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Of Sons & Servants! By Pastor Bill Taylor A publication of My Father's House, inc. Volume 5//Issue 2 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name, who are born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God. (Jn1:12,13) The children of God aren’t born of the will of man; they’re born of God. They’re born from above. They’re children of God; to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He’s made us accepted in the Beloved. (Eph1:6) God has supernaturally made the true believers members of His Son, (5:30) and of the household of Christ. Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of hope firm to the end. (Heb3:6) This continues in warnings against disobedience; Don’t harden your hearts as in the rebellion, (v8) for we’ve become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. (v14) And again, Don’t be haughty but fear if He didn’t spare the natural branches He may not spare you either. (Rom11:20,21) The right to become sons of God is given to true believers but it’s still at the will of the Father, and to be a son not only must you be born again by faith, but that faith must continue. You must continue in such a faith as keeps you abiding in the Spirit of sonship. We receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Gal 3:14) The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of sonship. And because you’re sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” (Gal 4:6) But most “christians” today aren’t sons. Today most “believers” are in the category of servants or even enemies of the cross. There’s a different Spirit in a son from a servant. And God must deal differently with servants than with sons and even more differently with enemies. For many walk, of whom I’ve told you often, and now tell you even weeping, they’re enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things. (Phil 3:18,19) Enemies of the cross claim to be children of God yet they serve themselves at God’s expense, trying to use the church and things of God to forward earthly interests. They’ll not pick up the cross so they’re enemies. Servants on the other hand may not appear to be enemies but they’re not sons either. But then there’s sonship! It’s an extraordinary thing that in most “churches” today there are three categories of “believers:” enemies of the cross, servants who won’t inherit, (Gal 4:30) and sons! Sons are rare! You can’t be a son unless you’ve put on Christ. For you’re all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Gal 3:26) Sonship begins with putting on Christ by faith. If you’ve put on Christ, you’ve put on the Spirit of the Son as opposed to the spirit of a servant. Jesus isn’t a mere servant of God. He’s a Son! Sons are servants also in that they serve, but there are servants who aren’t sons. If we’re sons we serve but we serve as a son in the Spirit of sonship. A servant who’s not a son serves from a different spirit. There’s really no agreement between the Spirit of a son and the spirit of a servant who’s not a son. And now because we’re sons God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you’re no longer a servant but a son and if you’re a son then you’re an heir of God thru Christ. (Gal 4:6,7) “Most assuredly” I say to you, “whoever commits sin is a servant of sin.” (Jn8:34) There’s a divine harmony in the scriptures. If a doctrine is true you’ll find it in the Old Testament, in the gospels, and in the epistles. (2Cor13:1) This passage in John where Jesus talks about slavery to sin is paralleled in Don’t you know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you’re that one’s slave whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? (Rom6:16) So Paul’s doctrine is the same as Jesus’. Whoever commits sin is a slave or servant of sin and you can’t call yourself a son of God if you’re a servant of sin. Whoever commits sin has neither seen Him nor known Him for whoever’s born of God doesn’t sin for His seed remains in him and he can’t sin. (1Jn3:6,9) What’s born of God doesn’t sin because that which is born of God is a “Son of God,” like Jesus the sinless Son of God. That which is born of the flesh sins because of the sin in the flesh. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (Rom7:23) So even if our Spirit is born of God, our flesh can still crucify the Spirit and continue to sin if we allow it. Since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. (Heb6:6) God has given us the Spirit of His Son but we can refuse to follow Christ’s Spirit. This is what Hebrews warns against and there’s no repentance if you do that. (v3-6) Jesus says a slave (servant) doesn’t abide in the house forever, but the son abides forever. (Jn8:35) Therefore you’re no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Gal 4:7) An heir has an inheritance which includes his being a part of the house. But a mere servant doesn’t have an inheritance. Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. (Gal 4:30) As many as are led by the Spirit of God these are the sons of God. (Rom8:14) The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of sonship. For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, (bondage is servanthood – Hagar.) but you received the Spirit of adoption (sonship) by whom we cry out, “Abba Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we’re children of God, and if children then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, (but this is conditional) if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Rom8:15-17) Sons will suffer but servants won’t. I’m the good Shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. (Jn10:11) The good shepherd is a Son. The sheep are part of his inheritance. But a hireling who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf (or the suffering) coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. (v12) Because the hireling has no inheritance, his service is limited and very conditional, whereas the son’s service is unconditional. The hireling doesn’t care about the sheep because he doesn’t own them, but I’m the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. (Jn10:14) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we’re children of God, and if children then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Rom8:16,17) Those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God. (Rom8:14) And if the Spirit of Christ is leading you, that’s the Spirit of God’s Son. The Spirit of the Son is also the Spirit of grace and He always leads in the way of the Son. