The Dimension of Sonship
#thejoyinservingseries
(This Weekly Prayer Summary was written by Esmi Lukman, from the CBC English Core Team Prayer Ministry, and edited by Brigitta Tedja)
Pastor James' sermon is the continuation of a sermon series entitled, “The Joy in Serving.” He reiterated Pastor Dion’s sermon from two weeks ago. Serving is the Culture of the Kingdom of God. Servanthood is also Kingdom Culture. What is culture and what does culture look like?
Culture Is:
A way of life
The way things are done
How people live
It pervades throughout an entire group and across generations
It is best communicated by the native residents of the culture
When Jesus came from heaven to the earth as a man and as the Son of God, He modeled the culture of heaven for us to understand and adopt. Jesus demonstrated absolute authority and power and He came to serve and not to be served. A piece of culture that Jesus showed and revealed to us was when He washed the feet of His disciples, doing it out of the position of authority and purpose.
Dimensions of Identity
Hebrew 3:5-6 AMP “And Moses certainly was faithful in the administration of all God’s house [but it was only] as a ministering SERVANT. [In his entire ministry he was but] a testimony to the things which were to be spoken [the revelations to be given afterward in Christ].”
-- NLT: “an illustration of the truths God would reveal later.”
In the entirety of Moses’ ministry and the great things that God called him to do, it was but a testimony of what was to come. Moses' position was only as a ministering servant.
The most basic element of our identity with Christ is that of a servant.
Servanthood is the first dimension of our identity in God.
Pastor James explained 1D, 2D, and 3D—the dimension concept. The first dimension is the x-axis, it is flat, and it only goes one way, it can only go left to right or forward and backward. The second dimension is the y-axis which can go up or down. The third dimension is a combination of the first and second dimensions. The dynamic of the three dimensions is built on top of the previous one, including, amplifying, and expanded upon.
Servanthood is the first dimension and the most basic element of our identity in Christ. Servanthood alone is limited in its dimension capacity:
The servant does what the master says out of obligation and sheer obedience, obligation, or fear
The servant receives wages for the work that they do
The servant is measured by accomplishment
The servant is replaceable and expendable
Hebrew 3:6 AMP “But Christ (the Messiah) was faithful over His [own Father’s] house AS A SON [and Master of it]. And it is we who are [now members] of this house if we hold fast and firm to the end our joyful and exultant confidence and sense of triumph in our hope [in Christ].”
Jesus shifted the paradigm and introduced the new covenant as a son, this is a groundbreaking revelation. We are called as sons and daughters into the family and house of God. We are not replacing servanthood.
We never outgrow serving, but we are not called just to stay as mere servants.
We add another dimension.
We are called to serve, not only as servants, but through the dimension of sonship.
Sons and Daughters:
A son or daughter serves with a deeper revelation and identity than a servant
A son or daughter serves because of connection to the Father, to the house, and because this is part of their inheritance
Son Versus Servant:
SERVANT: obligation/obedience/fear | SON: alignment with the Father’s will
SERVANT: (receives) wages | SON: inheritance
SERVANT: (measured by) service | SON: immutable identity
SERVANT: expendable | SON: irreplaceable
Jesus introduced the new covenant and we are now part of a family. We can have all that our Father has because it is the Father’s pleasure to give to His children out of His will and His heart. If we limit our understanding to be just a servant, we are limiting God to only what we can bring to the table as a servant. As a son and a daughter, we do not want to be spoiled and have an entitled mentality, but we need to understand that who we are in Christ does not just end by being a servant.
I enter into the joy of my Father in serving towards His will.
Because as a Son, His will is my will, His house is my house, His vision is my vision.
Sons and daughters are released to serve in the fulness of their calling.
There is a freedom in serving as a son and daughter:
I am not striving when I serve
I do not serve for recognition or status or to prove anything
My inheritance is unchanged as it is rooted in WHO I AM, not what I do
Serving is ingrained in who I am as the first layer and first dimension of my identity
You do not serve for His pleasure, you serve from His pleasure.
You are not serving to be chosen, you are already chosen.
You are not serving to be accepted, you are already accepted.
We must understand that we have to be born again and adopted into the family of God. We need to remember that servanthood and serving is part of the culture in the Kingdom of God. Serving is ingrained into WHO I AM. Because it is the first layer, the first dimension of our identity upon which the Lord has built layer upon layer of the greater identity He has given us. If we get our hearts right in that first dimension as having a heart of a servant, how much more can we do when we serve as a son and daughter?
John 13:3-7 NLT “Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So, he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.”
Jesus understood where He was from, where He was going, what He was doing, what kind of power and authority was placed in Him as a Son and out of that revelation was where He served. Jesus served from a position of authority. He set the example for us to serve one another. We need to find places to serve. Look for ways to engage and serve in the house, and serve in the ministry, in a group, and cell group to exercise the calling of a son and daughter.
Ephesians 4:11-12 AMP “And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct], [and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church]; 13 until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity]."
Are we only called to serve within the walls of the church building? When Jesus talked about equipping the body, it was not meant to stay inside the building, but it was predicated on the two words of the Great Commission, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey my commandments.”
Romans 12:5-8 NKJV “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy, in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching, he who exhorts, in exhortation, he who gives, with liberality, he who leads, with diligence, he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”
To simplify:
Let the ministers, minister!
Let the teachers teach!
Let the preachers preach!
Let the givers give!
Let leaders, lead!
Let runners run!
Let engineers, engineer!
Let analysts analyze!
Let painters, paint!
Whatever God has called you to do in your life and whatever gifts God has placed, go out and do it for the glory of God! Serve and use the gifts for the kingdom and serve as sons and daughters for His pleasure and will. Go and preach the gospel to all the nations.
God has placed various gifts to his sons and daughters.
We need to exercise the gifts and learn to SERVE one another.
Prayer Points:
Pray for a deeper understanding of the Culture of the Kingdom of God.
Pray to receive the revelation of servanthood as sons and daughters to a Father, not as servants to a master.
Pray for clarity to know our identity as sons and daughters (sonship versus servants)
Pray to break the “slave mentality” and the “spoiled mentality.”
Pray to “GO” and spread the Gospel, not only to be contained within the four walls of the church.
Pray to increase and expand our capacity to serve one another.
Pray to serve as Jesus served, not for a position or status.
Pray to serve one another and in the fullness of our calling.
Pray to exercise and activate our spiritual gifts, utilizing our talents and gifts.
Pray for the building progress of the Ministry Center; no delays, obstacles, or interruptions.