Identity Series - Week 2
Who am I?
Servants and Sons
Identity - Week 2
Before we begin, Read Luke 15:11-32.
You may have read this passage hundreds of times and what usually stands out in this parable is the prodigal (younger) son who ran off with his inheritance, squandered it and was welcomed back home by the father. What is usually overlooked is that older son. The son who never left the father’s business. The son who continued to do the hard labor, day in and day out.
Look at Luke 15:29-30 again:
But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
The minds of the people that Jesus was talking to would have been appalled at this story. The younger son basically asked his Dad to treat him as if he were already dead. The older son is so angry with his brother's return that he dissociates himself with him. The older son was so angry that he wouldn’t even go into the party. He spoke to his father about how much better a servant he was because he has been with him this whole time and never asked for anything.
The older son has the mindset of a servant. And much like a servant, his relationship to “the master” (his father) is task-oriented and reward focused. He puts in the work only to receive his reward and if he doesn't put in the work, there is no reward or there is punishment. The older sons view his relationship with his father as conditional. He must perform in order to receive.
“If I do not put in the work, God will not bless me. If I do not give, I will not receive. If bad things happen to me, I must have been lazy or done something to deserve God’s punishment.” Have any of you ever thought or even said these things?
John Sheasby in his book, “The Birthright,” put it this way;
“If you see yourself as a servant and believe that your acceptance by God is based on performance, you will be frustrated. Though you do all you believe God has commanded you to do, you will never escape the nagging feeling that you should have done more.”
What the older son failed to realize was that he was living from a performance based, servant mindset even though he was a son. His blindness to the true heart of his father clouded his relationship with him. He was unaware of all the benefits of being a son and not a servant. The only thing he focused on was his reward. That someday because of all of his hard work, his father would give him what he had earned. Instead, when his younger brother comes back home and is celebrated, the older brother is filled with confusion, frustration and anger. After all, he never left, he was not irresponsible, and he continued to work in the family business.
We live in a performance-based society. It is all about what we can produce and what we can get because of that production.
So why did the father never reward the older son with even a young goat? Look at the father’s response to the older son in Luke 15:31: "‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”
It was impossible for the father to reward the son with that which already belonged to him by inheritance! In Luke 15:12 it says, “so he divided his property between them.” Every young goat and every fatted calf already belonged to him! When the father gave the younger son his inheritance, he also gave the older son his inheritance as well. However, the older son was so focused on being a servant and waiting for and earning his reward, he lost sight of the blessing the father had already bestowed upon him.
What does this all have to do with our identity? Why do we, as Christian men, who desire everything God has for us, struggle to receive the blessings promised by God? Because we tend to wait for the reward for our service. However, we are not servants. WE ARE SONS! The Father cannot reward us with what was already ours from birth. When we recite the 40 passages about identity, think about that. These are promises that we do not have to earn. God gave them to us at birth. They are our birthright! We have lived most of our lives unaware of our inheritance.
It is important to note that in our relationship with others, God calls us to be servants. However, in our relationship with Him, all he wants us to be is sons!
Questions:
1. Have you ever viewed your relationship with God in that way? Explain.
2. Where in your life have you felt the need to perform in order to be recognized or rewarded?
3. Out of the 40 passages we are reciting each week, which one is hardest for you to believe for yourself? Share with your group.
Activation: This week focus on a passage from the list we are going through each week that you struggle to believe for yourself (or any other passage you struggle to receive). Meditate on that verse this week and bring it with you in your quiet time with the Lord. Ask Holy Spirit to speak to you about that truth this week. Share with your group what you experience.
Identity Scriptures
1 John 2:1 I am a child of God.
John 15:16 I am chosen by Christ to bear fruit.
Acts 1:8 I am Christ’s personal witness sent out to tell everyone about Him.
Romans 8:17 I am a co-heir with Christ, inheriting His glory.
1 Corinthians 3:16 I am a temple, a dwelling place, for God. His Spirit and His life live in me.
6:19
1 Corinthians 6:17 I am joined forever to the Lord and am one spirit with Him.
1 Corinthians 12:27 I am part of Christ’s body.
2 Corinthians 5:17 I am a new person. My past is forgiven and everything is new.
2 Corinthians 5:18 I am at peace with God.
Galatians 4:6,7 I am a child of God and will receive the inheritance He has promised.
Ephesians 1:1 I am a saint, a holy person.
Phillipians 1:1
Colossians 1:2
Ephesians 2:10 I am God’s building project, His handiwork, created in Christ to do His work
Ephesians 2:19 I am a citizen of heaven with all of God’s family.