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1Jn2:6) So if you’re under grace, you aren’t being led by the spirit of servantship or the spirit of bondage, but the Spirit of the Son. The only way you can be led by the Spirit of the Son is to actually be a son of God. You must be born again of the Spirit to be made into a son. And if you don’t have the Spirit of sonship then what you have isn’t of Christ and you don’t have an inheritance. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He doesn’t say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made. (Gal 3:16,19) The promise was made only to Christ. So you don’t have an inheritance unless you’re in Christ. The only way to be in Christ is to put on the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of God’s Son. Jesus has no part in the spirit of bondage or servanthood. Neither can you be an enemy of the cross and be a son! So the Spirit of sonship defines Christianity. New Covenant Christianity is found only in the Spirit of sonship. And if children, then heirs -- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Rom8:17) Now, If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father doesn’t chasten? But if you’re without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you’re illegitimate and not sons. (Heb12:7,8) Here we’re defined as sons of God by our willingness to suffer correction, that we may be partakers of Christ’s righteousness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who’ve been trained by it. (Heb12:11) Don’t be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a (son) believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God (if indeed the Spirit of Christ dwells in you.) As God has said: “I’ll dwell in them and walk among them. I’ll be their God, and they’ll be My people.” Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate,” says the Lord. “Don’t touch what is unclean, and I’ll receive you. I’ll be a Father to you, and you’ll be My sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty. (2Cor6:14-18) God receives us as sons and daughters and gives us His Spirit of sonship if we separate from the things which aren’t pleasing to Him. Only sons of God will do that. Those who don’t do that aren’t the sons of God. It’s a terribly foolish thing that “christianity” today presumes everybody who claims to be a believer is a son of God. Sometimes we sing a song which is the apostle’s creed set to music. But there are people some of whom we’ve recently cast out of “My Father’s House” that could qualify as believers by verbally agreeing with everything in the apostle’s creed yet their behavior proves they aren’t sons of God. Just agreeing with certain tenants of Christianity doesn’t make you a son. This is the greatest danger within the “churches” today. Having knowledge isn’t the same as having the Spirit. Paul says the Jews seek after a sign. (1Cor1:22) They want to see the supernatural but seeing the supernatural doesn’t make them sons of God. The Greeks seek after knowledge but knowledge doesn’t make them sons. True believers find the power of God and the wisdom of God in Christ. (1Cor1:24) Our relationship with Christ in having His Spirit is what makes us sons of God. (Rom8:14) Paul throws away his education as a Jew, counts it as dung because he desires to know Christ in a true Spiritual relationship. He wants to be made conformable to Jesus’ death, to fellowship in His suffering and participate in His resurrection power. (Phil 3:7-10) He can do this because of his unity to the Spirit of Christ which requires him to put off worldly things, put on godly things and do many things which we need to do also. And one of those things is, in order to be a son of God we must no longer be a son of the world. Therefore we must crucify all fleshly passions and desires towards things of the world. We don’t serve the world anymore. We’ve no inheritance in the world. Our inheritance is in God, so as sons we’re to serve God in the Spirit which is our immediate connection to His Kingdom. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Gal 5:24) There’s no inheritance and nothing in our flesh worth serving. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells. (Rom7:18) We must crucify the flesh to be sons of God, and this requires the power of the cross. (1Cor1:17,18) But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Gal 6:14) As sons of God we can’t serve God and mammon; we can’t serve two opposing spirits. (Mt6:24) “Sons of disobedience” (Eph2:2) is one thing unbelievers are called in the bible and that includes disobedient “believers.” Disobedience is disobedience whether the person “believes” or not. A person who’s disobedient is a son of disobedience and is of the spirit of disobedience. You can’t follow the spirit of disobedience and obedience at the same time. You can’t be light and darkness at the same time. (2Cor6:14,15) You can’t be a son of God (the sons of obedience are the sons of God) and also be a son of disobedience. The spirit of disobedience must be crucified for the Spirit of obedience to reign in you. You can’t be a servant