The Word Father

I. Understanding the Word:
A. The word father is used in various ways throughout the Bible.
1. First, it refers to our earthly fathers, our fathers in the flesh, or our dads.
2. For example, the first time that the word appears in Scripture is in Genesis 2:24:
Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24)
3. Just like I’m the father of a child, Noah was the father of three (Genesis 6:18-19).
4. We are to honor our fathers so that it may be well with us and so that we can enjoy long life upon the earth (Deuteronomy 5:16; Ephesians 6:1-3)
B. Second, sometimes the word father is used in reference to God the Father.
1. The psalmist identifies God as “a father to the fatherless” Psalm 68:5
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. (Psalms 68:5)
2. Jesus teaches us:
In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (Matthew 6:9)
3. In fact, on the Sermon on the Mount (Mathew 5-7), Jesus refers to /god as our heavenly Father at least 17 different times.
4. Paul writes about the:
one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:6)
5. And what kind of Father is He?
6. Gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.
As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. (Psalms 103:13)
C. Third, the word father is used in reference to the devil.
1. When the Jews say, “The only Father we have is God Himself” (John 8:42), Jesus declares:
Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. (John 8:42-44)
2. When a person lives like the devil, he becomes a child of Satan.
D. Fourth, father is used in reference to our ancestors, or our family that went before us.
1. On one occasion God says to Jacob,
Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you." (Genesis 31:3)
2. Stephen preaches to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem,
And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, (Acts 7:2)
E. Fifth, the word is used in reference to religious or spiritual leaders, people of influence.
1. Paul used it in appositive way when he said:
I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore, I urge you, imitate me. (1 Corinthians 4:14-16)
2. Jesus used it in a negative way when He says:
Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. (Matthew 23:9)

II. Reading the Word:
A. Since the term father appears hundreds of times in the Scripture, it is difficult to limit our study to a few passages.
1. But let’s look at the book of Ephesians.
2. The word appears in every chapter of the book.
B. Here are some thigs that we learn from Ephesians about the heavenly father:
1. First, He is called “our Father” because we are His children (1:2)
2. We become His children by faith when we are baptized (Galatians 3:26-27).
3. Second, He is the source of all blessings.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (Ephesians 1:3)
4. As James says:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17)
5. Third, we have access to the Father:
For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. (Ephesians 2:18)
6. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, God is approachable.
7. I can bow my knees and approach Him in prayer.
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (Ephesians 3:14)
8. Fourth, He is the Father of all humanity
one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:6)
9. “Red, yellow, black, and white, they are precious in His sight.”
10. Fifth, He deserves our praise and thanksgiving.
giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (Ephesians 5:20)
11. Because of our Father’s goodness, He deserves our very best.
C. Here are some thing we learn from Ephesians about our earthly fathers:
1. First, they are to guide and teach us.
And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)
a. This has always been God’s plan for the home (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
2. Second, our fathers are to be respected, honored, and obeyed.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER," which is the first commandment with promise: (Ephesians 6:1-2)
a. Again, this has always been the will of God (Deuteronomy 5:16).

III. Preaching the Word:
A. Illustration:
1. There are many people who have not lost their father or father-in-law.
2. We all know that our father’s and father-in-law’s want to be like Jesus here on earth, and wanted to live with Jesus in Heaven, but we all are far from perfect.
3. We miss those male role models who have gone on before and will miss those yet to depart when the time comes for them to go.
4. If you haven’t lost your father or father-in-law, do yourself a favor, don’t let a day pass without telling him how much you love and appreciate him.
5. Take it from someone who has been there, one day it will be to late to say, “Daddy, I love you”.
B. Idea:
1. For something to do in a training class, ask “would all fathers raise their hands”.
2. Then ask this question “Do you want your children to go to heaven?”
3. You already know the obvious answer, Yes.
4. Without a doubt, every dad present deeply desires eternal salvation for his children.
5. If we want that for our, don’t you know that our heavenly Father wants the same for His children?
6. If we want our children to be eternally blessed, don’t you now that the heavenly Father desires the same?
C. Illustration:
1. A teacher was teaching a Bible class and asked this question: if you were to die, what would happen to you eternally?
2. Forty of eighty-five students in this Bible class about forty seven percent, gave the answer, “I don’t know.”
3. We often live with doubts, fears, an uncertainty.
4. But if we could get a glimpse of God our Father and the love that He has for us, we could live with confidence, praise, and assurance.
5. John writes in 1 John 3:1:
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. (1 John 3:1)
6. No wonder John could say in 1 John 5:13:
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13)
7. If we know 1 John 3:1, then we can declare 1 John 5:13.
D. Quote:
1. “God is our Father, Jesus is our brother, and the blessed Holy Spirit is our guide.
2. The devil is of no relationship, for we are new creations.
3. We’re members of the family of God.”
4. Jesus put it these words in words in Matthew 12:50:
For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:50)

IV. Spitting Image John 8:25-29
A. Sometimes you can just look at people and know that they are related in some way.
1. We use the phrase “spitting image” when referring t sons and daughters who look or act so much like their parents.
2. As those children grow up, chances are you’ll see even more mannerisms that will remind you of certain things their parents do—a walk, a facial expression, a laugh, or a phrase.
3. As you consider John 8:25-29, pay close attention to what Jesus says about the relationship between Him (the Son) and the Father.
B. So they said to Him, “Who are You?”
1. Jesus said to them, Just what I have been telling you for the beginning.
2. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but He who sent Me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him.
3. They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
4. Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
5. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." (John 8:27-29)
C. Until I began looking at the many instances of the Father in the New Testament, I don’t recall or ever noticing just how often Jesus talked about His relationship with the Father.
1. The Son and the Father are one, united in their message, call, love, mission, purpose, and mind.
2. Sometimes we like to think about the differences in the roles that the members of the Godhead play (and there’s nothing wrong with that) but make no mistake: if we will see the Father, we will see the Son and we will see the Spirit.
3. Ask God to fashion you in the image of His Son, who is really in the very image of the Father.

