Since Part 1 of “My Beloved Son”, we have seen the broken relationship of fathers with sons, and men with GOD! Broken relationships are part of the curse. Sin darkens and blinds the true nature of open, unashamed relationships with each other, and with GOD. JESUS, the Son of God, the Son of man, came and demonstrated for all men, what it looks like to be in true, unbroken, unashamed relationship with His Father in Heaven. A true right relationship saturated in love! Honor! Delight! JESUS demonstrated the heart of ABBA for relationship with us. JESUS was angry only with religious leaders who had built systems preventing right and direct relationship with GOD!
Jesus came demonstrating, and opening the way for us to call GOD “Abba” once again, in endearing terms. I find, seeing myself as a 5-year-old child, being swept up in My Father’s arms! Jesus says, if you want to enter the kingdom of GOD, you must enter as a child! For of such is the kingdom of GOD! Once a child has already reached 6 years old, after 1st grade, he already thinks he knows everything! ABC; 123; Blue, Green; Yellow! What more do you need? Oh, yes, write your name and phone number.
Jesus came to make the way to call GOD “Abba” and Abba to call each of us: “Son!”
2But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; … 5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
Malachi 4
Since the beginning when GOD created the earth with Adam and Eve, we as men have been in rebellion! Even the first sons of Adam and Eve, Cain killed his brother Abel out of hatred and jealousy! Many broken families have such kind of hatred and anger raging in them! Like a curse!
When John the Baptist came preaching in as in Luke 3, he was the last Old Testament Prophet preaching repentance: Stop sinning and turn to back to GOD! If you don’t, the curse will continue to bite and devour. Relationships with GOD and men, were meant to a blessing!
The results of rebellion in families with broken relationships of fathers and children are so deep and brutal today in our world. Divorce, remarriage, multiple wives, unmarried parents with children, setting the stage for unrest and instability of families, the real plague of the earth today! Romans 1-3 describes the stages of withdrawal from GOD to man’s own desires. It is all a downward spiral of unending dismantling of self-image into deeper sin and brokenness!
Fatherlessness fills the broken hearts of children. Fathers abandon their responsibilities for those they brought into the world, leaving them as orphans, but what is worse, they aren’t, and are left with rejection at their core identity of self-awareness!
The New Testament, starts with a call to return to Father and Son relationship with GOD as primary!
At Jesus baptism, at the beginning of his adult ministry, Father-GOD speaks out of heaven to His Son to hear, with open delight: “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” Luke 3.
What an amazing beauty of how Father blessed His Son!
YOU: Father speaks clearly to His Own Son!
ARE: Commands the Blessing! Take this Identity as to what you are!
MY: Honor of GOD toward His Son bringing Son into Father’s Identity!
BELOVED: “Be-loved! I Am-loved!” The affection Father has toward His Son is clear-love!
SON! Father is Identifying Who JESUS IS as His Son! The Son is not left to question Who or Whose HE is! What He is! There is NO Identity confusion nor shame as to Father’s Identity with the Son!
When GOD created us as men-HE created us for Love! Love is paramount!
Men will do anything for love, affection, affirmation, acceptance as loved!
What every boy craves is to be loved by their father! To hear those words seldom heard among men toward their sons: “I love you son, I am proud of you!”
It is normal for a child to imitate and desire to be like his father! But somewhere those words are not spoken over their own child, son or daughter! Usually hurtful words are remembered from a father, and as painful are mother’s unsaid love or affections, leaving an unfilled void-something ambiguous, leaving strange feelings of lack, or lack of feelings altogether!?
When JESUS was baptized that day, FATHER/GOD, spoke out of an open heaven, as the pleasure of ABBA was bestowed upon His Son-JESUS! Words of affirmation, pleasure, and Identity were imparted! Indeed, the heaven was open! There was no mistaking Who was speaking, and to Whom! The Beauty and Pleasure of Heaven came down, the Holy Spirit, so beautifully, wonderfully, personally, peacefully, came upon JESUS, like a dove in grace and glory! The heaven was not closed toward His Son!
JESUS immediately finds the Scriptures in Isaiah 61, describing this event of the Power and Presence of GOD’s Spirit coming:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
3to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
4And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.
5Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the foreigner shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers…” Isaiah 61.
Imagine what these verses mean! The healing of generations, not only for their time, but for ours too! The same Holy Spirit upon and filling Jesus, is the same today working in us-Whom Jesus promised to send, after He ascended back to heaven! John 3:16-17; Luke 3:16-17!
Holy Spirit is Today working to restore relationship of ABBA with each of us! God desires to call us “Son” as a New Name! When we are Born Again of the Holy Spirit, He gives us a New Name and Identity! “You are ‘My Beloved Son’ in whom I am well pleased!”
Our response, in utter amazement and beauty: “I am loved by ABBA; I love You back!”
A New and Greater Relationship has just begun! Not a master and servant! Not as father and servant! Not with anger, but rather in LOVE-which our souls crave!
When we are truly loved; our hearts are crushed being truly loved, and confessions of why God should not love us pour out with tears…. that is called sorrow to repentance, and turning… not out of fear of judgment of an angry God, but at the Beauty of His Love. We, as men, are so damaged from fighting so hard for love…. now, it is God who immerses us in this baptism of love, The Father’s, The Son’s, The Holy Spirit Himself!
“My Son, I love you! I take great pleasure in you! You are my greatest Joy!”
“My Daughter, I love you! I take great pleasure in you! How beautiful, you are my joy!”
Luke 15 is an amazing story of two brothers, who were estranged from their Father! Yet their Father loves them dearly! But they did not love Him back! Yet, when the sons had done all they could on their own terms, there was no other way to find love and appreciation. Ultimately, to return to their Father’s Love, the father reaches out to restore them, to give them true meaning, acceptance, identity with their True Father’s affections!
Isaiah speaks of generations restored! God redeems and restores each of us, as only His Holy Spirit can! He comes, He bestows His Holy Presence into our lives, and in and through His Spirit, we are restored to God and one another!
Simple Prayer: “Come Holy Spirit! Restore me into right relationship with God as My True Father. Jesus, I come, a broken sinner, asking for forgiveness, so needing Your love; You alone made a way for me to come, be forgiven, healed, cleansed and restored in Love! Thank you, Jesus!”
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1.
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10.
Amazing chapter of Encountering and Engaging JESUS today, as they did long ago!
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1.
Amazing invitation to come to the Light of Lord Jesus Christ!
“Come Holy Spirit-Come like Fire-Light-Shine; Make me clean; make me a child of God! I confess my utter dependence on you as a child, I turn from my sin and receive your forgiveness and salvation; In JESUS Name; Amen!”
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