EVERLASTING FATHER

Isaiah 9:6 (NIV) – For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

JESUS IS THE EVERLASTING FATHER

Isaiah is not confusing the persons of the trinity, he is clarifying it as he speaks to the coming and character of Jesus.

• The coming Messiah will be a child born and a son given 700 years later
• He is in character a Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God.
• He is in character the Everlasting Father.

EVERLASTING – Always and Forever. Unchanging. Eternal.

Psalm 90:1-2 (NIV) – Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Revelation 1:8 (NIV) – “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

FATHER – Relationship. Adopter. Provider. Protector.

Galatians 4:4-7 (NIV) – But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

John 17:6-11 (NIV) – “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.

• In this way, as the Son holds and cares those the Father has given him, he too is a father. He has not become the eternal person of the Father, but is fatherly towards those for whom God has made him responsible.
• Jesus the Messiah is the only one who can reveal God’s fatherly character to us, for he is one in nature and essence with the Father.

EVERLASTING FATHER

Jesus offers us an unwavering, unchanging and unending love relationship as the perfect model and representation of God the Father and as an example for us to follow as earthly father and children.

• He is big enough to be everywhere and always working outside of time and space, and personal enough to be ever-present inside your heart and throughout life.
• What God offers and promises, nothing can deny.

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) – For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“There is no un-fathering Christ, and there is no un-childing us,” – Charles Spurgeon

Think it over and talk it through

1. Jesus is always present and forever has been. Describe a time when this has felt both true and untrue in your life.
2. Jesus’ love for us never ends nor wavers. Describe how you feel about that statement.
3. Jesus and God the Father both portray the model of a perfect everlasting father. How has your experience with your father impacted your belief and understanding of this?
4. If Jesus is our everlasting father and we are adopted sons and daughters, what do you think our response to him and his word should be? Describe which responses are easier for you and which ones are harder for you.

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QUESTIONS TO REFLECT AND DISCUSS:

Scripture to consider: Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-3, Romans 8:14-17, Isaiah 63:16; John 20:17; Galatians 4:6

Ice Breaker: What’s your favorite dad joke/funny dad story?

1. What characteristics do you think of when you hear the word Father?
2. What have you learned about God the Father through your won experience with your dad, or your experience with your children?
3. Share Regardless of your personal experience, how would you describe the ideal father/child relationship?
4. What does the Bible mean when it talks about the Everlasting Father?
5. Read Romans 8:14-17, why do you think God chose to relate to us through a Father/child relationship?
6. How is your response to being adopted into the family of God? What expectations do you think God has of us as-adopted members of His family?What are some specific ways can you focus on God’s might during this holiday season?
7. How are you going to think differently about God this week? How does this impact how you celebrate Christ this season?