OUR Father (Luke 23:32-38)
Gary McManus, 03/05/2017Part of the God's Love; Beyond Belief series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
March 5, 2017 Luke 23:32-38 (p. 1046 /p. 1059)
This Lenten season’s theme: God’s love.
Jesus died giving to us words to live by.
For the next three Sunday messages; three words.
. . .”Father forgive them
for they do not know what they are doing.”
This is a prayer, is it not?
This time, Jesus says, Father (Pater) not
Abba (dada).
Jesus speaks of God as Father
about 170 times (with some repetitions).
Note especially:
Luke 6:36, Luke 9:26, Luke 10:22, Luke 11:2,
Luke 11:13, Luke 12:30, Luke 12:32.
These may include:
-- THE FATHER.
-- MY FATHER
--YOUR FATHER or YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.
We claim that Jesus is God’s son (correct).
Yet Jesus teaches US to call God Father also.
God as Father in the Old Testament emphasizes
God as our creator. . .our common Creator.
Father also carries import of the authority.
The church understood and continued Jesus’
teaching on God as Father: (the Apostle Paul;
Galatians 4:6ff, Romans 8:15ff.).
There is some confusion in the church and
outside the church on God as father and
people as God’s children. Let’s clarify.
In the Sunday School of the church it is
okay to teach that we are all God’s children.
However, as adults, we want to be clear about
what the Bible says.
Christians (that includes us) want to be clear
about OUR GOD as OUR Father because of
Jesus Christ—not just because we are human!
See John 7:16, John 8:18, John 12:45, esp. John 1:12,
So, also Paul: Romans 8:15 and all the verses he speaks
of adoption (of us by God!).
So, Jesus prays. . .Father. . .
And so MAY we also pray, FATHER.
Ever thought about the intimacy of that?
You certainly have Jesus’ permission. Amen.
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