Text: Luke 11:1-13<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore come out from among them and be separate,” says the Lord. “Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,” says the LORD Almighty<\/i>\u201d (II Corinthians 6:16-18).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
If we will separate ourselves from the wickedness of this world, God promises to be a father to each of us. But have you given thought as to why God selected the role of a father to describe His relationship with us? He didn\u2019t call Himself a mother, sibling, or even a best friend. There are things about the role of a father that better describes how God cares for us, but in order to understand it, we need to understand what a father does for his family.<\/p>\n
If I asked you what a father gives to his family, one of the first things most people say is that a father loves his children.<\/p>\n
\nFor study:<\/h2>\n
\n
- How does God show us love? And how do we return that love? (I John 3:1-3)<\/li>\n
- How did we become God\u2019s children? (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:4-7; Ephesians 1:5)<\/li>\n
- What is different between a natural born child and an adoptive child that helps explain God\u2019s relationship with us?<\/li>\n
- Which is more impressive: love given to your own children or love given to an adopted child? Why?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Fathers do much more than just provide love for their children. Ephesians 6:4 tells us several things that a father does for his children: \u201cAnd you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n
The phrase \u201cbring them up\u201d is based on a Greek word that means \u201cto nurture.\u201d In other words, fathers provide the things their children need to grow up to be adults. A part of this would be seeing that his children have the necessities of life: food, clothing, and shelter. \u201cBut if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever<\/i>\u201d (I Timothy 5:8).<\/p>\n
\nMaking Application:<\/h3>\n
Read the following passages and describe what God does for us in providing our necessities for life.<\/p>\n
\n
- Ephesians 1:2-6<\/li>\n
- Luke 11:11-13<\/li>\n
- Matthew 6:25-34<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n
We need food, clothing, and shelter in order to physically grow up, but children also need the comfort of security and protection from harm to develop well mentally.<\/p>\n
\nMaking Application:<\/h3>\n
The following passages describe God\u2019s relationship with His people, Israel. What is said can be equally applied to His people today, Christians (Romans 15:4). What do these passages say about the security God gives His people.<\/p>\n
\n
- Deuteronomy 32:6<\/li>\n
- Psalm 89:26<\/li>\n
- Psalm 62:1-8<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Yet, Ephesians 6:4 tells us that God expects fathers to be responsible for their children\u2019s education. This is not to say that only dads can teach their children, but that they oversee what their children learn and see to it that they are taught well.<\/p>\n
\nMaking Application:<\/h3>\n
Read the following passages and describe how God is involved in our education as Christians.<\/p>\n
\n
- John 6:45<\/li>\n
- Micah 4:2<\/li>\n
- Hebrews 10:16<\/li>\n
- Titus 2:11-14<\/li>\n
- II Timothy 3:16-17<\/li>\n
- Psalm 94:12<\/li>\n
- I Thessalonians 3:11-13<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n
But effective teaching must contain corrective actions along with encouraging direction. If we listened to all our lessons and did just what we were told to do, there would be no need for correction \u2013 but how many of us have actually done this? I know I wasn\u2019t always a good student. It is in the nature of children to want to see things for themselves, to exert independence, and as a result, to get into trouble. \u201cTrust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones. … My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor detest His correction; for whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights<\/i>\u201d (Proverbs 3:5-8, 11-12).<\/p>\n
God told David that He would watch over David\u2019s son, treating Solomon as His own child. \u201cI will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men<\/i>\u201d (II Samuel 7:14). At first, you might not think this would bring comfort to David, but it was. God was saying that He loved David\u2019s son enough that he cared how Solomon turned out. He cared about his welfare and his moral standing.<\/p>\n
A father who doesn\u2019t deeply care about how his children turn out won\u2019t bother to correct them when they do something wrong. Such a father is wrapped up in his own life and only does things that are convenient for him. A father who loves his children will punish their wrongdoings because he wants them to live and live properly. It is not fun disciplining your own child. You would rather be buddies with him. It is the same for God. Jesus said, \u201cAs many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent<\/i>\u201d (Revelation 3:19).<\/p>\n
The writer of Hebrews talked about this at length: \u201cAnd you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it<\/i>\u201d (Hebrews 12:5-11).<\/p>\n
Discipline is not fun for the receiver or the giver, but it does produce peace in the long run. Several studies over the years have noted that neighborhoods without fathers in the homes have higher crime rates. It would be natural to expect this. Good fathers teach their children the way to live righteously. They enforce that teaching by punishing their children when they stray. As a result, they mold their child\u2019s character.<\/p>\n
