 "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. And I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18 NIV)
God has always been Father, but does that mean we have always been his children? Many years ago, I was single. Then I got married and became a husband. A few years later we were blessed with our eldest daughter and I became a father. Sometimes that's the logic we apply to who God is. We are born again, we become a child of God and we automatically assume that is the point in time he became a Father. Well, look at it this way. A couple of years after our eldest daughter was born we had a second daughter. I was already a father at that point in time so I did not become a father, I already was one. Our family was simply getting bigger and my fatherhood growing. So can we apply this picture to our heavenly Father? Maybe. God has always been the Father of Jesus and so the more the children he had the more his family would grow, the more his fatherhood would extend. But even this is not a complete picture. We read in Ephesians 1:4-5 that we were chosen to be sons and daughters before the foundation of the world. Jeremiah was known before he was in his mother's womb (Jer 1:5). David writes in Psalm 139 that we were known intimately by God before our birth and that he was our Creator. God's fathering of us goes way beyond our human understanding. Many of us have had painful experiences with our earthly parents, none of us have had perfect parents and that view can colour how we see our Heavenly Father. He is way and beyond anything we have experienced and however difficult that has been he is the Perfect Father. He has always been our Father. The trouble is, we wandered off in our own independence and thought we could manage life without him. He has pursued us and done everything to bring us back home. Through Jesus, he has made it possible to come back into relationship with him. A couple of weeks ago we saw how God is Father. Put very simply he has lost his children and he wants them to be found and to come home. Paul describes it like this: "God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ Therefore since we are God’s offspring....." (Acts 17:27-19 NIV). We are his offspring because he has always been our Father. We are invited to become children, sons and daughters, as we come home to him and that way is through Jesus and Jesus alone.  “I myself said, “‘How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me.” (Jeremiah 3:19 NIV)
This is the prophetic cry that has been on God’s heart ever since Adam and his wife chose to walk in their independent and orphan-hearted ways in the garden. In fact, I believe this is the cry that has always been on his heart, even since before the beginning of time. God longs, he waits, he yearns, he desires to be called ‘Father’ for one very simple reason. That’s who he is. He does a lot of other things: he heals, he provides, he cares, he protects and so much more. There are 365 names for God in the Old Testament, the majority of which describe his nature or personality together with the things he does. But one name describes who he is - ‘Father’. As we saw last week, he has always been Father and he longs to be a Father to YOU. Generally, a father will only give his inheritance to his children, he will not give it to servants or slaves. Our Father has a wonderful inheritance for us. It is the best inheritance of any nation but it is only given to sons and daughters. There is so much more to being a Christian than purely being saved, as wonderful as that is. There is more. As we know God as Father, I believe he opens the door for us to step into our inheritance in a much greater way. (I have written more about this in my recent booklet “Father’s Comfort” which is freely available from the Articles page on the website). He is Father, he always has been Father and he is waiting for you to call him “my Father”.  After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them.(Luke 2:46-49 NIV)
As we read the gospel stories we follow the story of a Son and his Father. Does this story start with a baby being born in a borrowed stable and end with death on a Roman cross? For many that is their understanding. But this story started even before the clock started ticking in Genesis chapter one. This story runs from all of eternity before Genesis and it will run right through all of eternity after Revelation. It is a relationship which is set outside of time. John understood this when he starts his gospel account with the words “In the beginning”. He is not referring to the creation story in Genesis, but is looking back into eternity before the clock started ticking. He sees a relationship and he describes that for us throughout his gospel. He describes a relationship which is one of perfect love. As we read the gospels we are let into this story, we are invited to see what this relationship looks like. We are given a glimpse of how Father and Son relate to each other and how they relate to other people. This relationship is like no other. It is certainly not like the relationship the Pharisees and Leaders had with either God or the people. This was a new type of relationship, it was family. In fact, this sort of relationship has always been in God’s heart. He wanted a family. He longs for sons and daughters who will be just like Jesus. The relationship we see is not just for us to view as spectators, it is one we are invited into. Just as God is Father to Jesus so he wants to a Father to us. That's who he's been and who he will always be. Jesus was single-minded in his desire to live in the Father’s presence and be found doing his will. What about us? My prayer is that we, too, would long to be in Father’s presence and doing his work, not as servants but as sons and daughters. God has always been Father, and he longs to be a Father to YOU.  I'd like to introduce you to my new book "It Changes Everything".
