The Prodigal Son Is Redeemed

If you're a regular reader, I'm sure you've noticed that my blog has taken on a new theme.  I feel like I am entering into a new area of my walk with God, and I will be explaining where the new title, King In Me, has come from.  Let's go!

"Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate."  Luke 15:18-24

This will forever be one of my favorite stories in scripture.  If you noticed in the title, the word "redeemed" is in past tense.  I'm emphasizing that because of this idea,  "It has happened, it is done, it is finished.  He is back home with his father, He's not lost anymore, He is found." 

So work with me through this idea.  So in this text, we know that the prodigal son leaves his father's home with his inheritance and blows it on wild living.  So after wasting all his money, a severe famine hits the country he's in and he gets a job working for a farmer who sent him in the field to feed the pigs.  He then begins to long for the pigs food.  But then he has a response.  His response was, "How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!" (Luke 15:17) So the selected text picks up there, where he tells himself that he is going to go back home and beg for his father to treat him as a hired servant. (vs 19)

So the prodigal son has a response to his current condition and heads back to where he knows where better is offered.  So as you read, when he gets back home, the father runs outs, filled with compassion, embraces him and kisses him.  The son rehearses his unworthiness, and the father ignores him and invites him into his home again, hooks him up with the best robe, a ring, shoes, and the fattened calf, and they party! 

Not the response he was expecting I'm sure. 

But here's the point.  The son has two options.  He can choose to continue to find his identity in what he feels like he deserves, which he felt like he deserved to be a hired servant.  Or, he could choose to find his identity in who his father chose to call him.  And what name was that? 

Son.

The first option, if the son finds his identity in what he feels like he deserves, which again was the hired servant, what would that call him to?  He will live where? In some shack or shabby living quarters outside of the warm home he was just invited into.  He would probably eat the scraps from the day, and potentially even the pigs food again.  He would have to find enjoyment with fellowship with the hired servants--- again, outside and away from his father.  With the illustration, he wouldn't be desiring what the father has for him. 

But with the second option, if the son chooses to find his identity in what the father chose to call him, which is son, he continues to wear the robe, the ring, the shoes, and the fattened calf.  He continues to enjoy the best.  But better than just the stuff, he gets to enjoy his father again, who invited him back into fellowship with him!  The same son who I'm sure disgraced his father's name for his actions, saw past the shame and guilt and received the son back into the home, invited him into love and safety and warmth again.  People!  This is the Gospel!!! 

So this new area of my walk I'm in, I'm choosing to find my identity in what God is choosing to call me, Son.  Believers?  Do you realize who we belong to?

WE BELONG TO GOD! 

And he is choosing to call us children of His.  He is inviting us into fellowship with Him, even after we have disgraced His name with our lives and have not brought Him any glory with our rebellious and sinful actions, but yet when we called, when we returned home, tails tucked between our legs, shameful and full of guilt, He has received us and has invited us BACK HOME WITH HIM!  Come inside and be with Me!  And look, I'm giving you the robe, the ring, the shoes, and the fattened calf!!  The best I have offer you is available to you----ME! I'M AVAILABLE FOR YOU!

If you are not fired up right now......whoo!!!  But let's keep going.   

This IS THE GOSPEL MY FRIENDS! 

And what I'm saying by the title "King In Me", I'm saying that sin is beneath me now.  My sinful nature is beneath me, not because I've worked myself and become holier than thou, but because Holier than me became the payment for my sin and  has imputed His righteousness into me and so that now I am seen as holy and blameless before my Father.  Yes! YES! I'm rejoicing and walking and living now in the understanding and the knowledge that a living King is living inside of me which places me as royalty compared to the quality of stuff sin offers me.  I no longer desire such peasantry desires. My GOD HAS REDEEMED ME.  I AM A NEW CREATURE!  I'M A KING INSTANTLY, THE MINUTE I FULLY BELIEVED AND HE BREATHED NEW LIVE INTO THIS DEAD MAN!

And believers, this is your calling as well. 

And unbelievers, this is what is available for you.  You have no idea how much the Father ferociously loves you and wants for you to know Him.  He's waiting for you to respond to your current condition as the son did and COME BACK HOME TO HIM!

So King In Me.  My new identity.  The logo is not my own design, it is from a Christian Rap album called W.L.A.K., which is an acronym for We Live As Kings.  And a song from their album is entitled King In Me.  And it's one of my favorite songs on the CD.  But these four men are rapping right in line with my new identity, WE LIVE AS KINGS. 

I WILL LIVE AS A KING.  Realizing my identity is in Him because He has chosen to call me son.  Never forgetting that I deserve Hell for my sin, that I deserve to be the hired servant eating the pigs food, but choosing to find my identity in what God has chosen to call me. 

I am a son of a holy God. 

Do you know who you belong to?  I mean, do you really know who you belong to? 

Think about that. And what is your choice? 

Please, please choose His name for you.  Choose His grace for you.  Choose His life for you.

There's a King ready to live in you too.