OUR FATHER WHO  IS WORTHY OF HONOR AND PRAISE

Psalm chapter 99 100 verse 12 3 says this;

Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

This verse, as part of exhorting the people of God to joyously worship our God, reminds us who the Lord is. He is truly God and is the one who made us and we are voluntarily in His custody. We belong to Him and we are a flock of sheep under His care.

He is worthy of our worship because, as verse 5 says;

 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO VINDICATES US

From Psalm 26;

Vindicate me, Lord

Look at my heart and mind

For I always remember 

That you are unfailingly kind

Because I  put my trust in You

My feet are on a level place

I love where Your glory dwells

I gladly  proclaim Your praise

3

OUR FATHER WHO GAVE US FREEDOM (2)

Continuing with Genesis chapter 2 verse 9, let us  summarize that there were many trees in the garden that were suitable for the man whom God had formed and then there were two trees singled out from the rest that were in the centre of the garden.

It is important to consider that trees are often used in scriptures as metaphors for modes of civilization.

Ezekiel chapter 31 most clearly illustrates this but in other examples as well.

Ezekiel chapter 31 verses 3 - 4 says this;

Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest; it towered on high, its top above the thick foliage.

The waters nourished it, deep springs made it grow tall;

Ezekiel chapter 31 verse 18 says this;

“‘Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.

“‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

This verse explicitly mentions the trees of Eden in comparing the civilization of the various kingdoms and empires on earth.

In Mathew chapter 13 verse 13 - 32, the Lord Jesus described the civilization of the kingdom of God as a mustard seed that grew in the garden and became a great tree. The verse reads this way;

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

With this pattern in mind, we can look at the trees in the garden of Eden as representing the modes of civilization that were available to the human race at the onset of our endeavor that were good options for the continuance for our race but at the center of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which brought complexity to the array of choices we had.

3

OUR FATHER WHO GAVE US FREEDOM (1)

The book of Genesis chapter 2 verse 9 says this;

The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

This verse, speaking of the garden of Eden in which the Lord God had placed man upon creating him, describes a large variety of trees that grew out of the ground. These trees were beautiful and had excellent fruit to eat. 

In the center of the garden were two trees that were named the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Amen.

5

OUR FATHER WHO USED THE INJUSTICE OF MEN TO BRING ABOUT HIS GREAT SALVATION

In the book of Isaiah chapter 59 verse 4, we read this;

No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity.

They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.

This verse speaks of some of the practices that separate a people from God and that cause His face to be hidden from us so that He will not hear us.

Among other things listed in the chapter, this verse speaks the failure to insist on justice and the use of fallacious and bad- faith arguments to press cases. Injustice is perpetrated by hollow arguments buttressed with deceptions.

As well, trouble is sown and the resulting evil is yielded as a harvest.

These conditions were in place during the time that the Lord Jesus was conducting His ministry in the promised land. The religious leaders of the time, plotting to kill Him, used deception and invalid arguments to press charges against Him so that He was sentenced to death.

In any society, when the legal and cultural discourse deteriorates to this level, it is an indicator that darkness has gained an upper hand as it had during the time of Jesus. 

However, the forces of darkness did not comprehend that their corrupt activities against Jesus were going to result in their humiliation and defeat when Jesus rose from the dead.

When the Spirit of God then occupied the hearts of the people who believed the good news of the salvation through Jesus, the antidote to the corrupt nature of men could go into all the world and go from one generation to the next generation forever.

As Isaiah chapter 59 verses 20 - 21 says; 

“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord.

“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHOSE LAW YIELDS FRUIT IN THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO FOLLOW IT

Psalm 1 verses 3 - 4 says this;

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

This passage, speaking of those who delight in the law of the Lord, describes how they are like a tree near streams of water that are perpetually green and complete their cycles of fruitfulness season after season.

On the other had, those who do not delight in the law of the Lord and sit in the company of mocker, are not roooted and so they wither and dry up and blow away in the wind like empty husks.

Following the Lord's ways supports life and fruitfulness while pursuing wickedness  uproots life and yields destruction.

Amen.

5

OUR FATHER WHOSE FAITHFULNESS NEVER FAILS

From Psalm 117

Praise the Lord

All you nations

Extol His holy name

For great is His love for us

And His faithfulness never fails

Amen

1

OUR FATHER WHO NEVER FORSAKES THOSE WHO SEEK HIM

From Psalm 9;

I will give thanks unto You my Lord 

With all my heart I will sing with all my might

I will tell of the great things You've done

I'll be glad and in You I will always delight

Those who know Your name 

Trust in all You do

For You have never forsaken 

Those who search for You.