of sin and also be a servant of righteousness. (Rom6:16) You have to crucify the sin, the spirit of disobedience that you may follow after the Spirit of obedience. And the Spirit of obedience is the Spirit of the obedient Son, Jesus. I don’t write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you don’t have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I’ve begotten you through the gospel. (1Cor4:14,15) You know you’re begotten (born again) thru the incorruptible Word of God. (1Pt1:23) You’re begotten by faith in the Word of God and that produces the Spirit of Christ in you. This happens not by the will of man but thru the will of God when you’ve met His requirements. (Jn1:12,13) Those requirements include repentance, faith, and the burying of the self-serving spirit (the worldly spirit) in water baptism. (Rom6:3) Jesus said to be baptized. That’s where He gives regeneration, according to the Bible. (Tit3:5) (See our Glory of His Grace book “Baptism and Salvation.”) That’s where you’re born again! (Jn3:5) When you’re properly baptized in faith into Christ you’ve put on Christ. (Gal 3:27) Then after that He tells you to continue to die to self and put on Christ daily. (Lk9:23;1Cor15:31) Put on the new Spirit. Put on the new man. Walk in the Spirit of the Son. But to do that you must recognize what the Spirit of sonship really is as opposed to the spirit of servanthood that you may avoid the many deceptions on these subjects in the “churches” today. Some people think supernatural manifestations make us closer to God and yet you can see miracles and still go to hell. You can even do miracles and still go to hell. (Mt7:22,23) These are the Jews who seek after a “sign” (1Cor1:22) But other people like the Greeks think the more knowledge they have the closer to God they are. Yet knowledge without love puffs up (1Cor8:1) and the more of that kind of knowledge you get the farther away from God you are because it makes you prideful – and God knows the proud from afar. (Ps138:6) But the knowledge God gives to His sons begins with love as in That your love may abound in knowledge. (Phil 1:9) We start with love because love gives us the “want to,” then knowledge can give us the “how to” and the “what to.” So many “churches” today are filled with the “how to” and the “what to” but they don’t have the “want to” and because their people lack the “want to” they do nothing and they’re worthless. Without the “want to” it doesn’t matter what you know, you’ll never accomplish anything for God. The “want to” comes out of love; and without love it profits you nothing, no matter what you do. (1Cor13:1-3) Concerning His sons, God says, Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called the children of God. (1Jn3:1) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: (Jn1:12) Paul also says, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Rom5:1-5) And for this God deserves great praise! By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments aren’t burdensome. (1Jn5:2,3) How hard hearted and selfish Lot’s wife was who though Sodom is so worthy of destruction and God has delivered her, yet looks back with longing for that very wickedness God is destroying. What an evil heart to do that! Yet that’s where many so called “believers” are today. They don’t understand, Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we can be called the sons of God. They claim to be children of God yet they have an evil heart that looks back at the world with longing as though they’re losing something for becoming “Christians” instead at being thankful to be saved from this evil generation. Entire denominations today refuse to leave the world. “Churches” and “christians” who won’t leave Sodom aren’t saved! Hearts that long to stay in the world are of the world! Don’t love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father isn’t in him. (1Jn2:15) In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us. (1Jn4:9,10) Seeing the love He has for us should incite in us a reciprocation, knowing, “Lord You love us so much, it’s just reasonable we ought to love You too with all of our hearts.” (Rom12:1,2) This is a very integral part of sonship: To love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength is the Spirit of sonship. When you recognize how much God loves you and what He’s done for you and you receive it, you’re no longer going to be content to be a servant. You won’t want to have a servant’s heart anymore, but a son’s. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know Him. Beloved, now we are the children of God; (John is speaking only to the true sons, particularly in his church. This isn’t true of everyone claiming to be a “christian” today) and it hasn’t yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He’s revealed, we’ll be like Him, for we’ll see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1Jn3:1-3) Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. The slave doesn’t abide in the house forever but the son abides forever. (Jn8:34,35) And also, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Rom8:14) For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption (sonship) by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we’re children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (v15-17) Suffering includes chastenings from the Lord. (Heb12:6) Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. (Heb5:8,9) For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. (Heb2:18) 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. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He’s not ashamed to call them brethren. (Heb2:10,11) The scriptures show us if we’re to be sons of God we must suffer similar things to what Christ suffered. That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death (Phil 3:10) We can only know Christ thru fellowship, including the fellowship of His sufferings. You won’t get to know Him thru college. I went to college, but I didn’t get to know Jesus there. Paul studied under Gamaliel, the foremost teacher in Israel but Paul didn’t get to know Jesus under Gamaliel. We can only know Jesus thru revelation and participation. First Jesus revealed Himself to me. But after He revealed Himself to me, by revelation I’m learning to know Jesus in me by participation; participation in Him, His Spirit, His death, His resurrection, His sufferings. I’m not learning to know Jesus in seminary but in participation. The bible is our textbook but getting to know Jesus is not just book learning. It’s on the job training. What we learn in the bible must become a living experience to us. For example, I must participate in what Jesus is dead to in order to participate in what He’s alive to. To know Him I must die and put off the spirit of worldliness, for we haven’t received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that’s from God! (1Cor2:12) Also we haven’t received the spirit of bondage (as in servanthood) but the Spirit of sonship. (Rom8:15) But I must put off the spirit of servanthood (bondage) in order to receive the Spirit of sonship. Now we’ve received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who’s from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. (1Cor2:12) Of course these things are only given to sons, to those who abide in Christ. This is one reason your faith must be tested. (1Pt1:7) When you’re praying for God to give you something, often you’ll enter into a test that will reveal whether you’re obedient to the Spirit. If you fail your test and disobey God you won’t receive what you’re praying for, because God owes nothing to the disobedient. His promises are “yea and amen” to those in Christ. (2Cor1:20) To be worthy to receive a “yea and amen” your faith must be tested and it must be proven that even under affliction you’re obeying and staying in the Spirit of Christ. If you’re in Christ, God will give you what He’s promised. Christ gets what He asks of God! But the test is; are you in Him? (2Cor13:5) So the testing of your faith proves whether you’re abiding in Christ or not. (Jn15:7) Many “churches” are full of failure because they don’t know how to crucify the flesh. They don’t know how to abide in Christ’s Spirit. When the test comes as to whether they’re worthy to receive the answers to their prayers, they often prove they’re not in Christ, not obedient to His Spirit, not obedient to His Word and not worthy of the reward. The promise is given to the Seed, Christ. Not to many but to one. (Gal 3:16) You must be found in Him! The testing of your faith proves whether you’re in Him or not. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” (Gal 4:30) The Jerusalem above is the mother of the true saints. (Gal 4:26) She’s the true Church. If you’re born from the Jerusalem above you’re sons because God has set forth the Spirit of His Son Jesus into your heart crying, “Abba Father.” (Gal 4:6,7) There’s never any heirship apart from Christ. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh. (v23) The sons of God aren’t born according to the flesh. They’re born according to the will of God, not the will of man. (Jn1:13) So “christians” who are born according to the flesh, have come forth from the will of man, and been proselytized not regenerated. They’ve been converted by reasonings and arguments but not by faith. They may seem doctrinally correct. They can “believe” God’s Word as in being in mental agreement with it yet because they’re not born of God, they’re servants and not heirs. They’ve no inheritance. The bible says they don’t. (Gal 4:30) Just because you agree with some bible truths doesn’t make you a son of God. Seeming to agree doesn’t necessarily mean you “believe” in the bible sense. You must believe in such a way as to receive the Spirit of the Son to be a son of God. The Spirit of sonship is identifiable. This Spirit produces a different attitude towards God and towards the things of God in the one who’s a son versus the one who’s a servant. That attitude is discernable. It’s wickedly presumptuous to stand up in church and say, “You’re all sons of God.” I can’t say that. I don’t know that you are. You must judge yourself as to whether you actually have the Spirit of sonship. Jesus is revealing Himself to many of our young people, but to a great degree, I think most of them are still servants not sons. There’s a lot of presumption in the “churches” on this subject. Many “churches” are terribly deceived on the fundamentals of Christianity. They call themselves sons when they’re behaving as servants and in many cases they’re even enemies to the cross. Their god is their belly and they set their minds on things below. (Phil 3:18,19) The one who’s born according to the flesh isn’t a son but is in bondage and bondage is servanthood. So these passages are dividing one kind of belief in God from another; a belief in God which creates bondage to God versus the belief which creates children of God. Such things are going on all around us today with almost nobody knowing the difference. You may think it’s only the Jews Galatians is talking about, but if you don’t have the Spirit of sonship, it’s you Galatians is talking about. If you have the Spirit of sonship you’d behave as sons. There’s a big difference between the behavior of a son and the behavior of a servant. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, (speaking to the true church) are children of promise. But as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. (Gal 4:28,29) Servants persecute the children of promise because servants aren’t “sons.” Servants can’t hear what God’s saying. They’re not born of God. They have their own ideas. They interpret scriptures their own way. They twist the scriptures to their own purposes and when someone who’s Spiritual is speaking from God they reject it. They don’t receive it as the Word of God. We’ve had such people in our church. Every time a prophecy came forth they’d take it to the flesh. They make everything legal. Because they’re in bondage everything becomes law to them. Everything is letter. They can’t hear God speak. They don’t understand His purposes. “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” (Gal 4:30) Here’s a key to understanding sonship. But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I’ll arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and before you, and I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’” (Lk15:17-19) The Prodigal behaved worse than a servant but when he came to himself, he returned to his father in humility. He asked that he’d just be counted a servant. But the Father received him as a son and threw a party for him. This caused the son who remained to feel hurt. “You never gave me anything yet you’re throwing a party for this prodigal who used up your livelihood.” But the Father answers, “Son you’re always with me. All that I have is yours.” (v31) This statement defines the difference between sonship and servanthood. Servants aren’t always with you. They go home to their own families and to their own things. The son stays in the house because it’s his house. Servants need a paycheck because they don’t have an inheritance. They work for wages. The son doesn’t need a paycheck because he owns the whole house; everything! There was a time I owned my own business. I had a business checking account and a personal checking account. But I didn’t have to pay myself a certain amount every week from my business account to my personal account. What difference did it make? All I did was take out what I needed as I needed it. Because it’s mine no matter which account it’s in. Should I take it out and put it in my personal account, just to make sure I have it and the business doesn’t? The business is mine. I can leave it in the business and it’s fine there. Anytime I need it I can take out what I need. It’s all mine. A son understands that. You’re not working for a paycheck. You’re part of the household. It’s all yours. (1Cor3:22) Whatever you need you can have. Of course, if you’re wise you’re not a waster. God the Father won’t be pleased if you waste things. But the saint understands, “I don’t need a paycheck or to continually pull money out of the household to put in my private account because I don’t have an interest separate from the household’s interest.” A servant does. A servant has a life that’s separate from the household’s. A servant serves the household not because he loves the household, or is a part of the household. A servant has his own agenda but he serves the household in order to make money, so he can go home to pursue his own interests. Therefore a servant will only serve for wages. He’s a hireling. A servant won’t lose his life to save the sheep because they aren’t his sheep. He’s only serving for wages to be used towards living his own life, and taking care of his own things. The servant doesn’t identify with the household of God. He identifies with his own things. He’ll try to take hold of God’s promises but he uses them to serve himself. He may believe in many of the basic doctrines of Christianity and agree with them intellectually, yet he still has that spirit of the hireling that says, “Thank God it’s Friday, work is over and I can play,” only he says, “Thank God it’s 1:00 Sunday, church is over now I can go to the beach, or watch TV or take care of some personal things!” The hireling doesn’t own the company; he just works for it so he’s glad when the workday is over. A servant is serving God in the hopes that God would bless him and his interests, but a son is serving God because he’s a partner in what God’s doing. He’s actually part of God’s household. Son you’re always with me and all I have is yours. (Lk15:31) Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come--all are yours. And you’re Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. (1Cor3:22,23) The Spirit of sonship teaches us we’re part of the all. We serve not because God is paying us so we can do our own thing but we serve because we’re part of His things. We’re members of His household and we want to promote the interests of “our” household to the glory of our Father. We want to promote the things which are beneficial to our brethren because this is our house. It doesn’t matter what we’re paid. God will supply what we need. Whether we’re abased or abound He’ll take care of us as necessary. Servants however are like employees. You may join a company, not because you love the company but because you need a paycheck. You may do a fairly good job working for the company, not because you love the company but because you need a paycheck. You may even get very deeply involved in that company and sometimes feel as though it’s a family to you, which won’t keep the company from laying you off when the time comes because you aren’t part of the family. They’re a company. They’re purchasing your services and you’re selling them your services, and the relationship is temporary. It’s not permanent. A son abides in the house forever but a servant doesn’t. When a servant retires from a household he may be given a retirement pension but he doesn’t live in the house anymore. When a son grows old and becomes a grandpa, he’s still a part of the family. There’s a big difference between a servant and a son. Because the servant isn’t part of the household, his services are temporary. He doesn’t have a part in the inheritance. Now there are exceptions to this in the Proverbs for example that a servant can become a son. (Pr17:2) And thank God for