Like a Father

Like A Father

Psalm 103:6-18

Today is Father's Day.
Someone said a father is a man who has pictures in his wallet where his money used to be.

On this Father's Day we are reminded of the great privilege it is to be a father and the great responsibilities that are incumbent upon those of us who have children.
I usually take the opportunity on Father's Day to challenge fathers to be better in that position.

The world has so polluted the concept of the family and specifically the role of a father, that many men are confused about how to be a proper father.
Some today have even succumbed to the intimidation of the world system and have pulled out of the lives of their children.
Some today have allowed the frustration of their own insecurities to push them into an abusive role in their children's lives.

Because of these tendencies within families and particularly in modern fathers, children are growing up without the proper idea of authority, and more importantly, without the proper understanding of God.
You see, a child's view of God is almost always influenced by the father figure in their lives.
> If a child grows up with a father who never punished them when they were wrong and just tried to be a "buddy," they get the idea that God doesn't so much mind impurity in their lives and is willing to put up with their sin.
> If a child grows up without a father in his or her life, they generally have a view of God that is that of a disinterested God with more important things to do than care for them.
> If a child grows up with a father that breaks his promises to them or to mom, they tend to have trouble trusting God.
> If a child grows up with an abusive father, they usually assume that God hates them and is out to get them.

Of course, none of these views of God is correct, for God is the perfect father and does not have the weaknesses and failings of an earthly father.
Our text gives us a unique and powerful glimpse of that perfect father and teaches us how we can be better fathers by following His example.
More importantly, our text gives us a correct view of God, our Heavenly Father.

Let us open our Bible and learn of Him this morning:

READ TEXT

Psalm 103:6 The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;
18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

PRAY

The verse that caught my attention this week is Verse 13
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

We have, over the past few months read and studied from the book of Ezekiel.
There we have seen an aspect of God's character that is true and powerful.
We have seen that the God of the Bible is a Holy and a Righteous God, Whose judgments against sinfulness are severe.
This is, however, not the whole picture of God as painted across the pages of Scripture.

It is not contradictory of God's character to see other facets of His personality, it is complimentary and tells us all that God wants us to know about Him.

I would like to point out from verse 13 that our God is the perfect father.
I want to drive that point home firmly this morning by walking with you through this passage and nailing down each unique characteristic of God presented here.

Let us begin in Verse 6

1.) God our Father is concerned with righteousness and justice. (V6)

2.) God our Father has revealed His rules to man. (V7)

3.) God our Father is full of mercy and grace. (V8)

4.) God our Father is not always angry. (V9)

5.) God our Father has withheld deserved judgment from us. (V10)

6.) God our Father shows mercy to those that fear him. (V11)

7.) God our Father has offered to separate our sins from us. (V12)

8.) God our Father is full of compassion toward those who fear Him. (V13)

9.) God our Father knows our frailty. (V14-16)

10.) God our Father blesses those who obey His commandments. (V17,18)

These attributes of God our Father remind us how we can be better fathers to our children.

They also remind us that we have, in Him, the greatest Father of all.
He is not like any human father.
He is perfect.

This passage is also a reminder of how a person can have such a wonderful Father.
Like any father-child relationship, we must be born into His family.

Have you been born into the family of God?
Is He your perfect Father?