RECLAIMING SONSHIP
This past week the American public lost a legend, an Icon and a star in
Robin Williams. Many are grieving and some are wondering how come a man who
made millions laugh through his great sense of humor has been battling
addiction and depression for years and finally succumbed to it by committing
suicide? Perhaps one of the hardest
things to accept is that behind all the laughter and smiles was someone dealing
with immense pain and suffering.
Robin Williams’ death is, first
and foremost, a horrible tragedy for his family and friends. For the public at
large, it's a dark reminder that depression and suicide are shockingly common,
both in America and in the world. One article headline noted, “Robin Williams
made millions laugh, while fighting His own demons.” This statement brought
back some questions in my mind in regards to the origin and the cure of
depression. Is depression a mental illness? Or is it a demonic influence? Or
both? What is the best way to handle and possibly cure depression? Why would
anyone think that the only way out of depression is committing suicide? If
depression is a sickness, can God heal depression? How far medicine and therapy
can help those who are struggling with depression? What role Christ and Church
can play in fighting depression?
As you see I have
more questions than answers in this area, as this has been my quest since
coming to America. I am still in the
process of understanding depression and how best I can help serve those
who are struggling with depression. The medical experts and therapists tend to
label this as decease due to “chemical imbalance.” Though I understand the
complex nature of depression as a pastor I tend to approach this subject as a
“truth imbalance” because most often, when we are depressed we struggle in our
minds telling and believing lies.
We have a false perception of
truth about God, who we are, others and the world. WE hear a voice telling us,
nobody loves us and there is no hope for our situation.
In the end, we can go over the edge and might loose our battle against that
nagging, and negative voice that shouts at us relentlessly. I wonder where that
voice is coming from? Could that be the
voice of the enemy, making us doubt our God given identity? According to my
understanding of scriptures I isolate the source of that destructive voice to
our enemy, Satan.
The scriptures tell us that our
enemy is like a thief. “A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I
came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they
ever dreamed of.” John 10:10. Christ is promising to give us a better life in
this world and eternal life with him in the world to come, why would anyone
want to end their life abruptly, by committing suicide, other than that they
have believed the lie of the enemy?
What does our arch enemy Satan
tries to steal from us? It is our SONSHIP and Daughterhood in Christ! These
days’ banks and the credit card companies have come up with cool apps to prevent
identity theft. Are you aware of your true identity and walking in it? Or has
it been stolen from you? If so how can
you reclaim it? What does SONSHIP mean for us today? We will look at how the
enemy tried to steal Jesus’ SONSHIP. What can we learn from Jesus, the Son of
God and how can we walk in our own SONSHIP? Let’s read Matthew 4:1-11
A bit of background will help
us understand the context. Jesus was baptized by his cousin John. As he came
out of the water the heavens were opened up, and the Holy Spirit descended upon
Christ in the form of a dove and rested on Him. A voice from heaven said, “This
is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Here all three Persons of the
Trinity are clearly portrayed. The Father’s command to hear his Son, and the
Spirit’s vindication and empowerment officially inaugurated Christ’s ministry.
This scripture is referring to
two Old Testament prophetic scriptures that would have been well known to the
audience at that time, since both of them were to do with messianic
expectations. Psalm 2:7, He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have
begotten You.” Isaiah 42:1“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen
one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit
upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.”
What was affirmed by God in
front of a large group of people now was being challenged privately by the
Devil. Two times the Devil said, “If you are the son of God.” The conditional
clause “if” carries the meaning of “since” in this context. There was no doubt in Satan’s mind who Jesus
was, but Satan’s design was to get to violate the plan of God and employ the
divine power that Jesus had voluntarily laid aside when he became a man.
It is interesting that the
devil came to tempt Jesus not when he was strong on the first day, but after 40
days of fasting. You can imagine how hungry and desperate one would be after
not eating for 40 days. The devil, using
a desperate situation challenged Jesus to command stones to become bread to
satisfy his hunger. The devil came to him when Christ was all alone. In one way
Satan was challenging Him to misuse His power privately and meet His personal
needs. Jesus overcame that temptation saying, it is written, “Man shall not
live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
In a similar manner when we are
depressed, alone and desperate the devil ceases that opportunity and bombards
us with lies, doubt, fear and pushes us to do something to get out of our
rather a difficult and desperate situation. When you are pushed hard; pause and
know that God loves you and has better plans for you than what the devil is
suggesting you to do. Take up the double edged sword, pick up the shield of
faith to extinguish all the arrows of the enemy.
