Father Knows Best
🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Derrel Strickland
In his Father's Day sermon, Pastor Strickland emphasizes God's omniscience and unchanging nature, illustrating how God, as our Heavenly Father, always knows what's best for us and can change our circumstances to fulfill His divine purposes. He encourages fathers to trust in God's wisdom and seek His guidance in their lives.
The core takeaway is that our Heavenly Father, with His perfect and unchanging knowledge, always knows what's best for us and can change our circumstances to align with His divine purposes, demonstrating His love and sovereignty. Fathers are encouraged to trust in God's wisdom and seek to align their lives with His will.
Additional Info
The info below was generated by an AI from the audio recording of the sermon.
Understanding God's Omniscience and Sovereignty
In today's reflection, we unpack the profound concept of God's omniscience and sovereignty. Omniscience, the divine attribute of perfect knowledge, is something beyond human comprehension. It encompasses all things actual and possible, as highlighted in scriptures like Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Acts, 1 John, and Hebrews. This perfect knowledge is exclusively God's attribute, filling us with reverence and confidence in His sovereignty. God's omniscience assures us that He knows what's best for us, unlike our earthly fathers who, despite their best efforts, often make mistakes.
The Role of Earthly Fathers
Reflecting on the importance of fatherhood, we see how earthly fathers, though imperfect, play a vital role in guiding their families. The 1949 sitcom "Father Knows Best" depicted fathers as the head of the household, a concept that may seem outdated today. Yet, this portrayal reminds us of the significance of paternal leadership and wisdom. However, our ultimate example of fatherhood comes from God, our Heavenly Father, who never makes mistakes and always knows what's best.
God’s Unchanging Nature and His Ability to Change Circumstances
A critical aspect of understanding God is recognizing His unchanging nature. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Despite this constancy, He has the power to change circumstances to fulfill His divine purposes. This concept is beautifully illustrated in the story of Israel's journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Although God's intention was for them to enter the Promised Land sooner, their disobedience caused a delay. God didn't change, but He altered the circumstances to teach and guide them according to His will.
The Parable of the Two Sons and the Tenants
In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we find parables that highlight obedience to God's will. One such parable is the story of a man with two sons. The first son initially refuses to work in the vineyard but later changes his mind and goes. The second son agrees to go but fails to follow through. Jesus uses this story to emphasize that true obedience is demonstrated by actions, not just words. Similarly, the parable of the tenants who reject the owner's servants and son illustrates the rejection of God's prophets and ultimately His Son, Jesus Christ. These stories remind us that God values genuine obedience and commitment to His will.
God’s Ability to Turn Mistakes into Blessings
One of the most comforting aspects of God's omniscience is His ability to turn our mistakes into blessings. We've all made wrong choices, but God, in His infinite wisdom, can use even our failures for His purposes. This truth is supported by scripture, which assures us that God can take what the enemy intended for evil and turn it into something good. Understanding this gives us hope and confidence in God's ability to work in our lives despite our imperfections.
Trusting in God’s Wisdom and Seeking His Will
The ultimate message is that Father knows best. God's perfect knowledge and unchanging nature assure us that He always knows what's best for us. As we navigate our lives, especially as fathers, it's crucial to trust in God's wisdom and seek His guidance. Instead of trying to tell God what to do, we should ask Him how we can please Him and align our lives with His will. This trust and obedience will lead us to fulfill our divine purposes and experience God's blessings in our lives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding God's omniscience and sovereignty deepens our faith and trust in Him. As earthly fathers strive to lead their families, they can find comfort and guidance in the perfect example of our Heavenly Father. By acknowledging God's unchanging nature and His ability to change our circumstances, we can confidently navigate our lives, knowing that Father truly knows best.
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Use the questions listed below as a launching point to discuss the sermon points together as a family. These are great for dinner table discussions and small groups.
Reflect on Experiences: Share a time when you felt your earthly understanding was limited but later realized God's plan was perfect. How did it shape your faith?
Understanding Omniscience: How do you feel knowing that God has perfect knowledge of everything before it happens? Has this understanding affected your trust in Him?
Divine Intervention: Discuss how the sermon changed your perspective about mistakes. How can you see God working through your errors or past wrong choices?
Jesus' Parables: Why do you think Jesus used parables about fathers and sons to illustrate faith? How do these stories speak to your current life situation?
Daily Submission: How can you better submit to God's perfect will and wisdom in your daily life? What practical steps can you take to grow in trust and obedience?
