I taught "Father Heart of God" over six sessions, then posted my (abbreviated and rather cryptic) teaching notes to Psalms Of John in August 2011. Now I am revising these posts so they will be more meaningful to read. Jesus came to heal us and set us free, bless us all – February 2026.
Part 1: Big Questions/Big Ideas
https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2011/08/father-heart-of-god-1.html
Part 2: Relationships
https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2011/08/father-heart-of-god-2.html
Part 3: Beliefs and Strongholds
https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2011/08/father-heart-of-god-3.html
Part 4: Unworthy, Yet Adopted
https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2011/08/father-heart-of-god-4.html
Part 5: Faith And Intimacy
https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2011/09/father-heart-of-god-5.html
Part 6: God Is Love
https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2011/09/father-heart-of-god-6.html
Why The Father’s Heart? Why am I teaching this?
Many people have trouble knowing God in a close or
personal way.
For a very long time I was not able to see Father God as
being my heavenly Father. These six posts are my testimony of how His love
reached me and overcame the problems of my relationship with my own earthly
father. I learned to say "Abba", and to rejoice in Jesus' plans for
me, in this life, and in eternity!
Our difficulty can be in relating to our earthly father, or step-father, or to a man or men in our life. This can affects all our relationships
and our view of the world. Jesus wants to heal this and set us free (Matthew
10:8; Galatians 5:1).
Christianity Is Relational
Christianity is relational –
it is NOT propositional.
By this I mean that Christians are brought into a personal and profound relationship with God when we are
saved.
Our faith is based in our relationship with our triune God:
Father, the Son Jesus, and Holy Spirit.
The instant that we are saved, we are brought into God’s
family as His children, fully included. We come into all the benefits of being
God’s sons and daughters. The relationship is intended to be intimate, personal and close.
Jesus called our Father "Abba"
(Mark 14:36); this is an ancient Jewish name which shows great the love and
trust the child has for his or her Daddy.
All the benefits won by Jesus on the Cross of Calvary are
ours.
Father God Becomes Our Father
A miracle occurs!
"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we
are God's children" (Romans 8:16).
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become
new" (2
Corinthians 5:17).
"Behold what manner of love
the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we
are" (1 John
3:1).
Christianity Is Not Propositional
Many religions are a set of beliefs or propositions which
a person can listen to and understand and then agree to. For example:
• Praying in certain ways or at certain times
• Offering of food or incense or something in a certain
way
• Wearing certain kinds of clothes
• Behaving in certain ways
• Refraining from certain behaviours (eg. drinking alcohol,
dancing, playing cards).
There is widespread belief that Christianity is like this
too. Not true, we have been "set free,
to be free"
(Galatians 5:1).
Christians surely do believe that certain things are true.
We believe that Jesus died and rose again so that we can be saved from our sins
and enter into eternal life.
But we do not have to follow religious procedures or
practices. Jesus said "follow me".
We are to follow our Lord, Jesus, not
religious practices.
Early church fathers carefully wrote creeds, statements of
faith that summarise the core beliefs of Christianity. The Nicene Creed and the
Apostle's Creed are still well known today. They explain our understanding of
who our God is, and how He leads and blesses us, His people. You will see that
there is nothing in the creeds about how we must respond or behave towards Him.
Both creeds are included in full at the end of this post,
Jesus Becomes Our Betrothed (our Beloved)
Jesus plans to marry me, and to marry you:
"I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband" (Revelation 21:2).
I cannot explain how both women and men can marry Jesus
but I can accept this as true. Jesus is Lord of the whole of Creation:
"For by him all things were created, in the heavens
and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through
him, and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things are held
together" (Colossians
1:16-17).
This song from Scripture is about me (and you) and Jesus:
"As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so
is my beloved among the young men. With great delight I sat in his shadow, and
his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house,
and his banner over me was love. Sustain me with raisins; refresh me with
apples, for I am sick with love. His left hand is under my head, and his
right hand embraces me!" (Song of Solomon 2:3-6).
Our Faith and Jesus' Faith
It is faith which brought me here, the faith of Jesus (Mark 11:22), His faith
in Father God and His faith in me.
I trust that you will be as blessed by looking at our
Father's heart as I was and am!
Remember His promise: "You
will look for the Lord your God, and if you search for him with all your heart,
you will find him" (Deuteronomy
4:29).
And I have often taken much comfort from this verse: "They should seek the Lord, if perhaps
they might reach out for him and find him, though
he is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27).
Praise Jesus, Amen.
Christian Creeds
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the living and the
dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic** church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
** "catholic" refers to the universal scope and
nature of Jesus' church, not to a particular denomination. The church exists
across the globe, united in its confession of Christ as Lord, and it stretches
across the ages, and includes all believers from every era.
The Nicene Creed was originally formulated at the
First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD and later revised at the First Council of
Constantinople in 381 AD.
I believe in one
God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven
and earth,
of all things
visible and invisible.
And in one Lord,
Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of God,
begotten of the
Father before all worlds;
Light of Light,
true God of true God;
begotten, not
made,
of one substance
with the Father,
by whom all
things were made.
Who, for us men
[and women and children]
and for our
salvation,
came down from
heaven,
and was
incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary,
and became man;
and was
crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered,
died, and was buried;
and the third day
He rose again,
according to the
Scriptures;
and ascended
into heaven,
and sits on the
right hand of the Father.
And He shall
come again, with glory,
to judge the
living and the dead;
whose kingdom
shall have no end.
And I believe in
the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the
giver of life,
who proceeds
from the Father and the Son;
who with the
Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified;
who spoke by the
prophets.
And I believe in
one holy catholic** and apostolic Church;
I acknowledge
one baptism for the remission of sins;
and I look for
the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of
the world to come. Amen.
** "catholic" refers to the universal scope and
nature of Jesus' church, not to a particular denomination. The church exists
across the globe, united in its confession of Christ as Lord, and it stretches
across the ages, and includes all believers from every era.
Praise Jesus. Amen.
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