Sermon Notes

Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba Father” - Galatians 4:6

Revelation of Sonship brings revival in our life
Let us declare with our mouth “I am a son/daughter of the Lord Jesus Christ “. This revelation of sonship rings revival in our lives. When we grew up in the traditional Christian belief system where we felt that
“God is so big, GOD is seated on the throne in heaven and we consider ourselves small in front of GOD.

Jesus manifested the Fatherhood of God

When Jesus was in the world, the Holy bible says that He manifested the Fatherhood of the Almighty God. According to the Jews, till that time, they had only one Father and that was Abraham. They never referred to
anyone else as Father. When Jesus came, he told His disciples, this is how you should pray, ‘Our Father in heaven’. When we look into Psalms, we notice that the psalmist prays referring to GOD as “Jehovah” “My
Lord “or “My King”, which are words of higher power and dignity.

In the old testament, we see the Lord Almighty revealing his fatherhood. The days are going to come when people will call on the LORD God as their Father, the fatherless will be cared by the Almighty. “I will be a
true Father to you, and you will be my beloved sons and daughters,” [Malachi 1:16].

Remember that the Holy Spirit has been poured out into the hearts of anyone who believes in the name of Jesus, to call him ‘Abba Father. The Bible didn’t say that God poured out His Spirit to your hearts to call
Him “LORD “or “King”. The Holy Spirit has been poured out so that you are in a son - father relationship with God Almighty. So that makes us no longer orphans as said in John 14: 18 Jesus said, “I will not leave
you as orphans; I will come to you”.

Orphans are those who feels that they have no one in this world. Such people will keep on saying, ‘no one cares for me’ or ‘no one loves’, ‘no one understands me’. These are the kind of thoughts devil tries to plant
in us. But when the Holy spirit is poured into our hearts, we are transformed into a higher level, so that we can call God as ‘Abba Father’.

It's never easy since we call our earthly father as ‘Abba’. Many times we try to equate our God to our worldly father character. That is why we wouldn’t want God as father. But it is important to note that our
heavenly Father’s character is different from our earthly Father’s. He calls Himself in Revelation 22: 13, as “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”. This assures us that
He is an unchanging God, just as He is, He was and He is to come.

When we come back to Galatians 4: 6-7, the Spirit of sonship enables us to call Him ‘Abba Father’. Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Now
we’re no longer living like slaves under the law, but we enjoy being God’s very own sons and daughters! And because we’re his, we can access everything our Father has—for we are heirs because of what God
has done! Galatians 4: 6 (TPT). Here Paul is writing to a believing church which believes and accepts Jesus as their Lord and Saviour wholeheartedly and has been filled with the Holy spirit.

Relation between us and God:

Paul states there are two ways that you and I can relate to God. Either we relate to God as a son or we can relate to God as a slave. If we have the anointing of the Holy spirit, then we can declare boldly ‘I am a son
of God’. If you consider yourself as a son of God, then you are an heir of Lord Jesus Christ. Now being an heir of God makes us no longer slaves to anything/one. While we are in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we
declare boldly, I am a son of God, but when trouble come we suddenly become a slave and says God doesn’t want me, God doesn’t love me. This dual attitude is dangerous in our Christian life.

We need to know that slave and servant are two different statuses. A servant is an authorised representative of the master (here God), but a slave is someone under bondage to someone or something. If we are sons of
God, we are no longer under bondage and that is why we are no longer slaves. This relationship of sonship to God has three stages to it:
 1) Infant sonship
 2) Mature sonship
 3) Perfect sonship

1. Infant Sonship
Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all. Galatians 4: 1 (NKJV)

Let me illustrate: As long as an heir is a minor, he’s not really much different than a servant, although he’s the master over all of them. Galatians 4: 1 (TPT)

There is a stage called infant sons. There are certain characteristics to this state. First, of all, though being the owner, you behave equivalent to a servant. Secondly, in infant sonship, you don’t know about the rights
and privileges. Because you don’t about the privileges, instead of communion with God, we beg to God. But Jesus said “Seek first the kingdom and all these things will be added unto you.” [Matthew 6;33]. So we are not called to infant sonship stage, but we are called to keep on growing in maturity. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. [Galatians 4: 3]. Hence when we are in infant sonship, we are in bondages.

2.Mature Sonship

The word maturity is mentioned several times in the Bible. Therefore, let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; [Philippians 3:15]. Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature [1 Corinthians 14:20]. However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature [1 Corinthians 2:6]. Here Paul is always talking about maturity, when he is taking care of a church. A mature son is one that identifies to his father, to make them understand that he or she has the maturity to take forward everything in life.

In the Jewish system, when a son becomes 20 or 22 years old. There is a big ceremony where the father holds a big feast, and the father will put his mature son on the throne and in this way he will declare him as ‘my mature son’. This mature son is legally now authorised to use anything which belongs to his father. In Galatians, Paul uses the same word- ‘mature son’. This mature son would call God as ‘Abba Father’ and not as how the infant sons beg to the father. In other words, receiving Jesus as Lord and Saviour makes us infant sons of Almighty God. But the moment, Holy spirit baptism happens in your life, God seals you as  mature sons in Lord Jesus Christ.