Ephesians 4:24 I am righteous and holy.
Colossians 3:4 I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life.
Colossians 3:12 I am the chosen of God, holy and dearly loved.
1 Thessalonians 1:4
1 Peter 2:5 I am one of God’s living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house.
1 Peter 2:9,10 I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.
1 John 3:1,2 I am a child of God, and I will be like Christ when He returns.
1 John 5:18 I am born again in Christ, and the evil one, the devil, cannot touch me.
Romans 5:1 Since I am in Christ, by the grace of God, I am now acceptable to God, justified, and completely forgiven. I live at peace with Him.
Romans 6:1-6 The sinful person I used to be died with Christ, and sin no longer rules my life.
1 Corinthians 2:12 I have received God’s Spirit into my life. I can recognize the blessings He has given me.
1 Corinthians 2:16 I have been given the mind of Christ. He gives me His wisdom to make right choices.
1 Corinthians 6:19,20 I have been bought with a price; I am not my own; I belong to God.
2 Corinthians 1:21,22
Ephesians 1:13,14 I am God’s possession, chosen and secure in Him. I have been given the Holy Spirit as a promise of my inheritance to come.
2 Corinthians 5:14,15 Since I have died, I no longer live for myself, but for Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:21 I have been made acceptable (righteous) to God.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live is Christ’s life.
Ephesians 1:3 I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.
Ephesians 1:4 I was chosen in Christ to be holy before the world was created. I am without blame before Him.
Ephesians 1:5 I was chosen by God, predestined to be adopted as His child.
Ephesians 1:7,8 I have been bought out of slavery to sin, redeemed and forgiven. I have received His generous grace.
Ephesians 2:5 I have been made spiritually alive, just as Christ is alive.
Ephesians 2:6 I have been raised up and seated with Christ in heaven.
Ephesians 2:18 I have direct access to God through the Spirit.
Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with boldness, freedom, and confidence.
Colossians 1:13 I have been rescued from the dark power of Satan’s rule and have been brought into the kingdom of Christ.
Colossians 1:14 I have been forgiven of all my sins and set free. The debt against me has been canceled.
Colossians 2:7 I am firmly rooted in Christ and am now being built up in Him.
Colossians 1:27 Christ Himself lives in me.
Identity Series - Week 2
Who am I?
Servants and Sons
Identity - Week 2
Before we begin, Read Luke 15:11-32.
You may have read this passage hundreds of times and what usually stands out in this parable is the prodigal (younger) son who ran off with his inheritance, squandered it and was welcomed back home by the father. What is usually overlooked is that older son. The son who never left the father’s business. The son who continued to do the hard labor, day in and day out.
Look at Luke 15:29-30 again:
But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
The minds of the people that Jesus was talking to would have been appalled at this story. The younger son basically asked his Dad to treat him as if he were already dead. The older son is so angry with his brother's return that he dissociates himself with him. The older son was so angry that he wouldn’t even go into the party. He spoke to his father about how much better a servant he was because he has been with him this whole time and never asked for anything.
The older son has the mindset of a servant. And much like a servant, his relationship to “the master” (his father) is task-oriented and reward focused. He puts in the work only to receive his reward and if he doesn't put in the work, there is no reward or there is punishment. The older sons view his relationship with his father as conditional. He must perform in order to receive.
“If I do not put in the work, God will not bless me. If I do not give, I will not receive. If bad things happen to me, I must have been lazy or done something to deserve God’s punishment.” Have any of you ever thought or even said these things?
John Sheasby in his book, “The Birthright,” put it this way;
“If you see yourself as a servant and believe that your acceptance by God is based on performance, you will be frustrated. Though you do all you believe God has commanded you to do, you will never escape the nagging feeling that you should have done more.”
What the older son failed to realize was that he was living from a performance based, servant mindset even though he was a son. His blindness to the true heart of his father clouded his relationship with him. He was unaware of all the benefits of being a son and not a servant. The only thing he focused on was his reward. That someday because of all of his hard work, his father would give him what he had earned. Instead, when his younger brother comes back home and is celebrated, the older brother is filled with confusion, frustration and anger. After all, he never left, he was not irresponsible, and he continued to work in the family business.
We live in a performance-based society. It is all about what we can produce and what we can get because of that production.
So why did the father never reward the older son with even a young goat? Look at the father’s response to the older son in Luke 15:31: "‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”
It was impossible for the father to reward the son with that which already belonged to him by inheritance! In Luke 15:12 it says, “so he divided his property between them.” Every young goat and every fatted calf already belonged to him! When the father gave the younger son his inheritance, he also gave the older son his inheritance as well. However, the older son was so focused on being a servant and waiting for and earning his reward, he lost sight of the blessing the father had already bestowed upon him.