2

OUR FATHER WHO IS ABLE TO MARSHALL EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE HE NEEDS TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSES

The book of Isaiah chapter 45 verse 11 says this;

“This is what the Lord says— the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands?

The prophet Isaiah, conveying what the Lord God of Israel said, asks if there was anyone who could legitimately question Him about His children or legitimately give Him directions about the things He made with His hands.

Afterall, He made the earth and mankind upon the earth as verse 12 says;

It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.

As well, the Lord stretched out the heavens and called forth the stars. 

In the Lord's great power and sovereignty, He also called forth king Cyrus as the leader who, even though he did not acknowledge the Lord,  was given strength and guidance to conquer kingdoms and to ultimately rebuild Jerusalem and free the captive children of Israel from Babylon.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO ADVISES OF THE WORTHLESSNESS OF IDOLS

The book of Isaiah chapter 44 verse 9 - 10 says this;

All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless.

Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame.

Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing?

The absurdity of idols is highlighted in this passage.

Idols, made by the hand of men and then upheld as objects to venerate, are profitless.

How can a man confer anything upon a block of wood that was otherwise to be put to mundane use like a fire for cooking food?

This pretense invites judgement upon those who perpetuate the practice of idol worship.

Amen.

7

OUR FATHER WHO SPEAKS TO HIS SERVANTS FROM A PILLAR OF CLOUD

The book of Psalms chapter 99 verses 7 - 9 says this;

He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.

Lord our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds.

Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.

The Psalmist, speaking of the three servants of God, Moses, Aaron and Samuel, says that the Lord spoke to them from a pillar of cloud and they obeyed what the Lord told them.

This passage reveals that the Lord also spoke to the prophet Samuel in the same way as He did to Moses and Aaron in the desert.

Whereas these three servants heeded God's word, the Israelites were not always obedient to.the Lord and, though he was forgiving towards them, He punished their misbehaviour.

The psalm ends with an exhortation to exalt and worship God at His holy mountain for He Himself is holy.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES HIS OWN PEOPLE

The book of Isaiah, in chapter 22 verse 3 - 5, says this;

All your leaders have fled together; they have been captured without using the bow.

All you who were caught were taken prisoner together, having fled while the enemy was still far away.

Therefore I said, “Turn away from me; let me weep bitterly. Do not try to console me over the destruction of my people.”

The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day of tumult and trampling and terror in the Valley of Vision, a day of battering down walls and of crying out to the mountains.

This passage is a prophetic utterance by the prophet Isaiah about Judah and the city of Jerusalem.

The Lord, through Isaiah, declared that even though Jerusalem was a exuberant and boisterous city, she would be abandoned by her leaders when the day of judgement came.

Those who are slain from it will not have died in battle or in the honorable defence of the city.

Instead, the fleeing leaders would be captured a long distance away while the people left in Jerusalem suffer tumult and terror as the walls of the city are torn down.

They cried to the mountains for help but to no avail for the Lord had removed the protective covering from over them.

As verse 8 says;

The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,  and you looked in that day to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest (armoury).

Lord have mercy on us.

3

OUR FATHER WHO BRINGS HIS PEOPLE TO DWELL IN HIS HOUSE

The book of Psalms chapter 54 84 verse 10 says this;

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

The psalmist, having gained access to the house of the Lord, declares that a single day in the courts of God is better than a thousand days spent anywhere else

The experience of being in the presence of God is so wonderful that the psalmist says that it is preferable  to do the most mundane tasks in the house of the Lord than to be autonomous in the tents of the wicked.

In verse 4, those who are there are described as always worshiping God in response to the goodness of God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHOSE WILL IT WAS THAT WE BE SAVED

The book of Galatians chapter 1 verses 3 - 5 says this;

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

In his letter to the people of the church in Galatia, the apostle Paul greeted them with a blessing of grace and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus.

Paul then defines the role of the Lord Jesus as the one who gave Himself to pay for our sins when He came to earth on a recue mission to save us from our evil age.

Paul also defines the role of God the Father as the One whose will it was for the Lord Jesus to give His life for us and for the rescue to be carried out.

For this will to save us, the Apostle Paul ascribes  glory to God the Father for ever and  ever.

Amen.

5

OUR FATHER WHO DELIGHTS IN US

From Psalm 149;

Zion be glad 

In your  King

Sing and dance

For He delights 

In His faithful ones

He crowns the humble

With victory

And they rejoice in Him

May the praise of the Lord

Always  rise from them

OUR FATHER WHO SURROUNDS US WITH FAVOUR AS WITH A SHIELD

Psalm 5 says this;

Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament.

Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome.

The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; you destroy those who tell lies.

The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest.

But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple.

Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make your way straight before me.

Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice.

Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies.

Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Amen.

