God Is A Good Father: A Father Who Provides All Our Need - Zac Poonen

 

1. Introduction – Praise the Lord for His Word

Praise the Lord that we have another opportunity to come around God’s Word. A couple of Sundays ago when I was here I spoke on God as a Father – a Father who welcomes us when we have messed up our life and ruined ourselves with sin, used up all the gifts He has given us, like the Prodigal Son.

2. God the Father Who Welcomes Sinners (The Prodigal Son)

I mentioned how we need to have such a clear understanding of the heart of God towards sinners. Jesus said more than once, “It is not the healthy people who need a doctor but sick people,” and He said that He did not come to call those who thought they were righteous but He came to call sinners – but not just call sinners, it says in Luke 5 He came to call sinners to repentance. So the Father doesn’t welcome the son back in such a way that he finally ends up with the pigs again. He welcomes him to sit at the table with Him for the rest of his life and to become a very responsible person in the house. In fact, I believe that in that story of the Prodigal Son the younger son would have had far more gratitude to the father than the older son, because the older son of course the father took care of him and provided for him, but the elder son had lost 50 % of the father’s wealth. See, the father was obviously a very rich man because he had so many servants, and it must have been a huge amount of money – that 50 % share that he took and went away and he wasted it all. And he comes back, and he must have been grateful for the rest of his life. Every time he looked at his dad he’d have thought, “How much I have hurt him, wasted his wealth,” and “I want to just love him and serve him.”

3. The Greater Responsibility of Those Forgiven Much

There are many Christians who say, “I love the Lord.” There are many Christians who like to say, “I am a wretched sinner; I was a wretched sinner.” I want to say to all of you who say that: the more you say that you were a wretched sinner, the greater your responsibility to love God more than the others around you who were not as bad as you. We like to sometimes boast, “Oh, we were the worst of all the sinners.” Really? Then you should be loving the Lord more than anybody else. And the proof of that love is that you obey the Lord more than anybody else, because Jesus said, “If you love Me, you’ll keep My commandments.”

4. True Love for God Is Proven by Obedience and Sacrifice

So I find that a lot of people who say they’re wretched sinners – it’s just empty words. They don’t really believe it deep down in their heart. They don’t really believe that God has forgiven them a huge multitude of sins. Jesus said, “He who is forgiven little loves little,” and “he who loves little obeys little,” and “he who is forgiven much loves much and sacrifices much for the Lord and obeys much.” So I can tell you, if I could examine your life, how big a sinner you think you are. Whatever you may say with your mouth – it may be a lot of nonsense – but your life speaks louder than your mouth. If I see you obeying little, sacrificing little, loving the Lord little, I say you’re telling a lie when you say you’re a wretched sinner. It’s just words to impress other people that you’re very humble. If you really believed it, remember the words of Jesus: “He who is forgiven much loves much.” That’s the proof. That’s the only proof that God’s forgiven me much.

5. Warning Against False Humility and “Super-Spiritual” Talk

I know in my case God’s forgiven me much, and so I want to love the Lord with all my heart. I want to sacrifice everything possible for Him. I want to live totally for Him. I want to live more wholeheartedly 10 years from now than I’m doing today. That is to save ourselves from deceiving ourselves. You know our heart is so deceitful – we like to get a reputation for humility, and so we use words like, “Oh, I was such a wretched sinner and the Lord saved me.” Be careful the next time you use it, and remember what I said today. If ever you say you’re a wretched sinner, worse than others, please remember you have a responsibility to love God more than others and to obey Him more than others. That’s the only proof of love – and to sacrifice more than others. Otherwise don’t use those words. Just say, “I was not such a bad sinner; I was just a small sinner – that’s why I love the Lord so little.” See, I want to get rid of all this super-spiritual religious humbug that comes out of people’s mouths. We must be honest and speak the truth. It’s very important. God loves honest people who don’t try to pretend in order to get a reputation for being spiritual.

