Our Father In Heaven

1. He is Father

a. The antidote to all cults is truth—there IS a Father, He IS in Heaven, united with the Spirit and the Son, yet distinct from them—Some examples—

(Gal 1:1) "Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead),"

(Gal 1:3-4) "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,"

(1 Cor 1:3) "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

(1 Cor 8:6) "yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live."

(1 Cor 15:24) "Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power."

(2 Cor 1:2-3) "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,"

b. He is called the Father over 260 times—

c. He calls Jesus His Son, and he speaks out loud to announce His very Presence

(Mat 3:17) "And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.""

(Mat 17:5) "While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!""

(2 Pet 1:17) "For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.""


2. He is OUR Father

a. He is OURs—He has a relationship with us, He is ONLY the Father of believers
(1) He is the creator of all, but the Father only of born again believers.
(2) The Lost have a father—the Devil (Jn 8:44)
(3) The Holy Spirit witnesses our relationship—Rom 8:15, Gal 4:4-6—Note that the word “son” is a legal term which can apply to men and women.
b. There are many who claim God as Father, but He is not their Father—some of them are called “spots” on our love feast—Jude.
3. He is our Father in Heaven—5:48, 6:1, 6:9

a. God is omnipresent in a real sense, but there is a special place, His very presence, where He sits enthroned—we call that place “Heaven.”
b. In the Baptism of Jesus (Mat 3:16-17), at the Mount of Transfiguration (Mat 17:1-5), and in the High Priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17, the Father is in Heaven, and the Son is on Earth.
c. The scene in Heaven—Rev 4:1-11

4. He is our Father who sees in Secret and Who IS in Secret.
(Psa 91:1-2) "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.""

a. Our intimate, personal communication with God guarantees our safety and protection.

b. Our communication with Our Father is meant to be personal and private—(Deu 29:29) ""The secret things belong to the LORD our God, …”

c. God sees into the innermost part of each of us, He knows us better than we can know ourselves—(Psa 139:14-15) "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth."

d. Our relationship with God provides us with the ultimate of spiritual hiding places. (Psa 32:7) "You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah"

(Psa 27:5) "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock."

(Psa 31:19-20) "Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men! 20 You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues."

5. He is our Father, Who knows our needs before we ask—Mat 6:8

a. First of all, NEEDS—not wants. A need is something we cannot survive without.

b. Second, HE knows our needs before we ask—He is God, He is omniscient, He knows all things.

6. He is our Father who is the source of our daily bread—Mat 6:11, 30-33

Mat 6:31 “… do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
a. God takes care of the things we need—and we need Him most of all—Mat 6:33
b. Like the manna, our supply is new every morning.

(Lam 3:22-23) "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."

7. He is Our Father, whose Name is Holy—6:9

a. “Holy” means separate, different, distinct.
b. When considering God, His Holiness defines all.
c. God’s Name is HOLY—He is not one who can be or should be taken lightly, nor should He be spoken about flippantly.

8. Our Father is our King—6:10a …He is our Father whose Kingdom is glorious, powerful, and eternal—6:13b

a. God’s Sovereignty
(1) God is “Lord of Heaven and Earth…” Acts 17:24
(2) God is in Control

(Psa 115:3) "But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases."

(Psa 135:6) "Whatever the LORD pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places."


b. Many theologians speculate as to whether the Kingdom of God is now or in the future—the answer is: YES!

c. The rebellion of the nations and of the principalities and powers in the heavenlies, the rebellion against the Lord and against His Christ is ridiculous, no matter how powerful it seems. God laughs them to derision—Ps 2

d. God not only has won the war, He has called and is calling a people for Himself, all formal members of the rebellion against Himself, a trophy of His grace and mercy.

e. And one day, His kingdom will be fully triumphant.
(Phil 2:9-11) "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

9. Our Father is the God Whose will shall be done everywhere—6:10b

a. This is the required caveat with each and every of our prayers—your will be done.

b. Just as with His kingdom, we pray for His will to be done here just as it is in Heaven—fully, immediately, and willingly.

10. He is our Father, who will forgive us if we forgive others.

a. Some explanation is in order
(1) This is not salvation by works, nothing of the sort.
(2) However, communion with our Father depends on walking with Him, and one of the chief determinants is whether or not we forgive as He forgives—

b. Mat 18:21-35

11. He is our Father, who will not allow us to be tested beyond endurance—6:13a

a. God tempts no one—James 1:13-14
b. But God allows testing and attacks, as with Job and Peter
(1) Job, accused by Satan before God, was tested by the attacks of Satan against his material wealth, family, and reputation, things of the most importance to him. (the attack against his reputation came from his friends, who thought he must have done something wrong to deserve is troubles.

(2) Peter was “sifted” in the area of his life that was most important to him—his self image as a brave and courageous warrior for His Lord

(Luke 22:31-34) "And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." 33 But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death." 34 Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.""

In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus will say to Peter, James, and John: “Pray that ye enter not into temptation” (Luke 22:40). That is the idea here. Here we have a “Permissive imperative” as grammarians term it. The idea is then: “Do not allow us to be led into temptation.” There is a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13), but it is a terrible risk.

12. He is our Father, who will deliver us from the evil One

a. The defender—our intercessor, the Lord Christ Himself
b. The Saint’s defense—
(1) Take your stand (Eph 6:10-12
(2) Submit (to God) Resist (the Devil)

(James 4:7) "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

(1 Pet 5:9) "Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."


Ø He is the Father who sent His Son to live for us and to die for us and rise for us to ascend for us, to intercede for us and return for us.

c. The question is—Is He YOUR Father