I titled this sermon, Fathered by the Father of the Heavenly Lights.
And really, it's a sermon on who God is as a father, more than anything else.
And this isn't an exhaustible list.
I mean, we're gone for eternity talking about God's fatherhood.
But these are just a few particular things that I wanted to mention.
And even the Spirit was leading me to talk about.
So why this topic?
Why this topic, Christ Church?
Truthfully, honestly, I don't know.
It's really because I was praying a ton about what I should preach on.
And the topics of fathering and fatherhood and fatherlessness just kept coming to mind.
And so over and over again, just felt led to preach on it.
So to start, there's a recent discovery that there's no one on earth without a father.
Obviously, I'm being sarcastic because there is a father for everyone here on this earth, right?
Whether your father abandoned you when you were a child, whether you currently are with your father,
whether your father was a sperm donor or whatever, right?
There is a father for everyone here on this earth, right?
Even if you're raised in a lesbian household, a seed came from a man, right?
But everyone has an experience of fathering, right?
Whether that fathering is abandonment or loving or hatred or abuse or whatever,
everyone has an experience of being fathered, right?
Experiences of my own father.
I was born in South America, raised there, grew up Muslim.
My dad, Hindu.
My dad was a very abusive alcoholic, right?
Beat me, beat my siblings, right?
So that is my experience of fathering.
And then I came to the States when I was nine years old and then just wrestled with that,
wrestled with abandonment and loneliness and not having a father in my life,
but having my mom and my sisters to look to.
So really, this is also how the Lord has fathered me in different ways in which I've had to wrestle
with all of the crazy stuff that's happened in my life.
Lord, Lord, where are you?
Right?
So as we talk about God's fatherhood and fathering,
the world has a lot to say about fathers, right?
And we have our own preconceived notions of what our own father is,
how we are as a father, how we don't want to be as a father,
different stuff like that.
And in the media, the most consistent view of a father in a home
is the goofball comic relief.
You know what I'm talking about?
Like, that doesn't add much to the family, but a funny,
but a quick, funny joke.
Um, I love comedians.
I love comics, but I, it like makes me gag every time they do the dumb father joke.
Jim Gaffigan, like, like, I hate that so much.
But it is fun, though.
Um, and now we're in an age where we're moms.
Moms are now either leading the family in a role where the father is supposed to be in,
uh, or it's supposed to be this weird co-equal, uh, relational dynamic within a marriage.
Um, and then, uh, marriage now becomes nothing but a punchline, right?
Uh, where you don't like your current partner, just divorce and go find another one.
It's like my two-year-old who loves a bike one second and then loves another toy another second
and discards his bike, right?
Um, so the world has a lot to say, uh, about father, mothers, our marriage, right?
Um, but what does the Bible have to say?
And I don't want to focus on, on moms.
Moms are awesome.
Or marriage, but I primarily want to focus on, uh, the father, right?
Uh, and the purpose of my teaching this, uh, for this church, uh, is, uh, for us to consider
these truths, uh, so that we can use them as weapons against our flesh, against the world,
and against Satan, uh, and to be encouraged by who our father is truly.
So, uh, honestly, the, the first place that I want to start is what is a father, uh, and
how is God a father, right?
Um, let's put simply, a father is someone who, uh, begets children.
Um, what does beget mean?
Uh, it means a man, uh, bringing a child into existence by the process of reproduction,
right?
I'd say that again, a man bringing a child into existence by the process of reproduction,
right?
That's, that's how we get fathers.
What about God the father?
Reproduction?
Um, does God the father become a father at the incarnation of Jesus Christ?
Uh, the Bible would say no.
God is immutable, uh, meaning he doesn't change.
Uh, James 1 17 says, every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father
of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows, right?
So our father does not change.
And if at the incarnation, God, the father somehow became a father there, that would mean that
he is changing in some sort of way.
Uh, so, so how, if God doesn't change, when and how is Jesus begotten, uh, at the incarnation,
some, some weird, like, when does it happen?
How does Jesus become a father?
So there's, uh, there's two trails we can go down, uh, with this question.
Um, as, as God the father begetting Jesus, uh, the first trail that men have gone down,
uh, is Jesus was a created being, uh, by God the father.
Now that Jesus is not truly God, uh, or God has always been a father and Jesus is, uh,
God's eternally begotten son.
So, so I'll say that again.