As I travel, I hear more and more people talking about 'the Father's love' or 'the Fatherheart of God' - but what do these expressions really mean? In this book, I define some of these popular expressions within the context of the Sonship of Jesus and then look at how our lives change as we begin to allow God to be a Father to us. As you read you will discover the truth of who you are and how his love will make all the difference. It's available on Amazon (in either paperback or Kindle), click here to purchase your copy.  But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:21-26 ESV)
Sometimes (maybe very often) it seems that life is not going the way we had planned. It seems as if everything is going wrong or has become a challenge. We wonder where God is and after a while we can begin to lose hope. The longer this continues the more our hopelessness turns into desperation. A bleak place to be. Jeremiah was experiencing something similar but at his low point he remembers that the unfailing love of the Father never ends or runs out. It is that memory, at the critical point, which begins to restore his hope. He remembers that the love of God brings new mercies each and every day, that God is a faithful Father. As his hope is rekindled he is once again able to put his trust in God and begin to wait for his salvation to come. Note that his hope does not spur him into action or works but causes him to rest and wait. Too often, when our hope starts to come alive we throw ourselves back into activity. Jeremiah encourages us to wait, to seek him and once again to wait quietly for the Lord. When the joy of our heart has faded away let us seek renewal as we rest in his presence. If you're looking for a Christmas present for friends or family try my Amazon author page for copies of my books: It Changes Everything, A Father to You, Comfort (Booklet), The Depth of Love and Planted in Love. The next Weekly Signpost will be 6th January 2020 - have a great Christmas and New Year.   Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:6-7 NIV)
I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV) We are often encouraged to be filled with the Spirit (or to go on being filled). We read about the gifts of the Spirit and long to see them operating in the church. It's something we need to see much more! However, the first mention of the Holy Spirit by Paul echoes the words of Jesus. In John 14, Jesus tells us that he will not leave us as orphans but , through the Holy Spirit, he will come to us. The Holy Spirit is the one who takes away the emptiness of our orphan heart. In Galatians and Romans Paul reiterates this as he describes the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Sonship who enables us to cry "Abba, Father". As we are filled with the Spirit something inside of us is awakened to the Fathering of God. The wonderful thing is, it's his Spirit in us that enables us to respond to the Father. Yes, we desperately need the gifts of the Spirit, both individually and corporately. But more than that we need the eyes of our heart to be opened in order that we can begin to see who God really is. As we see him so we begin to see who we really are. When the outpouring of the Holy Spirit began, in Toronto, in 1994 the church there called it the "Father's blessing". They could see the Holy Spirit was revealing that God was not only a Father but he wanted to be a Father to them. Two little words will change your life: God wants to be a Father to YOU. I am pleased to announce the launch of my new book, "It Changes Everything". This book explores the revelation of the Father's love and how, when we live in love, we can truly begin to walk as Jesus walked. I trust it will be a provocation to you to begin a lifelong journey of going deeper into the Father's love. As you do, you will discover that His love really does change everything. The book is available on Amazon and also available in Kindle format.   Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NIV)
I myself said, “‘How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me." (Jeremiah 3:19 NIV) As Christians, we are given the right to become children of God. I'd like to take a moment to consider what that really means. Being given a right to do something and taking up that right are two different things. It involves a choice. For example, my flight ticket might give me the right to go into the airport lounge. Once I have gone through security, I have a choice: will I take up that right or not? I can sit in the comfort of the lounge or I can stay in the general departures area. Once we have put our trust in Jesus our sins are forgiven and our eternal inheritance is guaranteed. It's possible to have received the free gift of salvation but then continue to live as a slave or an orphan. What I am questioning is our perception of ourselves. So far as the Father is concerned we are his children, but do we know it? Do we believe it? Do we live it? Jeremiah puts it very clearly "I thought you would call me Father". It's a choice and a heart response on our part. As we come to him, and call him 'Father', we discover that he opens the windows of Heaven and fulfils the longing on his heart - 'how gladly would I treat you like my children and give you the best inheritance'. Of course, God blesses all his people but it seems there is a greater fulfilment of that when we know in our heart of hearts that we are his children. I am pleased to announce the launch of my new book, "It Changes Everything". This book explores the revelation of the Father's love and how, when we live in love, we can truly begin to walk as Jesus walked. I trust it will be a provocation to you to begin a lifelong journey of going deeper into the Father's love. As you do, you will discover that His love really does change everything. The book is available on Amazon and also available in Kindle format.   I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:23 NIV)
