                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                               Father's Love

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Plain Text File + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

By David Wilkerson
January 17, 1994
__________

          Not long ago, Newsweek magazine featured a cover story
          entitles, "A World Without Fathers." The focus was
          primarily on African-American families and the alarming
          increase of children being raised without father.
          Consider, for example:

             * A black child born today has only a one-in-five
               chance of growing up with a father until he's
               sixteen. This statistic reflects not just poor
               families, but also a staggering 22 percent
               increase among those families making $75,000 or
               more. Right now some 62 percent of all black
               families are without a father.

             * Divorce is taking its toll among Caucasian
               families, as fathers flee their responsibilities
               in increasing numbers. There is no longer a stigma
               placed on fathers who just "disappear." The
               government is having to track down a growing army
               of runaway fathers who won't support their
               children.

               At Hannah House, New Life for Girls and Teen
               Challenge Home for Women, one of the biggest
               struggles for women in the program is to forgive
               their father or stepfather for having molested
               them while they were young. Many of these young
               women have spent years battling memories of being
               terrorized by a lust-driven father or stepfather.
               One girl at Hannah House had a most difficult time
               forgiving her biological father for getting her
               pregnant. The Holy Spirit helped this young woman
               to forgive him recently, just before he died. But
               her life has been marked by his brutal sin.

             * A stepfather in upper Manhattan killed his baby
               stepdaughter by throwing her out of an
               eighth-story window. The entire community wanted
               to string this man up. And many fatherless
               children in that housing project once again had
               their image of a father perverted in their minds.
               If you were to ask them what they think fathers
               are like, they'd answer, "He's a mean, vicious man
               who throws his children out the window." These
               kids can't relate to a loving, heavenly Father -
               because implanted in their minds is an image of a
               violent, heartless man!

             * I know a twelve-year-old boy who was thrown out of
               his house by his stepfather, a former Pentecostal
               pastor who is now backslidden. This boy is not
               rebellious - he is really a good child.
               Fortunately, his biological father is a godly man
               who dearly loves him and rushed to pick him up.
               The boy is now happily reunited with his loving
               Father. He knows what a true father is!

          I bring up all these examples to remind you of how
          difficult it is for many people to think of God as a
          loving Father. They can't help but see God through the
          eyes of past experiences with an ungodly father or
          stepfather. Very few of the troubled men and women who
          come to us for help can relate to a father who is
          normal or loving. Their father either abandoned them or
          wounded and grieved them. It's all so sad - so tragic.

          This subject is not new - it has been preached about
          for years. It is common knowledge that many thousands
          of Christians do not believe God loves them, because
          their earthly father treated them wrongly. And I intend
          this message to speak not only to them, but also to
          those who have no such clouded view of the heavenly
          Father. Indeed, there are many who have had good
          fathers and a solid family life, who love the Lord and
          walk in righteousness - yet who have not discovered the
          depths of our heavenly Father's special love!

          Most of us know the Scriptures and the theology behind
          God's great love for His children. Yet very few of us
          have learned to appropriate that love. We don't enjoy
          the glorious benefits of having it!

          I have recognized in my own life several hindrances to
          knowing God's love - roadblocks that keep me from
          appropriating and living in the absolute freedom of the
          Father's love. And I believe these are hindrances also
          to multitudes of other Christians.

          Let me list just three of the hindrances that keep us
          from entering fully into the special love our Father
          has for us:

              -----------------------------------------------

              1. We Really Do Not Believe What God Says About
                                 Himself!

              -----------------------------------------------

          Listen to how God described Himself to Moses:

          "...The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious,
          longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
          keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
          transgression and sin..." (Exodus 34:6-7). (The Lord
          stated He is all of these things "without clearing the
          guilty" - that He still "visit[s] the iniquity of the
          Father upon the children..." [verse 7].)

          When we're in the midst of our many trials and
          tribulations, we forget what God has said about His own
          nature. Yet if we would only believe Him in such times,
          we would have such assurance in our souls! From cover
          to cover, the Bible speaks to us as God's voice,
          revealing to us how tender and loving He is. It says of
          our Father again and again:

             * He is at all times ready to forgive. "For thou,
               Lord art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous
               in mercy unto all them that call upon thee" (Psalm
               86:5).