3. Perfect Sonship
Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. [Matthew 5 :48].

Again the Bible says,I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. [John 17: 23]

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. [Ephesians 4: 13]. When we read the Ephesians 4: 14, we can understand the difference between infant sonship, mature sonship and perfect sonship. That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ. [Ephesians 4: 14-15]. In the TPT version, Ephesians 4: 14, it states as not shaking by trouble. Who is shaking by trouble? - the infant sons, Whereas the mature sons, will remain strong[Ephesians4:15]. Then when we remain strong, the miracle which we will be receiving are best. If we come back to verse 14, it states that our immaturity will end.

For the law appoints as high priests’ men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever. [Hebrews 7: 28]. Here the bible says that ‘Jesus is perfected’. Jesus grew from maturity to perfection through obedience in suffering. Sufferings in a Christian’s life is not to break a person but to make him a perfect son of Lord Jesus Christ. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. [Hebrews 2: 10].

Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” [John 16:33] For example, the pandemic was a season where many went through suffering but the anointed sons were not broken down during this season, instead they were made mature in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Maturity to Perfection
When suffering comes the perfect son will be happy. From a mature son, you are growing to a perfect son for the glory of God. So when sufferings come, rejoice in the Lord. Therefore, leaving the principles of the
doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. [Hebrews 6:1].

Let us learn about different stage of sonship through the life of Jesus.

Infant Sonship of Jesus

As mentioned in Luke’s account, when Jesus was a little boy he went missing for 3 days. He was found in the temple by his parent, listening and asking questions to the elders. Now so it was that after three days
they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them  questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. [Luke 2: 46 and
47]. Now in verse 48 Jesus’s mother is questioning Jesus. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You
anxiously. “And Jesus answers them in the next verse and He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”. Here we understand the revelation of sonship
in Jesus. Jesus, for the first time spoke about His Father in this place. At infant sonship, he is in the temple of God and he is revealing his sonship to Father God Almighty. In infant sonship He was learning. This
revelation was not understood by those around Him, even his own mother. But they did not understand what he was saying to them. [Luke 2: 50].

Mature Sonship of Jesus

The mature sonship of Jesus is mentioned in Matthew. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. [Matthew 3: 13]. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately
from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My Beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased.”[Matthew 3: 16-17]

Holy spirit and mature sonship

After the incident mentioned above where Jesus displayed his infant sonship, for eighteen years, there is no mention about the life of Jesus. But here the bible states that the voice said “this is my beloved Son.” The
Greek word used here for son is ‘ huios’, which refers to a mature son not an infant or little son. From this we can understand that Jesus during His last eighteen years was learning to listen and receive the revelation
of the Word of God. Finally, one fine day when He was baptized the Holy spirit came upon Him. While the Holy spirit came upon Him, the LORD God said, He is my mature son.

Learning phase of Jesus:

Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” [Hebrews 5: 8].

So there is a learning phase in a Christian’s life as well and Holy spirit is our teacher. That’s why Jesus says, it is better that I go, so that the Holy spirit can lead you in this phase and teach you to walk in all truth that I
have put up. The Father put the child on throne in which the Father used and is still using but still declares “this is my Son in whom I am well pleased.” This is the same voice that came on the mountain of
transfiguration and Jesus listened. Father God passed on His position, power and authority over to His Son Jesus.

Ministry of Jesus:

The ministry of Jesus is revealed in Acts 10:38, How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit  and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil,
because God was with Him. The ministry of Jesus is not of an infant sonship. The ministry in the kingdom of God of Jesus, that is every action Jesus did in the New Testament, is for the mature sons of God
Almighty. Now the church of the Lord Jesus will consist of matured son of God and these matured sons are seated along with Lord Jesus Christ on the throne.

Identity as the Son of God:

We always think that Jesus is seated on the right hand of God the Father. But the right hand side of God is the authority to position of the throne of God. Since God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit are
One, hence when Jesus is seated on the right hand of God the Father, He is also equally powerful and authoritative as God the Father. You are identified as a son of God because your identity is in Him.

Perfect sonship of Jesus:

When did Jesus become perfect? While being hung on the cross, when Jesus said “it is finished”, He  became the captain of our salvation, the forerunner of our life. “where the forerunner has entered for us,
even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”-Hebrews 6: 20.  Pastor Damien Antony gave a fantastic example of forerunner. A small ship which gives direction to the
large ship with thousands of passenger is called a forerunner. We are the church and the church is the large ship. But the forerunner went ahead, He became the perfect Son on the cross when He said “It is finished.”
The perfect son in every suffering of life takes them as blessings.

Parable of the prodigal son:

The Bible tells a story in Luke 15 about a man who had two sons. The younger son messed up  is life and came back to his father and said “Abba I have sinned against you and heaven, I am not worthy to be called your son, please accept me as your servant.” But the father replied. “my son who was dead is now alive.” he father calls for a feast to declare about his mature son. Here the word ‘huios’ is used to imply you are  my mature son. Before maturity he took his inheritance and messed up his life. But when he realised rather than to mess up his life, let me go back to my father. When he came back, his father counted him as a mature son. This is happening even today. When we are faced with problems, the mature sons of God will not run away from Father, rather they run towards the Father. As Paul says “mature people move towards the perfect will of God”.