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Connecting our kids to what we as adults are learning and hearing on Sundays is vital to passing on our faith to the next generation. Use the summary below as a great way to talk about the message we heard with your kids.
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Danny. Danny loved playing outside, especially on sunny days. One day, Danny wanted to build a big treehouse, so he ran to his dad and said, "Dad, let's build a treehouse!" His dad, Mr. John, smiled and said, "Sure, Danny, let's do it together."
As they started building, Danny made a lot of mistakes. He tried to hammer nails, but they went in crooked. He tried to cut wood, but it wasn't straight. Danny felt sad. He thought, "I'm making so many mistakes."
But Mr. John was very patient. He gently fixed Danny's mistakes and showed him the right way. "Don't worry, Danny. Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is that we learn and keep trying," he said.
Danny asked, "Dad, how do you know how to fix everything?"
Mr. John laughed and replied, "I don't know everything, but I do know a lot from practice. And remember, Danny, our Heavenly Father knows everything perfectly. He never makes mistakes, and He always helps us when we ask."
Danny felt better. As they built the treehouse, he remembered something from church: God knows everything and loves us very much. Danny thought about how even though he made mistakes, God and his dad loved him just the same.
In the end, Danny's treehouse was perfect, just like how God makes everything perfect in our lives if we trust Him. And Danny learned that with his dad and his Heavenly Father’s help, he could do anything!
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Old Testament References
Psalms and Proverbs
The Psalms and Proverbs were written during the periods of the united monarchy under David and Solomon around the 10th century BCE. These books contain wisdom literature and songs that reflect on the nature of God, human behavior, and the divine order of the world. They emphasize God's omniscience and His involvement in the lives of His people.
Isaiah
Isaiah prophesied during the 8th century BCE, a time when the Kingdom of Judah faced threats from surrounding nations. His messages included calls for repentance and assurances of God's ultimate plan of salvation, demonstrating God's foresight and control over history.
New Testament References
Jesus' Parables (Matthew 21:28-42)
These teachings are part of Jesus' final ministry in Jerusalem during the last week before His crucifixion (circa 30 CE). The parables about the two sons and the tenants are aimed at the religious leaders, highlighting their failure to recognize and accept God’s messengers, culminating in the rejection of Jesus, the cornerstone of God's plan.
Acts (Peter’s Speech)
The Book of Acts, written by Luke around 63-70 CE, describes the early church's growth and the apostles' ministries. Peter’s speech in Acts 4 occurs shortly after Pentecost, emphasizing the early church's reliance on Jesus as the cornerstone and the conviction that salvation comes exclusively through Him.
John’s Writings
The Gospel of John and 1 John were likely written toward the end of the 1st century CE. John focuses on Jesus' divine nature and the importance of belief in Him for eternal life. This period was marked by the early church's expansion and the need to reinforce core Christian doctrines amid diverse teachings and persecution.
Cultural and Political Environment
During these biblical periods, the cultural and political landscapes were characterized by shifting powers, from the united monarchy and divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah to Roman occupation in Jesus' time. Religious authorities held significant sway over daily life, and the clash between Jesus and the Pharisees and Sadducees reflected ongoing tensions between traditional and emerging spiritual understandings.
Understanding the rich historical and cultural context of these scriptures helps illuminate the depth of their messages and the enduring truth of God's omniscience and sovereignty as highlighted in Pastor Strickland's sermon.
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I know some of you can't read my shirt, and I forgot what it says.
It says, quality, papa. Age to perfection. The age I've got down.
Perfection and quality I'm not sure about. But one out of three is not bad. That's pretty good.
God's good. Happy Father's day to all of you fathers. Let's give our fathers a hand.
Hallelujah. Amen. And I don't know if you noticed the display out there.
The picture drop has got a bunch of ties. Some of them came from you because you don't wear them anymore, but it makes a great photo op. So all you guys and fathers stop and get a picture today.
Well, in 1949, NBC radio aired a sitcom known as Father knows best. It aired for six years and then of course, went to television and was quite popular on tv. As I was thinking, it probably wouldn't be real successful today because it promoted the father as being the head of the house, and it promoted the father as knowing something about something.
And he was a leader of the family, so it probably wouldn't go over too well. Good today. But isn't it interesting to that God is known in the scriptures as many, many, many things? On Sunday nights, I've been preaching the I ams of God and man.
It's an awesome study of who God is. But one of the better known references to God is our heavenly Father. When Jesus was asked to teach the disciples how to pray, he starts it with our Father, which art in heaven.
