In last week’s posting, “Mad at
God,” I wrote about the anger towards God that some feel when things don’t
go right. I called for a new mode of discipling that involves teaching our kids
about the loving God revealed in Jesus, who said that the Father “makes his sun
rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous”
(Mt 5:45). This week I will explore this teaching a little; come along with me.
Much of this post is borrowed
from T4T Lesson 5 (see my August 8,
2014 post). So thank you, Pastor
Gary Stump, for Lesson 5!
Before you even think that I
might be proof texting, hear me say that the following texts are representative
samples of what the Bible teaches about how God loves, protects, provides for,
reveals His will for, and trains disciples. Be assured that these are not proof
texts; these faithfully represent the consensus of scripture.
God the Heavenly Father
In the model prayer, Jesus taught
us to address God as Father. For those who have (or had) a loving father, this form
of address makes perfect sense: God is our loving Father in heaven. But
for those whose fathers were absent or abusive, seeing God as a father just
doesn’t work. Therefore, untold millions of people need to learn (in all three
domains, but especially in the Affective Domain!) the characteristics of a loving
father, and they need to learn that God is their heavenly Father.
We read about this loving Father
in Jeremiah 31:13, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I
have continued my faithfulness to you,” and in Lamentations 3:22f, “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 Heavenly Father’s Love
We know that the Father loves us
because
1.
Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
2.
We are His children (I John 3:1).
3.
We were once dead in sin, but now are alive with Christ
(Ephesians 2:5).
The Heavenly Father’s Protection
The Bible never says that He
protects us from bad things; but in more places than I can list here, the Bible
teaches that He protects the essence of our being – our soul – the only part of
us that will live forever.
1.
“The Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you
from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3).
2.
“I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O LORD, make me lie
down in safety” (Psalm 4:8).
3.
“The LORD [is] my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust”
(Psalm 91:2).
4.
“No testing has overtaken you that is not common to
everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your
strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may
be able to endure it” (I Corinthians 10:13).
All of scripture boldly declares
that God protects His own. I think many believers get off track when they think
that this means that accidents will never happen, nobody will ever get sick and
die, etc. These things do happen, but for the faithful Christ follower,
these things cannot touch our very essence – that is, our soul. Praise God!
The Heavenly Father’s Provision
1.
“My God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to
his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
2.
Romans 8:18-38 sort of says it all:
a.
The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with
the glory about to be revealed to us (18).
b.
Hope that is seen is not hope (24); think about that!
c.
The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how
to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for
words (26).
d.
In all things, God works for good with those who love him,
who are called according to his purpose (28).
e.
He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all
of us, will he not with him also give us everything else (32)?
f.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship,
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword (35)?
g.
No! In all these things we are more than conquerors through
him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor
height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate
us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (37ff).
Knowing The Heavenly Father’s Will
Oftentimes,
disciples wonder how to know God’s will. Well, here is a big clue!
1.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not
rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make
straight your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).
2.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm
119:105).
3.
I Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5 contain prime examples of
how the Father reveals His will through scripture.
4.
The bottom line is this: If you want to know God’s will,
start with the Bible. Pretty simple. Pretty clear.
The Heavenly Father’s Training of Disciples
Remember
that “disciple” is based on the same root as “discipline.” Discipline means
training – learning at its deepest. Hebrews 12:5-6 declares, “My child, do not
regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished
by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child
whom he accepts.” That word “punish” gives us trouble; so let me point out that
the Greek word behind it means something closer to “correct” or “reprove” than
what many think of as punishment (like a beating or a whipping!).
The Heavenly Father trains His children
1.
through one another (Proverbs 27:17),
2.
in scripture (2 Timothy 3:16), and
3.
by trials (James 1:2-4). Gary Stump said in my hearing that “the
bigger the test the more it proves what God thinks of your faith” (September
14, 2014).
So my
friend, when life throws you a curve, don’t let go of your faith in God; hold
on even tighter!
Because
God is too wise to be
mistaken, God is too good to be unkind
So when you don’t understand, When don’t see His plan
When you can’t trace His hand, Trust His Heart.[1]
So when you don’t understand, When don’t see His plan
When you can’t trace His hand, Trust His Heart.[1]
Yes.
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