Our Father Who Art in Heaven

Scripture: Romans 8:18-30

Introduction

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.  Proverbs 22:6

• In my case, the “even when he is old” part really applies.
• My parents had to wait a long time for me to get here – I know, it even surprises me.
• As we celebrate Father’s Day today, I think the image of the child riding on the dad’s shoulder really says it all.
• Some of the earliest pictures of me, riding on my dad’s shoulder, remind me of all the times I have ridden my daughters and now grandchildren on my shoulders.
• This must be a dad thing because, frankly, I can’t picture riding on my mom’s shoulders.
• Maybe because she always had her hair fixed just right and you know how kids like to turn your hair into a bird’s nest when they ride on your shoulders.

A little boy came home from church all excited saying “Daddy, I know God’s real name”

The dad was curious and asked his son “How do you know that?”

The boy replied: “we pray to Him every Sunday.”

“Really! What is His name?” asked the dad.

“His name is ART!” said the boy “You know our Father who’s Art, in heaven.”

“And His last name is Hallode – Hallowed is His name.”

Well, there you go: “Art Hallode”, our Father in Heaven.

• And you know, I think that’s just how He wants it. He wants to be tangible and connectable and reachable.
• Our job is to do everything we can to make Him more reachable and more accessible.

1. Waiting for the glory

• As a father myself, I find God to be far more relatable thinking of Him as a father figure.
• When we think of what a father does it really makes sense.
• When you think of a father, what are some of things you think a father does? Protector, teacher, discipliner, fixer, provider …
• Our Father in heaven, Art Hallode is all of these things and so much more.
• You see He holds the promise and the hope for us for all eternity.
• Paul said, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
• You can look at the greatest things that are going on in your life as well as the challenges and know that this is nothing compared to the wonders God is planning to give us.
• “Why doesn’t He give us some of that now?” you ask, “what is He waiting for?”
• It’s a fair question and one that I think He anticipates with Paul’s statement:

“For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.”

• We do question with eager expectation especially as two things are happening:

1. We are all getting older and closer to human life expectancy
2. The world around us is rapidly becoming more treacherous and more evil.

• Our sense of urgency is increasing as we wonder “are we in the end times?”
• It’s kind of like the many car rides our dad took us on as kids.
• “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?  I’m tired of riding.  Susan’s bothering me.”
• Did any of you go on long car rides with your siblings and get bored and cranky?
• I still remember the times when we would fight over who got to climb up and lay in the back window. Remember those old cars?
• I turned into my father because I have tortured all of my kids with long car rides.
• Twice a year to Myrtle Beach and at least once to Nags Head.
• Aren’t we asking our heavenly Father, Art Hallode, “are we there yet?”
• Some days are just too much – and don’t even try to watch the news.
• The news has gotten so crazy even the soap operas are starting to seem rational.
• Is anyone besides me frustrated with the way things are going in our world.
• Paul told us all about this frustration 2000 years ago in verse 20:

For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it

• There’s a comma there and I’ll come back and put a period on it in a minute.
• We are frustrated for a reason and it’s not our fault, but it is happening on purpose.
• I got very sick a couple weeks ago and ended up in the hospital because stuff was shutting down and I was badly dehydrated.
• It was suggested that I brought it on myself by standing here in the middle of this room and calling out the devil. OOPS!!!  My BAD!!
• But that’s exactly what Paul is saying here as he writes to the newly formed church in Rome.
• He says, “We are being frustrated by the will of the one who subjected us.”
• Then Paul closes his thought going into verse 21:

in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

• The world is under bondage to decay.
• But because we believe in Jesus Christ, we are NOT in bondage to decay – not anymore.
• This body that I currently live in is bound to decay, but aren’t we so much more than that
• My life expectancy isn’t 100 years – it’s INFINITY and BEYOND.

2. Help from the Spirit

• Sometimes our dads have to give us some tough love because they are protectors, right?
• Just suck it up and deal with it; nobody said it would be easy – you ever heard that?
• While that may be true, I’ve said it myself, God has given us a gift to deal with things.
• God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul speaks of our struggle in verse 22:

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

• And that was 2000 years ago! – there’s a whole lotta groaning been going on by now.
• This applies to all of humanity including those of us who have received the Holy Spirit.
• Even with all this hope and promise and help from the Holy Spirit we still groan inwardly
• We know from the example of Christ’s time with the disciples after His resurrection that a new, improved body is coming for us.
• Paul says “we wait eagerly” for this new body but sometimes it seems like it isn’t coming soon enough as we struggle to climb stairs and walk and just do the basic things of life.
• This is what being saved is all about: inheriting a new body and eternal life with Christ.
• This is our great hope and what we believe in and long for.
• But we are also a people who want everything now and “believe it when we see it.”
• Science and the world have taught us that everything can be seen, felt, and measured.
• But the great hope we have in Jesus cannot be seen, felt, or measured.
• Paul says, “hope that is seen is no hope at all.”
• Why hope for what we already have?
• Faith is believing in something that cannot be seen, felt, or measured scientifically/
• It is in faith that we hope for what we do not yet have, and we wait for it patiently.

3. What the Spirit is doing

• What does the Spirit do for us behind the scenes? Connects is to God through prayer.
• The Spirit is working on improving our connection to God.
• How do we connect to God? PRAYER
• The Spirit helps us in our weakness.
• You ever watched This Old House or any of these other remodeling shows?
• Think of yourself as a major renovation – This Old Ken.
• The Spirit is the general contractor and expert craftsman.
• We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
• He searches our hearts and intercedes to remodel and restore our broken, sinful nature.
• He fixes the broken plumbing in our brains that has things leaking and making a mess.
• He puts in new electrical connections that allow God’s Word to flow freely.
• God is doing all this work in us because He has picked us and called us as His own.
• We have accepted Christ and are in the Lamb’s Book of Life – we are His.
• But we need some remodeling to make us livable.
• We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.
• We are all here for a reason, we have been called according to his purpose.
• Jesus claims us and we are being remodeled to conform to His image.
• You have been purchased at a cost, with the life of his Son,
• Because of this sacrifice, you are predestined for salvation.
• You are called into His service through faith.
• And because of your faith in Jesus, you are justified to receive salvation.
• And through Him you will be glorified to ride on His shoulders for all eternity.
• God bless all of our fathers today – as we remember our Great Father Who Art in Heaven.