With that in mind, I think we can all agree that our heavenly Father knows best our earthly fathers. I know for me, I've made plenty of mistakes, and my dad made plenty of mistakes. But my heavenly father has never made a mistake.
He always knows and he knows what's best. I want to read the definition to you out of Unger's Bible dictionary, the definition of omniscience. And it's really something that's so great that most of us can't comprehend.
I can't. What does omniscience mean? It means the divine attribute. I mean, it's godly.
So husband's. Even if your wife thinks, go, yours is not the divine attribute. The divine attribute of perfect knowledge.
This is declared in psalms, proverbs, Isaiah, acts first, John and Hebrews, and in many other places. It also mentions the perfect knowledge of God is exclusively his attribute. Did you catch that? We cannot have this attribute because it's above and beyond us.
It includes all things that are actual and all things that are possible. Its possession is incomprehensible. That means its above our pay grade.
And yet it is necessary to our faith in the perfection of gods sovereignty. The revelation of this divine property, like that of others, is well calculated to fill us with profound reverence. It should alarm sinners and beget confidence in the hearts of God's children.
That means to help us to become more confident of his grace and his consolation. And then the scriptures unequivocally declare the divine presence, at the same time make their appeal to man as a free and consequently responsible being. Now, I don't know if you caught that, but there were some words in there that really are beyond a lot of our comprehension.
Matter of fact, it says it's incomprehensible for us to understand the knowledge of God is something we can't do. We can get just a little glimmer. And I know many of you a lot more educated, a lot more intelligent than I am, and you can come to a lot better understanding.
But I can tell you that I struggled about sharing this message today because in all honesty, it's beyond most of my comprehension or my ability to totally understand what I'm gonna try to share with you today. But I tried to bring it down to my level because I'm convinced if I can understand it, you can understand it. So I'm bringing it down to my level.
Hopefully you don't think I'm downplaying it, but I can tell you the omniscience of God is awesome. See, the conflict deals with the sovereignty of man. How many knows that man's sovereign? We have the freedom to choose.
The sovereignty of man and the sovereignty of God. Both are sovereign. But I think most of us will agree that the creator, the sovereignty of the creator is greater than the sovereignty of the created.
So that means the sovereignty of God far supersedes our sovereignty. But we do have the freedom of choice. Man can make choices that are contrary to the will of God.
Now, I'm not asking you to vote on this this morning, but have any of you ever made a choice that you knew God wasn't pleased with? It was contrary to what you knew was the right choice? Sometimes our choices come from a lack of understanding. Sometimes they come from a lack of education. Sometimes they just come out of disobedience.
But we all have made them. And if you hang around me very long, you will hear me make a statement that any one of you that has never made a stupid mistake, you have my permission to cast the first stone. If you've never made a stupid mistake, you don't have enough rocks to throw at me for every stupid mistake I made.
Our choices. See the reality. Like sin, because the Bible says we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
We've all made wrong choices. And you've heard me say many times that God provides because he can pre see. That means he's omniscient.
He knows before it happens. Half the time I don't know after it's happened, huh? But God knows before it happens. And he can see and he can make arrangements and he can change things.
Now be careful. Listen to me. I'm not telling you that God changes, because God cannot change.
He's the same. Yesterday, day, and forever. He is the same.
He is the alpha, Omega, the beginning and the end. So God does not change. God cannot go against his word.
He keeps every promise. And if he can cause all things to work together for good according to his purpose, he may not change, but he must be able to change circumstances that come about because of our failures and mistakes. Let me give you an example.
When Israel left Egypt, now God knew that they needed a little bit of time. They did not take a shortcut. The Bible says they led them a long way around the thing to teach the young men to do war so they would learn how to live, not as slaves, but as people.
But God's intention was them to go into the promised land 40 years earlier. So God didn't change, but he had to change the circumstances. He had to intervene because circumstances change.
God said, all of you are going to die off a whole generation because of disobedience and wrong choices, but primarily an act of rebellion. They did not believe God. How many agree with, is that true? Why didn't they go in immediately? Because they made the wrong decisions.
Now, I want to direct you to a passage of scripture that I've been dealing with about three or four weeks. Daniel called me yesterday or Friday. It might have been Friday.
Or text me, what are you going to preach on Sunday? I said, I don't know. I know what I wanted to preach. I wanted to preach this, but I said, I'm not sure I'm ready to preach this.
And after preaching at 08:00 I'm still not ready to preach this, but I want to read the passage. The story is shared in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Not going to read the entire passage yet, but three of them give it.
