06/16/2024 Midtown Church Elk Grove
SERIES: LIFELINES, SCRIPTURES THAT FORMED ME
The Good Father
Christa Armstead
“A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.”
Life Verses:
- See what great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called the children of God (1 John 3:1 NIV).
- God is a father of the fatherless (Psalm 68:5 NIV).
- 2 Corinthians 6:18 says, “And I will be a father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor 6:18 NIV).
God is the ultimate Father.
Biblical Reference:
- We live in a broken world. We are all broken people.
- Sin impacts every area of our lives, especially our relationships.
- Satan’s ultimate goal was/is to destroy us by destroying our relationship with God the Father and with one another.
- This is why we all need to be reparented by God—the good Father.
- God is different from our earthly fathers. Our earthly fathers are flawed, but our heavenly Father is faithful.
#1. Reparenting Starts When We Understand That We Are All Sinners & That We Need God’s Forgiveness
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Mt 6:14-15 NIV)
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And… forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, power, and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Marianne Williamson said, “Unforgiveness is like drinking poison yourself and waiting for the other person to die.”
#2. God – The Good Father Wants Us to Forgive
#3. God Reparents Us and Helps Us Forgive Ourselves
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1 ESV).
In Christ, we are declared not guilty. God the Father doesn’t shame us—He corrects and transforms us.
“Shame is a focus on self—guilt is a focus on behavior.
Shame is, ‘I am bad.’ Guilt is, ‘I did something bad.'”
Guilt can be constructive and lead to positive change, while shame is more likely to be destructive.
Psalms says, “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who reverence Him” (Psalm 103:10-11 ESV).
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WE’LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK MIDTOWN!
STAY CONNECTED:
Midtown Sacramento: Instagram | Facebook
Midtown Elk Grove: Instagram | Facebook
CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING EVENT AT MIDTOWN CHURCH