Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June. Father's Day was created to complement Mother's Day.

I am glad there is a Father's Day. Even though it is not as celebrated or special as Mother's Day, it still gives us a chance to honor the fathers among us.

One time a little boy was asked to define Father's Day and he said, "It's just like Mother's Day, the only difference is that you don't spend as much on the gift or present."

"The greatest number of long distance phone calls are made on Mother's Day; the largest number of collect calls are made on Father's Day!"

Being a good father and a good husband is the most challenging responsibility we can ever face. If you are like most fathers — you want to be a good father.

But to be a good father you need a model, an example of a father that you can pattern yourself after. I believe you already know that the Heavenly Father is our model. He is our great example of a father. Today, let's see what we can learn about being a father by looking at God, the perfect Father.

We are here today to remember the Lord and honor our earthly fathers. We need to do both. On this Day we give special remembrance to the Heavenly Father and the calling and blessing of earthly fathers.

The Father's Compassion

Psalm 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

This verse expresses in one word what it means to be a father: pity or compassion. A father has compassion on his children.

Our God is a compassionate God

Matthew 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Psalm 78:38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. 39: For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. 40: How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

Psalm 86:12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. 13: For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. 14: O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them. 15: But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

Isaiah 49:15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

Lamentation 3:22 It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: 2: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

As our heavenly Father, He is the God who is moved with eternal compassion for us.

This is what constitutes a good father. Fathers need to show pity or compassion to their children.

I believe in a God who can feel

He is not like Baal or Dagon or the other idols and graven images who have no feelings...

Psalm 115:4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. 5: They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: 6: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: 7: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. 8: They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

But our God is not a God made of wood or stone. He is not without emotion, without feeling, without passion. He has kindly feelings towards them that fear Him, such as a father has towards his children. This is a truth of which makes me cleave to the God of the Bible.

1. The Lord has compassion on us in our ignorance or limited knowledge

Thomas Edison who is well known for his many inventions, particularly the light bulb said...

"It is obvious that we do not know a millionth of one percent about anything."

We do not know everything. We have a very limited knowledge. And because of that, we are prone to make wrong and costly choices.

Our Heavenly Father does not expect His children to know as much as Himself. He is not upset with us, because we do not know everything.

He is not disappointed with us because the little we do not use them. But when use them we misuse and abuse them. He is not angry with us because what He has taught us we are very prone to forget by reason of our fickle memory. No, in our limited knowledge He has compassion on us.

Our heavenly Father is not like a heartless teacher who when he asks his student and the student does not know the answer, there was nothing for student but a harsh word and a hard blow.

A father does not act like a heartless teacher; but he pities his children, and he is willing patiently to teach them.

And when the child makes a serious mistake, where others may laugh at the child or make fun of the child, the father feels the ridicule and pities his child.

2. The Lord has compassion on us in our weakness

13: Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. 14: For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

He knows how we are formed. He knows how weak we are. He knows what we are made of. He remembers that we are dust. We are made of dust and we are returning back to dust. And the Lord remembers that and considers that. That is why He has so much compassion on us.

God being our Creator knows what we are able to bear.

Psalm 78:38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. 39: For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

And we should remember it ourselves, and be humble before God; and wonder at His grace and goodness to us.

Genesis 18:27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

Our heavenly Father knows our weakness. He does not blame us nor despise us for our weakness but rather He pities us in our weakness.

Children cannot do much, they are very dependent upon their mother or father. The mother and father understand and have pity when they hurt themselves because of their weakness. It is not a burden they have to carry the child because the child cannot walk.

3. The Lord has compassion on us in our disobedience

When we deliberately disobey our Heavenly Father He pities us because He knows when we disobey we are hurting ourselves. He sees and knows the consequence of our disobedience.

Not only that, because we are His children and because He loves us He disciplines us.

Deuteronomy 8:5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.

Hebrews 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Though He disciplines us when we deliberately disobey, yet He pities us.

And sometimes, God's children do really fall, it is very sad. Now, our Father pities the faults of His children, and He shows His pity by this fact, that He has provided for their cleansing, and he freely gives them the use of that provision, and readily forgives them their iniquities.

When Peter denied our Lord three times with oaths and cursing, he should have lost that privilege of apostleship. If you and I were consulted regarding Peter's denial, many of us would respond, he should no longer be called an apostle. But that is not how our Lord responded to Peter. Instead He came to him and readily forgave him and gently restored him and even entrusted His lambs and sheep to Peter's care.

4. The Lord has compassion on us in our afflictions

The Father pities. He sympathizes with us.

Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

When we suffer He suffers. He loves and pities us as a father pities his children.

Lamentation 3:32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. 33: For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

Though He allows trials in your life and knows it will work for your good, yet He pities you. He does not afflict us to hurt us but to benefit us.

Closing thoughts

Here are the four truths about the Father's compassion. He has compassion on us in our ignorance, in our weakness, in our disobedience and in our affliction. Oh to be like our Heavenly Father.

God's plan for human fatherhood is to be a picture of Himself. We fathers were designed to display the fatherhood of God to our children. When you see a good father, you are seeing a picture of God the Father.

We learn to be fathers by looking to or watching our Heavenly Father! Behold your God! Beholding the glory of the Father and be changed from glory to glory!

May our fathering show our children what God is like. May our children learn what God's fatherhood is like as they watch us.

Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

Therefore as dearly loved or beloved children God , in everything you do, follow His example.

Go to the Heavenly Father and tell Him you are want to be like Him.

But I can tell you this; you cannot be like Him if you are not His child. You must be born into His family first. You must be born again. Born again is not religion. Born again is not church membership. Born again is not water baptism. Born again is something that happens inside you when the Spirit of God through the Word of God reveals your need as a sinner and reveals to you the Saviour of sinner....

Whatever then your want, your need, your desire, your struggle is, come to the Father of mercies through His Son Jesus Christ.

Remember that God has compassion and mercy on all them that fear Him. Call upon Him. He will not cast you out.

May you find salvation now and evermore, for Christ's sake. Amen!