3

OUR FATHER WHO WILL JUDGE

Psalm 35 verse 9 says this;

May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay.

May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away; may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me, may ruin overtake them by surprise—may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.

Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation.

This passage captures the grief and betrayal that was felt by the Lord  Jesus when He was plotted against, betrayed, put on trial and sentenced to death.

Those in power plotted to kill Jesus and their efforts were going to lead them to be put to shame.

Because they engaged in scheming against an innocent man to kill  Him without cause, they were doomed to be driven away by the angel of the Lord and be caught by the net they set for the Lord Jesus and fall into the pit that they had dug.

The Lord did pray for the forgiveness of the ordinary soldiers who had crucified Him with the prayer  in the book of Luke chapter 23 verse 34 that reads;

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

This, however, only applied to those who were carrying out the sentence and did not know who they were killing. The religious leaders who plottered against Jesus along with Judas Iscariot were not exempt from the judgement that would reciprocate what they had intended for the Lord.

2

 OUR FATHER TO WHOM WE CALL FOR HELP

Psalm 79 verses 3 - 4 says this;

They have poured out blood like water all around Jerusalem,  and there is no one to bury the dead.

We are objects of contempt to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us.

This passage captures a time of death and mayhem in the nation of Israel. Hatred and scorn towards the children of Jacob is amplified among their neighbours.

In the shock of the attack against them, the people ask God to relent from His anger. They call on the Lord to intervene to save them in their time of desperation so that His name would be glorified.

The psalm ends with a request to the Lord to save the captives condemned to death at the hands of their captors. 

May the groans of the prisoners come before you; with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.

Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.

Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will proclaim your praise.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHOSE LIGHT WILL FILL THE WHOLE EARTH

The book of Isaiah chapter 60 verses 1 - 3 says this;

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

This passage is the beginning of the prophetic declaration by the prophet Isaiah of the coming global revelation of the kingdom of Zion.

In an epoch of darkness that will engulf the whole earth, the day of the appearance of Zion will suddenly dawn and the light of the Lord will shine through the people of His kingdom to such an extent that the nations of the world will be drawn to the brightness that they will carry from the Lord our God.

Amen.

1

OUR FATHER WHO IS GLORIFIED WHEN WE YIELD THE FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

The book of Phillipians chapter 1 verse 9 says this;

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

The apostle Paul, writing a letter with Timothy to the church at Philippi,  tells them that he has a particular prayer for them.

He prays that they would grow abundantly in love and that this love would gain a deeper knowledge and insight because, as he follows up in the next two verses, they would gain the ability to discern the best path and thus would be holy and blameless on the day of the Lord.

As well, they would be filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through the Lord Jesus Christ and which brings glory to God.

Phillipians chapter 1 verses 10 - 11 read this way;

so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Amen.

5

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES HIS PEOPLE BUT PROTECTS THEM NONETHELESS

The book of Isaiah chapter 17 verse 9 says this;

In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth. And all will be desolation.

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah foretells of a time when Syria, a rival nation to Israel and also a buffer nation against the Assyrians, would be laid waste and their cities abandoned and left desolate.

At that time, Israel, facing judgment of her own,  would be but a remnant in the land and vulnerable to invaders but in this weakened condition and with Israel's buffer kingdom,  Syria,  destroyed, the Assyrian kingdom would take the opportunity to invade Israel but the Lord intervenes to protects them.

As Isaiah chapter 17 verse 14 says;

At evening time, now look, sudden terror! Before morning the Assyrians are no more. This is the portion (fate) of those who plunder us, And the lot of those who pillage us.

This prophecy was fulfilled when Senacherib's Assyrian army of 185,000 men was destroyed overnight by the Lord recorded in Isaiah chapter 37 verse 36;

Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 

5

OUR FATHER WHO DEFENDS HIS PEOPLE

From Psalm 7;

Lord my God, in You I take refuge

Save me from all who pursue

You are enthroned as the Judge

Over those assembled around You

Vindicate me according to Your  righteousness

You are my shield, the One who saves

I will give You thanks for my defence

To you alone I sing praise

2 

 OUR FATHER WHO DRAWS US TO HIMSELF

The book of Psalm 15 says this;

Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?

Who may live on your holy mountain?

The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;

whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord;

who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind;

who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the  innocent.

Whoever does these things will never be shaken.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO TEACHES HIS PEOPLE HIS WAYS

The book of Luke chapter 9 verses 10 - 11 says this;

When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

The apostles had been given authority by the Lord Jesus to heal the sick and cast out demons and they were sent into the surrounding villages to preach the news of the kingdom.

Their activities had so much impact that even politicians like Herod the tetrarch wondered what was causing all the commotion in the land.

