In John 14:18  Jesus said, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” The word comfortless is the Greek word for orphan. Jesus promise to all of His disciples, was that He would not leave them as orphans. Family is God’s idea. And God the ultimate Father will never abandon you. 

Understand the Biblical Idea of the Term ‘Orphan’

• When you study this word ‘orphan’ in the Biblical context, you will be surprised to find that ‘orphan’ means…

DEFINITION: An orphan is a child devoid of one or both parents.

• In the Bible, ‘orphan’ does not just mean a child without any parents. It also means a child with only one parent.
• So, if the concept of ‘orphan’ includes single-parent homes then we have a lot of orphans in America.
• We have a lot of ‘fatherless children’ in America.
• There is a ‘convention’ in this world concerning divorce.
• That convention can be summed up in this quote, “Life is Short Get a Divorce”.
• This is where the ‘ingredient’ unconventional comes into play.
• The statistics show an incredibly high divorce rate.
• One of the by-products of this trend is orphan children.
• Orphans, then, are by-products of convention.
• They are the result of the conventions of this world.

Ephesians 3:14–15 (ESV)
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

DEFINITION: the word ‘family’ is the Greek word for fatherhood.

• All fatherhood in the universe is derived from God.
• The idea of fathers and family is a God idea.
• So, when you come across families that are fatherless,
• Fatherless because of sin like adultery
• Fatherless because of selfishness,
• Fatherless because ‘we are just not compatible anymore’,
• Fatherless because I don’t love her anymore,
• Fatherless because “I want a younger model, a younger version”,
• Fatherless because of irreconcilably differences,
• And the list goes on and on…
• You then find something that was never God’s will from the beginning.
• Take note, as you read the Bible, of how many verses speak of orphans and how specific and intense the commandments of God are in this area.
• The word ‘fatherless’ is in the Bible 43X.
• It is often connected with the word ‘widow’ which is in the Bible 50x.
• It is absolutely God’s will that ‘fatherless’ families do not exist. It was not God’s original purpose.
• Every child has the right to be raised with both parents.
• Family is God’s idea and God’s ideal.
• Now, you may not have had God’s ideal in your life.
• But that does not change the standard.
• The convention in this world may be, to divorce at the drop of a hat. But choose instead to live unconventionally and go against the current of this age.

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Characteristics of Orphans: Insecurity

• What can we learn spiritually about fatherless children?
• What is like to be an orphan?
• Here are some words that are associated with the term orphan.
  • Painful.
  • Loneliness
  • Abandonment
  • Alienation
  • Isolation
  • Longing to belong
  • Fear
  • Neglect
  • Abuse
  • Insecurity
• God does not want you to wear the label ‘insecure’.
• Why? What is it about insecurity?
• For one, you will not enjoy life to the fullest if you are insecure.
• And God wants you to enjoy life to the fullest in Him.
• People that are insecure cannot handle diversity.

We Can Be Diverse and Yet Secure

• The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity.
• People who are insecure do not like diversity.
• They want convention, they want sameness, and they want things to always be as they were.
• If God deals with them about living a certain way for a certain mission or purpose, they are not going to step out if they are insecure.
• Insecure people want sameness.
• Some white people who are insecure want everybody to be white.
• Jesus is not white.
• Some black people who are insecure want everybody to be black.
• Jesus is not black.
• If you do not like diversity, you will not do well in heaven because people from every tribe, nation and tongue are there.
• Heaven is full of diversity.

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ILLUSTRATION: Diversity
Someone has imagined the carpenter’s tools holding a conference. Brother Hammer presided. Several suggested he leave the meeting because he was too noisy. Replied the Hammer, “If I have to leave this shop, Brother Screw must go also. You have to turn him around again and again to get him to accomplish anything.”
Brother Screw then spoke up. “If you wish, I will leave. But Brother Planer must leave too. All his work is on the surface. His efforts have no depth.”
To this Brother Planer responded, “Brother Ruler will also have ¬¬to withdraw, for he is always measuring folks as though he were the only one who is right.”
Brother Ruler then complained against Brother Sandpaper, “You ought to leave too because you’re so rough and always rubbing people the wrong way.
In the midst of all this discussion, in walked the Carpenter of Nazareth. He had arrived to start His day’s work. Putting on His apron, He went to the bench to make a pulpit from which to proclaim the gospel. He employed the hammer, screw, plane, ruler, sandpaper, and all the other tools. After the day’s work when the pulpit was finished, Brother Hammer arose and remarked, “Brethren, I observe that all of us are workers together with the Lord.”

• God is a God of variety. He didn’t make everybody hammers, He didn’t make everybody screws or sandpaper.  In nature, what a diversity of animals. Every snowflake is different, every fingerprint, every face. Likewise, God is a God of variety in His church. What a diversity of gifts He has bestowed on believers to equip them for service.

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How Does Security Come?

• How can we get rid of the insecure label?
• It comes from knowing that God is unchangeable. It comes from knowing God.
• An orphan child or a (believer with an orphan mentality) is insecure because something that wasn’t supposed to change did. They were supposed to have two parents, now they only have or none.
• People need security. They need the security that only an unchanging God can give.
• Why do you think verses like these are in the Bible.

Heb. 13:8 (NLT)
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

James 1:17 (ESV)
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

• There is absolutely something about knowing God will never change which helps us with this issue of security.
• Security comes from knowing Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah will protect you
• He has never lost a case.

John 6:39 (NLT)
39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them to eternal life at the last day.

• Security comes from knowing that your future is certain

If your security is based on something that can be taken away from you, you will constantly be on a false edge of security. — Tim Hansel

1 John 5:11 (NLT)
11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

• You have eternal life and you have it now.
• It comes from knowing who you are in Jesus
• Coming to Jesus elevates a man’s position.
• You are no longer the same person.
• Your job is to find your place and fill it.
• God has no unused members.
• If you take your place in God, the body of Christ is made stronger
• If you don’t take your place in God, the body of Christ is made weaker.
• Learn who you are in Christ not just for yourselves but the for the sake of others.

Way back yonder in the Garden the first man lived in the Presence of the Creator, Jehovah God. He had no sense of unfitness or need of fitness. He was like a child who climbs up into his father’s arms.  The child has no sense of fear, no sense of need, for he belongs; and because he belongs, he takes his place, he takes liberties.”  – E.W. Kenyon

Call to Action:

If you are a born again child of God, you are just ‘a chip of the old block’ so to speak. You are God’s son, you are God’s daughter. Walk in that confidence. Hold your head high. Approach the Father God with your requests with confidence (Heb. 4:19). Live this way everyday of your life and walk hand in hand with your Father God.

Question: How has your life been altered once you realized that you were a real part of God’s family? Would you please leave your remarks in the comments section below?