THE FATHER LOVES YOU (Sermon)
Jesus just revealed to the disciples that one of them would betray Him and that soon He would be leaving them. This troubled their hearts…Then He also in turn comforts the disciples, proclaims that He is the way to the Father, and then promised the forthcoming of the Holy Spirit.
John 14:5-11 “Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
‘Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus 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. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”
The character traits that Jesus exhibits throughout His life on the pages of scripture are examples and reflections of the: love, compassion, mercy, goodness, and righteous of God the Father.
INTRODUCTION:
I grew up with an interest not only in watching sports but, also with a passionate desire to learn how to play and participate in them as well. I’m thankful that as a child my Mom and Dad saw fit to extend the opportunity to me to enjoy the extracurricular activity of being involved in organized sports. As I grew up over the years I would eventually come into my own as an athletic child. I had always been passionate about my sports from a young age and a desire slowly but surely developed in me to become a participant in them.
One of the first sports I played was t-ball in Germany for the Frankfurt Blue Jays at 8 years old. When I moved back home to my birthplace of Fayetteville,NC I played little league probably from the ages of 9-12 for the College Lakes Indians.
Then as I grew older I continued to play in middle school for the Spring Lake Broncos and in high school for the Pine Forest Trojans and then also recreationally in a high school age group league for the White Sox and then finally for a traveling team in a summer league one year as well.
Those were some of the best memories from my childhood and adolescent years that I can remember and I hold them near and dear to my heart. In team sports you develop a special bond with your teammates, so special and close in fact that you can actually find a sense of belonging and you can become a makeshift family. You have a sole purpose at the end of the day to compete and win the games you play against your competition. Depending on how serious of a player you are you may practice individually to better yourself as a player but you will most definitely practice corporately as a team and will work hard to develop chemistry and sharpen your athletic skills and talents.
Sporting teams to me, have an existing parallel much like the fellowship of believers in some aspects, at least from my perspective. We gather together most notably on Sundays with a sole purpose that is also in essence multifaceted as well. We gather to worship God, we gather as well to grow in the knowledge of God, and that growth in our most holy faith as the word so eloquently puts it is that: faith comes by hearing as the Word of God is preached to us. We also gather together for fellowship. To build sincere relationships with one another and get to know each other as much more than “members of a church” but, more so as brothers and sisters in Christ and children of the one true and living Most High God.
In the same aspect of responsibility a baseball player has to develop their own skills individually apart from team practices, we are also called and held to the responsibility of our own personal growth in Jesus and our walk with Him. Much like the aforementioned athletes that want to become better than their competitors and just get better at their sport in general they don’t just simply wait around for their weekly practice. With that in regards to our faith walk we are responsible for what we do with and how we spend our time.
Whether that time is spent worshipping God, resting in His presence, posturing our hearts before God’s throne of grace and speaking to Him through intimate prayer, or listening to the words He would speak back to our hearts and potentially the most commonly known spiritual discipline of reading the Bible to come to a better understanding of how to live out the very things we believe and what Jesus taught.
Again I just wanna exclaim what an honor to have the title and identity as children of God bestowed upon us. Based on our belief and acceptance of Jesus we become adopted into the family of God.
“Adoption is the highest privilege of the gospel,” Packer wrote in his 1973 classic KNOWING GOD. “The traitor is forgiven, brought in for supper, and given the family name. To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater.”
In the first few sentences of [1 John 3:1] we read “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” As I said it is so much more than simply being a “member of a church” but from the biblical worldview and the true perspective is; we are not just people that belong to a local church of organized religion, but we are all body parts and members of the Body of Christ. And we are related eternally by the precious bloodshed of our savior Jesus.
Whether we are eyes, ears, nose, hands, fingers, feet or toes; in regards to the analogy of body parts Paul used to describe of the body of Christ: we all have distinctly unique purposes and functions. Yet as we are all members of the same Body we belong to one another and must function as such. We have been designed from before the beginning of time based on our personalities, our talents, our spiritual gift’s, and our life experiences amongst other things that embody the very essence of who we are as individuals; to fulfill divinely orchestrated assignments on a daily basis mapped out specifically just for us. (*Name people you see and explain that they can reach and minister to people that you can’t and vice versa.) We can reference this very truth based off what is revealed to us within the verse…
[Ephesians 2:10]
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
The Word of God [2 Corinthians 5:17-19] tells us that we have all been given to the ministry of reconciliation as God makes His appeal to people through us. We are called to be co-laborers with God to help share the message of the gospel and extend the reality of God’s desire to have people reconciled back into right relationship with Him through the acceptance of the life and crucifixion of Jesus. We are ambassadors of Christ and are called to let our light shine forth before man in our daily lives through not only our words but, even more so the deeds of our lifestyle.