             * He is patient with us, full of tenderness and
               mercy. "Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord..."
               (Psalm 119:156). "... his tender mercies are over
               all his works" (Psalm 145:9). "... the Lord is
               very pitiful, and of tender mercy" (James 5:11).

             * He is slow to anger and wrath. "The Lord is
               merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and
               plenteous in mercy" (Psalm 108:3). The Lord is
               gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger,
               and of great mercy" (Psalm 145:8). "... turn unto
               the Lord your God: for he is gracious and
               merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and
               repenteth him of the evil" (Joel 2:13).

          When you go to worship the Lord in prayer, be very
          careful what kind of image of God you take into His
          presence! You must be fully convinced He loves you -
          and that He is all He says He is!

          The devil's biggest lie is to make you believe God is
          more willing to judge and condemn you than He is to
          save, bless and deliver you Satan will try to do to you
          what he did to Job. He planted in his mind a perverted
          view of the Father!

          Job said: "For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou
          not watch over my sin? My transgression is sealed up in
          a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity" (Job 14:
          16-17). Job accused God of being a "spy in the sky"! He
          was saying, Lord, You've have been trailing me to see
          if I'm going to fail. You haven't been forgiving and
          forgetting my sins - You've been marking every false
          move I make! You're putting all my sins into a bag and
          saving them for judgment against me. They're all piling
          up - and one of these days You're going to make me face
          them!" (See Job 14).

          This is the image most of us have of our heavenly
          Father! We believe He's waiting for us to fail so He
          can judge us, take something from us, destroy something
          that's precious to us!

          Yet can you see how perverted such a view of God is -
          after everything God has told us of His great love,
          tender mercies and endless compassion toward us? The
          truth is, God wasn't spying on Job at all. He was so
          full of love and respect for Job that He was boasting
          of him to the devil and all the heavenly hosts! He
          said, "Have you ever seen a man like this one, who
          loves me so much? My servant Job is a righteous man,
          without guile!"

          Just about the time you go into God's presence with
          your head down, depressed, thinking you've failed Him -
          He has been boasting about you! He tells all the
          angels. "Look at him - whenever he fails, he repents
          right away. He reaches out to Me continually. Isn't
          that wonderful?"

          Yet Job came into the Lord's presence having lost all
          sense of God's love and tender mercies toward him. He
          mourned, "God, You have washed away all my hope!" (See
          verse 19).

          Is this how you see the heavenly Father? Do you think
          He's so sick and tired of your failures and weaknesses
          that He's ready to smite you, judge you, let your sins
          pile up against you? Do you see Him as being angry with
          you, and allowing the devil to terrorize you? Oh, that
          must grieve Him more than anything!

              -----------------------------------------------

                     The Father Has Two Kinds of Love:
                      A General Love for All Sinners,
             and a Special Love for All Who Are in His Family!

              -----------------------------------------------

          God has a general love for mankind that can be embraced
          by anyone who comes to Him in repentance. But there is
          also in God's heart another kind of love - a special
          love for His children!

          God has always had a chosen, special people for
          Himself, upon whom He bestowed His great love. Israel
          once was the sole object for this special love:

          "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the
          Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people
          unto himself, above all people that are upon the face
          of the earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you,
          nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any
          people; for ye were the fewest of all people. But
          because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep
          the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers..."
          (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).

          God directed these words to Israel. Yet, today, if you
          have received Jesus as your Savior and Lord - if you
          have been adopted into God 's family, and He is your
          loving Father - then you too must come to grips with
          how special you are to Him! You are the recipient of
          God's special love! And here are His words to you:

          "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an
          holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew
          forth the praises of him who hath called you out of
          darkness into his marvelous light... (you) are now the
          people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now
          have obtained mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10).

          At one time you were not an object of His special love
          - but now you are! You have been reconciled to the
          Father, and He loves you with a special love - right
          now, at this very moment!

          It is important that you do not reverence His judgments
          more than His Love! Satan will come to you in your
          times of weakness and failure and will hammer you with
          every passage of Scripture about God's wrath against
          sin. Of course, God does judge sin. But Satan will take
          these verses out of context and use them to inject fear
          into your mind:

             * "Thou [God] art of purer eyes then to behold evil,
               and canst not look on iniquity..." (Habakkuk
               1:13).