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. (Romans 5:5 NIV) On Jesus' last evening before he was led away to the cross, he knew exactly what he was going to face over the coming hours. He knew the pain and the agony, he knew the betrayal and he knew that he would come through it after the resurrection. Humanly speaking, this was not something to look forward to. During this evening he shares a meal with his disciples and, we read through John's gospel account, that his focus was on them and their wellbeing rather than on the troubles he was facing. He wants them to know that his Father is with them and that they are loved in exactly the same way as he is loved. Irrespective of what is happening, they are loved with an eternal and everlasting love. The Father is pouring his love into their hearts, just as he pours it into Jesus' heart. Throughout this evening he reassures his friends that they are unconditionally and completely loved. It is that same love which is poured into our hearts. We, too, are loved by the Father in exactly the same way and with the same intensity of love as Jesus. I encourage you to take a few moments to receive this love. As you go through today simply ask the Father to pour his love into your heart. I am pleased to announce the launch of my new book, "It Changes Everything". This book explores the revelation of the Father's love and how, when we live in love, we can truly begin to walk as Jesus walked. I trust it will be a provocation to you to begin a lifelong journey of going deeper into the Father's love. As you do, you will discover that His love really does change everything. The book is available on Amazon and also available in Kindle format.   The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, ‘Destroy them!’ (Deuteronomy 33:27 NIV)
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. (John 10:29 NIV) Last week I touched on the way the Father longs to carry us. Yes, of course he will take our burdens from us but he longs to do so much more. He wants to carry us in the way a father carries his son and he promises to carry us all the way. We never get too heavy for him. At the end of Moses' life he once again reminds the people that they are being carried by their Father. We are constantly surrounded by his everlasting arms. He is a strong powerful God but he carries us tenderly and gently. Life is often tough and we realise we can't manage on our own. We feel attacked from all sides, we feel under pressure but we constantly have the assurance that he is faithful and is carrying us through the turbulence of life's ups and downs. Sometimes, to know that place of peace and rest we have to let go. Our own determination and struggle can hinder us from finding our place of safety in his arms. We can depend on him. He will carry us and we are safe with him. I am pleased to announce the launch of my new book, "It Changes Everything". This book explores the revelation of the Father's love and how, when we live in love, we can truly begin to walk as Jesus walked. I trust it will be a provocation to you to begin a lifelong journey of going deeper into the Father's love. As you do, you will discover that His love really does change everything. The book is available on Amazon and also available in Kindle format.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to receive the full rights of sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. (Ephesians 1: 4-5 NIV)
The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place. (Deuteronomy 31: 30-31 NIV) It's easy to say that we are children of God. It's almost as easy as referring to children in a class at school. We see it functionally, rather than as a relationship. Here in Ephesians, Paul is bringing us back to the centrality of the gospel. Before the world was created the Father had a plan and that plan was to have a family. A family of sons and daughters who would be like his son, Jesus. A family that he would love in the same way as he loves Jesus. This has never stopped being his plan and he does everything to bring that plan into existence. He longs for relationship with us and this is far more important to him than our activity or busyness. As Christians we have been give the right to become children of God. Children to whom the Father relates intimately. It is his desire to be involved in every area and activity of our lives. Too often, when we hit a crisis, we want him to take our burdens from us and carry them. Yes, he will do that, but he longs to do much more. He wants to carry us as a father carries his son. His promise to us is that he will carry us all the way. He is totally reliable and will never let us down because he is a Father who cares deeply for his children. |
Weekly SignpostA Father to YOU is a signpost to the heart of the Perfect Father. When we became Christians we were given the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Sadly, many of us fail to take up that right and instead continue to live as slaves or orphans. But our true destiny is being sons and daughters who have a permanent place in the Father's family. This blog is an encouragement to help you know who God really is and who you really are. Archives
March 2020
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