It also may look different and unique for each and every one of us as well. And that’s a beautiful thing. In all actuality not to be too harsh but, God doesn’t NEED any one of us per say; to do this and to accomplish His will…He can do it all without us. But, by His design we are here on earth as the very hands and feet of Jesus and we GET to share in the honor and invitation of advancing the Kingdom of God and sharing Christ with those we encounter everyday.
Our Father loves a heart full of sincerity. He eagerly awaits and rewards those of us who earnestly seek Him. He wants to be involved in our lives. He wants us to observe the example of the life Jesus lived within the pages of the scripture and to emulate Him albeit not apart from Him but, under the direction, guidance, insight, and wisdom given to each of us as believers by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Now if you allow me to jump back on my baseball kick for a brief moment I wanted to share with you all a short story of what happened on September 14,1990. A childhood favorite player of mine Ken Griffey Jr. and his father did something that has yet to ever again be done in the history of Major League Baseball.
They both played for the Seattle Mariners at the same time which in and of itself is very odd and interesting given the age difference that usually exists between a father and a child. Allow me to set the scene if I may…the opposing team is at the time, named the California Angels.
So Ken Griffey Sr. comes to the plate with two men on the bases. The pitcher winds up and sends his pitch and he hit a two run home run. His son was the very next player at bat…and wouldn’t you know it he did the very same thing! The ONLY father/son duo to ever hit back to back home runs in the history of Major League Baseball. What a special moment in time not only for their relationship as a Father and son but, also for sports fans and baseball lovers everywhere.
This is a historical feat and a special moment in baseball that will probably never ever happen again. His father laid an example of hard work and discipline I’m sure as he taught him how to play the game. He also laid out a beautiful example of how to swing for the fences on that historical day.
Each day we have moments for those special plays. Those back to back home runs if you will. The special collaborative effort between our Father and us as His children. Whether it be helping to meet someone’s physical or financial needs, praying for someone, telling someone about the love of God and even showing that love through the very actions we live out.
Our Father wants us to play in the game of life. He welcomes it. There is a term coined by John Wimber one of the founding leaders in the Vineyard Church movement called “Doin the stuff” meaning doing the things that not only Jesus did, but also living out the very things He taught. There’s an open invitation for us as believers and disciples of Jesus to learn from His life’s example and under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit that in essence everyone gets an opportunity to play in this game called life.
We’re not just “on the team” to sit on the bench and cheer on our brothers & sisters from the sidelines but, we get an at bat! We get the signal from the third base coach or God our Father in this analogy to swing away at any pitch!
We get an at bat every time we open our eyes each morning and climb out of bed. His mercies are new every morning and the opportunities to live out the gospel are endless! What an honor it is to be called to this “great adventure” and to this wonderful baseball game called life and play the game with our Father.
To have the precious moments and interactions with people throughout each day…to join in with God. To be a part of the big ball game. The bigger picture. The feature film that is unfolding before our very eyes. Sometimes we may swing the bat and miss the ball and get a strike, but there’s never a strike three for us. Where we may feel that we strike out based on our daily shortcomings, the Father is faithful to forgive us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness when we ask Him to and He loves us and welcomes us with open arms to try and try again.
When we fall short, He’s there to pick us right back up and say here you go…here’s another opportunity, another at bat. We essentially have the freedom to swing for the fences! There is one parable amongst many many others that Jesus shared as an allegory in a sense that exhibits profound spiritual truths…and that is the Parable of the Lost Son…
Luke 15:11-32 Parable of The Lost Son
2 sons. 1 wants his inheritance and sets out to a distant land and a life of sin and wild living. Squanders all that was given to him. Worked with pigs and was at rock bottom and wanted to eat from their pods. Decided he would return home and seek his Fathers forgiveness. He humbly identified himself as a sinner and didn’t even consider his sonship anymore. His father saw him far off and operated out of compassion. Threw his arms around him and kissed him showing the action of sincere love. Had his workers get the best robe, a ring, asked his workers to get sandals for his feet and celebrated his return with a feast. These things were meant to show a sense of honor to the son and stand firm as an expression of love. Music and dancing was heard by the other brother who was out working in the field and he was told about the safe and sound return of his brother. His hearts condition and response was exposed by his anger and response to the treatment his brother received was exhibited in his resentment. He viewed it as unfair in comparison to his faithfulness with working the land. But, the father explained his brother was dead but is now alive again and this was worth celebrating. The fathers response clearly mirrors and illustrates Gods love towards us and His response when one sinner repents and sincerely asks for forgiveness.
