1. Psalm 103:8-18 God: The Greatest Father Ever!

2. Small Group Discussion
What are the most important qualities for a really good father to have?

3. Different experiences of fathers
Some of us will have very positive thoughts about our fathers…for others our thoughts 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 God as a Father, to make you want God to be your perfect Father in Heaven

4. 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’t deserve it; loves disobedient children
Slow to Anger – does get angry at our sin but is patient and wants us to turn to him
Abounding in love – God is love and his heart overflows with love for his children

5. Describing the Father’s love (v8-10)
Verse 9 gives hope as people who fail to meet God’s standards
Does not always accuse – past mistakes and sins are forgotten about when God forgives his children
Does not harbour anger – he deals with us in grace and lets his anger ‘sail away’

6. Describing the Father’s love (v8-10)
Verse 10 shows how God treats his children who are guilty of sin
Does not treat us as our sins deserve – we should be judged and face death for rebelling against our King
Does not repay us based on our sin – for rejecting God and his truth, God should reject us

7. How can we know the Father’s love?
Through his own Son Jesus!
In compassion, God looks at our sin problem and sends Jesus to die for us
Jesus experienced God’s anger and accusation for our sin – so we can experience God’s grace, mercy, and love
Jesus was treated the way we should have been when he died on the cross – so we can be welcomed by a loving Father

8. The Scale of the Father’s Love (v11-12)
V11 What is the picture of the size of God’s love?
It is a love too big for us to fully understand or imagine! The size of love only God can have!
Who enjoys this ‘great love’?
Those who fear him – honour, respect, obey and love him

9. The Scale of the Father’s Love (v11-12)
V12 What is the picture of the size of God’s forgiveness?
Our sin has been carried to the opposite side of the universe! God can love us because he has totally removed sin/guilt

10. How can we experience this kind of love?
Through his own Son Jesus
God showed us a love that crosses the distance between heaven and earth – Jesus the Son of God became a man to die for us
Jesus on the cross carried our sin and paid the penalty for them so the guilt is completely removed from us – if we have faith in him

11. The kindness of the Father’s Love (v13-18)
V13 What is the comparison here?
Good fathers respond to the needs of their children – God the perfect Father does the same, for those who fear him
V14-16 What is this saying about us as people?
We are weak and fragile – God understands and he relates to in our weakness

12. The kindness of the Father’s Love (v13-18)
V17-18 How does he respond to our weakness?
He shows us everlasting love – it never stops, it never gives up, it comes from his heart
Who receives this love?
Those who fear him, keep his covenant and remember his laws

13. How do we enjoy the Father’s kindness?
Through his own Son Jesus
Jesus taught his followers to pray to God as ‘our Father’ – Jesus died to take away sin so we can call God our Father
Jesus came and experienced the weakness of a human body – those who trust in him look forward to a perfect, never-dying body in the future as an act of kindness

14. Discussion Time
Are there some of God the Father’s qualities you find especially good?
(Compassion, grace, slow to anger, full of eternal love, not always angry, doesn’t give us what we deserve, total forgiveness, understands our weakness)
Which of these would be most important for our human relationships?
“Of all the gifts the Father could give us, forgiveness is the best.” Do you agree?