So let's go to the Gospel of Matthew. This takes place the last week of Jesus ministry. The last week.
So I'm sure he was trying to get some points across. The week started with the triumphal entry Sunday morning. Then he cleansed the temple the next day.
They questioned the authority of Jesus. That amuses me. How can you question the authority of Jesus? But they did.
And then we come to chapter 21 of Matthew. Begin reading at verse 28. We have two stories that talk about that.
The parables are specifically talking about the people. What do you think? A man had two sons, and he went to the first and said, son, go and work in the vineyard today. And he answered, I will not.
But afterwards he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, I go, sir, but did not go.
Which of the two did the will of the father? Now, they were smart enough to answer that. They said, the first Jesus said to them, truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. Now, who was he talking to? He was talking to the religious leaders.
And he said, you've got one group said, they're going to do it and didn't. Then you got one group said, they're not. Then they did.
Which one's the son of God? Or which one's doing the will of the father? And what did jesus tell him? Said, the prostitutes are doing better than you are. The heathens are doing better than you are. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him.
And when you saw it, you did not go afterwards, change your minds and believe him. Here, another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants and went into another country.
And when the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another and stoned another. Again.
He sent other servants more than the first. And they. And they did the same to them.
Now, who do you think he was talking about? He was talking about the Old Testament prophets that had sent the nation of Israel to get ready. The messiah is coming. And what did they do? They ignored it.
They did not listen. And you said, well, they didn't beat them. They threw Jeremiah in prison.
There were some others that were beaten, but they ignored the thing. And then finally, he sent his son to them, saying, they will respect my son. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, this is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance. And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. And when, therefore, the owner of the vineyards comes, what will he do to those tenants? They said to him, he will put those wretches to a miserable death.
And let out the vineyard to other tenants to give him fruits in their season. Jesus said to them, have you never read the scriptures? The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you. And given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on the stone will be broken to pieces.
And if it falls on anyone, it will crush him. And when the chief priest and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived they were smarter than they thought. They understood he was talking about them.
And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet. What a story. And again it's repeated in Luke and mark.
But the passage that grabbed me was when I was reading the one verse and the new living translation. And that's verse 42. Jesus said to them, have you never read the scriptures? The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
This was the Lord's doings and is marvelous in our eyes. The new living translation says this. The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone.
I think everybody here understands that's talking about Jesus. He was rejected, and he has become the cornerstone. But this is this next phrase.
This is the Lord's doing, and it's marvelous to see. I read this a few weeks ago. The Lord's doing.
The Lord's doing that he allowed them to reject him so that he could fulfill his ministry. That proved to me, Lou, that God cannot change, but he can change the circumstances. We look through the history.
We've been studying it on Wednesday nights about Ezra and Nehemiah and rebuilding the temple. Look what God did. He changed.
He didn't change, but he changed the circumstances over and over and over again. Now you say, well, man, that's kind of scary. No, that's a blessing.
I'm glad that I serve a God that loves me so much. The God that cannot change. The God that cannot fail.
The God that cannot lie loves me enough that he can change my circumstances so that I can do what God wants me to do. The God of the universe, almighty God himself, he can't lie, but he can work on my behalf. Now, I wanted to make sure that I was reading this correctly, so I went to the king James version, and I went to Strong's concordance to read it in the Greek, looked up three key words.
The first one I looked up was Lord, which says, it's the Lord's doing. The word that's used for Lord there is kiros. K u r I o s, which means the one who is in control.
I think that has to be God, the one who is in control. And then it says, doing. That word that's translated, doing is the word that means come to pass or to come into existence.
This is the Lord's doing. And then it's marvelous. The word marvelous, believe it or not, means marvelous.
Wonderful, wonderful. So the almighty God himself, a God that cannot change, cannot fail, has adjusted things in our lives so that we can become all that God wants us to become. Convincing me that Father knows best.
Father knows best because he came to do what Jesus had one major job. It wasn't to heal the sick. He did.
His major job was to come to seek and to save that which was lost. Peter reminds us of this in two. Peter, chapter three.
Second Peter, chapter three, verse eight, which says this, but do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that the Lord with the Lord one day is a thousand years and a thousand years is one day. That Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.
The heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. That. What does it say? That he is not willing that any should perish.
So what does that mean? That means he's willing to do anything to accomplish that will, even to change your circumstance, even thank God. Now, none of us want to make mistakes. I said none of us want to make mistakes.