The two trails are either Jesus is a created being created by God, the father, not truly
God, but created by God, the father, or he is God's eternally begotten son, right?
Meaning, uh, that within the triune God, right?
That God had their relationship from eternity past to eternity future.
Uh, there has never ceased, uh, or started this relationship between fatherhood and sonship
between God, the father and God, the son, right?
Uh, the, the early church actually dealt with this, uh, issue in Arianism.
If you guys have heard of that before.
Uh, it's a heresy that says Jesus is like God, right?
But not God created by God, but not God.
Uh, it's a, it is a, it is from this heresy that we get the Nicene Creed, uh, which Christians
fought in part.
It says we believe in one God, the father, the almighty maker of the heaven and the earth
and all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God eternally.
Begotten of the father, God from God, light from God, triune God from a true God.
Sorry.
True God from true God.
Begotten, not made of one being with the father through him.
All things were made.
That is through Jesus.
All things were made for us and for our salvation.
He came down from heaven, right?
So as it pertains to attributes, right?
Uh, the father, the son, and the Holy spirit are not different at all, right?
Attributes, uh, meaning love, kindness, tender.
Like there's no difference in attributes within the triune God, but there are differences in
roles, right?
Um, and the roles are very distinct.
Uh, we would not have marriage be the way it's supposed to be, uh, if there was not God,
the father, right?
We have fatherhood and fathers within marriages because God is a father.
We have subordinate roles like a wife because God, the son is subordinate to the father,
to children and so on.
Um, okay.
Thanks for that bit of history, Zamir.
Uh, some of that went over my head.
Uh, but how does that help us relate to God, the father and, and why?
I'm glad you asked church.
Um, it relates to us because of the father.
Of, of one of my favorite doctrine that is adoption, right?
I love adoption, uh, adoption, humanly speaking.
I think we all know what adoption is.
Uh, it is taking a child, whether it be a son or a daughter from a family that is not your
own and bringing them and claiming them as a son and daughter.
And they have all the rights of a son or a daughter, right?
Um, and this type of adoption, humanly speaking, is not different from what happens when we
are saved, when we are adopted into the, into the family of God.
So you can consider this with me as, uh, in, in Ephesians two, uh, verses one through five,
you can turn there if you'd like.
Um, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go through it, uh, almost verse by verse.
Um, so verse one and two, and you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you previously
walked according to the ways of the world, according to the ruler of the power of the
air, the spirit, uh, now working in the disobedient, right?
So, uh, notes here is that we were dead, right?
We were dead and slaves, uh, to sin, right?
There, there's a, there's a, um, a conversation that Jesus has with a Pharisee, uh, at one point
where, where he calls them sons of the devil.
And in this conversation, he says one thing to them.
He says, um, very truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin, right?
Uh, and in this, you were dead in the trespasses, uh, and sins.
We, we were slaves to sins, right?
Uh, and our master, what was an evil one, right?
Um, there, there's an analogy out there of, of, uh, what it, what it's like when we're saved,
right?
Uh, it, it goes like this.
Um, Jesus is standing in a boat and we're drowning in the ocean.
Help me.
Oh God.
And Jesus throws up, throws us a rope, uh, and we grab it and he pulls us in.
Uh, but that is not what this says.
We were dead in our trespasses and in our sins.
Meaning the analogy should be, we were stinky, rotten corpse at the bottom of the sea.
And God had to dive into that darkness of that abyss and breathe life into our dead bodies.
That is, that, that is how we walked, right?
Verse three.
Uh, we, we too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations
of our flesh and thoughts.
And we're by nature children under wrath as the others were also.
So we're children, uh, of, of wrath here, right?
Um, being fathered, uh, by wrath.
Um, and then to, to consider this, this child analogy a little further, right?
When Jesus is talking to the Pharisee, um, he, he talks about them, uh, being liars, right?
There's none amongst us here who is not a liar.
And our father, therefore, whenever we were not saved was Satan, right?
Fathered by wrath, fathered by Satan, right?
Uh, that is who we are.
That is who we were, right?
Um, want to go there.
It says, uh, why Jesus says to the Pharisees, why is my language not clear to you?
Because you're unable to hear what I say.
Um, you belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires.
He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth.
And there is no truth in him.
When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of liars, or
the father of lies, right?
This is the way in which we walk.
We walk in the way that Satan wanted us to walk in, right?
What, what an abusive and horrible father, uh, and slave master we were under.