6. God the Father Who Provides All Our Needs

There’s another aspect of the Father which I want to think of today, and that is a Father who provides all our needs. I mentioned it briefly that Sunday too, but I want to speak a little more about it because, you know, we are living in very uncertain days, and the economic situation in the world is getting worse and worse, money is getting scarce, cost of living is going up, and those who have plenty of money may rely on their money – their money will fail them. But many of us don’t have much – how shall it be with us? Well, we have a Father in heaven.

7. The Danger of Trusting Social Security Instead of God

You know, in many European countries you don’t have to worry if you’re poor; you don’t have to worry if you lose your job. I remember a brother in Europe who had nine children saying, “I don’t have to work because the government pays me so much for each child I can just sit at home and earn more than if I go to work.” I remember meeting a young man in Australia – “Aren’t you seriously looking for a job?” He said, “No, I’m okay; the social security system in Australia takes care of me – that if I go to work I’ll get much less than I’m getting right now, so why should I go to work?” So he sits at home, lazes around, and drifted away from the Lord. That’s not surprising. Hard work, I tell you, keeps us closer to the Lord; laziness destroys us. And that’s how a lot of young people in many of these countries are being destroyed because they have a lot of money and don’t have to work. Christians in these countries, even in America, have food stamps – if you run short of money there’s social security. Well, you may envy them – a lot of Indians and Pakistanis go to these countries because they say our future is secure. What about a Christian? I feel that a Christian misses out in these countries of the privilege of being able to trust God to provide our need. They can never do that because when they’re in need they say they trust in the Lord, but actually it’s the government who takes care of them. In the back of their mind they know social security is there.

8. Personal Testimony – Leaving the Navy to Prove God’s Provision

But what about us in India? We don’t have any social security. Many years ago when I stepped out of the Navy to serve the Lord I decided to give away all my money for God’s work and stepped out with nothing. The reason was I wanted to prove for myself and prove for other people in our country that in a country like ours, without social security and not having much money myself (my father was a poor pensioner from the government, I couldn’t depend on him) and not connected to any American or Western organization, trusting the Lord, I wanted to prove in the 20th century – 46 years ago – in a poor country like India that God’s promises are still true: “If you seek God’s kingdom first and His righteousness, all that you need on earth will be provided for you.” He hasn’t promised to make us millionaires, but He’s promised to provide all our needs – food, clothing, shelter.

9. “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” – A Prayer for All Material Needs

He taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” which means:

• How do we get our daily bread? → By having a job.
• Where am I going to eat my daily bread? → Not out in the park; I need a house.
• When my children grow up they need to get their daily bread → by getting a job, so they need education. So in that little prayer is a request for all our material necessities. That’s why He said “bread” – necessities, not luxuries. If God gives us luxuries that’s an extra bonus, but necessities He taught us to pray for.

10. Our Father Loves Us More Than the Best Earthly Father

To whom should we pray? “Our Father who art in heaven.” Two things:

1. Somebody who loves us intensely more than any earthly father.
2. If you being evil know how to give good gifts… the best father on earth is evil compared to God. So think of the best father on earth and multiply that by a million and you begin to understand how loving and caring a Father in heaven is. I’m sure all of you fathers and mothers here, if you had one slice of bread in your home one day and that’s all, you’d give it to your children and starve yourself. Even though we’re not all good fathers, we do that. Jesus said if you being evil…

11. The Holy Spirit Makes Us Conscious That God Is Truly “Daddy”

Jesus said before He went to heaven, in connection with the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17): “I will ask the Father, He will give you another Helper… He is with you now but shall be in you.” And the mark: “I will not leave you as orphans.” When the Holy Spirit comes inside He’ll cry out “Daddy, Daddy, Father” to God – a spontaneous cry: I’ve got a Dad in heaven. That is a million times more important than speaking in tongues. Jesus never spoke in tongues, but boy did He know His Father. Don’t seek supernatural gifts first; seek to know Him as Father.

12. Personal Testimony – Extreme Poverty After Marriage and God’s Faithfulness

When I got married it was a greater opportunity to prove that God is a Father who provides, because we were extremely extremely poor when we were married – much poorer than all of you who are married now – and we had to trust God. We had to learn to live simply, live without debt, and our Father provided enough for our needs. We never starved for one day; our children never starved for one day.

