June 8, 2014
Stetson Memorial United Methodist
Church
Peace
with Justice Sunday/Fathers Day
Sermon
Series on “The Names of God”
Sermon
23 of series-
“The
Sacred Names of God: Abba”
Luke
15:11-24 Common English Bible
Romans
8:14-17 Common English Bible
Galatians
4:4-7 NIV
Names of God Bible (with direct verse
lookup), The Baker Publishing Group
Spangler,
Ann, Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide
Let us pray… (Pray for God’s illumination of our
hearts, minds and souls.)
Creator,
Sustainer, Almighty God, you who created all that we see. We have come into
your house to worship you this morning and hear the word you would have for us
this day. We pray for your presence and your Spirit here with us as we listen
to your word. May we leave this place today understanding more about you and
your will for our lives. May the meditations of our hearts and the words of our
mouths be pleasing to you oh Lord, our Rock and Redeemer. Speak Lord; your
children are waiting to hear your voice…
Today is Fathers Day. It is a day that
we, as society, have set apart to honor our earthly fathers.
It is a day that we think of those who
have been like fathers to us…mentoring us and loving us as if we were their
own. You know…it is only fitting that not only is it Fathers Day today but it
is also Trinity Sunday…the day that we celebrate and give thanks to our
Heavenly Father…the day that we think about the “3-Faces of God”…The Father,
Son and Spirit that together make up our God.
As we
continue our journey of learning about and praying in the Sacred Names of
God, we have heard many names for God on our journey thus far. How fitting
it is that today we talk about our Father in heaven…the Father of all
fathers. The name Abba…Father is
the name that has so many images attached to it. It is a name that for many
brings to mind the love and mercy of our Father…which art in heaven…our Abba
Father…
The Names of
God Bible states:
The Hebrew
Scriptures normally depict God, not as the Father of individuals but as Father
to his people Israel. Pious Jews, aware of the gap between a holy God and
sinful human beings, would never have dared address God as Ab (Hebrew) or
Abba, the Aramaic word for “Daddy,” which gradually came to mean “dear
father.” Jesus shocked and offended the religious leaders of his day by
claiming that he had a Father-Son relationship with the God whose name they
feared even to pronounce outside of the temple. Rather than depicting God as a
typical Middle Eastern patriarch who wielded considerable power within the
family, he depicted him primarily as a tender and compassionate father who
extends grace to both the sinner and the self-righteous.
Though the
Old Testament provides many rich names and titles for God, the New Testament
reveals him most fully. Jesus, in fact, shocked and offended the religious
leaders of his day by claiming that he had a Father/ Son relationship with the
God whose name they feared even to pronounce. Also, by inviting his followers
to call God “Father,” he made this the primary name by which God is to be known
to his followers. That’s why we can boldly pray the prayer Jesus taught his
disciples, “Our Father who art in heaven….”
One of my
most favorite stories of a father and son relationship is the one found in the
scripture I read this morning…the Prodigal Son. Most of us have heard the story
of the prodigal son numerous times. But have you ever noticed that Luke 15:20
states that the father saw his son while he was still at a distance? The New
International Version says that his father spotted him while he was still a
long way off. This detail is there for a reason. It implies that the
heartbroken father had been eagerly looking for his son, longing for him to
come home.
I like to think of God this way, as an eager
father searching for his child. We may think we have strayed too far for God to
take us back, but he is beckoning us home, watching for us even while we are
still a long way off. How comforting and hope=giving is the fact that our
God…Abba…our Daddy is there waiting for us to reach out our hand to His as He
leads us in the path of righteousness for His namesake…
So…with this
information…with this knowledge of God and the relationship He desires…no He
longs for…from His children, how should we act and feel? Well…let we read a
couple of scriptures that might give us a clue to not only who we are but whose
we are…
Romans 8:14-17 Common English Bible
(CEB)
14
All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters. 15 You didn’t
receive a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear, but you received
a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children. With this Spirit, we cry,
“Abba, Father.” 16 The same Spirit agrees with our spirit, that we are God’s
children. 17 But if we are children, we are also heirs. We are God’s heirs and
fellow heirs with Christ, if we really suffer with him so that we can also be
glorified with him.
We are given
the right to call God Abba and we are co-heirs with Christ. Now think
about that for a moment. We can call the Maker of Heaven and Earth Daddy and
not only that but we are adopted as His children… The Spirit within us tells
us…reassures us that we are children of God… How awe inspiring is that? It
gives us hope when we feel hopeless knowing that God has adopted us as His children…even
though we are flawed and imperfect. You see…God signed the adoption papers for
us in the blood of His son and our Brother Jesus Christ at the foot of the
cross so long ago…and like our earthly fathers He protects us…even unto death.
Galatians 4:4-7 New International
Version (NIV)
4
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born
under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption
to son-ship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into
our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a
slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an
heir.
We are no
longer a slave to sin and death. God purchased our freedom through His Son
Jesus Christ. Our Spirit within us calls out to Him because we are children of
the Most High God. God…in His time set us free so that we could be adopted
into the Family of God. We no longer are enemies of God but we are called
friends of Jesus who for the sheer joy of it, went to the cross for us so that
we too can have a relationship with our Father…Abba Father in Heaven.
Knowing that
the Father will keep our souls safe…Abba Father is there watching over us…
means we can put our energy not into building up our sense of self but into
building up his kingdom. Secure in his arms, we can learn to take the risks
that faith requires. If we have been playing it safe, resisting some new
direction in our life that we know to be right, maybe…just maybe we need to take
some time today to meditate on God’s faithfulness. Tell him you want his will
more than you want your own. Then go ahead and do whatever the Father asks!
Just saying…
Today is
Fathers Day and we celebrate those men in our lives that have loved us and
mentored us. Scripture tells us that we…being human and flawed…know how to give
good things to our children, how much more will our Father in Heaven…the
perfect in all His ways Father…give to those who love Him and are called by His
name. Is there someone you may know who needs the love of a good and perfect
Father who will never leave them or forsake them? Perhaps it is time that we,
as Christians help them find the ultimate Father figure found in our heavenly
through the blood of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Maybe…just maybe we could
reach out our hand and lead them to life everlasting. Perhaps then there will
be a shift in the tide of despair and hopelessness. Let us celebrate our
fathers here on earth as well as Abba Father and honor them with our
lives. You see Abba Father loved and still loves the world so much, that’s
you and me…all of humanity that He sent His only Son and everyone one who
believes in Jesus shall not perish but have everlasting life. What an
awesome privilege we have…what a daunting task we have at hand. But perhaps
that’s the whole reason why we are here…to make a change in others lives. Maybe…just
maybe if we reach out to the lost…just maybe…
Let us pray…
Father, thank you for loving me
even when I was “still a long way off.” You showed your gracious, fatherly love
even when I bore little resemblance to you. Strengthen my identity as your
child and help me to glorify your name by reflecting your character. Help us to
be Your image to the lost and hurting of this world as we live out the Great
commission, “Go into the world and make disciples of all nations…baptizing them
in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”Amen.
Adapted from:
Spangler, Ann, Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide
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