Um, keep going.
But God, but God.
God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love he had for us, made us alive with Christ.
Even though we were dead in trespasses, right?
Diving into the bottom of that sea.
You are saved by grace.
You're saved by works.
You're saved by how much you go to church.
You're saved by how much you read your book.
No, you are saved by grace.
Undeserved.
And raises us up with him and seated with him in the heavenly places in Christ.
So that in the coming age, he might show the immeasurable riches of his kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.
But God saved us.
Right?
If we are lying dead corpses in the bottom of the sea, we would have had no inclination of our deadness.
Unless God saved us.
Right?
In election, in predestination, there is no way.
There's no way.
Lazarus.
Think of Lazarus.
There is no way that Lazarus gets up from being dead until Jesus says, Lazarus, wake up.
Or that child that is dead.
Or that servant.
Right?
The centurion's faith.
Right?
Jesus commanding.
Calling.
It's only by God that dead men can breathe again.
And into this is our great adoption.
Into the family of God.
Right?
Where it says,
So that in the coming ages, he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.
Because in our sonship, it is in Christ's sonship.
Right?
Christ is the firstborn among all creation.
When we are risen, we will be with Christ.
We will be raised again.
We will be sons.
And receive the benefits of sons.
Even though you're a daughter, you will receive the benefits of sons.
Eternal life.
Immeasurable riches.
Right?
Things that we cannot comprehend.
Given to us because of grace.
Not because of your works.
Not because of how early you are to church.
Not because of anything that we can do.
Right?
Because of grace.
So, it's all good and well, Zemir.
How does that flesh out for us?
Well, our old father, Satan, knows us really well.
He knows us really well.
It's crazy how well he knows us.
He knows our needs really well, especially.
But he is the father of lies.
The great deceiver.
And the one who led our first parents, Adam and Eve, into sin, thus plunging the world into darkness.
And so, when this great deceiver, this father of lies, your old slave master, whisper lies into your ears.
Do you listen?
Right?
When he mentions your salvation.
Hey, are you really saved?
Those people do it better than you.
Are you really saved?
Will God keep his promises?
Will he really keep you to the end?
When he says, you're not as good as such and such.
In your needs.
My car broke down again.
Tornators.
God.
My husband just lost his job.
Your desires.
Things you want.
Being singled.
Right?
Not being married.
Your kids aren't listening to you and it's driving you up the walls.
You're such a bad mother or father.
Your weight.
How you look.
How you feel.
Your wife not being a great helper.
Your appearance.
Your sonship.
Fill in the blank.
Do you believe the father of lies?
Because he knows you really well.
He knows the human condition.
Right?
Our response is no.
No.
I'm a son.
I'm a daughter.
I have the sonship and inheritance that will be given to me one day by the father of lies.
And there is nothing that can take that away from me.
Not even your lies.
Not even how you make me feel about myself.
Not even how much I might hurt.
How much pain I might have in my heart.
Right?
Um.
And then on the other hand of Satan, there's our flesh.
There's the old man that Paul talks about.
He talks about in such a way, I do the things that I do not want to do.
Um.
Yes.
We are born again.
We are new creations.
But our faith is not yet realized.
Right?
Meaning, we are not yet in our glorified bodies.
Our current bodies of death still desires the pleasures of our old father, the devil.
Right?
And I can even think of this in my own father.
Right?
Like, I had to wrestle with my dad drinking alcohol.
Uh.
Like, being an abusive alcohol drink.
Right?
An alcoholic.
Like, whenever I got married, I was like, oh, I don't want to drink alcohol again because
I'm going to overdo it and become like my father.
Or my dad would beat my mom and I'd get into arguments with my wife and say, I'm going to
beat my wife because I'm going to be like my dad.
Right?
There is that in us with our old father, Satan.
Where we think, I could just lie.
Lying would be so much easier.
I used to do it all the time.
I could watch porn.
I used to do it all the time.
It's a great release.
Right?
These are temptations from not only Satan, but our own flesh.
Because of who we were fathered by.
And these are things that we must fight and rage against because we're no longer under
the cruelty of Satan, but under God.
Um.
And then, on God, God, God, God's fatherhood, just, just a bit of a reprieve.
Just want to talk about providence really quickly.
Um.
Within God's, like, you've ever played dominion before?
I love dominion.
Um.
Whooped Michael three times in a row.
