WHO AM I PART 2
INTRODUCTION
We are all
uniquely shaped, with different personalities and temperaments. We are also
gifted differently by His manifold grace. Last week, we explored our identity and how God has shaped us for a greater purpose beyond ourselves.
God’s design for us is to be a part of a much bigger and grander design. So, no
matter what we do in life, it all fits into an eternal purpose. Our job is to discover
what part we play in God’s master plan.
Some things to
keep in mind:
For a Christ
follower, there is no secular and sacred divide: everything we do has a
purpose. Also, God has shaped each
one of us uniquely, and we need to celebrate our differences: the
introverts, the extroverts, the planners, the spontaneous, the thinkers, the
feelers, the intuitive, the rationalists. God made us all!!
Last week, we examined
how, throughout life, we adopt false narratives of ourselves. We
examined how the world’s worldviews and belief systems can infiltrate
our Christian thought and mask themselves in Christian language. We examined
how we all have broken identities, and our alienation from God the Father has
created an orphaned planet.
We all carry a
father wound that needs healing. Please listen to last Sunday's message
if you were not here last week.
Today, we will explore
this Orphan heart further and how it affects our beliefs, thoughts, and
actions. How can we identify it, and how can we replace it?
Jesus knows how
broken we are, so He came to bind up the brokenhearted and free the captives.
When He begins His work of shalom in our lives, which brings
wholeness, He expects us to go and do the same and be the healing for the
nations (Is 61). Again, you see the grand design in the play.
In the story of
the prodigal son, we tend to focus on the younger son who went away. But
that is not the point of the story. Who was in Jesus's audience? The scribes
and Pharisees, who saw themselves as the good guys. Did you know that both sons
operated out of an orphan spirit? The younger was overtly rebellious,
independent, and self-willed. He felt his father was holding out on him and did
not want to live within the rules of the house. He found it stifling. He did
not love his father for who he was but for what he could get from him
The older son also functioned from an orphan spirit. He seemed obedient
and dutiful, but he had no intimacy with the father, or else he would have
known that everything the father had was his to enjoy. Instead, he chose to
work amongst and live like a slave who did not have access to the Father’s
wealth. He, too, only wanted his father’s wealth.
He tried to
earn favour from duty. The
religious spirit is like this. Jesus made this point to the Pharisees, but I
think it's true for us today, too. We can keep the Sabbath, tithe, pray, and
follow the rules, but have no relationship with the Father. Everyone should
live like us and follow the rules to be blessed.
And when the
father shows amazing grace to the vagabond, we get scandalised. We want
everyone to go through the grind like we did.
The orphan
heart can make a great Christian worker but not a great Christian brother. This heart does not understand grace
and mercy. They feel the younger brother should be punished. He is offended
by grace.
For some of us
this orphan heart is further compounded by bad experiences in childhood – abusive home, alcoholic parents,
divorce, early death of a father, physical and or sexual abuse by people who
should have protected you.
We all display several of these and need to learn to replace these patterns.
Look at the list below. It is not exhaustive but indicative.
|
ORPHAN HEART |
A SON |
|
The orphan heart operates
out of insecurity and jealousy. Cane & Abel |
The spirit of sonship functions out of
love and acceptance. |
|
The orphan's heart is
jealous of the success of his brothers and cannot celebrate it. Joseph |
The
mature son is committed to the success of his brothers. |
|
The orphan
heart serves God to earn the Father’s love. The Older son |
The
mature son serves God out of divine acceptance and favor. |
|
The orphan heart has
deep trust issues and doubts the goodness of God. Abraham |
The
mature son walks in the joy and presence of the Lord and lives in security
& surrender to God. |
|
The
need for success drives the orphan heart and to stand out. Spiritual
orphans do not feel accepted and feel the need to prove themselves. This may
result in: ·
Seeking to hide
their limitations & faults – King Saul ·
Perceiving the strengths
of others as competition. Saul ·
Secretly taking
satisfaction in the weaknesses of others. ·
Needing and seeking
attention.
|
The Spirit leads
the mature son into his calling and mission. Our Father’s
invitation is to a place of unconditional acceptance and rest in our unique,
God-given identity. (1 Cor 12:18) Sons
and daughters embrace both their strengths and weaknesses—comfortable
both with who they are and Whose they are. Does
not rejoice in the downfall of a brother or sister.
