Kingdom People: Resting in the Father’s Embrace

‍If you read the news, and even you don’t, you will probably have noticed that the world in which we live today can be anxious, divided and volatile. Whether or not it’s on a smaller scale in our personal lives or localities, or whether it’s on a larger, global scale, conflict and change are prevalent.

The question for us, as Kingdom People, is how do we navigate these times and remain at rest on the inside?

Psalm 116:7 says, ‘Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.’

‍Another Scripture from Hebrews 4:11 says, ‘Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.’

This shows us that rest is not passive- it is something that we actively pursue.

‍Rest comes from one thing, and that is knowing our Heavenly Father. All humans have a deep Father wound, and the invitation is for us to come into a deep Biblical and relational experience with the Heavenly Father.

‍So, what can we know about the Heavenly Father? ‍

1)       Our Heavenly Father is good. This goodness is not a mood that fluctuates- it is His nature.  He is always steady and His goodness is not conditional on our behaviour or performance, but flows from His character. (Psalm 34:8, James 1:17, Nahum 1:7).

2)       Our Heavenly Father is love. 1 John 4 describes how God is love, and we can know and rely on this love which is demonstrated through Jesus coming into the world (1 John 4:8-10). God is not just loving, His very nature is love. You cannot separate God from love anymore than you can separate light from the sun.

3)       Our Heavenly Father gives identity and purpose. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). Ephesians 2:10 says, ‘For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ The Father shows His children who we are and then what He has prepared for us to do. When Jesus was baptised in Matthew 3:17, the Father spoke Jesus’ identity over Him before he had enacted any healings, miracles or sermons. This is the Father’s pattern- establishing who we are before He shows us what to do.

How can we respond?

-           Receive His Love - The relationship begins here.

-           Love Him — because He first loved us.

-           Obey Him — not from fear, but from trust and delight.

-           Fellowship with Him — cultivate His presence, show up and make time.

-           Live in the experience of His love — let it move from head to heart.

-           Be more aware of Him than of yourself — more aware of His love than your insecurities, weaknesses, or the pressures of the world around you

-           Abide in Him.

‍When you are truly at rest in the Father's love, you stop being driven by the need for approval. Comparison loses its grip. The anxiety of the age loses its hold. You become a non-anxious presence in a very anxious world.

‘Father God, I receive your embrace today. I thank you that you love me and will never stop loving me. I accept my adoption into your family today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

-           Taken from Pastor Steve’s message.

‍Catch up with the message and service here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcW8wOqkM_s ‍