Uh.
There's estates.
And there's duchies.
And there's providences.
Uh.
Providences are, it's kind of a way, uh, it's almost language of royalty of, of what a king
kind of has dominion and sovereignty over.
Right?
This is my province.
Right?
When we talk about province in regards to God, we talk about it in such a way where it's
not an area, it's everything.
Right?
Uh.
Where it's like God's sovereignty, if we believe that God is omniscient, omnipotent, um, and I
forget the other one.
Omnipresent.
Uh.
Then, um, providence is such a glorious thing to think about because he's our father.
Right?
We're like, oh, God is the most powerful being.
God is everywhere.
He knows everything.
Right?
Um.
That this should be such a comfort to us.
That in God's providence and sovereignty, he can do anything and knows everything.
Right?
It's such a comfort to the heart.
Uh.
To know that we're not left without, that God even knows our hearts, our thoughts, everything
that's going on.
Right?
And if he's the author of life and death.
Right?
He is.
He's the author of life and death.
Then he has ordained all things.
Not only life.
Not only giving birth to kids.
But also death.
Right?
That he knows everything that's happening.
He's ordaining everything.
Um.
I thought that would be a good reprieve.
Um.
So, on to my next point.
Of good and goodness.
Um.
And the question of what is good.
And what does it mean to have goodness.
And who is good.
Uh.
Dictionary definition of good is.
Uh.
That which is morally right.
Uh.
Righteousness.
Uh.
Goodness is.
Uh.
The quality of being morally good or virtuous.
Um.
I think these definitions are okay.
Uh.
But there's so much fluidity.
In them.
And here's what I mean by that.
Uh.
One culture.
Uh.
It's okay to be your wife.
Right?
That's morally right in that culture.
Uh.
Or.
Uh.
With a king.
Who.
Who executes peasants for no reason.
Is that morally okay?
Well.
What about king?
Is it kings who set laws?
Yes.
Is that good?
No.
Right?
And so with these definitions.
There's so much.
Things you can add to it.
Because there's no absolute.
Right?
Who defines what is morally right?
Who defines what is virtuous?
Right?
Uh.
Because what's virtuous.
Uh.
In the bible.
Is different than what's virtuous in the Quran.
Right?
Um.
I had to break out the textbooks for a good definition.
Uh.
Grudem says.
The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good.
And that all that is.
Um.
And that all that God is and does is worthy of approval.
Seems like circular reasoning.
Doesn't it?
The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good.
Seems like it.
But it's not.
Uh.
And the phrase at the end.
I want to hit on for a little.
Worthy of approval.
Uh.
It's interesting to think.
Uh.
To.
It's interesting that he added it.
I think it's appropriate that he added it.
Uh.
Because of what I was saying before.
Who defines what is worthy of approval?
Who defines what is good?
Right?
And the only thing that we can say.
Uh.
To these things.
Is the final standard of good is God.
Um.
Another word.
Good.
Uh.
And goodness is God.
And God is good and goodness.
Or.
God is good.
All the time.
God is good.
Right?
It's a truth that never changes.
That never ends.
Because God is good.
He is.
It's his isn't it.
It's his ontological being.
Right?
That's who he is.
It's like the verse.
God is love.
God is good.
And I.
I bring up this truth.
Not only in providence.
But so that we would remember.
Who our father is.
He is good.
He is the moral excellence.
Right?
Uh.
Don't take my word for it.
Let's go to scriptures.
Right?
Luke 18.
Verses 18 through 19.
And a ruler.
And the rich young ruler.
And a ruler asked him.
Good teacher.
What must I do to inherit eternal life?
And Jesus says to him.
Why do you call me good?
No one is good except God alone.
Right?
No one is good except God alone.
Uh.
The best people you can think of in your life.
Consider Gandhi.
Like Mother Teresa.
Or George Mueller.
I love George Mueller.
Uh.
But apart from God.
There is no goodness found in them.
Apart from God.
No goodness.
Because Jesus says right there.
Only God is good.
There is nothing within man.
That can even try to muster up what is good.
Then Psalm 105.
For the Lord is good.
His steadfast love endures forever.
And his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 106.
One.
Praise the Lord.
O give thanks to the Lord.
For he is good.
And his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 107.
One.
O give thanks to the Lord.
For he is good.
And his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 34.
Eight.
O taste and see.
That the Lord is good.
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
There is no doubt.
