Thursday, June 30, 2016

Learning How To Live With God as your Father

Mini-Seminar

Learning How To Live with God As Your Father

I.  Common idea:  Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of humanity.

"(10) "Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?" [Malachi 2:10 NASB]

Creation:  This was true before the rebellion against God in the garden.  Here the idea of  “Fatherhood” was one as the source of life.   Clearly the idea of  “am my brother’s keeper” is found as a question that is based on care of other the life of other humans. 

All human beings are sacred, and made in God’s image.  Every life is precious.  There should be love and care shown to each other because we all bear thus image and this is what unites humanity.

Rebellion:  But after the rebellion against God this spiritual relationship was lost.  We became the children of the devil instead of the children of God.  We divorced God as our Father and adopted the devil as our dad.   We are spiritually dead to God due to our rebellion.

"(44) "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." [John 8:44 NASB]

"(1) And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, (2) in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. (3) Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." [Ephesians 2:1-3 NASB]

II.  To have God as your heavenly Father you receive Messiah Jesus as your prophet, priest, and king which can only occur if you have been “born again” so you can see the LORD Jesus as the one hope we have of life.

Redemption:  This is why we must be “born again” in order to now be the children of God.

"(11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. (12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, (13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." [John 1:11-13 NASB]




III.  What does it mean to live with God as our Father?

A. Your heavenly Father provides and gives you every good thing in your life. 

You can trust your heavenly Father’s character, competence, and compassion.

"(17) Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (18) In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures." [James 1:17-18 NASB]

The heavenly Father is good
The heavenly Father is great
The heavenly Father is full of grace
The heavenly Father is with us in this life of grief.
The heavenly Father will make sure that all our grief will be used for good.

The greatest gift

"(13) "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"" [Luke 11:13 NASB]

Our prayers should be based on the idea that God is our Father.

"(9) "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (10) 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven." [Matthew 6:9-10 NASB]

B.  Father God cares for the poor and oppressed so we should also care for the poor and oppressed.

"(27) Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." [James 1:27 NASB]

C.  All humanity is made in our Father’s image and so we should never curse another human being.  To curse a person is to stand in self-righteous judgment of them and condemn, their very essence of their being. 

"(9) With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;" [James 3:9 NASB]

D.  God loves you more than you can understand for believers have been given the “Sonship “ of Jesus.  We are adopted “in Jesus”.

"(15) For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"" [Romans 8:15 NASB]

"(6) Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"" [Galatians 4:6 NASB]

III.  Final Thoughts



Meditation on Romans 8:18-25

Meditation on Romans 8:18-25

Lord, what is real to me is the intense almost unbearable depth and pain of the present sufferings we face.  Many times it seems that some people suffer near hell like pain on this earth.  The intensity of that grief and agony is very real to me.   East of Eden is not an easy place to live.  

Yet, you now come and say to me that this intense agony is not worth comparing with the glory that will be ours when we see you.  The greatness of the joy of being in union and communion with you will far exceed the Grand Canyon depth of our pain.  Even as the universe is far bigger than the Grand Canyon so also will our experience of YOU bring fulfillment,peace, happiness,and fulfillment. 

This seems impossible to me.  It is beyond my imagination.  The pain of this life is real but the glory of the Kingdom with YOU, I only see dimly.  Help me see YOUR GLORY more clearly.  

Lord, help me hope in the full and expanded restoration of Eden.  Help me see that Eden is coming back on steroids and that the great potential of YOUR creation will be reached. Although now we face frustration and futility, yet when you return we will see fulfillment and success.  

We will before from death, decay, destruction, and disease.  We will be free of sin and stupidity.   Finally whole in the full potential and  power of our image-bearing humanity.  Free finally free.  

Lord, I groan to see the fulfillment come.  Afraid at times of all that will mean.  Afraid at times that it will not come quickly enough.   

YOU saved me for the purpose of sharing your glory, goodness, and grace upon me.  YOUR desire was for me to be in union and communion with you so that in that light I might reflect light perfectly and without blemish.  This is not yet here.  I will trust YOU great, good, and graceful living Father.   

Lord, increase my hope and help me to believe in the face of suffering.  Lord have mercy on us all.  

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Meditation on Psalm 18

Meditation on Psalm 18

Eternal Creator, YOU who are totally beyond all understanding and explanation, YOU are good, trustworthy in character.  YOUR perfection is one of a being a moral being that cannot fail to act, think, and feel but in a perfect moral character.  YOU are trustworthy.  

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the ONE true ALMIGHTY you are filled with consistent love and keep all your promises.  YOUR steadfast love never ends and YOU keep your WORD, for you cannot lie.  

Lord, you who are good and great.  Good God of eternal and consistent love.  Come now to me this as I am distressed and need YOU to answer me in my distress. 

 Be on my side and overcome the contamination culture, the dark lord of evil, and my own selfish heart.  Be my helper now LORD GOD of Israel.  Defeat those who hate my soul. 

LORD, you are my refuge and hope.   Give me greater trust in you. 