What does this all have to do with our identity? Why do we, as Christian men, who desire everything God has for us, struggle to receive the blessings promised by God? Because we tend to wait for the reward for our service. However, we are not servants. WE ARE SONS! The Father cannot reward us with what was already ours from birth. When we recite the 40 passages about identity, think about that. These are promises that we do not have to earn. God gave them to us at birth. They are our birthright! We have lived most of our lives unaware of our inheritance.
It is important to note that in our relationship with others, God calls us to be servants. However, in our relationship with Him, all he wants us to be is sons!
Questions:
1. Have you ever viewed your relationship with God in that way? Explain.
2. Where in your life have you felt the need to perform in order to be recognized or rewarded?
3. Out of the 40 passages we are reciting each week, which one is hardest for you to believe for yourself? Share with your group.
Activation: This week focus on a passage from the list we are going through each week that you struggle to believe for yourself (or any other passage you struggle to receive). Meditate on that verse this week and bring it with you in your quiet time with the Lord. Ask Holy Spirit to speak to you about that truth this week. Share with your group what you experience.
Identity Scriptures
1 John 2:1 I am a child of God.
John 15:16 I am chosen by Christ to bear fruit.
Acts 1:8 I am Christ’s personal witness sent out to tell everyone about Him.
Romans 8:17 I am a co-heir with Christ, inheriting His glory.
1 Corinthians 3:16 I am a temple, a dwelling place, for God. His Spirit and His life live in me.
6:19
1 Corinthians 6:17 I am joined forever to the Lord and am one spirit with Him.
1 Corinthians 12:27 I am part of Christ’s body.
2 Corinthians 5:17 I am a new person. My past is forgiven and everything is new.
2 Corinthians 5:18 I am at peace with God.
Galatians 4:6,7 I am a child of God and will receive the inheritance He has promised.
Ephesians 1:1 I am a saint, a holy person.
Phillipians 1:1
Colossians 1:2
Ephesians 2:10 I am God’s building project, His handiwork, created in Christ to do His work
Ephesians 2:19 I am a citizen of heaven with all of God’s family.
Ephesians 4:24 I am righteous and holy.
Colossians 3:4 I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life.
Colossians 3:12 I am the chosen of God, holy and dearly loved.
1 Thessalonians 1:4
1 Peter 2:5 I am one of God’s living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house.
1 Peter 2:9,10 I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.
1 John 3:1,2 I am a child of God, and I will be like Christ when He returns.
1 John 5:18 I am born again in Christ, and the evil one, the devil, cannot touch me.
Romans 5:1 Since I am in Christ, by the grace of God, I am now acceptable to God, justified, and completely forgiven. I live at peace with Him.
Romans 6:1-6 The sinful person I used to be died with Christ, and sin no longer rules my life.
1 Corinthians 2:12 I have received God’s Spirit into my life. I can recognize the blessings He has given me.
1 Corinthians 2:16 I have been given the mind of Christ. He gives me His wisdom to make right choices.
1 Corinthians 6:19,20 I have been bought with a price; I am not my own; I belong to God.
2 Corinthians 1:21,22
Ephesians 1:13,14 I am God’s possession, chosen and secure in Him. I have been given the Holy Spirit as a promise of my inheritance to come.
2 Corinthians 5:14,15 Since I have died, I no longer live for myself, but for Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:21 I have been made acceptable (righteous) to God.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live is Christ’s life.
Ephesians 1:3 I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.
Ephesians 1:4 I was chosen in Christ to be holy before the world was created. I am without blame before Him.
Ephesians 1:5 I was chosen by God, predestined to be adopted as His child.
Ephesians 1:7,8 I have been bought out of slavery to sin, redeemed and forgiven. I have received His generous grace.
Ephesians 2:5 I have been made spiritually alive, just as Christ is alive.
Ephesians 2:6 I have been raised up and seated with Christ in heaven.
Ephesians 2:18 I have direct access to God through the Spirit.
Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with boldness, freedom, and confidence.
Colossians 1:13 I have been rescued from the dark power of Satan’s rule and have been brought into the kingdom of Christ.
Colossians 1:14 I have been forgiven of all my sins and set free. The debt against me has been canceled.
Colossians 2:7 I am firmly rooted in Christ and am now being built up in Him.
Colossians 1:27 Christ Himself lives in me.