             * "... Who is able to stand before this holy Lord
               God?" (1 Samuel 6:20).

             * "And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve
               the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous
               God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor
               your sins" (Joshua 24:19).

          I've heard pastors take these verses out of context and
          pound their sheep with them. But in each of theses
          passages God was addressing a rebellious, hypocritical
          nation. He was saying, "In your present state I can't
          forgive you - because you don't have a heart that's
          repentant, that reaches out to Me for forgiveness and
          mercy. Your heart is set on your sin!"

          All these frightful verses are aimed at hypocrites who
          refuse to hate their sin. And if you're a hypocrite,
          God will come to you with these words as a hammer, not
          to hurt you, but to break your hardness - to bring you
          back to a heart of love for Him. But these harsh words
          are never meant for repentant children who are
          sprinkled with the blood for Jesus - who always turn in
          repentance to their Heavenly Father ! Yet too many of
          us allow these frightful verses to block out any vision
          of God's love!

              -----------------------------------------------

            2. We Do Not Rest in the Fact That God Knows What Is
                               Best For Us!

              -----------------------------------------------

          There are times when God takes things from us. And
          there are times we pray for things we think we need,
          but God doesn't give them to us. Nevertheless, "...The
          Lord knoweth the way of righteousness..." (Psalm 1:6).
          And one day it all will prove to be for our benefit -
          and for His kingdom!

          You see, the truest satisfaction in life is in doing
          the perfect will of God - in being in His perfect will,
          doing His work, living according to His choosings. But
          most of us are convinced only we know that we need to
          be fulfilled and happy. And, in most cases, what we
          believe is best for us actually would ruin us!

          Never in the history of mankind has God taken anything
          from one of His children, except to bring in something
          better, more beautiful, more fulfilling. God's best is
          not something to fear - it is always that which
          satisfies most. He not only knows what is best for you
          - He wants you to have His best!

          Oh, if we truly believed this, what rest, peace and joy
          it would produce in us! We would not grieve over
          letting go of things; we would know we're been set free
          from all bondage! We would say, "Lord, if You're taking
          this from me, it must mean You have something much
          better for me. So take it - You can have it!"

          I have heard many young women say, "Do you mean God may
          be trying to take my boyfriend from me? He's my life -
          there's nobody else like him. If I lose him, I've lost
          everything!"

          I've seen this happen many times. When they lose their
          boyfriend, they cry. "I want to die!" But I think to
          myself, "If you'll just turn to the Lord with all your
          heart and love Him, you'll be surprised at what comes
          to you down the road!"

          Then a young man does come - one who is so much better
          than she ever could have imagined - so much in God's
          will and in His divine order. And when she looks back
          to what she almost settled for, she cries, "God, thank
          You for not allowing me to accept anything less than
          Your best for me!"

          There is a young lady from England on our staff who was
          engaged to be married to a fine young man - but God
          told her clearly to lay the relationship on the altar.
          The Lord said, "This one is not for you. I have
          something else planned - and he does not fit in!"

          So she broke it off - and she was called to a special
          ministry which totally fulfills her. Now she is being
          greatly used in a wonderful way. God is proving to her
          that what He brings in to replace is so much better!

          Beloved, we need to rest in the loving hand of our
          Father! We need to come to the point of trust, where we
          can say, "I have a loving heavenly Father who wants the
          very best for me. He knows it all!"

          How did Job finally come to a place of rest? He
          persuaded himself that God knew what He was doing - and
          that everything was under control! Job said, "But he
          knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I
          shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).

          Now, you may be wondering, "Will God cut me off if I
          sin or fail while I'm waiting for His best? I know I'm
          not perfect. Does that mean I'll miss His best for me
          if I fall short?"

          This is where many Christians are right now. They see
          God at work in their lives - they know He wants them to
          come into His best - yet still they wonder, "What if I
          blow it? What if I do something wrong, and God gets
          angry or impatient with me? Will all His promises fail
          me? Will I have to settles for something less than His
          best?"

