The Father :Is There Anyone Up There Who Cares For Me? Matthew 11

Is There Anyone Up There Who Cares For Me?

Matthew 11:25-30   At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

The greatest question of the universe-Is there anybody up there who cares about me?  Is there anybody up there who watches over me?  Is there anybody up there who knows my name?  And the answer comes back-Yes.  Yes. Yes. There is a God in heaven who cares about you.  And he is called Father

This prayer is the answer to the deepest problem of mankind-the problem of fatherlessness.  The Lord's Prayer reminds us that if we know Jesus Christ, we are not orphans in the universe. We call God "our Father".  To use a very modern phrase, we are left with a kind of "Father Hunger." That's a phrase used to describe children growing up in a family without a strong and compassionate father figure. He may have died or he may have abandoned his family. Or perhaps he was so busy that he had no time for his family. Because he barely knows his children, they compete desperately for little scraps of his love and approval. Children growing up in a home like that desperately want a father and sometimes they will look for someone (or something) to fill that void. On a much larger scale that's the story of all humanity. We were made to know God and we want to know him, but our sin has separated us from God. As a result, we are left with a deep "Father hunger" that won't go away.

Some people become so desperate that they turn to alcohol and drugs to fill the aching void within. Others float from one failed relationship to another. And some people bury themselves in their work in the hope that climbing to the top of the corporate heap will quell the little voice within that says, "There must be something more."

Good news!  Good news!  In Jesus Christ we have discovered the greatest news of all-that our God is not some impersonal deity, not fate or chance or some mechanical karma, not something mystical, not a God who's so far off he doesn't care.  In Jesus Christ we've discovered the most important truth of the universe.  Our God is a father.  He loves you so much that he did something we would never think of doing.  He gave his own Son to die for you. He loves you inconceivably because he did the inconceivable.  He gave his Son for you, proving that he is a Father who truly loves his children.

"What is a Christian? The richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father. If you want to know how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all."  -J.I. Packer, "Knowing God"

This is why the answer given to question 26 of the Heidelberg Catechism is so important.

26. What do you believe when you say, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth"?

That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by His eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ His Son. I trust Him so much that I do not doubt He will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and He will turn to my good whatever adversity He sends me in this sad world. He is able to do this because He is almighty God; He desires to do this because He is a faithful Father.

    Matthew 11: 25 At that time Jesus declared,

   "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father,  and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Triunity in the New Testament

"I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth"

First, it refers to source or paternity or origin. God is the source of all that you have. When we sing the Doxology, we begin with the words "Praise God from whom all blessings flow".  Or as the Scripture says, "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:25).  When you call God "Father," you declare that your ultimate origin rests with him.

Second, the word Father speaks of parental authority. He is God and you are not.  He is running the show and you are not.  He is a father; you are his child.  We must not use the fact of God's love as an excuse to reject his right to rule over us. Because he is our Father "in heaven," he has the right to do as he pleases even if his ways do not always sense to us. "He may send us pain and circumstances that frustrate us. We must not act like spoiled children when this occurs" (Tom Wells).  We should affirm our confidence in his goodness toward us at all times.

Third, when you call God "Father," you confess that he is a God of tender loving care.  There's a Hebrew word in the Old Testament-hesed-which is translated a number of different ways.  In the King James, hesed is usually translated as lovingkindness.  As in "thy lovingkindness is better than life". The newer translations take that concept and add the concept of faithfulness to it. This word speaks of God's loyal love to all His children. It is the love that keeping on loving no matter what we do or how badly we blow it or how many dumb mistakes we make. He is a God who never lets his children go. He loves his children with an everlasting love that is faithful and loyal no matter what happens.

When we come to the New Testament, we discover that Jesus called God "Father" more than 60 times. Why this enormous difference? Because the revelation of God as our personal Father is based on the coming of Jesus Christ into the world.  It's not that he wasn't a Father to his people in the Old Testament, but that's not the primary way He revealed Himself. Only in the New Testament do we discover that God is now the Father of those who come to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith.

John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.

Your Relationship to the Father

no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.  28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Why You Should Come To Jesus           God the Judge Becomes God the Father

              Jesus is the Appointed Mediator Grants Access to the Father. Christians can pray and know their Heavenly Father hears and will answer their prayers. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, "Our Father" (Matt. 6:9). He said, "Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things" (Matt. 6:32). When God becomes your Father when you come to Jesus, all fear is gone. How many of that fear? All fear is gone. I'm not afraid of my heavenly Daddy. I revere him. I respect him. I bow to him out of love and out of deep appreciation and thanksgiving, but I'm not afraid of him. I'm not terrified of my Daddy.