When the apostles returned from their missions, they reported to the Lord Jesus what their experiences were. He gathered them and retreated to a small town on the northeast side of the sea of Galilee to lower their profile and get less political attention but their movements were discovered and the crowds of people followed them there.

Jesus, though wanting to lower their profile among the authorities in the land, had mercy on the crowds and welcomed them and taught them things about the kingdom of God and healed those who needed healing.

The crowds lingered late into the evening and it was then that the Lord challenged His disciples to continue in the authority He had given them and feed the thousands of the people who were there.

They could not see how to do it so Jesus divided the loaves and fishes so that they were multiplied and could feed all the people.

2

OUR FATHER WHOSE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS WILL OCCUR IN THEIR PROPER TIME

2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 3 says this;

Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 

The people of the church at Thessalonica had been concerned about what they had been hearing that the day of the Lord  had already occured.

Paul the apostle assured them in his letter to them that they should not be  alarmed by the false doctrines they were hearing.

To clarify the matter for them, Paul reiterated that the day that Lord appears would not be reached until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed.

The rebellion mentioned is the great falling away when a great number of those professing to be Christian's will turn away from the faith.

The man of lawlessness mentioned as the one who will rise to prominence is the antichrist.

These events will predicate the day that the Lord returns in power.

Amen.

 2

OUR FATHER WHO INVITES THOSE WHO SEEK HIM TO HIMSELF

The book of Isaiah chapter 65 verse 11 says this;

“But you who abandon (turn away from) the Lord, Who forget and ignore My holy mountain (Zion), Who set a table for Gad [the Babylonian god of fortune], And who fill a jug of mixed wine for Meni [the god of fate], 

The prophet Isaiah captured a point of contrast that the Lord made between those who served Him and those who abandoned Him.

Whereas the Lord would preserve the righteous cluster of people who lived by the Spirit of God and they would dwell with Him on His holy mountain, those who abandoned the Lord and ignored the kingdom of God and those who sought fortune and luck by making offerings to the pagan gods, a fate of destruction awaited them.

Have mercy on us O God.

2

OUR FATHER WHO WARNS THROUGH HIS PROPHETS

The book of Amos chapter 3 verse 4 says this;

Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey?

Does it growl in its den when it has caught nothing?

The prophet Amos, prophecing over the kingdom of Israel, declares parables that warn of the inevitability of the judgement that was to be  brought against them.

In the same way that a lion's roar in the thicket indicates that the lion has acquired prey, the prophecies against Israel indicate that judgment has been brought against Israel.

In the same way that a lion growls in its den when it has captured an animal, so does the prophet of God utter prophecy when the evil deeds of the people have triggered judgement upon them.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHOSE JUDGES HIS OWN HOUSE

The book of Amos chapter 2 verse 9 says this;

“Yet I destroyed the Amorites before them, though they were tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks. I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below.

This verse speaks of what the Lord did to secure the victory of the nation of Israel over the Amorites.

In spite of this intervention by the Lord, the people of Israel did the evil works mentioned in verses 6 - 8;

They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.

They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed.

Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.

They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge.

In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines.

The Lord sent prophets and Nazirites to the people of Israel to correct them but they silenced the  prophets and corrupted the Nazirities.

Their judgement of destruction is set against them from which there is no escape.

2

OUR FATHER WHO BRINGS JUDGEMENT FOR ATTROCITIES

The book of Amos chapter 1 verse 13 says this;

This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Ammon, even for four, I will not relent.

Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders,

This verse, captured by the prophet Amos,  describes the atrocity that the people of Ammon committed in order to the extend their borders. Specifically, Ammon targeted pregnant women and cut them open as part of their merciless campaigns for territorial domination.

In response to this conduct, the Lord declared through prophet Amos that He would burn up the city walls and destroy their fortresses while they themselves were under attack and while violent storms brought havoc to them.

Further to that, the leaders of Ammon were going to be exiled as part of the judgement against them for their actions. As verses 14 and 15 say;

I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah that will consume her fortresses amid war cries on the day of battle, amid violent winds on a stormy day. Her king will go into exile, he and his officials together," says the Lord.

1

OUR FATHER WHO IS THE JUDGE OVER THE AFFAIRS OF MEN

The book of Amos chapter 1 verse 10 says this;

I will send fire on the walls of Tyre that will consume her fortresses.”

The prophet Amos, revealing the judgements that were to come to  Israel and Judah and the surrounding regions, singled out the city of Tyre for a judgement of fire that would consume their fortresses to render them defenseless.

Tyre had undertaken to capture entire communities of the people of Edom and sell them as slaves even though they had a treaty of brotherhood between them.

Their disregard of a treaty and the wholesale destruction of communities and the enslavement of people invited  judgement of destruction upon them.

2