2. “If I Am The Father”
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 1:6).

3. “If I Am The Father”
God Has Always Been A Father

4. God Has Always Been A Father
1) Brought him into existence.
“Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalms 10:3).
“And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female” (Matthew 19:4).

5. God Has Always Been A Father
2) He made him in His image.
“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26).
“For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God...” (1 Corinthians 11:7).
“Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man” (Genesis 9:6).

6. God Has Always Been A Father
3) Image Defined:
In the Theological Wordbook of the OT, the writer says, “God’s image obviously does not consist in man’s body which was formed from earthly matter, but in his spiritual, intellectual, moral likeness to God from whom his animating breath came.”

7. God Has Always Been A Father
4) He has provided man’s physical needs.
“The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed” (Genesis 2:8).
“Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17).
“...for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).

8. God Has Always Been A Father
5) He provides our spiritual needs.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
““If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8).

9. God Has Always Been A Father
6) He provides Fatherly discipline.
“And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:5-6).
Eliphaz said, “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty” (Job 5:17)

10. God Has Always Been A Father
Brought him into existence.
Made him in His image.
He provided his physical needs.
He provided our spiritual needs.
He provides fatherly discipline.

11. “If I Am The Father” God Has Always Been A Father
In View Of This We Should Honor Him

12. In View Of This We Should Honor Him
1) We Should Reverence Him
“He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name” (Psalm 111:9).
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him” (Psalm 89:7).
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28).

13. In View Of This We Should Honor Him
2) Should be obedient to His commands.
“And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel” (Exodus 19:3-6).
“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:13-16).

14. In View Of This We Should Honor Him
3) Trust in His goodness.
“And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever” (Exodus 14:13).
“For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:12).

15. In View Of This We Should Honor Him
4) Reveal His image.
“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16). [Quoted from Leviticus 11:44].
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

16. In View Of This We Should Honor Him
5) Submit to His chastisement.
“Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness” (Hebrews 12:9-10).

17. In View Of This We Should Honor Him
We should reverence Him.
Be obedient to His commands.
Trust in His goodness.
Reveal His image.
Submit to His chastisement.

18. “If I Am The Father” God Has Always Been A Father
In View Of This We Should Honor Him
How Should We Respond To This Appeal?

19. How Should We Respond To This Appeal?
1) By serious reflection.
“The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider” (Isaiah 1:3).
“Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct” (Hebrews 13:7).

20. How Should We Respond To This Appeal?
2) By a constant effort to honor Him.
“For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:9-10).
“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God” (Luke 17:15).

21. “If I Am The Father” God Has Always Been A Father
In View Of This We Should Honor Him
How Should We Respond To This Appeal?

22. How Will You Respond? Will you acknowledge Him as your Father?
Will you submit to His will?
Will you give yourself totally to Him?
Will you conform to His image?
If you will, heaven can be your
home!!!

23. “A son honors his father, and a servant his master
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 1:6).