The son who thought he was a slave

14 August 2011

Brent Brading

Sons
Luke 15:25-31

When we think of our dad it can have two different affects, either good thoughts or bad ones. But our father in heaven is only good.
We as believers know we are his sons but do we really live in that sonship? We are not just sons by status but through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit inside of us cries dad - Abba.
Through Christ we are now sons.

We can know this in our heads but do we know this in our hearts? What box have you been placed in that you should just break free from? What patterns of thinking are holding you back? God says now we are his sons.

Two symptoms of feeling like a slave

1) He was angry with his father because he felt his father was being unfair. God's ways are not our way and he does not and will not think like we do.
2) He was unhappy because he felt like his father was so demanding. But the son put the burden on himself not the father on the son. He felt like he never got to celebrate.

Three differences between sons and slaves

1) vs 29 slaves work for a master, sons work with their father. As we lead our Christian lives are we doing it for God or with God. Matt4:21 the sons of Zebedee worked with their father thats maybe why Jesus called them, they knew sonship. John8:29 even Jesus said he knew his Father is with them. Sons love working with their father.
2) vs29 slaves earn but sons inherit. It is not about our hard work but about our position as sons. Our inheritance has nothing to do with how much we do. The work we do, we do it because we passionately love Jesus. A slave thinks in terms of you as opposed to our. There is a sense of ownership. It's not just about your rules but about our shared values.
3) vs29 slaves have no authority sons have a growing authority. This son was waiting to gain something that were already his. It is about growing up not being fed anymore but learning to feed yourself. The father, hands over authority. We cannot live with a hand out mentality or with a passive mentality as we grow up in God we need to take responsibility, and stop thinking like children.

Relationship is the key to sonship. Children want to be with their father. We need to spend time with our heavenly father in order to know true sonship. This son in the story had a distant heart from the father he was always far from his father. His father had to go and find him.

Sonship is the key to resources. When we are with the father he makes everything available to us.

Romans8:32
God gave us his son how much more will he give us all things?