RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2020-07-31	How Do I Live Like a Son Rather than a Slave? (Lk.15:11-32)
		Lk.15:11-32, Parable of the Prodigal Son The older brother lived like a slave, and not a son (Lk.15:28-29). He related to his father as if his work would earn good things instead of enjoying the fellowship of his father's bounty. How do we know whether we are living as a slave (older brother) or a son (Prodigal son)? The first thing in not living like a slave but like a son of God is to stop saying mistaken slave-like things about our Father. Joh 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. So one of the marks of a slave is that we act like we live out on the edge of the plantation. We live in the slave quarters, where nobody knows what the Master's plans are. And we will not know what the Master's plans are if we do not know His Word. When you do not know what the Master's plans are you can easily say false things about him. Too many Christians live this way. They say, “I am never good enough”. This is slave talk, not son talk. In reality, those who have been born again, are perfect before God. It is not our perfection, but Christ's righteousness that is applied to us. One of the first marks of a son is that we know him. We see how He works through His Word. And we stop saying things about God that are not true. For example, never again say, “I can never please God”. Isa 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. In context, these were the hypocritical acts of the religious unbelievers. This is referring to our lives BEFORE we were saved. This is not describing the good deeds of a believer. Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. When Jesus said this He did not mean people would see your acts as filthy rags. You see the Holy Spirit produces good works in the lives of sons and daughters of God. Tit 2:14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. So we tend to undermine the Spirit's work of sanctification by over emphasizing our works before we were saved. Yes, before we were saved, our works amounted to nothing toward salvation. One of the ways that we know we are the children of God is that God has set His Spirit to lead us to produce fruit (Ro.8:14). Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, The truth is God is working in us to produce fruit. The key is to get to know God. He is not hiding. We have His Word. Slavery is over for believers in Christ. We are now in the family of God. You know Him and meet Him in His Word. Jesus did not die only for our justification. He died for our sanctification (our lives now). He did not die just to remove the guilt of sin. He died for the power of sin as well. Even though there may be imperfections in our life, and there will be, that does not make them filthy rags. They are the fruit of the Spirit. And our Father is pleased with them. The day of perfection will come. Till then God knows what He is working in the lives of His children. Heb 13:21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. This is the way a son talks and not a slave. So we are to (1) believe what God says about us as His children, and (2) by faith speak as His child. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

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