I actually lived a similar experience to the parable of the lost son. I believe I had just recently graduated high school and I was making poor life decisions. As one does in our teenage years. My Mother and Father had got to a point where I believe they felt the tough love they were giving me was no longer working. I was told that if I wasn’t going to abide by the rules of the household that I needed to move on and find another place to live. I can only imagine how heartbreaking that must have been for them to decide to do.
I’ve never questioned my parents love for me. Ever. Even during the darkest of times of disobedience throughout my adolescent years, I still knew they loved me in my heart of hearts. But, they had to make an executive decision for my own good. I mean what do you do when you have a rambunctious rebellious teenager that just doesn’t seem to get it and just wants to live on the wild side with no sense of responsibility?
I had a very close friend one block over in the neighborhood that I used to make music with and I had a pretty good relationship with his mother. As his house became the neighborhood house where we would all gather to hang out, chill, party, make bad decisions whilst trying not to get caught. Anyhow, I shared with him what had happened and he simply asked his Mom if I could stay until I got back on my feet. She agreed. I didn’t have much with me. A few outfits, a few prized possessions that your average 18 year old would have with them. I moved into the computer room which also doubled as our music studio. I slept on the floor and I was content.
Within I’ll say maybe 3-5 days later my presence began to drive a wedge between my friend and his family. (Particularly him and his mother. I remember hearing them argue about having me stay there and I was definitely under the impression I had over stayed my welcome. I remember him passionately defending me and pleading his case on my behalf. “You want him to leave, then you tell him!” He yelled this from the bottom of the steps at the other end of the hallway from the computer room that had now become my temporary bedroom.) I knew the only choice I had was to return to my actual home.
So I began to gather up my belongings and said my goodbyes to my friend and let him know I’d be in touch and probably be back to chill and work on some music later in the week. But, in all honesty I had no idea how I would be received upon my return to my parents house. It must have been close to or a little passed midnight as I walked down the block with only the streetlights shining and giving me visibility as I walked back home.
What was I gonna say? How could I get back into my Mom & Dad’s good graces? I came to the house under the guise of saying I needed to shave. When I really needed to express to them that I was wrong and needed their forgiveness. But, yes my hygiene is what I decided I would use as my excuse for my return.
I knocked on the door and every light in the house was out and I mean every light. It was pitch black. I must have knocked close to 7 times at least. And then after the 7th knock the hallway light came on and slowly but surely my Father appeared at the top of the steps. I knew I had awakened him from his sleep obviously because of the time, but even more painstakingly obvious because he was shirtless and just wearing a pair of his tighty whitey underwear.
Anyway, he made his way down the steps and I began to take a couple of breaths to prepare myself to muster up enough courage to ask if I could be welcomed home.
My Dad opened the door, with his eyes half way opened, but also with a Glock behind his back because at that time in his life he was actually a Sheriff’s Deputy and he heard some loud banging on his door in the middle of the night, I guess he was prepared to protect his home and wasn’t playing any games. As he slowly opened his eyelids from a squint as the light shined brightly, he slowly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was just me and simply said “Yeah?”
I just told him…”Hey, um Dad I just need to shave real quick if you don’t mind.” I guess he saw it my eyes. Maybe it was a Father’s intuition, but he just looked at me and shook his head, not out of pity, but he followed it with a welcoming…”Come on, get in here.” He extended compassion and forgiveness towards me and gave me a warm bear hug and welcomed me back home.
I experienced God’s love for me at my friends home down the block when I was being disobedient to my own family. I was welcomed in. I experienced mercy, grace, forgiveness, and again the love of our Heavenly Father when my Dad allowed me to come back in EVEN without asking for forgiveness or saying that I was sorry.
Now don’t get me wrong…I did that within the first few minutes of me being back in the house. But, initially when I was on the doorstep…I tried to simply say I needed to shave.
A few months passed and I hadn’t been to church for quite sometime. Potentially somewhere around the one year mark. When I returned to my old church where I had served as lector (one who reads passages from the Scripture during service) and was on the TYM(Total Youth Ministry Team) I was in a broken space spiritually.
I knew that I wanted to be around God’s people and also in the house of the Lord. That is what was familiar to me, it was a place where as church was a physical representation of belonging in the family of God. It was all that I had known previously.
