Who is God? Part 3 “Father”

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S.O.A.P. – “Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer”

How were your earliest views of God impacted by your relationship with your father?

Scripture:

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.

For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here.

But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.

Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord. Psalms 103:1-22 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Our children’s view of God will be based on our character.

Did your parents create a helpful path or a rocky road to understanding God through their example?

Is there any description of God in Psalm 103 that surprises you?

What is your favorite character trait about God that YOU imitate in your life?

How does the “fear of the Lord” keep you humble about yourself and thankful about God?

Lord, thank you that your unfailing love toward those who fear you is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. You have removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Thank you for being a tender and compassionate father to us. Teach us to fear, love, and respect you!

What is generally the first thought you have in the morning when you wake up?

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. Psalms 103:1-2 NLT

Let all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty. You are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariot; you ride upon the wings of the wind. The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants.

You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved. You clothed the earth with floods of water, water that covered even the mountains. At your command, the water fled; at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away. Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth.

You make springs pour water into the ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains. They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees. You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth— wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength. Psalms 104:1-15 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Let’s rate ourselves—1 low, 5 high—at a soul level, do you long for the Lord? Do you reflect a righteous energy of strong convictions? Courageous moral choices? A servant spirit? A righteous leadership in your home?

Scripture:

Are your priorities set correctly?

Have you surrendered to God’s authority in your life?

Do you “long for” the Lord?

Does your life reflect a commitment to courageous righteousness?

Lord, too many times I focus on the stress of my surroundings. Thank you for the privilege of lifting my eyes to who you are and what you have done and what you want to accomplish. Teach me to enjoy you and the life you have given me to live. Help me to pass along your love to others!

How do you define “strength”?

Scripture:

He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies….

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. Psalms 103:3-4,8-10 NLT

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 1 John 1:5-10 NLT

Sermon Insights:

We humans tend to forgive conditionally, but God forgives unconditionally.

Do you use your God-given strength to protect, encourage, and mentor, or do you use your strength to give into being a negative and destructive force?

Do others see in you real strength, the ability to admit mistakes, the ability to ask for forgiveness, and the ability to forgive others?

Is your life characterized by love and compassion?

Lord, thank you for loving me in a way that looks to the future, not the past. Forgive me for my self-centered, conditional love. Fill me with the peace of your unconditional love and an increased capacity to give that love to others.

Who is the most surprising person you ever got to meet personally?

Scripture:

He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. Psalms 103:5-6 NLT

Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him.

He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” Luke 4:14-21 NLT

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Matthew 9:35-38 NLT

Have you allowed God to make you into a new creation?

Can you say, “God fills my life with good things”?

Have you seen God act on behalf of those who have been treated unfairly?

Are you praying to the “Lord who is in charge of the harvest”?

Are you willing to participate in being the answer to the prayer for workers to help people know Jesus?

Lord, thank you for the incredible privilege of knowing you. Thank you for sending Jesus to proclaim freedom for the captives and new sight for the blind. Help me to live in your freedom and help others experience your unconditional love as well.

When did life seem to go the slowest? When did life seem to go the fastest? Why did it seem that way?

Scripture:

For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here.

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. James 4:13-17 NLT

Have you received God’s forgiveness?

Do you honor and trust God…THEN make your plans? Or do you make your plans…and then if they don’t work out, you ask God why?

Do you acknowledge the fact that you have limited time on the earth? How does that affect your plans?

Do you believe your happiness is directly tied to your ability to help others achieve what they want and need most?

Lord, thank you for being selfless and generous, giving of yourself so others can be happy. Thank you for being a good Father. Teach us to love like you, serve like you, and to make our lives about serving others!

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Who is God? Part 3 “Father”

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