Malachi 2:10, Matthew 6:31-32, Galatians 3:26

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Why do we call God our father? Now that it seems like there’s a lot of people in the world today that refer to God as father, and so it makes us wonder, you know, why do we even call God Father? Does that even make sense? Well, hear this in Holy Scripture. In Malachi chapter two, verse ten, it says this

Don’t we all have one Father? Hasn’t one God created us? (Malachi 2:10 EHV)

You know, one reason that we can refer to God as our father is because he’s our creator, he made us. And we can think about an earthly father. None of us would be here without an earthly father, right? I know there’s a lot of mothers that say, well, fathers don’t contribute that much to human life, and maybe we’d say that so, because mothers do so much, in carrying a child and giving birth and so forth. But the reality is, is none of us would be here without an earthly father. And so that’s one reason we call God Father is because he is the one who created us, the one who gives us life.

Another reason is found in Matthew chapter six, beginning at verse 31.

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the unbelievers[a] chase after all these things. Certainly your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.(Matthew 6:31-32 EHV)

Now on those verses, we are reminded also what God does for us, like an earthly father who is supposed to take care of his family and provide for his family needs. So also God provides for our needs. He gives us this beautiful world in which we live, the world that’s filled with so many resources to provide for our food and clothing and shelter. And he takes care of us using those things.

But the third and most important reason why we call God our father is this. In Galatians three verse 26, it says,

In fact, you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26 EHV)

And that’s the real reason we have the right to call God father. Is through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ and what he has done. It has brought us into God’s family. It’s brought us into a good relationship with him. Now it takes us back to the Garden of Eden, as we think about Adam and Eve, and how they had that perfect relationship with God back then. What happened? As a result of their sin there was a divorce, so to speak, a separation between their heavenly Father and his creatures and his children. Sin separated them from perfect and almighty God.

But Christ has come to repair the damage. He has come to repair our relationship with God, and he has done it through suffering the punishment that our sins deserve. So through faith in Christ, we are right in God’s sight. And now his children. So, especially for Christians, we have the right to call God Father.

Yes, there are many people today who refer to God as their father. Isn’t he the father of everyone? And maybe we can say that’s true when it comes to the fact that he created all things, or he provides for everyone. What a joy it is to say, as a Christian, that God is our father, and to know that it is true that we are his children through what Christ has done for us. Amen.

Jeremiah 23:24, Malachi 3:6

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The church has sometimes use some pretty big words to describe what God is like. We say that God is omniscient, that God is omnipotent, that God is omnipresent. What are those words mean?

Well, we talk about God as being omniscient. That means that he is all knowing. And it’s interesting when we think about those omni words that each and every one of them we can say there’s an aspect of them that is scary, but also an aspect of them that is comforting. It’s scary to know that God is all knowing because that means he knows our thoughts, even our deepest, darkest secrets that we have never shared with anybody else. He knows them. He knows what we are thinking. He knows our sinful thoughts. He knows our selfish thoughts, knows our embarrassing thoughts.

But it’s also comforting knowing that God knows everything because he also knows our thoughts. He knows what we’re going through, even when we have never expressed it to anyone else. That God knows everything we’re going through. And God is there to also help.

We talk about God as being omnipotent. That means that he is all powerful. And many times in scripture he is called Almighty, right? Again, this too is scary, but also comforting and scary knowing that God could squash us at any moment, right, because of our sins and what we have done, but is also comforting knowing that there is nothing greater than God. That God can protect us from every evil force that threatens us and threatens our life.

We think about that final word that God is omnipresent, that means that he’s everywhere, present. We think about a passage from Scripture from Jeremiah 23, verse 24, where God asked this rhetorical question,

Do I not fill heaven and earth? (Jeremiah 23:24)

And of course, the answer is yes, you do, God. He fills heaven and earth. He’s everywhere at all times. It’s scary because God can see every terrible thing that we do. But it’s also comforting to know that there is nowhere where God is not. And so when we’re so worried and scared about those that might threaten us, God is there too to comfort us and to help.