 

              Jesus is the All-Sufficient Mediator Grants Inheritance of the Father. Children are entitled to their father's inheritance. As children of God, we too are entitled to an inheritance. "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17). Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). Every believer has the promise of God of an eternal home in heaven as part of his inheritance.

              Jesus is the Almighty Mediator

              Jesus is the All-wise Mediator

Why You Should Come To Jesus

You Will Find Rest in Your Affectionate Father

Fellowship with the Father. John wrote: "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ" (1John 1:3). As members of the family of God, we have fellowship with other members of that family, including the Father himself. Often Christians will call each other brother and sister. This recognizes our spiritual kinship. Jesus said, "Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven" (Matt. 23:9). When we pray to the Father and call him Father, we recognize our spiritual kinship with him.

Security from the Father. When a person receives Christ personally as Savior, immediately he receives eternal life (John 5:24). By definition, eternal life lasts forever. Our security as Christians is due in part to our relationship with the Father. Jesus said, "My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand" (John 10:29).

A young child feels secure in his father's arms. The child believes his father would not permit anything to happen to him. The most secure place for the Christian is in his heavenly Father's hand. Our heavenly Father will not allow any harm to come to us that could in any way affect our eternal security.

Inheritance of the Father. Children are entitled to their father's inheritance. As children of God, we too are entitled to an inheritance. "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17). Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). Every believer has the promise of God of an eternal home in heaven as part of his inheritance.

When God is your Father, he gives us confidence, confidence to know who we are and confidence to know who we are in him. When we come and he becomes our Father, I know my life mission. I know his expectations of me. It is not something that's going to change from day to day. I know that he gives me protection because that's what he promised. I know he watches over me. I know that I have eternal security in him and with him. I know that when my days are over he's going to receive me into heaven and reward me. That's the confidence I have in my heavenly Father.

You Will Find Rest in Your Authenticate Father

 

You Will Find Rest in Your Authoritative Father

Guidance by the Father. Our heavenly Father has provided guidance for his creation.

One of the purposes of Scripture is "that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished to all good works" (2 Tim. 3:17). David said, "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word" (Ps. 119:9).
When God is your Father and my Father, He meets all of our needs. Did you get that? He meets all of our needs. All of the resources of heaven are available to the faithful believer. When we trust Him fully, he never betrays our trust, never. When we need bread he does not give us a stone.

Come To Me All Who Are Weary

Come As You Are

verse 25 and says, At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. "Who is it that does receive my salvation? Not the wise and learned, the self-sufficient, or the people who feel like they have it together. It's little children who understand the gospel, receive and get revealed to them the truth of the gospel, and enter into my rest." What does it mean to become little children? This is a very common way that Jesus talks about becoming a Christian. For example, Matthew 18:3 says, "Unless you be converted and become little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of God." To come to Jesus, to become a Christian, to be converted, and to become his little child are all synonyms.

To see why he would use "become a little child" as a synonym, you have to think about the metaphor. If you go through the rest of the Bible, you realize it doesn't mean you become like a child in every way. You don't become childish, for example, but there are two characteristics of little children that are analogous to the two things you have to do to become a Christian and, therefore, receive this rest.

A. You have to admit your spiritual helplessness. Little children know they're helpless. Oh, dear, they know they're helpless. The older granddaughter is 3 years old, but she's probably the size of a 5-year-old, and I happen to be the age of a 63-year-old, because I'm 63. All I know about my granddaughters, especially Lucy, the 3-year-old, is they're always saying, "Up! Up! Carry me. Carry me." When I'm 63, and you're the size of a 5-year-old … "I can't go across that bridge. I'm tired. I'm tired. You have to carry me." Little children know they're helpless. They act helpless, and they pretty much are helpless. When Jesus says, "You must become a little child," this is actually a very hard thing to do. You have to swallow your pride. You have to be somebody who knows you can't be like the wise and learned. You can't say, "Well, I've done good things, but I've done bad things, so I need a little help from God." No, no. A Christian is somebody who says, "I've done bad things and good things, but the good things were done for bad motives in general, and therefore I need complete grace salvation. I need forgiveness. I can't save myself or make good my debt. I can't earn my salvation or pull myself together. I need grace. I am spiritually helpless." That is an extraordinarily hard thing for modern people to say, but that's the first thing you have to do. To become a little child, you have to admit your spiritual helplessness.

Cast your deadly "doing" down— Down at Jesus' feet; Stand in Him, in Him alone, Gloriously complete.

 

Come To Him Only

You have to believe Jesus Christ loves you and forgives you, and you have to rest in his love

The terrors of law and of God With me can have nothing to do;

My Saviour's obedience and blood Hide all my transgressions from view.

To see the law by Christ fulfilled And hear his pardoning voice

Transforms a slave into a child  And duty into choice.

Come Now