Introducing the FatherMatt 11:27-30

27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find

rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." NKJV

Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Knowing the Father

And Becoming more like the Father

Isa 64:8

8 But now, O Lord,You are our Father;We are the clay, and You our potter;And all we are the work of Your hand.

NKJV

Acts 7:2-4 The Father revealed to Abraham

The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, 3 and said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.'

NKJV

Ex 34:5-7 The Father Revealed to Moses

5 Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation."

NKJV

John 1:14-18 The Glory of the Father Revealed in the Son

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"

16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. NKJV

Col 1:9-20 The Father Revealed in Jesus Christ

9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;

12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. NKJV

Matt 11:27-30 Jesus Introduces the Father

27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

NKJV

Luke 10:17-20 The Realm of the Father Revealed to “Babes”

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

Luke 10:21-22

21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

NKJV

Matt 6:6-13 How to Pray to the FatherMt 6:6-13 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

8 "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come.

Your will be doneOn earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts,As we forgive our debtors.

13 And do not lead us into temptation,But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. NKJV

1 Peter 1:3-9 Inheritance from the Father

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you,

5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. NIV

Matt 5:43-48 Living as Sons and Daughters of the Father

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Perfect = Mature

Rev 21:1-8 Eternity with the Father

21 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."

6 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

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1 John 2:12-14 Maturing to Be Like Father God

12 I write to you, little children,Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.

13 I write to you, fathers,Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men,Because you have overcome the wicked one.

I write to you, little children,Because you have known the Father.

14 I have written to you, fathers,Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.

I have written to you, young men,Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,And you have overcome the wicked one.

Beginning Relationship with the Father - Child of God

12 I write to you, little children,Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.

I write to you, little children,Because you have known the Father.

Overcoming as a Son or Daughter of God

I write to you, young men,Because you have overcome the wicked one.

I have written to you, young men,Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,And you have overcome the wicked one. 1 John 2:13-14

And ... - the secret of the young men's strength: the Gospel word clothed with living power by the Spirit who abideth permanently in them. This is "the sword of the Spirit" wielded in prayerful waiting on God. Contrast the mere physical strength of young men, Isa 40:30-31 (Even young men get tired).

The wicked one - who, as "prince of this world," excites the young. Christ came to destroy him. Believers achieve the first conquest over him when they pass from darkness to light; but afterward they need to maintain a continual keeping of themselves from his assaults, looking to God, by whom alone they are kept safe.

Maturing as a Spiritual Father

13 I write to you, fathers,Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.

14 I have written to you, fathers,Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.

Fathers – Sons & Daughters

Sons look to their father as an example and want to be respected and loved by him

Daughters look to the father for a sense of security and well being

Both need a “stamp of approval” for who they are -not what they do

A Father’s Character

Sees what you do, will reward you

Knows what you need before you ask

Through faith shields by God's power

Makes all things new

Accepts the father role and is “with” the children and “brings” them to where he is

Merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeps mercy, forgives wrong doing

By no means clears the guilty (kindness leads to repentance)

Breaks the chain of generational sin from the children

Fathers do not provoke their children, lest they become discouraged

A father’s ultimate goal, as a child matures, is that the father role in their life increasingly is provided by Father God

A father confers the blessing upon his sons and daughters and transfers the heritage of faith to them

Father God brings revelation of Himself to them as He did to Abraham – it is their response to choose the journey into the life God that has for them

The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, 3 and said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.'

Lk 11:11-13 A Father’s Ultimate Goal is that His Sons & Daughters Have a Relationship with the Holy Spirit

11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 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!"

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Acts 1:4-8 The Promise of the Father

4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

NKJV

A LETTER TO DADThere are so many things I’d likeTo tell you face to face;I either lack the words or failTo find the time and place.

But in this special letter, Dad,You’ll find, at least in part,The feelings that the passing yearsHave left within my heart.

The memories of childhood daysAnd all that you have done,To make our home a happy placeAnd growing up such fun!

I still recall the walks we took,The games we often played;Those confidential chats we hadWhile resting in the shade.

This letter comes to thank you, and,For needed words of praise;The counsel and the guidance, too,That shaped my grown-up days.

No words of mine can tell you, Dad,The things I really feel;But you must know my love for youIs lasting, warm and real.

You made my world a better place,And through the coming years;I’ll keep these memories of youAs cherished souvenirs. ... 

Prayer for Fathers

Sees what you do, will reward you

Knows what you need before you ask

Through faith shields by God's power

Makes all things new

Accepts the father role and is with them

Merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeps mercy, forgives wrong doing

By no means clears the guilty (kindness leads to repentance)

Breaks the chain of generational sin from the children

Does not provoke the children, lest they become discouraged