          No - never! I want to give you a wonderful illustration
          that shows God's eternal purposes will not be thwarted
          by your weaknesses or failures. If your heart is right
          before God - if you keep returning to Him and seeking
          Him with all your heart - nothing will change His plans
          for you!

              -----------------------------------------------

               Consider God's Merciful Dealings With Ephraim,
                         Who Had Shamed the Lord!

              -----------------------------------------------

          "...I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is my
          firstborn" (Jeremiah 31:9).

          Ephraim was the largest tribe of Israel and the people
          closest to God's heart. The Lord had an eternal plan
          for this very blessed tribe - but Ephraim kept
          backsliding and grieving God. They sinned against more
          light and grace and blessings than anyone in Israel!

          But did God abandon sinful Ephraim? Just the opposite:
          The Lord said Ephraim was to be a free and ransomed
          people! They would live among fatness - meaning, God's
          greatest blessings!

          What was it God saw in Ephraim? They had a repentant
          heart - a shame for sin, a willingness to return to the
          Lord! And in spite of all their failures, this one
          trait attracted God's heart to them!

          When a strong, prophetic word came forth to Ephraim,
          they responded. When they were rebuked, they wept over
          their sin. Even though they were bent on backsliding,
          they had a willingness to run back to God. And at the
          height of their backsliding, God said:

          "...Is Ephraim [not] a precious son to me? Is he [not]
          a delightsome child? That as soon as I speak against
          him, I do earnestly remember him still? Wherefore are
          my bowels [my emotions] so stirred for him? Tenderly
          loving I will tenderly love him, saith the Lord"
          (Jeremiah 31:20, Spurrell, original Hebrew).

          God was saying, "In spite of Ephraim's shortcomings and
          failures, I see a repentant spirit. And I will not take
          away My tender love. My eternal purpose for Ephraim
          will go on as I have planned!"

          Beloved, God has a plan for your life - to be sure you
          keep turning to Him! He is going to accomplish all His
          purposes for you, no matter what you are going through
          or how severe your trial. God is putting a lot of
          thought into planning your future!

          I have a prophetic word for some who are reading this
          message right now: You can't judge God's eternal
          purpose for you by what you're feeling or thinking. You
          may be too focused on your failure or sin to judge
          correctly. God wants to say to you in spirit, "Keep
          your heart humble before Me. Trust My Word about My
          nature - that I'm a tender, loving Father who has
          invested much in you, and I am not about to let you go.
          You're my delightsome child - and I will deliver you!"

          "How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How
          great is the sum of them!" (Psalm 139:17). "For I know
          the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord,
          thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an
          expected end" (Jeremiah 29:11). God is saying to us
          through this "I'm not inclined to be thinking evil,
          judgment and chastisement toward you. I'm thinking good
          thoughts - I'm at work planning your life! Stand still
          and see the salvation of the Lord. Soak in My love!"

          That's the kind of Father we serve! Not One who has
          evil, judgmental thoughts of vengeance - but One who
          has good thoughts toward us, of peace and hope to our
          final days!

          As believers, we have two options: We can believe what
          God says about Himself - that He loves us and is going
          to see us through all our trials; that He is at work,
          opening and closing all doors to us; and that when we
          fail He's not mad at us, but will correct us in His
          tender love.

          Or, we can believe the terrible alternative - that God
          has allowed us to be deceived by the devil and has left
          us to fend for ourselves!

          You may say. "I don't see much evidence that God is
          doing anything to change my terrible condition. My pain
          seems to never end. I've waited and waited. How long
          will it take?"

          It takes as long as necessary for a holy, omnipotent
          God to pull all the pieces together! He has so many
          thoughts about you and your future, you couldn't even
          count them. They are more numerous than the sands in
          the sea!

          God gave David a promise that He would build him a sure
          house - an everlasting kingdom that would be
          established forever. And through all of David's
          testings, sins and disgrace, God's purpose was not
          hindered. Even when shame was heaped on David by his
          own family and sons, he held onto God's promise and
          wouldn't let go.

          Finally, when David was old and gray and it didn't look
          as if the promise would be fulfilled, he said: "
          Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made
          with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things,
          and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my
          desire, although he make it not to grow" (2 Samuel
          23:5). He was saying, "I don't see it being fulfilled
          yet - but I stand on God's Word to me. He will bring it
          to pass!"