That there is endless verses.
Filled with God's goodness.
Right?
Blessed is the man who takes refuge.
Or woman.
In God.
Because he is good.
Now.
Here is where the rubber meets the road.
When we can.
Think of all these things.
Theologically.
Have them in our hearts.
It is truth.
Right?
But what about when trials come.
And you can't see past your own nose?
Right?
Or what about when things are very good?
Like I am talking.
Fripped up.
Went up like crazy.
Good.
When we are doing really well.
The temptation is to say.
Look.
At what is within me.
And what I can do.
When I set my mind to.
Right?
Look at how strong I am.
Dad.
Look at these back flips.
Right?
But not really talking to our dad.
Where.
It is really pride within us.
Business is going really.
Really well.
Doing really good.
Making a lot of good money.
Man.
Can't believe I made all those good business decisions.
The temptation is to say.
It was.
It was me.
Parenting is going really well.
So good.
Such a good parent.
On me.
Grandparents.
All my kids are saved.
Temptation.
Take pride in yourself.
Look at how good I did as a parent.
20 years ago.
I am like consistently reading my Bible.
I am in prayer every day.
I am fasting like three or four times a week.
Right?
Than me.
I give so much.
So much money.
I just give it all away.
I don't even care.
Right?
These are great things.
I believe it.
These are great things.
But the temptation is to think that it's within our own power.
That we can do these things.
When in fact it's not.
Right?
Bill Gates gives away loads of money.
Right?
Bill Gates is not a Christian.
That is by God's common grace.
That Bill Gates can give away money.
And help people.
Truly.
I think that he does help people in some ways.
It's God's providence.
And goodness.
That we are able.
To glorify him.
Right?
And he demands glory.
Right?
The Lord.
Describe all glory to the Lord.
Right?
We must.
And then when we go through trials.
It's so easy for us to get our eyes off of the Lord.
And keep our eyes on ourselves.
When our hope is just desperate.
And we don't know what to do.
As an aside.
But it's like.
Some of my favorite movie scenes.
Are when.
You know.
The good guys are being hammered down.
It's like.
Hammering down.
By the bad guys.
And then it's like.
Plot twist.
Change of speed.
The good guys are back up.
It's like.
Lord of the Rings.
Helms deep.
Like the orcs are.
At the door.
They're ramming.
Ramming open the.
The doors.
They're in there.
Like.
Like they're all like.
What are we going to do?
And then Gandalf.
Just comes out.
Shining.
With the riders of Rohan.
And you're like.
Yes.
Right?
God's sons.
And daughters.
Are always.
With him.
And never.
Out of his problems.
Even when you feel.
So beaten down.
Right?
And there's so much.
Things to be beaten down by.
Like.
Your child develops.
Cancer.
You develop.
Cancer.
Your marriage.
Is in shambles.
Right?
You haven't gotten pregnant yet.
Right?
Lord.
It's been eight years.
And we haven't gotten pregnant yet.
You had another miscarriage.
Another one.
Father.
Why am I still single?
Lord?
God.
We're.
We're barely making it.
Right now.
We have no money.
You're the creator of all things.
And we have no money.
And you've created all things.
And we have no money.
How's that work?
Right?
And you can fill in the blank.
With so much trials.
That we have in our lives.
But God.
Is always.
Good.
God is good.
All the time.
God is good.
Even when we can't see past our own nose.
We have no money.
and he is so good, and he loves you guys and me so much, but do you have faith to believe that
in trials, in his goodness? If not, cry out as that man cried out,
I believe, help my unbelief.
And I'm just going to close. As of recent, Bellicose went through an end time series,
great series, thought it was awesome. If you haven't listened to it, you should.
But, you know, consider these things during the great tribulation, right? Just like all the death
that will happen. All like, like, like more than half the world would be wiped out during this time.
That's a lot of people. And then I love to think of one, like, even if this happened now,
how crazy it would be, that you can only buy and sell if you got the mark of the beast.
Let's consider that happened now. Michael, how do you keep your business running?
How do you keep buying blinds?
Back to the grocery store.
No more ribeyes.
I don't raise cows.
Right? That's one thing. Buying and selling.
Do you have faith that you are God's son?
That there is providence and he's in control of all things.
That he is good
in these things.
That he will take care of you
even in the great tribulation.
Much less than just parenting our kids.
And with that, let's pray.
I'm sure I take this one.