE?

The disciples wanted the answer to this question.

John 14
8Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among
you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

Hebrews 1
3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his
being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided
purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

We can therefore look to the life of Jesus if we want to understand God as

Father. The qualities that Jesus portrays are the qualities of the Father.

There are many, of course, we have time for only four today.

1.LOVE
2.COMPASSION
3.EMPATHY
4.FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness – This story about the woman caught in adultery gives a

wonderful insight into the grace of God. The establishment wanted justice
done – the law to be upheld. Jesus demonstrated a greater law, the law of
love. Jesus himself knew that in a very short while this sin would be paid for in
full, paid for in his on blood. Because of this forgiveness could be free and
complete, and so it is with us.

Being made to feel guilty doesn’t stop you sinning.

John 8
1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared
again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around
him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and
the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made
her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this
woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses
commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They
were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for
accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his
finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and
said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to
throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the
ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the
older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still
standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman,
where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you,"
Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
Empathy – I wonder what is the most common complaint we have about out
parents? I wonder if it’s changed since I was your age?

“You don’t understand me!”

If this is still a popular criticism it’s no great surprise. It always has been – so
much so that God has gone to great lengths to answer it. You see it doesn’t
stop when you get a bit older, it might be expressed differently but we still feel
the need to be understood.

Hebrew 4
Jesus the Great High Priest
14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the
heavens,[e] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as
we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with
confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our
time of need.
Compassion – The desire to help those in need of help. He feels for us, full
of emotion for us.

Abi was born nearly 10 years ago. An amazing experience.

I was holding her in church one day an God spoke to me. He asked me a
series of questions.

What do you want for her?

What would you give for her?
How much do you love her?

These questions seemed to rush at me and I was quite unprepared for what
he said to me at he end.

Now you know,, he said,, how I feel about you!!

Psalm 103
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our
iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love
for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our
transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has
compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
Love – the greatest of these says Paul, is love.

1 Corinthians 13
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not
proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no
record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It
always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.