By Rev. Michael Mwangi
Senior Pastor, Fedha Church KAG
Luke 15: 11-29
As God's children, we belong to the kingdom of our father with all its riches. Unless we know and understand the dynamics of the kingdom we can not function or enjoy the kingdom. A lack of proper knowledge or full understanding will limit or deny us full access to all we are entitled to. We will end up living like slaves instead of sons.
It is important for you to know your place and position but also understand your responsibility and privileges as well as limitations. Positions come with responsibilities and privileges. Being a son is a very high position that comes with a big responsibility but also great privileges.
Unless you know this, you may end up slaving with the responsibilities and never enjoy the privileges like the elder son. Information is power and gives you access.
The right knowledge grants you efficiency resulting in maximum benefit or productivity. It also means less struggle and quick increase or growth.
God is not the problem, unfair and he wants the best for everyone
Why is it that some believers seem to have it more easy or thriving than others and we are all sons of the same kingdom and the same father who does not play favourites?
Acts 10:34.
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism
John 10:10
The truth is God wants us to have life and have it in fullness or abundantly. This is only possible to the extent we know him and the power of the cross.
John 1:12
All that believed him he gave them the power to become his sons.
God has given us his son, his Spirit and his word because he desires that we know him so that we can all enjoy his blessings to the fullness and operate as sons of the kingdom.
He wants us to exercise authority and enjoy the benefits of sonship.
1 Timothy 6
17. Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
We can easily miss enjoying God's provision if we don't have the knowledge.
The problem has to do with us
Luke 15
29. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.
You only experience something to the extent you know
If you don't know to drive a car it doesn't matter how good it is you can never experience it. The eldest son who remained the only son also had a birthright. Sadly he slaved (endured)all this time and never even at once enjoyed even a young goat. Not that he had been denied he never simply understood everything legally belonged to him.
Luke 15
31. “ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.
Everything was his but he never experienced it
He remained home and obeyed religiously [responsibility]but never enjoyed[ privileges]
While his younger brother enjoyed himself like a king, squandered his blessings like a fool, enjoyed his portion like there is no tomorrow and still came back as if he left something back.
Amazingly these two sons lived differently but under the same father and same grace. Yet the elder son stood more privileged than the younger one?
Even today we still have the 2 sons in the kingdom
What makes the difference?
Knowledge
Knowledge is facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education, the theoretical understanding of a subject.
Awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact of the situation.
The younger son was more informed than the older one. Information is power, it puts you ahead. Knowledge is power and that gives you freedom. Lack of it is Ignorance and is a disaster.
Hosea 4
6. my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.
With knowledge also comes wisdom. Wisdom is the proper application of the right knowledge.
God has given us his word so that we may know him, what he requires of us and what we are entitled to. Without this knowledge, the devil will take advantage of us. It is for us to read his word to know him as well as spend time with him in his presence so as to discover the power and authority given to us through his mighty power.
We live like children or slaves in limitations or under his oppression as per our knowledge. we cannot exercise the authority or power which we don't know. We will operate under certain limited parameters and neither can we partake or enjoy the blessings we are not able to access or don't know about.
The two sons are a classic example.
The firstborn lived in pure Ignorance and thus he lived like a slave but the younger one understand what he was entitled to as a son and his privileges.
Verse 12 father give me the share of property that is coming to me. He never even begged for it; he just asked without giving any explanation. He knew very well he was entitled to a certain share by the virtue of being a son.
He understood sons are also heirs Romans 8:17.
On the contrary, the older son lived in ignorance and endured instead of enjoying though he lived in total obedience.
Verse 29.
The saddest thing about his ignorance is that slaved yet he was entitled to even more than his younger brother. being the elder brother he should even have been the first one to receive his portion.
According to the customs of the day. The firstborn had a birthright which meant he was entitled to double what his younger brother got. He was also entitled to have it even earlier than his younger brother.
Ignorance defrauds you of what is legally yours. You can not enjoy your maximum blessings in a maximum way.
The benefits you don't know cannot benefit you.
The freedom you don't know you cannot enjoy.
The power you don't know you cannot exercise.
The young son had the courage to go and ask for his share because he knew there was his share in his father's property.
Since he knew he was entitled, he did not wait for it to be given he went for it even before the time. Do you know who you are and what you are entitled to in the kingdom by the virtual death of Jesus Christ on the cross?
1 Corinthians 2
12. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
Until we know and understand what Christ has done for us we can never fully appreciate and enjoy the cross. It is easy to miss and to labour in prayers, fasting, and sacrifice to get what you just need to ask because you don't know it is freely given.
You can struggle where you just need to sail through with ease.
Knowledge makes life easier and less hectic.
Two stories.
Matthew 8:5-13 centurion
Matthew 8
5. When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” 7. Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” 8. The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
Mark 5:22-46 (Jairus)
23. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”
The centurion received his miracle in record time with no struggles because he knew how it works. Jairus laboured, pleading and time went by until the child died while help was on the way. He finally received his miracle but he laboured and it took a while.
When we know God we also know our inheritance in Christ Jesus
2 Peter 1
3. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
The more you know Christ the better you enjoy his blessings.
Ephesians 4
11. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
12. to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13. until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 1:17 - 23
The greatest knowledge is the knowledge of him who died for us. When we know Him we have Eternal life. Power over death.
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