|
|
The orphan heart
has anger and fits of rage. |
The spirit of sonship rests
in the Father’s ability to control and guide the future. |
|
The orphan heart is
always in competition with others. Performance-Orientation The
spiritual orphan feels rejected, therefore believing that he or she
must compensate by working hard or performing well for recognition. This
may result in: ·
A constant drive to
perform well ·
Judging the weaknesses
or performance of other team members or leaders ·
Having feelings of
mistrust towards others—feeling they are going to be ‘punished’ at any time |
The spirit of sonship is
always blessing others. It wants another to succeed and is not threatened
by another’s success. |
|
The orphan spirit lacks
self-esteem. Fear and Insecurity The
spiritual orphan is unsure of his or her place in the family. Orphans
also feel uncovered and unprotected—therefore their instinct is to
protect themselves and their position. This
may result in: ·
A constant need for
reassurance by leaders. ·
Lack of confidence in their spiritual gifts and any ministry position they
have been given. ·
The need to prove
themselves. ·
Being protective
and territorial about their ministry areas |
The spirit of sonship walks
in the love and acceptance of Father God. Our
Father’s invitation is to a place of security in His love, care and constant
oversight. (Matt 10:29-31) Sons
and daughters have nothing to fear. They are already secure in their
Father’s love and place in the family. They can trust Father’s
faithfulness even when changes or trials occur in church life. our
Father’s invitation is to experience the fullness of His undeserved grace and
favour. (Eph 1:6) Sons
and daughters generously extend grace to others’ failure to measure up to
actual or perceived standards. This is because they know the fullness of the
Father’s grace towards them. |
|
The orphan heart receives
its primary identity through material possessions, physical appearance and
activities. |
The spirit of
sonship is grounded in sonship and the Father’s
affirmation. |
|
Those
with an orphan heart walk around with a spirit of rejection. Hence, they are hypersensitive
and have an unconscious assumption that people are against them. |
A
Son knows he is accepted and loved by the Father. |
|
Numbs
pain with pleasure, i.e drugs, alcohol,
pornography, sex, etc. |
Takes
his pain to God and allows the Holy Spirit to heal them from within. |
|
Distrusts
authority and finds it hard to submit. |
Rebellious
and self-willed. |
|
Feels
the victim and lives a powerless life |
They
are powerful and live above circumstances |
|
Use
control to mask their fears. |
Is
aware of their heart and trusts God in trials. |
|
Has
boundary issues. |
Can
have clear boundaries with people |
|
Self-reliant, they feel they need to do everything on their own. Afraid
to show any vulnerability |
Not
afraid to be vulnerable and trust others |
|
Feels
entitled, therefore grabs and looks out for number one. |
Knows
God as a provider, therefore can live in peace and surrender. |
|
Struggles
with forgiveness and generosity |
Can
forgive and give freely. |
|
Is
always a victim and feels victimised. |
Is
secure and able to see things for what they are. |
So, all this has
been bad news or a reality check. What
do we now? How can we replace this Spirit that besets all of us? What can we do
to walk free and walk into our full identity as sons of God?
When we have intimacy with the father, we get
identity. From identity, we get our inheritance, and with our inheritance,
we make an impact on this Earth.
But we have often put the cart
before the horse. Many have put the Great Commission before the Great
Commandment. When we know that we are loved and love God in return, we can love
our neighbour not just as ourselves but as Christ. When we love as Christ, we
will burn with passion for His Bride and for the lost.
Therefore, we need to learn to abide in Jesus, to remain in him, and to develop
an intimacy with the Father like Jesus did. Satan and the Sanhedrin could not
shake him. They tried to threaten and bully him, but he was confident in who he
was because he knew whom he belonged to. He could confidently say, "The
Father and I are one. I only do what I see the Father doing." He loved us
with Father’s love.
John 15:9 “As the Father has loved
me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 0 If you keep my
commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s
commands and remain in his love”
This moment can be a new watershed in your life. I’m not calling it season.
Seasons are there for a time until the next one comes along. This is a watershed,
a turning point that is going to alter your life forever if you want it.
It is going to be life-transforming. You are going to activate that DNA that
was put in you when you became a Christian.
There is no shortcut to intimacy. Some people want the fruit of intimacy or the
benefits of intimacy, investing in it. There is no shortcut to abiding, sticking
close, and learning to trust Father God.
Which son are you?
Jesus in His parable did not give us the option of a third son. He is the third
perfect son who knew He was loved by the Father and sought to do His will, not
from wanting anything from the Father's hand, not for seeking his approval, but
out of deep love and intimacy.
Let us bring our
broken sonship to God so that He can heal us, restore us, and use us to bring
healing to many.
We will look at
replacing those false beliefs by renewing the mind next time.
Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again), Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.
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