John 8: 39 (NKJV)

1. John 8:39(NKJV) 39They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.

2. When God ChoosesA Father John 8:39

3. When God Chooses A Father • Today is Father’s Day and we certainly are thankful for all of our fathers • It’s not easy being a father, just as it’s not easy being a mother • We certainly can wonder sometimes if we are making the right decisions and being the best father we can be

4. When God Chooses A Father • Thankfully God’s word provides us with examples of good fathers • The most pressing question is perhaps, “What kind of father does God want me to be?” • If God was to hand pick a father, what would he look like?

5. When God Chooses A Father • In the OT, God chose a man to be the “father of many nations” (Gen. 17:4-5) • That man was who the Israelites later would refer to as “father Abraham” • Seeing the kind of man Abraham was will show us what God is looking for in a father…

6. When God Chooses A Father • 1. Abraham was obedient to God • Many in today’s world downplay the importance of being obedient to God • Many will follow God’s will to the point where it stops being convenient for them • It was never easy or convenient for Abraham to obey God

7. When God Chooses A Father • 1. Abraham was obedient to God • God told Abraham to leave his home and his father’s house to a foreign land (Gen. 12:1-4) • God told Abraham to sacrifice the only son he had, through which the promise was to come (Gen. 22)

8. When God Chooses A Father • 1. Abraham was obedient to God • God is still looking for obedience today (Matt. 7:21; Heb. 5:9) • What a great example we set for our children when we are obedient to our Father • Remember, even Christ obeyed (Phil. 2:8)

9. When God Chooses A Father • 2. Abraham was full of faith • Another reason that God chose Abraham was because of the great faith he possessed • When God promised to make a great nation from Abraham, even though he had no offspring, Abraham believed God (Gen. 15:1-6)

10. When God Chooses A Father • 2. Abraham was full of faith • Paul speaks of the faith of Abraham in Romans 4:3, 9, 20 • Who could forget Hebrews 11 and Faith’s Hall of Fame? • Abraham’s faith is spoken of in verses 8-10 and 17-19

11. When God Chooses A Father • 3. Abraham was a good provider • As fathers, we want to do our best to provide for our families • God had certainly blessed Abraham, just as He blesses all of us (Gen. 24:35) • As a result, Abraham gave all he had to his son Isaac (Gen. 25:5)

12. When God Chooses A Father • 3. Abraham was a good provider • Abraham also had sons with his concubines as well • The Bible also tells us that Abraham gave gifts to them also (Gen. 25:6) • Abraham saw it as an important thing to take care of his family

13. When God Chooses A Father • 4. Abraham was a peacemaker • God desires for you and I to be peacemakers (Matt. 5:9; Rom. 12:18) • Abraham desired peace when he could have allowed war (Gen. 13:5-9) • This also teaches us that Abraham was a selfless man, putting others before himself

14. When God Chooses A Father • 5. Abraham was courageous • Abraham was a man of courage as well • When Lot was captured it was Abraham who went to rescue Lot and his family (Gen. 14) • This is the kind of love and bravery we must show as good fathers

15. When God Chooses A Father • 6. Abraham was a friend of God • I’m not sure there is anything better you can say about a man than to say he is a “friend of God” • The Bible calls Abraham God’s friend forever (II Chron. 20:7) • It again refers to him as the friend of God in James 2:23

16. When God Chooses A Father • 7. Abraham was a good father • Certainly it makes sense for God to choose a man who seemed to know how to be a good father • Genesis 18:19 • He saw to it that his household followed after the ways of God