V. The Longing, Looking, Compassionate, Running, Loving Father Luke 15:11-3
A. Nothing I say in this devotional will come close to touching some of my favorite words in the word of God.
"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry. (Luke 15:20-24)
B. The son has been rehearsing his speech the entire way home, but it does not matter.
1. Because the father has seemingly rehearsed this scene in his mind, also.
2. Before the son can ring the doorbell or even speak, the father recognizes his silhouette far off in the distance.
3. He is deeply moved and moving quickly, now in a sprint towards his long-lost child.
4. He hugs him and kisses him.
5. The son confesses his foolishness, but the father is already focused more on the present, than on the past.
6. This calls for a celebration: and this, my friends, is our Father.
7. Remind yourself of your Father’s great love for you and of His quick willingness to forgive your foolishness and thank Him.

VI. Knowing the Father. Romans 3:21-16
A. Most of you know that I grew up in an orphanage, Boles Home in Quinlan, Texas.
1. It was the early loss of my father that resulted in my growing up there.
2. Although I didn’t know my father, it was a blessing growing up under the direction of faithful men and women who put God first in their lives and taught me to put Him first in my life.
3. I grew up in the church and His Word is something we tried to live by.
4. But when did I really know Him?
B. Look at John 14:9.
Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? (John 14:9)
1. When I read this, I felt like Jesus was talking to me, personally!
2. I suppose that He was in a way, and in a way He wasn’t.
3. Look at the context of this statement in John 14, even more than verses 8-11 look on both sides.
Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. (John 14:8-11)
C. How is it that an apostle could miss the fact that Jesus Himself is the very image of the Father?
1. I suppose it could be similar to someone who has been with Jesus but doesn’t really know Him.
2. We know that the Pharisees were with Him and did not know Him.
D. We can have all of the head knowledge and have 14 degrees, but it doesn’t matter how many years we’ve “been around” Jesus.
1. We must know Him.
2. We need to evaluate our spiritual being.
3. Right now, am I simply around Jesus or am I getting to know Jesus?

VII. Two Fathers John 8:39-47
A. J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, we are told of a creature named Gollum, a tortured soul with two voices in his head that are constantly at war.
1. One voice is a king truth-teller and encourages him to do the right thing.
2. While the other voice, is one of a liar, a thief, and a murderer – one that has fallen in love with a ring of power (just go along with it) driven by a lust for greed, power, and an obsession with the “the precious”.
B. In this life, we have an important decision to make:
1. Who’s voice will we listen to?
2. God the Father, is the Voice of Truth (John 17:17; Proverbs 30:5)
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. (John 17:17)
Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. (Proverbs 30:5)
3. All the while Jesus tells us that the voice of the Devil is one that belongs to a liar, a thief and a murderer (John 8:44)
4. Sometimes we identify with Smeagol (Gollum) in the war that we are waging in this life against the flesh (Romans 7:15-25).
5. But we must not get distracted by the things of this life that are precious to us.
6. Instead we must “fix our eyes on Jesus” and “press on” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
7. Just as Christ demonstrated in the wilderness, when Satan tells u lies, we must stand firm, identify his lies for what they are, and allow the Voice of Truth to speak loudly over the voice of the liar.
8. Today, I will try to identify a lie that Satan has gotten me to believe and confront it with the Voice of Truth.
9. In other words, take away Satan’s power by following Jesus lead: Find a Scripture where God speaks truth over his lie.

VIII. What You Need Matthew 7:7-11
A. What we really needed was for God not answer that prayer that way.
1. What w really needed was a wake-up call.
2. What we really needed was discipline.
3. What we really needed was not to get that job.
4. What we really needed was not to make that extra money.
5. What we really needed was to end that relationship.
6. What we really needed was to be alone
7.What we really needed was to suffer.
8. What we really needed was that persecution.
9. What we really needed was to get hurt.
10. What we really needed was to slow down.
11. What we really needed was to lose.
12. What we really needed was to be humbled.
13. What we really needed was the truth.
14.What we really needed was someone to get in our way.
15. What we really needed was to not be left alone.
16. What we really needed was that tough lesson on money.
B. Aren’t we tankful that we serve a Father who gives us not what we really want but what we really need?
1. Have the guts to ask God to give me what I need instead of what I want!
2. That is a tough one, will you do it?

By Gary Murphy

Return to the Word Study Index Page

Home / Bible studies / Bible Survey / Special Studies / General Articles / Non-Bible Articles / Sermons / Sermon Outlines / Links / Questions and Answers / What Saith The Scriptures /Daily Devotional / Correspondence Courses / What is the Church of Christ / Book: Christian Growth / Website Policy / E-mail / About Me /