It's All About The Father - June 15, 2025

Open your Bible to Matthew chapter number six.

I want to speak with you about it's all about the Father.

It's all about the Father.

It's Father's Day.

And we know the scripture tells us that God is our Father.

We've been grafted into the blessing.

We've been adopted.

And He loves us with an everlasting love.

And I am just so grateful.

The other day I was praying and just talking to God about His attributes and who He is and just thinking about why He's the best Father.

You know, He's just so amazing.

And I just, as I was praying, I was just saying, God, you always listen.

You're always present.

Even if I have a bad attitude or I'm expressing myself, it's not like you shut me down.

You hear me out and you love me unconditionally.

You're tough and yet you're tender at the same time.

You don't condone my sin and you compel me to live in righteousness.

And I just was having a heart-to-heart with God and just thanking him for always delivering me.

I mean, I get myself into situations and the Lord is just like, okay, son, I got you.

And he's always got his arms wide open and just loving me and helping me up.

And I'm just so thankful that God is my father.

He is the best father that anybody could have.

And if you're in here today and you've never been saved by the grace of God, like you don't know where you'd go if you died.

Like, honestly, you're gonna die.

All of us are gonna die one day.

I mean, you maybe you get 70 years, maybe if by reason of strength you get 10 more, 20 more.

Either way, there's an eventuality that you are going to pass off this earth.

And we see you have a physical body.

My question to you is do you know where your soul is going?

And if you're in here today and you've put your faith and trust in Christ and you believe that he died for you and rose again and he paid for your sin because you are a sinner.

I'm a sinner.

All of us are sinners.

None of us are perfect.

All of us have lied, all of us have stolen, all of us have messed up.

And that's why Jesus came out of glory.

Because if you could be religious enough or good enough to get to heaven on your own, which you're not, because you failed, even if you can, even if you keep the whole Bible, keep the whole law, and yet you offend in one point, you're still guilty.

And it only takes one sin to be considered a sinner, one crime to be considered a criminal, and one sin is enough for you to have the wages of your sin, which is death, and that death is hell.

And so you can't work your way to heaven.

It's not about religion, it's about relationship.

And God is reaching his arms out saying, Hey, come to me.

I'll forgive you, I'll save you.

See everything you're basking in my glory.

How can you think that I don't exist when you are swimming all around me?

It's almost like the little baby in the womb saying, I don't know if mom exists.

Mom's all around you.

You think about God, God's all around you.

He loves you, he cares for you, but listen, he doesn't force a relationship.

God gave us free agency.

You have the ability to tune me out, you have the ability to tune me in.

You have the ability to show up, and you have the ability to walk away.

The reason God gave free agency was because he didn't want robots.

He wants you.

He doesn't want ChatGPT, he wants you.

Amen.

He wants your attention, he wants your affection, he wants your closeness, he wants your hurts, he wants your pains.

He wants you to know how to have a relationship with him.

And so in Matthew 16, Jesus is talking about prayer and connecting with the Father.

And he says in verse 7, he says, But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

He says, Hey, listen, don't come to me in prayer and say the same thing over and over again.

It's almost like if I walked up to Tomas and said, Hi Tomas, hi Tomas, would you do this for me, Tomas?

Blah, blah, blah, blah.

And I say the same thing over again.

Eventually Tomas will be like, What are you stuck on?

Repeat?

Is the record stuck or something?

Why can't you act normal?

And sometimes in biblical Christianity, you can get around people that they're just weird.

They don't know how to be normal.

They don't know how to be themselves.

They think they have to be hyper-spiritual and have everything right.

You're never gonna have everything right.

God's got it all right for us.

So he says, hey, listen, when you pray, get out of your head.

Stop acting like your words have to be all perfect.

God sees the heart.

He says, don't use vain repetitions.

He says, I'm gonna give you an example on how to pray.

When you address God in prayer, he says this, verse 9, after this manner, therefore, pray ye, our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Here's what he's saying.

He's saying, when you pray, recognize you're talking to your dad.

Your spiritual heavenly father.

And he is in heaven.

He's holy.

Don't treat him just like he's some homeboy, hey homeboy, what's up?

While he wants you to have, you know, a relationship, you still need to have some respect.

You still need to recognize you're talking to the very one who spoke the galaxies into existence, who lets your little thumper thump, lets you breathe his oxygen.

So when you're addressing him, address him, Father, listen, like I recognize you're in heaven, I recognize you're holy, I'm I'm I'm admiring you, I'm adoring you.

And he says this, then he says, pray, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

He says, Next, when you pray, don't be the person that's like, give me, give me, give me, give me.

You ever have people in your life where you feel like they're just a bunch of takers and users?

Like they only come around because they want to extract something from you.

Some money, some time, some attention, and you know they're just getting past all the fluff until they can get the ask in.

We don't want to treat God like the ATM, like, come on, give me, give me, no.