The second temptation was to
prove His power publicly. The devil took him to the holy city and set him on
the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God” throw
yourself down.” This pinnacle probably a roof with a portico at the southeast
corner of the temple. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, this was a
drop of nearly 450 feet. Can you imagine what would happen to someone who
throws himself from that height?
In one way the devil was
suggesting to Jesus an apparent suicidal plan. Had Jesus fallen for his trap;
in haste, to prove his power as the Son of God He would have been killed
pre-maturely hence the plan and the prophecies of God to bring forth salvation
to mankind through crucifixion could not have been materialized? That’s what
happens, every time someone commits suicide and dies prematurely. All what God
wants to accomplish through that person gets aborted and comes to a halt
abruptly. I believe God has a plan and purpose for all of us.
There was no doubt in Jesus’
mind that He was the Son; and had the divine power but it was not yet the time
to use that power. On these two occasions his Sonship was severely challenged
to use his power once to meet his personal needs and another to display it
publicly yet Christ remained humble and calm. He knew that pride was the
downfall of Satan and He did not want to move in the same manner. He claimed
his sonship and quoted God’s word boldly that sent Satan flying. In the end
angels came and ministered to him.
What can we learn from Jesus,
the Son of God? Christ being the Son of
God was tempted in human form as you and I are being tempted. Christ used God’s
word to stop the intruder who pushed Him to prove His Sonship in an untimely
and unethical manner. When we too stand firm on God’s word like Jesus did, the
devil will flee from us. And we will be victorious over our temptations.
So far we looked at Christ
being the Son of God and how he held on to his Sonship in the midst of
temptations. Now we will look at what scripture says about us who we are in Christ.
And how can we reclaim and walk in that God given identity in our day to day
lives.. The Bible calls all those who have believed in Christ the sons of God.
John 1:12, “He came to that which
was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God.”
2 Corinthians 6:18, “I
will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and
daughters, says
the Lord Almighty” Romans 8:18-19, “For I consider that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits
eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.”
Scripture uses several
metaphors and images to depict our redemption. Sonship is one of them and this
theme runs deep throughout the Bible. Off late Wilma and I have been studying
and pondering on this major theological theme of sonship. We are asking
questions like what it means to be a son and daughter of the Most High God? How
it should affect my relationships both in the Church and in the work place? How
it should change my perspective on the world? As I said we are still working
this theme out, and hopefully we will get more clarity.
When we reclaim our true
identity as sons and daughters of God, our lives, and relationships change
radically. A true story, Alfred Poirer,
in the “Peace Making Pastor,” explains how the teaching on the sonship radically
led to reconciliation between two families in his Church, “After a period of
four months after the teaching on sonship one of the fathers of the families
called Alfred and said this, “ Pastor I just realized how stubborn I am. (I
laughed to myself, as this very criticism was one that he resisted most.” He
continued, “I see now that I am God’s son. I am part of a new family. I do not
have to be like my father or brother.”
Alfred notes, “During our
conversations, he had often spoken of the dynamics in his own family, such as
holding grudges and being critical, manipulative, and stubborn. He went on to
share with me his renewed understanding of the truth that he was now God’s son,
and he drew the first and most important implication: “Since I am God’s son, I
want to be a peacemaker like his Son.” With that truth in heart, he began to
take concrete steps to be reconciled to the other family in the church. Sonship led to building not only of his
family, but the family of God.”[1]
What a powerful story of
reconciliation between two conflicted families; all because one father grasped
the truth of what it means to be a son of God. Just like those two families; we
too have conflicts in our Church. We hold grudges, we take offense of people.
We can be manipulative, critical and stubborn.
We hold bitterness and unforgiveness towards those who may have hurt us.
But we don’t have to remain like that. God has promised better things for us.
Jesus came to give us life and life in abundance. Sadly, speaking many of us
without realizing our sonship, live lives like orphans. Once we realize, that
we are sons and daughters of the most high God and walk in our sonship on a
daily basis, we will experience the abundant life.
In closing, if you are
struggling with depression or any other problem in your life don’t lose heart.
Don’t believe the lies of the enemy and take shortcuts. No matter how hopeless
your situation might look, there is hope for you in Jesus Christ. Jesus the son
of God is praying for you and wants you to reclaim your sonship and walk in it
boldly. He wants you to believe in Him and entrust all your concerns to Him,
because He cares for you. As you do that, May the God of hope fill you with all
joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you might be filled with hope
through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen
