Psalm 103:8-18God: The Greatest Father Ever!
Small Group Discussion
What are the most important qualities for areally good father to have?
Different experiences of fathers
•Some of us will have very positivethoughts about our fathers…for others ourthoughts are more negative
•But we probably all have an idea of what a‘perfect father’ would be like for us
•Psalm 103:8-18 gives a description of Godas a Father, to make you want God to beyour perfect Father in Heaven
Describing the Father’s love (v8-10)
•Verse 8 has 4 qualities of God as Father:
•Compassionate – sees our needs,understands our pain, acts to help us
•Gracious – shows love to people who don’tdeserve it; loves disobedient children
•Slow to Anger – does get angry at our sinbut is patient and wants us to turn to him
•Abounding in love – God is love and hisheart overflows with love for his children
Describing the Father’s love (v8-10)
•Verse 9 gives hope as people who fail tomeet God’s standards
•Does not always accuse – past mistakesand sins are forgotten about when Godforgives his children
•Does not harbour anger – he deals with usin grace and lets his anger ‘sail away’
Describing the Father’s love (v8-10)
•Verse 10 shows how God treats hischildren who are guilty of sin
•Does not treat us as our sins deserve – weshould be judged and face death forrebelling against our King
•Does not repay us based on our sin – forrejecting God and his truth, God shouldreject us
How can we know the Father’s love?
•Through his own Son Jesus!
•In compassion, God looks at our sinproblem and sends Jesus to die for us
•Jesus experienced God’s anger andaccusation for our sin – so we canexperience God’s grace, mercy, and love
•Jesus was treated the way we should havebeen when he died on the cross – so wecan be welcomed by a loving Father
The Scale of the Father’s Love (v11-12)
•V11 What is the picture of the size ofGod’s love?
•It is a love too big for us to fullyunderstand or imagine! The size of loveonly God can have!
•Who enjoys this ‘great love’?
•Those who fear him – honour, respect,obey and love him
The Scale of the Father’s Love (v11-12)
•V12 What is the picture of the size ofGod’s forgiveness?
•Our sin has been carried to the oppositeside of the universe! God can love usbecause he has totally removed sin/guilt
How can we experience this kind oflove?
•Through his own Son Jesus
•God showed us a love that crosses thedistance between heaven and earth –Jesus the Son of God became a man to diefor us
•Jesus on the cross carried our sin and paidthe penalty for them so the guilt iscompletely removed from us – if we havefaith in him
The kindness of the Father’s Love (v13-18)
•V13 What is the comparison here?
•Good fathers respond to the needs of theirchildren – God the perfect Father does thesame, for those who fear him
•V14-16 What is this saying about us aspeople?
•We are weak and fragile – Godunderstands and he relates to in ourweakness
The kindness of the Father’s Love (v13-18)
•V17-18 How does he respond to ourweakness?
•He shows us everlasting love – it neverstops, it never gives up, it comes from hisheart
•Who receives this love?
•Those who fear him, keep his covenantand remember his laws
How do we enjoy the Father’s kindness?
•Through his own Son Jesus
•Jesus taught his followers to pray to Godas ‘our Father’ – Jesus died to take awaysin so we can call God our Father
•Jesus came and experienced the weaknessof a human body – those who trust in himlook forward to a perfect, never-dyingbody in the future as an act of kindness
Discussion Time
•Are there some of God the Father’squalities you find especially good?
•(Compassion, grace, slow to anger, full ofeternal love, not always angry, doesn’t giveus what we deserve, total forgiveness,understands our weakness)
•Which of these would be most importantfor our human relationships?
•“Of all the gifts the Father could give us,forgiveness is the best.” Do you agree?