REVELATION || Sons of God the Father

Feb 9

Luke 15:11-32 New Living Translation

11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.[a]’

22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

God the Father Desires A Deeper Relationship With You

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”.

A.W. Tozer, “The Knowledge of the Holy”

The Power Of Our Beliefs About God

When we believe things about God that are not TRUE, we create a false god
When we worship the false god we created in our imagination it becomes idolatry
Scripture alone has the first and last word regarding the NATURE of God

Your daily secret place encounter with Holy Spirit should ONLY confirm scripture

God Is Our Abba, Father

Abba (G5) - Father

WHAT DOES ABBA MEAN?

Abba in Aramaic Is Similar To "Daddy" Or "Papa" In English And “Pa” Or “Papi” In Spanish

Mark 14:36 New Living Translation

36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Jesus was the first person scripture records using the term "Abba" to refer to God the Father

In His most vulnerable moment, in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus revealed His intimate relationship with God the Father
I believe Jesus was modelling for, and inviting His disciples, to approach God the Father in the same way

God the Father is looking for a personal and intimate relationship with His children

You would only call someone abba, if you had been legitimately adopted into their family
- Church, God has LEGITIMATELY adopted us and INVITES us to call Him Abba

Romans 8:15 New Living Translation

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

Galatians 4:4-6 New Living Translation

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”

Abba means that God the Father is tender and compassionate toward us

Psalm 103:8-14 New Living Translation
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.

Abba is our permission to approach God the Father with the same trust, intimacy, and love that a young child feels toward their father

God The Father Is Calling You Deeper

Luke 15:11-32 New Living Translation

God Is Calling His PRODIGAL Sons HOME

Abba doesn’t want His children to settle for less than the FULLNESS and OVERFLOW of Heaven

Prodigals desire the inheritance or benefits of sonship without the responsibility of submission to the father

Give me my inheritance and let me live like you’re dead
I will use my giftings, talents, resources, and opportunities to indulge my flesh, not serve my family
I’ll claim the family name, I’m a “christian,” but I won’t live to please my Father

Abba wants to give His children fresh, daily bread

Prodigals are easily deceived into believing that they can live off of past inheritance

Choose to coast off of past encounters rather than encountering Abba DAILY in the secret place
“About the time his money ran out… a great famine swept over the land… he began to starve.”

Abba doesn’t want His children to struggle apart from Him

Prodigals try to succeed on their own, apart from their Father

Found someone to hire him, but made only enough to delay starvation

The devil will convince prodigals to live for him, by deceiving them into believing they can live to please their flesh

Abba doesn’t want His children to constantly work to earn His love

Prodigals believe they must negotiate their way back into shallow relationship with God the Father when they hit rock bottom

God if You heal me I will go to church every Sunday
God if You provide for this need I will start tithing
God if You rescue me from this situation I will be a better person

God Is REVEALING His NATURE As ABBA

Since the moment the younger son left, the father was waiting for his return

Not waiting to punish him, but running to receive him back
Longing to show him love, compassion, embrace him and kiss him

Abba has been waiting for some of you in the same way

The father didn’t even let his son finish his prepared apology, the father had already determined to forgive him

The father IMMEDIATELY restored the son to himself, the household, and the community
The father wasn’t concerned with his ruined reputation or the time, money, and opportunities the younger son wasted

He restored his son to a BETTER place and position than he would have been in had he NEVER LEFT

Robe - mark of right relationship to the Father
Ring - mark of authority in the community
Sandals - mark of the rights and responsibilities of sonship in the household

God Is Calling His RELIGIOUS Sons DEEPER

Abba wants His children to experience DEEPER intimacy with His

The father begged his older son to come deeper into the home to enjoy a part with the family

The younger son RECOGNIZED that he was lost to wild living
The older son did NOT recognize that he was lost to religious living

PASTORAL CAUTION || Serving In The House Doesn’t Make You A Son Of The House

“All these years I have slaved for you”
“I have never refused to do a single thing you told me to.”
“You never gave me even on young goat for a feast with my friends”

Abba wants to truly SATISFY what shallow religion cannot

The father was literally inviting his older son into what he had been complaining about
His religious son was more concerned his relationship with his FRIENDS than he was for deeper relationship with his FATHER

Abba wants to deliver His children from OFFENSE and an ORPHAN spirit

The older son was offended because his younger brother RECEIVED, by grace, more than he was able to EARN, by works
The older son was living like an orphan, working hard to be adopted into a family he was already a part of

Abba wants His religious children to simply RECEIVE His adoption

Like the father making one final plea, “Everything I have is ALREADY yours!”

Four Ways We Can Walk In Our Identity As Sons Of ABBA

1. RECEIVE ABBA’S SPIRIT OF ADOPTION

ONLY once we have properly received Jesus and Holy Spirit, can we experience the FULLNESS of our ABBA’S ADOPTION

John 1:12 New King James Version

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the [authority]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

Romans 8:14-16 New King James Version

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

2. ENCOUNTER ABBA DAILY IN THE SECRET PLACE

Matthew 6:6 New King James Version

6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Greater Prayer Strategy In An Ephesians 3:20 Year

Scripture teaches us to PRAY to the GOD THE FATHER || Luke 11:2 , Matthew 6:9

In the NAME of JESUS THE SON || John 16:23-24
In the POWER of HOLY SPIRIT || Romans 8:26-27

This is NOT a restrictive RULE, but rather an invitation into DEEPER RELATIONSHIP

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are ONE
You’re NOT sinning if you pray to Jesus or Holy Spirit

I am CONFIDENT that the revelation of praying to ABBA, Father, will transform your life and secret place like it did mine

PERSONAL SECRET PLACE TESTIMONIES

We must not only RECEIVE our Abba, we must also ENGAGE with Him

Adoration || Praise our ABBA
Scripture || Read to discover more about our ABBA
Prayer || Speak directly to our ABBA

3. PUT ON YOUR NEW NATURE

Colossians 3:10 New Living Translation

10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

Abba Has Given You A Robe

Put It On || Abba, in FAITH, I receive and put on the righteousness of Jesus Christ

Abba Has Given You A Ring

Put It On || Abba, in FAITH, I receive the authority and power that Jesus has given me

Abba Has Given You Sandals

Put It On || Abba, in Faith I receive the rights and responsibilities of sonship

4. PRACTICE GRATITUDE

Gratitude preserves your relationship with ABBA and guards your heart against idols

Romans 1:21-24 New Living Translation

21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.

Thank You ABBA for adopting me
Thank You ABBA for forgiving my sins and cleansing my unrighteousness
Thank You ABBA for delivering, healing, restoring, and providing for me

Receive His Spirit of ADOPTION