CE 1 YEAR: 13 God’s Fatherhood

Week 13

God’s Fatherhood

You lived in this world without God

You were not born a child of God. The Bible says: “In those days you were living apart from Christ. You lived in this world without God and without hope” (Eph 2:12).

Living “in this world without God” summarizes your life before you were a Christian. You were excluded from God’s people and His “promises.” You were “dead” to God and not even “alive” to Him (Eph 2:1, 5). You were born into “the kingdom of darkness” (Col 1:13) and under “the power of Satan” (Acts 26:18). Jesus would have said to you what He said to other unbelievers: “You are the children of your father the Devil . . . You don’t belong to God” (John 8:44, 47). The Devil was your dad.

Therefore, you could not expect God to love you, protect you, or provide for you as one of His children like He does now. All sin makes God sad (cf. Gen 6:5-6), including the sin that hurt you. Knowing that you would one day become one of His children, God probably did protect you from many things. God never let anything happen to you that He could not heal with His love. But you belonged to the Devil so many bad things may have happened to you.

When you were without God, the Devil worked to slander God

Why is it important for you to understand that “You lived in this world without God and without hope” before you were a Christian? Because you might blame God for the bad things that happened to you before you belonged to Him. Maybe you believed there was a God, and that if He was a good God He would have protected and blessed you. And because God did not do these things, you concluded that God is not good or worthy of trust. And maybe you still struggle with this.

This is what the Devil wants. The Devil’s plan is to use the painful events of your past to slander God. This is why he is called the Devil (Greek: diabolos “slander”). When you belonged to the Devil, he wanted to cause great pain and suffering in your life. The Devil wanted you to believe the lie that you deserved good from God. Then the Devil wanted you to experience great disappointment with God, blame Him for your pain, and hold a grudge against God that would last throughout your life. But the truth was, “In those days you were living apart from Christ. . . You lived in this world without God and without hope” (Eph 2:12).

Do you still believe the Devil’s slander about God? Do you struggle to believe God is good and really cares about you because of the things that happened to you before you belonged to Him?

“You lived without God in this world” (Eph 2:12). “But now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:13).

“You lived without God in this world.” But now “He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deut 31:8).

You were under the cruel “power of Satan” (Acts 26:18). But now, God “has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom” (Col 1:13).

“Once you had no identity” but “now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy” (1 Pet 2:10).

“You lived without . . . hope in this world” because you were “excluded from . . . the promises God had made” (Eph 2:12). You could not expect His help with anything. But now, “He has given us great and precious promises” (2 Pet 1:4).

Have you experienced the love of God in greater ways since becoming His child? Have you experienced more blessing, protection, and happiness since belonging to God? That is because you have a new Dad. Stop living and believing like you are still under the curse of your cruel old dad the Devil. You belong to God now, not the Devil. Do not let what the Devil did to you in the past, effect what you believe about God’s love for you now.

The person that belonged to the Devil no longer exists

There is one more very important fact about your past. THE PERSON YOU WERE IS DEAD. God says, “YOU DIED”! (Col 3:3). Paul said elsewhere, “My old self has been crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20). “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17). You need to recognize and resolve how your past experiences are still affecting you. But that person who was a child of the Devil no longer exists. They died when you were “born again” (John 3:3). And being “born again” means your old self is dead and you are a new person. Whatever God allowed to happen to that person of your past has nothing to do with how He feels about the new you.

God is your real Dad

If Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord, then the Almighty Creator and Ruler of the Universe is your Dad! God Himself proclaims this: “‘I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor 6:18; 1 John 3:1; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:5).

Jesus always called God His Dad when He prayed. Likewise, He said you should begin your prayers with: “Our Father in Heaven” (Matt 6:9). This is remarkable because in the OT there is no evidence that anyone addressed God as father. While God is referred to as a father in the OT 15 times, He is called father 245 times in the NT! God’s favorite way for you to relate to Him is as your Dad.

After becoming a Christian, knowing God loves you as a perfect Dad is your most important belief. This was true in Jesus’ life. On the day He was baptized, what did His Dad speak from Heaven for all to hear: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matt 3:17). Notice that His Dad said He was “well pleased” with His Son before He had performed any ministry. The Father did not love His Son because of what He did, but because of who He was. And He loves you just like Jesus.

