Abba Father Rom 8:15 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Today is Father’s day.  Those of us whose fathers are still living will call them or see them today.  Others of us may reminisce about our fathers and recall some special memories.  My father was in the Army Air Corps back in WWII.  He was a B-17 bombardier who flew 31 missions in the European theatre.  It is amazing to think about 18 year-old boys becoming men in the midst of that war.

While we could all tell some very entertaining stories about our dads, there are even more profound things to say about our Heavenly Father.  So, rather than preach to our dads this Father’s day, we are going to preach about God, our Heavenly Father, Abba Father, and his relation to us as his children.

Concerning our Father’s relationship to his children:

Every one of us is adopted except for two – Adam was created and Jesus was begotten.  All the rest of us had to be adopted.  Eph 1:5 says, “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”  We were born into Adam’s family in which all die and we had to be adopted into God’s family by Jesus Christ through whom we will live forever.  Preach salvation.  No one is ever too old, too young, too mean or too sinful.  He wants anyone who will trust what his only begotten Son has done for them.  There is still room for more.

He is capable of supplying all our needs – Paul said, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  He has limitless resources.  If everyone on earth were to become his child and he were to provide every single need they had for their entire lifetimes you would not notice even the slightest decline in his wealth.  The trouble with his children today, though, is that they are spoiled.  They are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing.  And so they don’t sense any dependence on him whatsoever.

There is nothing too hard for the Lord.  Quit worrying about the future.  Just stay in good relations with your Father, don’t be lazy, be diligent, control your spending and give cheerfully.  He’ll handle it.

He communicates personally with every one of us – He has revealed in writing everything that he wants each of us to know about himself – you know where he stands on everything, you know the family history, you know his future plans, you know what he likes and what he hates, you know his expectations, you know his wise counsel [which when you choose to follow causes everything to turn out just right], and you know that he’s not ashamed to tell you that he loves you.  In Bible reading and prayer he is never too busy to enjoy fellowship with his kids, anytime, anywhere.

He includes us all in the family business – Jesus said to his mother when he lingered in Jerusalem, “Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business.”  Jesus died to buy our pardon and now we are in the business to tell people what he has done for them.  That’s why people like Barnabas and the disciples dropped whatever they were doing to go tell them.  They went out of business for themselves to enter the family business.  That’s why Barnabas sold out and invested his money in the family business.  He realized that he was a joint-heir with Christ.

He has saved the best for last for us – He is returning for us at the rapture – he has built mansions for us in heaven – we are awaiting the marriage of the Lamb and the marriage supper – and we’ll be with him for eternity.  We are awaiting a much better world!

Conclusion: You want to wish someone a Happy Father’s Day, wish God one.  And you want to make him really happy, become his child.  And if you are already his child, then go to work in the family business!!