Then another thing that we learn about God that is also scaring and comforting is this truth that we hear of in Malachi chapter three, verse six. As God says this, he says,

Certainly I, the Lord, do not change. (Malachi 3:6)

We would say God is unchanging. That’s scary in this way to know that God’s word and his law and his morality doesn’t change. You know, we think about the world in which we live today, 21st century, right? And many people would maybe say, well, we understand why God had all these rules about sexuality and encouraging people not to be promiscuous or encouraging them away from homosexuality and calling those things sin because he didn’t want unwanted pregnancy. He wanted to spare people from STDs and things like that. But we’re beyond all of that. We’ve had many medical advances. We don’t have to worry about those things. So morality can change, right?

That’s not what God says. God says he doesn’t change. Neither does his moral standard. That’s scary to think about our world as it’s changed all what is right and what is wrong. But God says what I say in my word is true. And so it condemns us, especially as we think about our own sins. That truth that God is unchanging is also very comforting for us when we know this, that God’s promises then also cannot change. It’s comforting to know that God can’t all of a sudden one day and say, Well, you’ve been too sinful. So all that stuff that I said about forgiving your sins through Jesus, well, yeah, that’s not going to work anymore. I’ve decided I’m taking all of that back. No, he can’t do that, right? God has to follow through with what he said in his word, He cannot change his promises. They remain unchanged for us, no matter how sinful we’ve been, no matter what we’ve done. What a blessing to know God’s word, God’s unchanging word that assures us that the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Yes, there are some big words that describe what God is like. And a number of those things that we describe concerning God are both scary and comforting. Yes, it is amazing that God is Almighty all powerful everywhere present, but may especially be a comfort to us that God is unchanging concerning His promises, especially his promise of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Malachi 3:6, 2 Timothy 2:13

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In our series “What is God like?” Today we take up another attribute of God that he is unchanging. God’s Word for us today is from Malachi Chapter 3 verse 6.

Certainly I the Lord do not change.

Certainly I, the Lord, do not change. (Malachi 3:6)

When I present to my catechism class really the attributes of God, or the characteristics of God, I usually ask them the question: how does this thing about God scare you or how does this thing about God comfort you?

So I want you to think about that today concerning what I just read from Malachi Chapter 3. It says there that God does not change. It’s pretty scary if you think about it. Because it means that God’s Word, His truth, then also doesn’t change. What God had recorded 2000 or 3000 years ago even remains the same, remains true for us even today.

And this is very scary when we think about our own society and culture. That has really rewritten the rules concerning morality, concerning what is right, and what is wrong. Our society tells us well things that people considered wrong one hundred years ago or a thousand years ago, all that has changed. Get with the times man! It’s different.

God reminds us that His Word, His law doesn’t change. So what God called sin 2000 years ago or 3000 years ago and beyond are still sins today. And it certainly condemns us as we consider our own actions. But this truth about God, that he is unchanging, is also one that is very comforting to us.

It also means that God doesn’t change or take back His word concerning His promises. When God assures us that He forgives our sins, that He has forgiven them all for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ. That too doesn’t change. It’s not like God all of a sudden says “ope, I guess I didn’t think of that sin.” Or “I didn’t think of how you would abuse this so terribly, I guess I’m going to take back my promise.”

But rather He brings comfort to us, assuring us that He is unchanging. In 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 13 it says this.

If we are faithless, he remains faithful, because he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:13)

Reminds us that it doesn’t depend on us. That God’s faithfulness to His promises depend on Him and who He is. That’s so comforting to us because so many times we feel that we have failed God, maybe out of unbelief, maybe out of sin, that we don’t deserve to be called His child, we don’t deserve the forgiveness that He offers. Yet He reminds us that He is faithful to His promise and that will never change.

God is unchanging. It is scary when you think about His law. It certainly convicts us concerning our sin but also God being unchanging is a tremendous comfort to us knowing that His words of promise do not change. That He always forgives our sins for Jesus sake and through Him we have everlasting life. Amen.