A) When did God become a Father?

(John 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (18) No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father (begotten), he has made him known. (RSV)

(Ephesians 3:14-15) For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family (patria- fatherhood) in heaven and on earth derives its name. (NIV)

1) Fatherhood did not begin on earth…it began in ______________.

2) Fatherhood began with God before recorded time began.

3) All fatherhood must go back to it’s source.

1) Jesus is the way…… to what?

2) If Jesus is the way… what is the destination?____________________

We talk a great deal about Jesus as our Savior, our mediator, our intercessor….. We invite people to come to Jesus…But God’s purpose is not just that we come to the Son but through the Son we are to come to the Father... Our Father… Abba, Father!

(John 17:1) When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee,

(John 17:6) "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. (NKJV)

(John 17:11) "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. (NKJV)

(John 17:26) "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." (NKJV)

1) What is the Name Jesus is revealing to us?….Yahweh?

2) The new revelation, the special purpose Jesus was revealing was God’s name of FATHER. In the New Testament the name FATHER is the ultimate name of God!

3) Father describes the nature of God more accurately than any other word in the human language!

The Heavenly Father gave his Son responsibilities in his role of bringing mankind to Himself. I’m going to suggest that He then gave human fathers the next level of responsibility to carry our the same functions.

Just like Jesus:

As a Priest the human father represents his family before God

Do you remember the example of Job in the Bible. He was a “perfect and upright man before God“. Each week his seven sons and three daughters would meet in each others homes for feasting and just as faithfully :

(Job 1:5) When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job's regular custom. (NIV)

This would correspond in New Testament or modern times to a dad, or single mom, or grandparent carrying their children to God in prayer, interceding on their behalf.

There is a constant flow of examples, in the Bible, of Dad’s being responsible for the spiritual condition of their families.

Remember the original Passover in the Old Testament.

(Exodus 12:3) Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. (NIV)

The Father was to represent his family before God and it was his sole responsibility to have the blood on the doorpost to guard his families welfare. Each head of home had the God- appointed responsibility to act as a priest for his entire family.

Obviously, just like today, there would have been many families where the biological father was no longer present. Somebody, whether it was the single mom or another related or unrelated man, had to assume the role of priest for the spiritual welfare of the children in each household. So it must be today….

In the event that Dad is present in the home he has a Divine imperative to serve in a priestly ministry to those who are in his household! He must not try to delegate this responsibility to someone else!

Remember the story of the epileptic boy brought to Jesus to be healed. Jesus questioned the father:

(Mark 9:22-23) "And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." (NKJV)

Notice, Jesus held the father responsible to belie e for his son. Same with the Philippian Jailer after the earthquake set Paul and Silas free….

(Acts 16:30-31) And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." (NKJV)

We know from other Scriptures that his faith couldn’t actually bring his family into salvation but Dad’s belief would open the spiritual doorway for the rest of his family to believe.

So… A) As a Priest the human father represents his family before God

B) As a Prophet he represents God to his family

Hard, cold, fact is that a father, by design does represent God to his family. He may do it well or he may miserably fail…. Children naturally form their view of what God is like from how His representatives to them act.

Depending on what kind of Father you had you had to come to your heavenly Father as a result of or in spite of who your father was. You who’s fathers guiding your viewpoint had a much easier pathway to follow.

There are not a lot of direct commands to fathers in the Bible but we can gain guidance:

(Ephesians 6:4) Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (NIV)

(Colossians 3:21) Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. (NIV)

Fathers have the primary responsibility to “bring up children in the training and instruction of the Lord. If there is no biological father present someone has to assume that role…. But if a father is present, he cannot pass that responsibility on to someone else!

This doesn’t lower the responsibility of motherhood but it certainly does elevate the responsibility of fatherhood for the spiritual development of children. Single moms and dads… you have to fill both roles and you must trust God to give you a double portion of his grace.

c) Balance of discipline without unfair or excessive demands,… brings lack of self worth, feelings of failure, frustration,

As a Priest the human father represents his family before God

B) Abraham- Father of Many…..why did God choose him?

Abram means “exalted Father” changed to “Father of a multitude”.. Abraham

Abrahams qualifications for leading the nation of Israel seemed to revolve around his father’s heart. I get all that from his names??? Not quite…

(Genesis 18:17-19) Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." (NIV)

Conclusion: We cannot fail…

(Malachi 4:5-6) "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." (NIV)

It’s interesting that God started the children of Israel with an emphasis on fatherhood and then ended the Old Testament with a warning about fatherhood….