that because that occasionally happens in the churches. A servant who loves his master and serves so well he does better than a son, usually becomes a son. He’ll be adopted and taken into the household. But the majority of professing “believers” today don’t have the Spirit of sonship. They’re not members of the household of God. They’re not interested in promoting God’s Kingdom and interests. They’re interested in receiving some benefit from God to help them in this world. And that’s like taking a paycheck home from one you’re working for. Such people serve God only for temporal benefits. They’ll quit serving if they’re not paid. They won’t suffer because they didn’t sign on for that. They took the job for the pay. Such servants are trying to enjoy this life and they want God to help them do that. Servants may like the idea of going to Heaven but it isn’t very real to them. They don’t “eagerly” look forward to it. Sonship, on the other hand, serves the Lord on a permanent, and an unconditional basis. The son’s inheritance is in heaven and he eagerly looks forward to it. (Phil 3:20) The Spirit of sonship will do anything God asks. The son doesn’t limit God in anything and expects to serve Him, all the time, 24 hours a day, even for the rest of eternity. The Spirit of sonship is in total unity with the purposes of God and the heart of God. The spirit of servanthood gives a temporary service for temporal purposes. Servants put great limits on what they’ll do. Sometimes you can’t even get them to work overtime. They’ll only agree to 40 hours a week and that’s it and you have to fight with them to do more than that because they have other interests. It would be very unlikely that a servant would join our kind of church where we have services 6 - 7 days a week. They are not interested in serving God like that. They want God to bless them so they can be successful when they go back to their own things. Because their service is conditional, there are many things they won’t do. Different servants put different limits on what they’ll do. Some will do a lot, some will do very little but none will do everything. But the son will do anything. His service is unlimited, unconditional, and it’s eternal. The servant has to receive some sort of benefit from his service in this world because he won’t get any benefit in the next. Jesus says when you have a dinner and you invite those who’ll pay you back, you have no reward in heaven. (Lk14:12-14) Likewise, if you give, pray, fast to impress men, that’s all the reward you’ll get. (Mt6:1-21) Because the servant serves to get a temporal reward he has no heavenly reward. A son can work for nothing in this world knowing he has an eternal inheritance in the next. It’s that attitude that makes the difference between a servant and a son. Some servants become professional “Christians” who find their “inheritance” in the earthly church. It becomes their job, their paycheck, their position, and their home. But the sons of God are serving the eternal Kingdom, in the Heavenly Jerusalem. They’re quite opposed to what’s going on in much of what’s called the earthly church. It’s a major problem with many “churches” today, that they’re filled with and run by servants, not sons! Most believers think they’re sons but they act like servants. They aren’t sons unless they have the Spirit of sonship and if they had the Spirit they’d act like sons. A servant thinks “I serve you as a means to serve myself. I serve God for something I want to use in the here and now and therefore I’m serving God as a means and serving myself as an end. The purpose of my service is to do my will, benefit my own programs, and meet my personal needs and wants.” Look at the so called “faith movement.” They give to get temporal rewards. They live for this world. That’s the spirit of an employee. People used to want to work for IBM because IBM had such great benefits. It’s not because they loved IBM. It’s because of what they would get from IBM that other companies wouldn’t give. How many people serve God like that? God has good benefits so let’s serve God. Sonship says, “I serve God as an end in itself for the good of His household and for the glory of God. I don’t serve Him as a means to an end. My service of God is the end, that’s my purpose. He’s my Father and I live for His glory.” Nothing more accurately defines the Spirit of sonship and the spirit of servanthood than the cross. By the cross you can see who’s a son and who’s a servant. No hireling will get on the cross because it defeats his purpose in serving God. On the cross the believer loses his temporal life but the hireling is serving God to benefit his temporal life, not lose it. The one who goes to the cross and loses his temporal life demonstrates his sonship because the cross proves his whole purpose is to serve God and not to serve himself in any temporal way. The end purpose of a son is to glorify God and he’ll give his life even unto death to glorify God. That’s the only way you can be a son. You can’t be a son if you don’t pick up the cross. You can’t get into sonship unless you pick up the cross. The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we aren’t saved! (Jer8:20) We’ve been with child, we’ve been in pain; we’ve, as it were, brought forth wind; we haven’t accomplished any deliverance in the earth. (Is26:18) The reasons why “christians” don’t bring forth deliverance, the reason why the harvest is past, summer’s ended and they’re not saved is because they’re not sons; they’re servants. If they were sons they’d bring forth deliverance. But you can’t get a servant to go the extra mile – you can’t get him to pay the price it takes to bring forth the deliverance. Because he’s a “work a day or, 8 hour a day” servant and even then his heart’s not really in it; he’s just working for wages. Whenever you have a “christianity” that doesn’t bring forth deliverance (including true salvations,) you’ve got servants. You don’t have sons. The sons will bring forth. Because they’re sons they’ll pay whatever price, go whatever length, do whatever they must to accomplish the will of God! The failure of the Old Covenant was its lack of sonship. They didn’t have the Spirit of the Son and God couldn’t get them to perform the work. The glory of the New Covenant is the Spirit of the Son. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Rom8:19,21) It’s the sons of God that will bring forth the glorious liberty! Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children (sons) of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. (Phil 2:14,15) You become the glory of God in this world only when you behave like the sons of God. For I’ve bent Judah, My bow, fitted the bow with Ephraim, and raised up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and made you like the sword of a mighty man. (Zec9:13) After Alexander the Great, Greek culture and language filled the civilized world. Thus the sons of Greece represent sons of the world whose citizenship is below. Antiochus Epiphanies, a Greek ruler, attempted to destroy the Jewish worship and replace it with Greek culture. But God raised up the Maccabees to oppose him and they represent the sons of Zion whose citizenship is above. The Maccabees prevailed in preserving the temple worship and Jewish culture. Speaking prophetically, the sons of Greece now represent the worldly influences that are corrupting the church. The sons of Zion are God’s true children who are contending earnestly for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints. (Jude3) The Lord is raising up sons of Zion in His true church. All around us are the sons of Greece. The sons of Greece are trying to serve their god by worldly wisdom. The sons of Zion get to know God by having fellowship with His Spirit and His Word. The wisdom we get is Spiritual, comparing Spiritual things to Spiritual. (1Cor2:13) The wisdom the sons of Greece have comes from man and it’s corrupted. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. (Mt15:9) Right now in the contemporary church there’s a battle going on between the sons of Zion and the sons of Greece. And once again the sons of Zion are going to win! O LORD, You’re my God. I’ll exalt You, I’ll praise Your name, for You’ve done wonderful things; your counsels of old are faithfulness and Truth. (Your prophecies always come to pass.) For You’ve made a city a ruin, a fortified city a ruin, (He’s brought down the enemy) a palace of foreigners to be a city no more; it will never be rebuilt. Therefore the strong people will glorify You; the city of the terrible nations will fear You. For You’ve been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress. (Is25:1-4) And in this mountain (Mount Zion) the LORD of hosts will make for all people a feast of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of well-refined wines on the lees. (v6) At “My Father’s House” we have a feast of choice pieces: the best Spiritual food. You can tell you’re in Zion because the food is so good. When you throw your worldly idols away, stop depending on worthless things and come back to God, Then He’ll give the rain for your seed with which you sow the ground, and bread of the increase of the earth; it will be fat and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures. Likewise the oxen and the young donkeys that work the ground will eat cured fodder, which has been winnowed with the shovel and fan. There’ll be on every high mountain and on every high hill rivers and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. (Is30:23-25) This speaks of the day when God brings down our enemies. Being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. (2Cor10:6) In the “glorious” church God’s people will be well fed. You’ve heard it said about questionable preaching, “Eat the hay and spit out the sticks.” In Mount Zion there are no sticks. If you have to eat the hay and spit out the sticks, you aren’t in Mount Zion because where you are the fodder isn’t winnowed. When fodder is winnowed it’s tossed in the air so the good hay blows over into a pile away from the sticks which fall down more quickly. The sticks are removed so the horses and cattle don’t have to eat them. We won’t be eating sticks in God’s church which is the pillar and ground of the Truth. (1Tim3:15) But in the corrupted churches you have to pick the sticks out of your mouth while you try to chew the food. What God’s saying is in Mount Zion you won’t have that. You’ll have good food. To accomplish that God’s raising up the sons of Zion against the sons of Greece. In “My Father’s House” we’re the sons of Zion God’s raising up against the Baptist-type sons of Greece and other false christians. And He’ll destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all the people, and the veil that’s spread over all the nations. (Is25:7) For In Mount Zion there’ll be deliverance. (Joel 2:32) There’s a covering over the worldly churches, and the nations around us. They can’t see the Truth. But in Mount Zion that covering’s been broken. We can see the Truth and we’re going to show others the Truth. In Mount Zion there’s deliverance and salvation, because Mount Zion is where the sons of God live, not the servants. And the sons of God will do what it takes to finish the work of God; no matter what it costs. They’ll work unconditionally because they’re part of the house and they’ve an inheritance that’s eternal. So many “churches” don’t know what God’s Word really means. They pretend they know. They make up their own definitions for what the Bible says and they read it and think, “Isn’t that nice.” Yet they’ve no real understanding of what God really means. But we know what these things mean. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; (That’s what we’re crying here.) make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight.” (Is40:3,4) “Once Saved/Always Saved” is a crooked place that has to be straightened out. (See our Glory of His Grace book “What the Bible Says About Once Saved/Always Saved.”) People who believe they’re sons when they behave as servants are crooked and they have to be straightened out. People who think they know God because they’ve been to “seminary” or Bible school and they have a diploma; who deceive others into thinking they know God when they don’t; authorities that use their power to oppose the godly; those are high places that must come down. People who know God’s Spirit and yet are often put down by false “believers” or feel like they’re missing God because the “servant” believers around them so commonly move contrary to where God is really leading, these are low places that will be lifted up! There’s a road to Zion that must be made straight. It’s not found in the establishment city “churches.” It’s a road in the wilderness. You go outside the camp to find it. (Heb13:13) God is straightening that road out and using us to do it. Make straight in the wilderness, a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low. (Lk3:4,5) Crooked doctrines will be straightened out. Rough “churches” whose lies make it hard to follow God will be made smooth. We’ll move the false christians out of the way. By exposing their false doctrines God is getting them out of our way. Heretical churches are mountains that are being moved out of the way. Jesus is going to chase the moneygrubbers out of the church. And we’re going to show people what it really means to follow God, demonstrating by our examples the straight ways of the Lord. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed and God promised me I’d see it. His glory will be revealed because we’re making a straight way to God in His true church and all flesh is going to see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Behold, I’ll make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; you’ll thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills like chaff. You’ll winnow them, the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them. (Is41:15,16) In Christ we’re a threshing sledge. God’s using us to move mountains out of His way and make that way straight for the Lord. The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, their tongues fail for thirst. I, the LORD, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, won’t forsake them. I’ll open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I’ll make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. (God will pour out His Spirit on His “wilderness” people, who’ve left the “camp” to seek Him.) I’ll plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree. (Is41:17-19) God’s raising up men and women of God in this place. One who delights in the Word of God is like a tree planted by the waters. (Ps1:2,3) Don’t remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I’ll do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I’ll even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. This people I’ve formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise. (Is43:18-21) It’s never in the common or popular religion God is found. You have to leave man-made christianity behind and go outside the camp (Heb13:13) as Abraham left Ur to follow God in the wilderness. Jesus isn’t in the “camp.” He’s in the “wilderness” and that’s where His true people are found. That’s where you’ll meet God and where He’ll pour His Spirit upon you. But you’re a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him… (1Pt2:9) The people God has formed for Himself shall declare His praise. When the Lord founded “My Father’s House,” He ordained it to be a place where the sons of Zion, the sons of God would gather together, not the servants and not the enemies of the cross (Phil 3:18,19) but the true children of God. And He’s bringing that to pass here. In this place God’s truly our Father and we’re truly His sons. And we behave as sons because we have the Spirit of sonship. The Spirit of sonship connects us with our eternal inheritance and we aren’t working for wages. We’re willing to suffer with Christ and we’re willing to do whatever God asks, because He’s our Father and we’re His children and we’re here in Christ to do His will. There’s no better definition of sonship than to read the book of John and note the things Jesus says about His relationship with the Father. For example, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you’ll know that I’m He, and I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. He who sent Me is with Me. The Father hasn’t left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” (Jn8:28,29) That’s the Spirit of sonship. I’m letting Myself be crucified because that’s what My Father is asking of Me. It’s a picture of Isaac and Abraham, “If my father wants to sacrifice me he has the right to do that because he’s my father and I’m his son.” If we’re truly God’s children, we’ll honor Him. We’ll do things His way and we’ll defeat the sons of Greece because God has spoken. He’s raising up His sons and He’s bringing down the selfish servants and these enemies of the cross because He’s going to make them see what they haven’t seen, and to understand what they haven’t understood. (Is52:15) And those who claim to be Christians will learn what it means to truly be a son of God and if they’re not sons they’ll stop pretending to be what they’re not and repent and become sons of God or God will cut them off. For the son of the bondwoman will not inherit with the son of the freewoman. (Gal 4:30) Thus saith the Lord!
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