What he's saying is recognize it's not all about you, it's about his kingdom, it's about his will.

He's saying, the way I want you to pray is I want you to pray that whatever he wants becomes your heart's desire.

And recognize you're living in his kingdom.

This isn't your world, this is this is his.

Sometimes you ever have your kids, sometimes they they get really comfortable around the house and they think that they get to call the shots in the kingdom.

And they forget, this is my castle, my rules.

And you have to remind them I love you, you're my son, you're my daughter, but don't forget who the head of the home is here.

You gotta recognize it.

And sometimes that happens, how about this, in countries as well?

Well, people forget.

Sometimes it happens in businesses where they think, well, I should just get whatever I want.

I'm coming to church, I'm gonna do whatever I want.

No, you're not.

You don't get to do whatever you want when you go into somebody else's home.

You don't get to do whatever you want when you go into somebody's restaurant, you don't get to go do whatever you want when you're in somebody's church, you don't get to do whatever you want if you're I saw the other day uh these Canadians were going over to somewhere in Egypt acting like we're gonna protest the Palestinians.

They get over there and they're getting whipped and beaten.

You don't get to do whatever you want when you're walking in somebody else's house.

And sometimes we can forget and we can think, oh, it's it's all about me.

It's easy to point the finger at these protesters and then fail to realize maybe I got a beam in my own eye.

Or I'm acting it's all about me and what I want.

And I forget, and oh, it's about the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and I want his will and his kingdom to come.

And so Jesus is saying, hey, when you pray, like let's give him deference and preference.

It's the same thing like if you ever go to somebody's house, the first thing I'll do, I'll say, where does the head of the home sit?

At the dinner table, on the couch?

Why?

Because I'm not going to take the head of the home's respect and honor.

That's his spot.

And a good wife and good children, they honor and respect the man in the home.

And by the way, one of the biggest dangers and damages today in our society is the annihilation of fatherhood.

You watch all the TV, you watch all the all the movies, and all these men are a bunch of wimps.

They're pushovers, and and you got this thing out of balance.

When I read my Bible, I see God raises up some strong men of God.

And that's why I'm thankful to be a part of Victory Baptist Church.

Amen.

I'm thankful to be here.

Because we got men that are acting like men, we got ladies that respect their husbands, we got children that know that the commandment with promise is that you honor your father and your mother.

And you you you you you embrace and you sanctify and you strengthen those institutions that God has designed.

You know, there's a complete missile going against the nuclear family all across America with the woke liberal agenda.

It's a bunch of junk, it's a bunch of trash.

And the Bible tells the truth on it.

And when I see here Jesus, he's trying to establish some principles.

When you pray, recognize he's the Father in heaven.

It's about his will, it's about his kingdom.

He's trying to help you stop being so selfish.

Come on, how many are selfish like me?

Narcissistic like me.

When I get in the food line, it's like, which line's faster?

You know, I'm good over here.

When I get at the Disney line or the Magic Mountain line, I don't want to wait behind this person.

I'm over here.

Hey, don't make me wait.

We think it's all about us.

We get entitled, we get disrespectful, we become punks.

And yet when we walk with Jesus, Jesus is saying, Listen, it's not all about you.

Listen, learn of me.

I I'm the king of glory, and I chose to be born in Jerusalem over there in uh Nazareth in a manger.

I stayed humble.

It wasn't about the limelight, it wasn't all about me.

I served others, I washed feet, I cared about people, and I died for your sins.

That's Christ.

He was all about loving and blessing others, but he didn't lose his identity in doing so.

He stayed humble and he'd always say, I'm always doing my father's business.

The only way you're gonna stay walking with God is if you disattach from selfishness and you say, Father, whatever your will is.

Because the moment you make it all about you, you mess up your prayer life, you mess up your family life, you mess up everything in your life.

Why?

Because you're a terrible lord to yourself.

You're myopic, you can't see everything.

Listen, we have blind spots.

We think we're the center of the universe, but we're not.

We're living here for just a small space, and we have a small space of grace to figure this thing out.

And Jesus is saying to his disciples, hey, let me help you.

And by the way, I am helping you right now.

Because if you can let go of self, if you can die to self, if you can lose your life, you'll find your life.

If you could die to self, you can get fulfillment.

You won't be so controlling and maniacal over everything because you're going to be giving respect to God and preference and honor.

Jesus goes on to say this: after you give all that respect, then pray, give us this day our daily bread.

Hey, it's still good to ask God for things.

Amen.

By the way, you know your father wants to bless you, right?

He does.

He says, listen, you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your kids.

How much more do I want to bless you?

He has a vested interest in your success.

Hey, parents out there, don't you like giving your kids good things?

Yeah, you like watching them play with the toys, you like seeing them get good grades, you like seeing them hit home runs, you like seeing them get bonuses, you like seeing, how about this?

The other day we were at the ballgame.

