These past few weeks have been interesting. The theme of sonship seems to be popping up more often now. In a sermon series by Tim Keller on the Prodigal Son, he discusses true sonship. I started listening to a series entitled “Grace in the Church” by Steve brown in which he refers to sonship a lot… how we are living as christians and the prisons and traps we fall into when we forget who we are. Then we are doing a series in our fellowship concerning Jack Miller’s Sonship which is referred to a lot by Steve Brown as well. We have been doing a series in sunday school concerned with how people change… the last chapter asks how we are embracing our “sonship.”

Even as we read Samson in Judges, I see how evident it is in prayer and in people’s lives that when we embrace our identity as son of God through Christ we would act and behave in a way that is in conformity with God and bear fruit. When we forget or embrace some other identity we start losing out on things… even becoming enslaved again to the patterns of this world.

As I examine my own life, I see myself falling in ways due to fear of man, trusting things other than God, my own laziness, my own fears, my own selfishness… all of these things are due in some part my misunderstanding of my standing before God. As a son, I can approach the throne of grace with confidence. I can come to my father and ask whatever I want in Jesus name… I can please my daddy by doing his will… but even if I fail… He will delight in me because of who I am. I’ve been living like a pharisee, I’ve been living like a slave… a servant… a hired hand…

Even when I read and re-read the Luke 15 story, I can see clearly how I approach the father thinking that I can work as a hired hand to pay back all that I owe my father. But the father doesn’t want me to be a hired hand… he wants me to embrace my place as a son… as an hier… as one that has been redeemed by my older brother, Jesus.

Oh how I have lived liked the pharisee for too long.

Luke 15:21″The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22″But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Come to the father… let him embrace you as a son… and embrace him back as his son.