A place of love, a beacon of hope, a place of fellowship, God’s house, with Gods people. When I sat in the church that evening two older ladies in the pew behind me were blatantly gossiping about me and verbally tearing me down in a loud, audible, mean spirited conversation.
As I mentioned my heart was in a tender place and I was broken, hungry and thirsty for God and His peace, His presence, and His acceptance. I remember talking to God as I sat in the church fighting back tears and feelings of rejection and heart break by simply saying “God these are supposed to be your people.”
When the service was over I felt even further away from God then when I first came and my spirit was crushed and my heart was broken by the audacity and insensitivity of the two elderly women behind me.
Lucky for me the Word of God says in [Psalms 34:18] “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
As I left the church and headed toward the exit as I made my way through the lobby my eyes fell upon a familiar face. It was Margie Rogers. She happened to be one of my former youth group leaders from when I was attending church regularly there throughout my high school years.
She smiled and headed my direction. I couldn’t help but think “great, here comes some more judgement and ridicule from someone from my past” But, the reality of that interaction couldn’t be anything further from the truth.
She took the time to reach out to me and speak to me in a sincerely loving way accompanied with kindness and compassion. She asked me what I had been up to over the past year or so as I was then 19 and already a high school graduate.
I didn’t know at the time, but I believe this was a manifestation of the Holy Spirit within her as an extension of God’s love to me. The Father used one of His beloved daughters as an instrument of mercy to offer encouragement, concern, and just true honest to God authentic love of Christ.
This gave me hope. She gave me a hug and said it was nice to see me again. And that moment in time meant the world to me.
The next day I had reached out to my friends mother, the very woman who had opened her home to me when I was kicked out my house a year or so before. She had asked me a handful of times if I wanted to attend church with her and her husband all I had to do was ask.
So I did just that. She was excited about my desire to accompany them. Little did I know the very day after I had experienced judgement and rejection from two other believers the night before…the next morning my name would be written in the Book of Life.
It felt like the sermon that morning was like specifically written, crafted, and shaped precisely to minister to my spirit directly where I was at.
God knew what condition I was in. He saw the pain, the hurt, the desperation for acceptance and the need for love that was deeply rooted in my heart.
The Holy Spirit has a beautiful way of meeting us right where we are at. The words the Pastor spoke that morning were like the precision shooting of a sniper to his in unexpecting target.
Without any margin of error everything he said in his message was hitting me like a ton of bricks. After the message was preached there was an altar call. I felt my body trembling, my thoughts were racing, as the plan of salvation was explained and the offer of accepting Jesus as my personal Lord & Savior was articulated without fault…I knew that I had to go down to the pulpit and sincerely seek Gods forgiveness and accept Jesus into my heart.
I didn’t know it then, but as the years have gone on in my life and I reflect back on that 27th day of January in 2002,I realize that it was the Holy Spirit that was convicting me of my sin. He was revealing in a loving, not forceful way that Gods love and mercy was present to lead me to sincere repentance.
I read a statement a week or so ago in a daily devotional I was going through that was loosely based on scripture but, not verbatim that The Father says, “Before you were ever a thought, I knew every detail of your design. From the number of hairs on your head to the number of days in your life, I have made you for My pleasure and delight. More numerous than the sands on the shore, are My thoughts of love towards you. You are My beloved child, and I’m proud to call you Mine.”
Some of the things I shared today were to encourage your soul. To hopefully build you up in our faith, potentially equip you for the mission that God has specifically designed and ordained you to live out in your life’s journey. It’s my hope that your heart, mind, soul, and spirit have all been enlightened today of the love that our Heavenly Father has for you. It’s my hope that from this day forward the Holy Spirit will remind you daily just how much God deeply loves you and everything about you. I would also like to leave you with these encouraging word’s that Jesus spoke in…
John 14:23 “Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”
Furthermore I wanted to leave you with two more final thoughts. And the first is word that our beloved sister Linda, who shared a word with us this morning, actually received earlier this year on Father’s Day ironically enough…and that is…
“I am your Father. Lay your burdens at my feet. When others fail you, know that I will never fail you or forsake you. Come to me. I will meet your every need. Don’t look to others. Look to me. I will satisfy you with every good thing. Desire me above all. I love you with an everlasting love.”
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Stopped walking with God. Sat down on a bench and Jesus sat down with me and would continue walking with me on my journey.
We have an inheritance and we are co-heirs with Christ.
John 16:26-27 “In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”
James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Romans 5:5 “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
1 John 4:8 “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
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A transparent look into the heart of J. 