13. Proving God’s Provision for Poor Village Believers and CFC Churches

Then as we started planting churches in the poorest villages I said, “Lord, now I’ve got to prove this is true for these poor people as well.” In the last 30 years I’ve seen how the Lord has taken care of numerous people who honoured Him – given them jobs, houses, daily bread, protected them from sicknesses (that’s how God saves us money too). And for the church: since 1975 in all our 50+ churches we don’t take an offering, just a box. We have never sent a letter to anyone outside CFC about our needs. We have proved it for individuals, poor villages, and groups of churches.

14. 46 Years of Experience: God Is a Father Who Provides

I’m now speaking from 46 years of full-time Christian work, 37 years of church work in CFC, and at least 30 years of ministry in poorer villages that God is a Father who provides our earthly need. He knows what is coming in future and provides for it ahead of time.

15. Fear and Faith Cannot Live Together – Choose Faith

You don’t have to live in fear of sickness, job loss, widowhood, etc. Fear and faith in a loving Father cannot live in the same heart. It’s like two people knocking at your door – you decide which one to let in. Fear is a thief; faith shows you your loving Dad.

16. The Simplest Definition of Faith – A Child Trusting Daddy

The simplest example of faith is a 1½-year-old child who clings to Mommy or Daddy for security when a stranger picks him up. That is faith.

17. Peter’s Denial and the Faith God Wanted After Failure

Jesus told Peter he would deny Him but said, “I am not praying that you will not fall (you need to fall to be humbled), but that your faith fail not” – the faith that says, “Even after I have made a mess of my life, my Dad still loves me and will take me back.”

18. God Hates Sin Like a Parent Hates Cancer in Their Child

A mother hates sickness in her child but loves the child. God hates sin because He knows how much it destroys us (far worse than blood cancer). Pornography is like injecting cancer into your soul – only a stupid child would do that.

19. 1 Corinthians 10:13 – The Promise of a Loving Father’s Regulation of Trials

“God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape…” God regulates every trial like a perfect school teacher – He teaches the subject first, then gives the exact question paper for your standard. Every trial is an exam that leads to promotion, and the Teacher (Jesus) sits beside you giving you the answers.

20. Every Trial Is an Examination That Leads to Promotion

God never gives a question paper beyond your level. If you ever say “This is too much for me,” you are accusing God of being more foolish than a human school teacher.

21–23. Old Testament Pictures of God’s Advance Provision

• Joseph (Gen 37) – Ishmaelite caravans timed exactly to arrive when the brothers sat to eat.
• Marah (Ex 15:22-25) – God planted a tree years earlier that could make bitter water sweet.
• Esther – God keeps the king awake, brings the exact history book, times Haman’s arrival perfectly – God hidden behind the scenes.

24. God Answers Every Prayer – Red, Orange, or Green

Matthew 7:11 – “good things”; Luke 11:13 – “the Holy Spirit.” Red light = No (to save you from accident); Orange = Wait; Green = Yes. God always answers.

25. Luke 11:13 – The Father Gives the Holy Spirit, Not Scorpions

Don’t be afraid to ask for the Holy Spirit; the Father will not give you a snake or scorpion.

26. Healing and Sickness – Learning from Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh

Paul prayed three times for healing; God said, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Sometimes God heals, sometimes He gives grace – both are answers. Leave the choice to Him.

27. Conclusion – God Prepares in Advance, Protects, and Makes Us More Than Conquerors

God prepares situations years in advance, protects from evil men and accidents, heals or gives grace in sickness, and turns every evil plan for our good. We are never supposed to be defeated – we are His younger brothers walking in Jesus’ footsteps.

28. Final Prayer

While our heads are bowed in prayer… The Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. What you have heard today, even through the mouth of an ordinary man, is the words of Jesus Christ. Trust Him. Ask forgiveness for the times when you have doubted Him… “Lord, forgive me, I insulted You by doubting You. I’m not going to doubt You anymore. I trust You. Thank You for hearing me. Help me to trust You more in the days to come. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”