I just want to honor my father in the Lord, Brother Sam, without I would have very little light on the subject and my husband Zach for his unending pursuit of the deeper things of God. I am humbled to express my take on what is just the tip of the iceberg :) His ways are in the sea!
If Thou Be a Son
It seems as
if this is what defines us in this life, whether we are able to embrace and endure
the Lord’s chastening as sons and walk in sonship. Jesus is our prime example,
who learned obedience through the things that He suffered (Hebrews 5:8) . If there is a distinction between those that
are as in type the multitude, the disciple, the three, and the one, let me be
the one that is comfortable drawing close to the Lord. The one who Jesus makes
Himself vulnerable to as He did on the Mountain of Transfiguration and in the
garden as prayed. I believe it takes a
deeper level of commitment and intimacy to grow to such a close relationship.
The Lord said Himself that he chastened whom He loves and sees as a son as we
see in Revelation 3:19, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be
zealous therefore, and repent.”
Clearly He also makes distinction between
those who are sons and those who are bastards in Heb 12:-6-9, “For
whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he
whom the father chasteneth not? But if
ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards,
and not sons.“ There is clear
separation here between those who God can call a son and those which are
“without chastisement” and they are not considered sons, but on the contrary
they are bastards.
When we speak of chastisement, many images or
memories may come to mind, such as childhood discipline or scolding from instructors.
In Hebrews, this word also means, “education, training, disciplinary
instruction, and/or nuture.” How do we see God dealing with us in this way in
our own lives, but by the Word of God. In Ps. 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man
cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.” In the
psalms, we constantly see David looking to God to be taught and disciplined, “Teach
me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
(Ps. 86:11).” In Psa 119:124, we see the dealings of
God and the Word of God go hand in hand, ” Deal with thy servant according unto thy
mercy, and teach me thy statutes.” This is what separates the sons from
others, taking heed to the Word of God and allowing His Spirit to lead you into
all things. The word “deal” in this passage means “to make, to finish, bruise,
journey, perform, prepare, sacrifice, trim, yield, use, “ and many others. This
really speaks of our journey on the highway of holiness and the Lord “making”
us His Sons!
We see a picture
of being set apart and being chastened in the life of David in 2
Samuel 7:8, “Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus said
the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to
be ruler over my people, over Israel:” and in verse 14 “I will be his
father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with
the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:”The word, “son”
in this passage means, “builder of the family name”. This is my heart I want to bear the name of
the Lord as a son! Just as Paul did in his ministry, Act 9:15 “ But the Lord said unto
him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the
Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:” How are we going to do that? We need to start
by overcoming in our lives through walking according to the teachings of our
Father. This name is given to the overcomers in Rev 3:12, “Him
that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go
no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the
city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my
God: and I will write upon him my new name.”
Let me be a Son that
you are pleased with Lord, just as the Firstborn Son was pleasing. Here in Matthew
3:17, we see God the Father announcing to the world that He had a pleasing Son. This reference states, “And
lo a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.” Jesus, who was without sin, humbled Himself and asked His
cousin John to baptize Him. The Son of a Priest baptizing the Son of God, Jesus
was a spotless sacrifice! What happens next is quite amazing, Jesus goes from
being exalted by the Father right to the wilderness where He finds himself
tested by the devil. And what does He use in His time of testing, the precious
Word of God! There are three tests that
Jesus is able to overcome by the Word of God, “To despair of his Father's
goodness, to presume upon his Father's power, and to alienate his Father's
honour, by giving it to Satan.”
Let’s look at
these tests and the language the enemy uses when confronting the Son of God.
The enemy challenges His Sonship, “If thou be the Son of God, command that
these stones be made bread (Matt 4:3)." When challenged with the
ability to provide for His natural needs, Jesus proclaims that the only thing
that satisfies, “But he answered and
said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
The enemy then
challenges the relationship of trust and authority that Jesus has with the
Father in Mat 4:6, “And saith unto him,
If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give
his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up,
lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Jesus proclaims a
statement of absolute trust and commitment to the integrity of the character of
God in Matthew 4:7, “Jesus said unto him, It is written again,
Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. “ Here Jesus is able to answer
with the reference from the Old Testament in Exodus 17:7, “ And he called the name of the
place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel,
and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not? “
The character of the Father is to be trusted and not questioned.
The third
accusation is found in Mat 4:8-9, “ Again, the devil taketh him up into an
exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the
glory of them; And saith unto him, All
these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” Jesus
answers in Mat 4:10, “Then saith Jesus unto
him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy
God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Jesus again quotes that same
passage in Deuteronomy 6:13, “Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve
him, and shalt swear by his name.”
If it is truly in our heart to press on past the norm of Christianity and take up our cross each day, we will find ourselves growing up! Jesus showed us the way as the firstborn among many, he was able to silence the accuser by the truth that was apart of Him. As we allow the word of God to mold and make us, it becomes apart of us and we are able to face anything. We will overcome, just as our Savior did, and we will have His character. I will embrace the process that leads me to this end. I hope that you will see that God is asking you the same and that you will choose a road less traveled and find yourself drawing ever closer to Him.
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