          David rested in knowing that God knew best and would
          keep His word: "For David speaketh concerning him, I
          foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my
          right hand, that I should not be moved: therefore did
          my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also
          my flesh shall rest in hope" (Acts 2:25-26).

              -----------------------------------------------

                3. We have Considered It Too Good to Be True
                  That We Can Serve the Lord All Our Days
                       With Gladness - and Not Fear!

              -----------------------------------------------

          God's desire for us is to be so convinced of His tender
          love - so persuaded He is at work bringing us into His
          best - that we will have continual joy and gladness in
          our walk with Him!

          Moses warned Israel, "Because thou servedst not the
          Lord the God with joyfulness, and with gladness of
          heart, for the abundance of all things: therefore shalt
          thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send
          against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in
          nakedness, and in want of all things..." (Deuteronomy
          28:47-48).

          He is saying to us today, "be glad and rejoice in what
          I have already done for you! If you go around moping,
          murmuring and complaining, you'll forever be
          spiritually starved and naked, a prey to your enemies!"

          God wants us to so trust in His love for us, we will be
          testimonies of gladness and good cheer! He wants
          preachers who are glad at heart - with a gladness
          that's based on truth. And His truth produces a wealth
          of gladness that flows naturally outward from the
          heart:

          "Serve the Lord with gladness; come before his presence
          with singing" (Psalm 100:2). "...he brought forth his
          people with joy, and his chosen with gladness" (Psalm
          105:43).

          "Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, ye righteous: and
          shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart" (Psalm
          32:11). "...let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice
          before God: Yea, let them exceedingly rejoice" (Psalm
          68:3).

          You may ask, "How long can I expect to maintain
          gladness and joy in my service to the Lord?" Most
          Christians believe it lasts only as long as seasons of
          refreshing come from on high - or as long as things go
          right.

          No - we are to have joy at all times! That's exactly
          what the Bible says: "O satisfy us early with thy
          mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days"
          (Psalm 90:14). "But be ye glad and rejoice forever in
          that which I create: for behold, I create Jerusalem a
          rejoicing, and her people a joy" (Isaiah 65:18).

          We are "the Jerusalem from above" - reborn and living
          for Him with a spirit of gladness and rejoicing! And
          our loving heavenly Father has given us a rock-solid
          foundation for all our joy and gladness: "...be of good
          cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

          Trust the Father - believe His Word about Himself - and
          see His gladness pour forth from your life. Hallelujah!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771 USA.

                 ------------------------------------------
            Plain Text File + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright
                 ------------------------------------------

         Times Square Church Information | New Reader Information

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS:

This data file is the sole property of World Challenge. It may not be
altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for
circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data
file must contain the copyright notice [i.e., "Copyright  1998 by World
Challenge"]. This data file may not be used without the permission World
Challenge for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This
includes all of its content with the exception of a few brief quotations.
Please give the following source credit: Copyright  1998 by World
Challenge, Lindale Texas USA.

This material is solely for personal use and is not to be posted publicly
on other web pages. The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel holds exclusive
rights from World Challenge, Inc. to publicly post these messsages on its
web page. You are free to download, copy, print and distribute this
material, so long as you do not post it on a different Internet site. You
may, however, link this site to reference these messages.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       This web site is a service of
                          The Missing Link, Inc.
       Linking Troubled Youth and Adults with Life-Changing Programs
                       Web Site - http://misslink.org
              Chapel Site - http://misslink.org/chapel2.html
  Home of David Wilkerson's Times Square Church Pulpit Series Multilingual
                                  Web Site
             http://misslink.org/chapel/teacher/multilan.html

                                ------------

            Copyright  1998 - The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel
                         North Central Ohio, U.S.A.

                                TOP OF PAGE

           Our webmaster welcomes your comments and suggestions.
               This page was last updated November 11, 1998.

  Why Revival Tarries/ "Help!"/ What's Here/ Sponsor/ Statement of Faith/
   Bible Study/ Around the Piano/ Bulletin Board/ Library/ Pulpit Series