I was with my son and family.

We took uh uh the the enemy's team uh over, you know.

Uh we were against the Dodgers and we took Abe and his family.

It was wonderful.

And uh and at the end of this game, we won that game, by the way.

I love that game.

Thank you, Jesus.

Good thing, good things to them that ask.

You know, yeah, he didn't, he didn't he didn't let us win the next day or the the day before, but that day he did.

But but it was wonderful.

One of the things I noticed about my son that really blessed my heart.

We walked out of the game, and there was a there was a man having a seizure.

And I don't know if it was the mom or the caregiver that was right there, and we were talking with her for a little bit, and he goes, No one goes, Do you mind if I pray for pray for pray for him?

Can I pray with you?

And I thought, oh my soul.

I'm glad I got a son that walks with God.

Now listen, he's not gonna walk with God if he doesn't see me walk with God.

He's not gonna be in church if he doesn't see me walking in church.

He's not gonna read his Bible if he doesn't see me reading his body reading my Bible.

He's not gonna see me, uh, he's not gonna love his future wife if he doesn't see me loving my wife.

More is caught than taught.

But that blessed my heart to see, man, he's got a spiritual heart.

It's not confined into the four walls of a church.

It's everywhere.

It's a relationship.

And so Jesus is talking here about, hey, let me show you how to have this relationship, how to pray and how to walk with God, how to ask for good things.

And he says, forgive us our debts as we forgive others.

Listen, if you don't learn how to forgive other people, your children are not gonna learn how to forgive other people.

And listen, I I bet you in this in this room right now, and even watching online, there's probably some of you that are holding anger and bitterness.

And you're waiting for somebody to ask you for forgiveness or to make something right before you let go.

You're holding yourself hostage.

You don't wait for other people to do right for you to do right.

You do right because it's what Jesus wants for you.

And by the way, it frees your heart.

It frees your heart so you can be loving and kind and generous.

And so he says, forgive us our debts as we forgive others.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.

Amen.

You know what he's saying?

God, show me what I'm supposed to do.

How many of y'all you're starting you're trying, you're still trying to figure out what to do.

You don't know your next step, you don't know where you're gonna move to, you don't know how you're gonna pay the bills, you don't know what how listen, relax.

We're all first-time humans.

There's no reincarnation.

Amen.

We're all just getting the OJT reps in right now.

But Jesus is our great coach, our guide, our father to say, hey, listen, just ask me, I'll help you.

I know you've never been this age before.

I know you know you didn't have these aches and pains before.

I know your body wasn't falling apart like this before, but this is part of the natural process.

Don't fight against it.

Let me let me show you how to navigate through it.

And I'm gonna help you with your life.

I'm gonna show you who to avoid and who to walk with.

And the Holy Spirit does that.

And at the end of the prayer, he says this.

And by the way, whatever you want, whatever your will is, however you want to shake things out, I want that to happen.

How good would it be for your heart if those things that you're striving for and holding so tightly onto that you're stressed out and anxious about, if you were to be able to be able to say, you know what, God, I'm gonna leave lay these at the altar.

I'm gonna lay this at the altar.

I'm not gonna force it, I'm not gonna push, I'm not gonna try to manufacture a plan.

I'm wearing myself out.

God, I wanna I wanna let it go, and I want you to work your perfect will inside of me.

You know, it's interesting.

If if you ask for something but your hands are closed, you're not gonna be able to get it.

But the moment you open your hands and the moment you let go of your last losses or your past traumas or whatever it is that it's got you bound up, and you finally release it, it opens your heart to be able to receive what's next.

And some of us, we can't receive what's next.

That's my alarm, so I don't preach all day.

Some of us, hey, you gotta know, you gotta know when it's time.

It's Father's Day.

Some of you, I'm gonna end with this.

I'll give I'll give you this, and I'm not gonna give you any points, I'm just gonna end with this, okay?

So if you're like, give me the points, don't worry about the points, okay?

Just take the app and hit share, and it's all down there, okay?

Really, my heart is this.

My heart is to help you walk with God because I gotta tell you, there's nothing better than walking with God.

Nothing.

And it's not about religion, it's not about trying to do all this stuff on your own.

It's about just being real and just being honest with God and letting him guide you.

And so, whatever it is in your life you need to let go of, you need to free your heart of, don't hold it anymore.

Just give it to him and then ask him, Lord, would you fill me?

Fill me with grace and love and kindness and and show me how to navigate.

Because I don't know how to do this.

How many are there right now?

You need that.

You need the Holy Spirit to help you navigate.

And by the way, if you're not there where you you don't think you need the Holy Spirit, I promise you, you're there, you just don't know it.

Yeah.

How can a man understand his own way?

Listen, we need God.

Everybody say, I need God.

Amen.

Let's open the altar, let's go to the Lord.

He's our Father.

Let's have a little time of prayer where we can knit our hearts together with him.