“You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

2. “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

3. The Divine modis operandi: No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. John 1:18

4. Two kinds of churches

5. 5 benefits of the sonship-Church

6. 1. Sons know their source, Members drink from any stream This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

7. Combined Twitter, Facebook and Instagram followers: 877K

8. Combined Twitter, Facebook and Instagram followers: 1.56 million

9. Combined Twitter, Facebook and Instagram followers: 5.1 million

10. One Father vs. 10,000 Teachers • I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as mydearchildren. Even if you had tenthousandguardiansinChrist, you do not have manyfathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father throughthegospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. •  1 Corinthians 4:14-16 • “Source” indicator = the gospel • The danger with 10,000 teachers: Create your own theology - 2 Timothy 4:3 • Your Father may not be the best teacher • but • the best teachers will never be your Father

11. 2. Sons are always true, Members are sometimes false

12. Sonship is discipline • Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. • Hebrews 12:7-8 • Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation… • Hebrews 5:8 • The Father’s discipline qualifies us for true sonship and saves us from spiritual illegitimacy.

13. 3. Sons focus on family,Members take for self

14. God’s sons are an excellent biological sons before they became excellent spiritual sons

15. 4. Sons pursue their Father’s spirit, Members expose their flesh

16. Elisha pursued the spirit not the flesh • 7 Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. 10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” • 2 Kings 2:7-14

17. Elisha pursued the spirit not the flesh • 11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. 13 Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. • 2 Kings 2:7-14

18. 5. Sons seek heart circumcision, Members seek what they want

19. 5. Sons seek heart circumcision, Members seek what they want