But aren't you glad that God can take our mistakes and make them into something good? You say, does he do that? Well, it says in the Bible he's willing, able to take that which the enemy intended for evil and turn it into something good. So our God, that's never changing is always changing our circumstances. And it's God that does that, not us.
The Lord's doing. Wow. Peter also confirms that in this previous book.
One Peter, chapter two, where he says this, chapter two, verse four, as you come to him. A living stone, rejected by men, but in the sight of God, chosen and precious. Now, I take that to mean two things here.
I think it can refer to Jesus. How many knows he was rejected? He was rejected by men. But how many of you ever been rejected, been pushed aside? But in the sight of God, chosen and precious, you yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house.
To be a holy priesthood. To offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture.
Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone. He's quoting a cornerstone, chosen and precious. And whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.
The stone that the builders have rejected has become. The cornerstone goes on down, verse nine. But you, because of believing in that rejected stone, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own possession.
That you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. What a blessing it is to know that God is able to change our circumstances. So what's so neat about that for me? I'm glad to know that an all knowing, mighty God can not only remove my sins, he can turn my failures into blessings.
And I know some of you saying the same thing. I said I don't understand it. I cannot comprehend the awesomeness of God.
Lou. I can't imagine a God that knows everything before it ever happens. But I know it's true.
Because he's proved it throughout the generations. He cannot lie. He cannot change.
But he can change circumstances and situations to bring people to him. So those who, fathers and mothers that have children in a way where, guess what? God is able to change the circumstances. God's able to bring that about.
And he is a God that not only can move says, but it can turn our failures. Because every one of us, well, most of us. I know Gaylor probably is a perfect father.
But the rest of us, we've made mistakes. We messed up. Oh, Bill, I'm sorry I left you out.
And Bill, he's the other one. No, we've all messed up. We've all messed up.
But I'm so glad that God is able to turn those messes into a message. I don't have to understand it. I said I don't have to understand it.
I don't have to be able to explain it, but I'm totally, totally convinced that Father knows best. But here's a very important question. Is he our father? Huh? Surely everybody is God's son.
No, no, no. See, Jesus himself said this. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father, who is in heaven.
In other words, he's saying, it's not everyone says, daddy, daddy, that's gonna get to go in heaven. It's the ones that are obedient. Galatians puts it this way, you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Faith in Christ Jesus. Our culture today, they'll try to tell you that you can get to heaven in many, many, many ways. But the book says the only ones that are getting to go were the ones that say our father, not those that say, Lord, Lord.
And even saying our father doesn't mean that they are legitimate. If I went down to Walmart today and was there in a toy section, a little kid came up to me and said, hey, daddy, how about buy me that toy? Now, if he was cute enough and nice enough and asked me plain enough, I might have buy it for him. But it wouldn't be because I said, daddy.
It would be because I just had compassion on him. Now, if he came up to me and said, daddy, buy me that $5,000 something, I said, go ask your own daddy. Huh? There's a lot of people calling out to God saying, our father, that he's not their God.
He's not their father, because they've never accepted him through the blood of Jesus Christ. So it's the truth. And the clearest and most concise of that is John, chapter one, where it says this in verse ten, John the Baptist speaking, John the revelator writing it, he was in the world, and the world was made through him.
Yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
And when we become the child of God, guess what? He becomes our father. And the Bible tells us over in Galatians, I believe it is, we can call him abba father. Now, the word for that is daddy.
That's the nearest thing that we have to that daddy. God's something personal. He is my father, but he's my daddy.
And I can go to him with my problems and my cares and concerns, and he's able to change that. Luke, in the book of acts says this in acts, chapter four, verse seven. And when they had set them in the midst, this was Peter and John after the healing.
And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, by what power or by what name did you do this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to him or them, rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, and by him, this man is standing before you. Well, this, Jesus is what? The stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there's salvation in no one else.
For there's no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. So father knows best. How often do you think he may have intervened in your life and you didn't even know it? More importantly, how often has he changed us, even after we made a mistake? It might have not have been a deliberate mistake, but I found out a bad choice is a bad choice, whether it's deliberate or not.
Huh? I mean, you go out to a restaurant, doesn't matter if it's high class or low class. If you get food poison, it's a bad choice. But I'm so thankful that the God who never changes can change our circumstances.
And he is a God that knows best. Here's a father that knows best. Luke, chapter eleven records what we call the Lord's prayer.
But it really should not be called the Lord's prayer. In my opinion, it should be the disciples prayer. The disciples said, lord, teach us how to pray.