God is your real Dad. In fact, Jesus commanded: “Do not call anyone on Earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father and he is in Heaven” (Matt 23:9 NIV). Do you see here how much God wants to claim you as His son or daughter? God wants you to “honor your [human] father and mother” (Eph 6:2) and treat them with respect and kindness. But He wants you to understand that He is your real Dad. Why is God the Father your real Dad?

First, your earthly dad did not create you, but your real Dad did. The Psalmist says of God the Father, “You made me; you created me” (Ps 119:73). Because He created you, God is your real Dad.

Secondly, your earthly dad did not choose you, but your real Dad did. The most powerful, wonderful, and important Person in the Universe chose you to be His son or daughter for one reason: God loved you and it gave Him great pleasure to adopt you (Eph 1:4-6). Even if your earthly parents rejected you in some way, your real Dad chose you even before you were born!

The third reason that God is your real Dad is because He is the One that will evaluate your whole life, not your earthly dad. And it will matter much more how you pleased your real Dad, than your other dad! Finally, your real Dad will be your Dad forever. You will live with Him forever in Paradise.

Facing the effect of your earthly parents

Does it seem weird to think of God as your Dad? For some the idea of a dad may not be a good one. Maybe your dad is your best friend and you learned a lot about love from Him. But maybe your dad was mean or lazy or you do not even know who your human dad is.

Regardless, God will not allow sinful humans to define what being a dad should be. God defines what a dad is supposed to be and wants to show you that being His child is a wonderful thing.

God is your perfect Dad who loves you perfectly. But no human parents are perfect. You need to recognize and admit the flaws in your parents that affected you. You need to reveal the lies you were taught about yourself and replace them with what your real Dad thinks of you. And you need to forgive and accept your parents for who they are.

If you do not recognize and resolve the bad things you learned from your parents, then you will pass them on to your own children. The Bible says of “Ahaziah son of Ahab” that “He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, following the example of his father and mother” (1 Kings 22:51-52). God wants you to follow His teaching and reject anything you learned from your parents that your real Father would not like.

Your real Dad compared to your earthly dad

The Bible says, “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate” (Ps 103:13). If you are a father or mother, how do you feel toward your children? If you do not have children, how would you feel toward them if you did? Most parents care a great deal about their children and want the very best for them. They are very concerned when their children are hurting and struggling and will do everything they can to help them. Do you think you love your children more than your real and perfect Dad loves you?

Were your parents ever angry with you? Your real Dad is never angry with you because all of your failings have already been forgiven completely. Scripture says, we are blameless in our Father’s eyes and always stand in grace before Him (Eph 1:4; Rom 5:1-2).

Did your parents ever make you feel like you had to earn their love? God says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jer 31:3). He chose you even knowing the worst things you would do.

Did your parents break promises? Your real Dad has never done that to you. The Bible says, “God is not a man, so he does not lie” (Num 23:19).

Did one or both of your parents leave you? “God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you’” (Heb 13:5). David believed: “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close” (Ps 27:10). God is a “Father to the fatherless” (Ps 68:5).

Did you ever feel unwanted, or judged by your parents? The Bible says, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). Your real Dad will never criticize or judge you because all your faults are forgiven.

Did you ever feel misunderstood or ignored by your parents? “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate” (Ps 103:13). Your real Dad always understands you and cares about how you feel.

Practical Application: How is your real Dad different than your earthly dad? You are not dishonoring your earthly dad to recognize this. But you are being honest. Then thank your real Dad for the differences. And forgive your earthly dad for his weaknesses and sins. Do not share your conclusions here if you are uncomfortable doing so.

In your small group meeting this week, share praises and prayer requests and then discuss these questions:

1) What is the Devil’s plan for the hurtful things that happened to you before you belonged to God?

2) Why is it important to believe God is your dad?

3) What are some things in your parents’ lives that God wants you to imitate? What are some things He wants you to reject?

4) What would you most want in a dad? How is God like this?

5) What was especially meaningful to you in this chapter? Why?