\nMaking Application:<\/h3>\n
What is common in all these verses?<\/p>\n
Romans 1:7; I Corinthians 1:3; II Corinthians 1:2-3; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; I Thessalonians 1:1; II Thessalonians 1:2; Titus 1:4; Philemon 1:3; I Peter 1:2; II John 3<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Class Discussion:<\/h2>\n
\n
- Some of the passages call God a \u201cRock.\u201d What is meant by such a description?<\/li>\n
- What is an illegitimate child? Why would a father\u2019s attitude toward an illegitimate child be different from his attitude toward a legitimate child? Could it be related to his attitude toward the child\u2019s mother?<\/li>\n
- Why is the willingness to punish evidence of love?<\/li>\n
- How do earthly fathers punish? How does God, the Father, punish?<\/li>\n
- Even though God provides for us, does that mean a Christian will never face hardship, hunger, or even death? (See Philippians 4:11-13 and II Corinthians 11:23-31.) How could God be a Father and allow these things to happen?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Class Activity:<\/h2>\n
\n
- Find songs which speak of God being our Father. Ask some of the boys in class to lead a song.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Lord Your God is an Awesome God!\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Our Father in Heaven Text: Luke 11:1-13 \u201cAnd what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore come out from among…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":1091,"menu_order":6,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1123","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3202,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-ten-commandments\/you-shall-not-take-the-name-of-god-in-vain\/","url_meta":{"origin":1123,"position":0},"title":"You Shall Not Take the Name of God in Vain","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 13, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Not Taking the Lord's Name in Vain \"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain\" (Deuteronomy 5:11) In granting God His position as the one and only God, we must show\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10322,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/genesis-a-study-of-the-beginning\/the-creation\/who-is-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":1123,"position":1},"title":"Who Is God? (Genesis)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Who Is God? In Genesis 1, we learn that God created all that we know, including ourselves. However, do we really understand who is God? Perhaps this is more difficult than you would think. Can we truly understand a being who can create an entire universe in just six days?\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":700,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/letter-to-the-hebrews\/christ-is-better-than-the-angels-because-of-his-humanity\/","url_meta":{"origin":1123,"position":2},"title":"Christ is Better than the Angels Because of His Humanity","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 12, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Christ is Better than the Angels Because of His Humanity Text: Hebrews 2:5-18 All Things Are Subjected to Christ (Hebrews 2:5-8) The world to come was not subjected to angels, but to Christ. As supporting evidence, the writer quotes Psalms 8:4-6. In the psalm, David expresses his wonder that God\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65079,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-john\/jesus-prayer-before-death\/","url_meta":{"origin":1123,"position":3},"title":"Jesus\u2019 Prayer Before Death","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Jesus' Prayer Before Death Text: John 17 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0While many times we were told that the time was not yet right, Jesus now says the time has come \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In the events shortly to take place, Jesus would be glorified and through him the Father would also be glorified. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jesus was given\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28560,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-trivia-people-answer-key\/","url_meta":{"origin":1123,"position":4},"title":"Bible Trivia (People) Answer Key","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Bible Trivia (People) Answer Key: \"I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin\" (Romans 11:1). \"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65046,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-john\/show-us-the-father\/","url_meta":{"origin":1123,"position":5},"title":"Show Us the Father","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 25, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Show Us the Father Text: John 14:7-31 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jesus stated by knowing him they now can say they know the Father \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Philip stated it would be enough for Jesus to show the Father to them. He preferred first hand evidence. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jesus scolds Philip for not understanding him, despite being with him\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1123\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}