LORD, I feel surrounded by my problems, losses, disappointments, and defeats.  They drown me.  I feel pushed down under them.  I fell like I am falling out of control.   Help me now for YOU are my only hope.  
Good, great, and graceful Lord, demonstrate your character, competence , and compassion on me this day.

  Provide YOU to me as my strength, song and salvation.  Messiah Jesus YOU, have purchased me and delivered me at the cost of your blood on the cross.  YOU have done valiantly, defeating the devil and death.  YOU are my hero LORD Jesus.  

LORD, you have disciplined me for my good and I will remember and recount your deeds of grace and goodness to this generation by your grace working in me.   Help me not to see the greatness of my deliverance from darkness.  

In YOUR  rejection and suffering,  Lord Jesus you have brought  me to salvation and fellowship.  Through this darkness, you have brought forth light into my soul.  YOUR resurrection from the dead has made a new day.  A new creation now exists in YOU.  

Give YOUR people salvation and success!  Demonstrate your victory in us.  Lift us up out of our struggles and pour a vision of who YOU are into our hearts. Revive, renew and restore us.  Act in our generation.  

YOU, Lord if Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Peter, John, and Paul are the absolute ruler of every atom in creation.  YOU are GOD.  May your wonder and goodness be seen by all creation.  Take joy in us today!  

Thank YOU for all YOU have done in my life.  For every good gift I have.  YOU are faithful, loving, kind, long-suffering, patient, and saving.  

Open our eyes that we may see you more clearly, that we may love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly.  

Friday, June 10, 2016

Prayer based on John 20

Meditation on John 20

Lord, your tomb is empty. In accordance with the promises of your death and resurrection you are alive. Help this reality sink deeply into my soul. YOU are alive today. You have conquered death. 

Rabbi LORD Jesus, let me see you more clearly, love you more dearly, and desire to follow you more nearly in light of your resurrection and victory on the cross. 

Lord, as YOU were sent to be the gospel so now you are sending me to be the gospel to this culture, time, and civilization. Breathe on me and allow the HOLY SPIRIT to help me to be the gospel today. 

Lord, overcome my doubts. Answer the questions and unbelief of my soul. Bless me with the gift of faith so that even though I have not seen I will have firm trust in YOU. 

Be with the children of the covenant, separated, dedicated, and some of them baptized to be in association with your gospel and raised to believe, but who now have strayed far away in faith and life. Come to them as you came to the doubting apostle Thomas, and reveal yourself to them. Bless them with true faith. Bring the straying children home to YOU. Lord have mercy on them now 

Help me meditate upon your Words, deeds, death, and resurrection so that the Holy Spirit may increase my conviction that you are the Messiah, God the Son who became the Son of God so that I may have union and communion in love forever in the authority and victory YOU have won. 

Lord have mercy, Messiah have mercy, Lord have mercy. Amen

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Prayer based on Matthew 26

Meditation on Matthew 26

Lord Jesus , you are the Son of Man who suffered and was crucified for my sins.  

Lord, help me not get so lost in my efforts to control and play politics to get my way that I lose the big picture of your redemptive will.

Help me not judge others when they give things to your glory in ways that do not make sense to me.  Help me to see that you are worthy of honor.  Lord, help me see that anything given to honor you is not a waste.  

Lord Jesus, save me from being a betrayer of your love and purpose in my life.   Save me from the traitor within. 

Help me to trust you always have a plan and I can never get ahead of you.  

Lord, let me be loyal and always aware that I would betray you outside of your grace active  in my heart.  

Jesus, my Lord, as I take the bread and cup let me see you only.  Help me to and feel your true presence in the remembering of your sacrifice.  

Grant me the passion for doing spiritual business with you and in reality to want your will than anything or anyone else. 

Lord, help me see that suffering does not reflect a lack of power on your part to overcome the culture and the forces of darkness.  

Lord Jesus come on the right of power and the you're coming in Glory.  Help me understand that all things work together for good and to bring your redemptive kingdom to the earth.  Even things that seem beyond all horror.

Lord, help me give a good confession of my loyalty and love for you to the death.  Help me know that without you I will fail and fall short.  Lord have mercy now.  And increase my faith.  Amen






Wednesday, June 1, 2016

A prayer for endurance and encouragement.

Romans 15: 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Lord Jesus, help me to sit at the feet of YOUR WORD and find in it both encouragement and hope.   Lord, help me endure the insanity of unbelief both in my own heart and in the heart of others.  Allow me to endure disappointments, betrayals, and losses here East of Eden.  

Provide a harmony and unity among my fellowship of believers which you have ordained to be part of my life that we may be united in proclaiming to each other and the culture we live in the wonder of your goodness, greatness, and grace.  May all the nations see the wonder and awe of the heavenly FATHER and HIS great love for us in the YOU, Messiah Jesus.   

Help my faith in you allow me to show grace and acceptance to all those who call upon your name.  Let me love other Christians as you loved me that the world might believe that the Father has sent you into the world and that I am your disciple.   Lord, bind us together in grace and unconditional love.  Amen