See, to me, the Lord's prayer is in John, chapter 17, where Jesus prays for his disciples. But John, chapter eleven, or Luke, chapter eleven, it says, our father. That's where it starts.
You've heard me say this before, and this is no offense to any of the rest of you. Cause I've heard a lot of you pray. I've heard a lot of great prominent men pray, and I believe God hears every one of them.
But one of the most impactful prayers, or prayers that I've ever heard, Joe Simons, he didn't call him father. He said, dear sir. And if you've ever heard him pray, gator, you know, there was so much respect, honor, faith, all wrapped up in that dear sir.
He was confident. I told you my dad was not a Christian. He was a strong disciplinarian, but I can tell you how to get his attention.
Hey, sir, you didn't get it by hollering at him. At least you'd get it. But it wasn't what you're looking for.
Sir. Dear sir. And I think if we get nothing else from this, if we could realize the reverence we need to approach God by.
He's our Father. I don't know, maybe yours would. But if you went to your dad really nasty and said, hey, old man, well, after I woke up.
But, you know, I hear people go to God with almost that attitude. I can claim the word of God. Yeah, you can claim it.
You have that right. But I serve a God that loves you so much. You don't need to claim it.
You just need to ask him. Father knows best. Our Father, which are in heaven, holy be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. We could camp all day on any one of these phrases. Thy kingdom come.
What does that mean? That means that we want what God wants more than what we want on earth as is in heaven. I can tell you now, this is just my opinion. You may disagree with me.
I don't think that they're having the same problems in heaven that we're having here in the United States. For some reason, I don't think they've got hatred up there. I don't think there's bitterness.
I don't think there's division or anger or frustration. Because father knows best, and they're doing what the father wants. And I can tell you what.
We need to pray for the king. Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Why? Because father knows best.
Give us this day our daily bread. I think sometimes we. God, I want to be guaranteed bread for the rest of my life.
Somebody told me this morning that they heard on the news this week that in order to be able to retire, you needed $1.3 million. Folks, I won't be retiring anytime soon.
Huh? No, seriously, God's been so good to me. I'm on my second million. I gave up on the first one.
I gave up on first. And you know, speaking of all you fathers, I don't know what's remembered Father's day now, but see, there was for a number of years that she, Amanda mentioned that Father's day was, what, 13th or fourth? Way down the list of 15th, 16th, 16th. Yeah, right after Halloween.
Probably the witches. But anyway. But you know what it used to be known for? Not anymore, but it used to be the number one day of all the year of collect phone calls.
Now we just give them a cell phone so they don't have to collect it anymore. But father knows best. Thy kingdom come and will be done.
Our daily bread. I don't know if you notice, if you go through that, there's not a whole prayer list. Now, folks, don't misunderstand me.
I believe in prayer and I believe in taking our petitions to God in prayer. Strongly, strongly. But have you noticed, if you read our prayer list or if you overhear some people praying, they don't just ask God what he would do, they tell him how he needs to do it.
We come to God with our list. God, I've got it figured out. If you do, these ten easy steps be taken care of.
Not my will, but thy will be done. Father knows best. Just go back to my main point.
And I can tell you that I don't totally understand it. I cannot grasp it, but I'm so glad that my God loves me enough that he changes circumstances so he can change me. That's what he said.
He said these things were brought by God. God allowed them to resist him and reject him. To open up eternity for all of us, not just the Jews.
Father knows best. And can I encourage you today, as we close this service, to acknowledge that quit trying to tell God what he needs to do for you and ask him how you can please him. Because Father knows best.
And he will change the circumstances, maybe even do some miracles, because our God is still in the miracle working business. But Father knows best. As our worship team comes, I want to ask.
I'm going to ask all the fathers that are here, if you're willing to stand, I don't want to embarrass you, but I want us to pray for all the fathers. So all the fathers that are here, please just stand. You don't have to come to the front.
But I want to pray for you. And I also want to give thanks to God for you. And I want all of those of you that are seated to just reach out your hand to all of these.
How awesome it is. But I want a prayer of prayer, blessing and a prayer of challenge. Holy Father, every one of us fathers have failed.
All of us have made mistakes. None are perfect. But, Father, you've redeemed us.
And you loved us enough that you tell us that. We can call you father. We can call you Abba, Father, Daddy, because you're concerned about our needs, you're concerned about our finances, you're concerned about our health, you're concerned about our children and grandchildren and relatives.
So, Father, I pray for every one, every one of the fathers that are here today. Let this day be a memorable one in their lives, because they feel your touch. Feel your touch.
Minister to them, even right now, is our prayer.
