Father and Son Relationship

This morning I thought that it would be a good time to speak to you on the subject of father and son relationship and to help you come to a place of understanding the importance of standing in such a relationship. Given the fact that I ordained some of the sons into sonship this morning on a public platform I thought that it would be good to just again lay this foundation.

Many of you attending here today have heard the concept and are aware that this is the kind of model upon which we are building this Household.

As you are well aware we are stating and placing a demand upon this house as being an apostolic house. So firstly let us then ask ourselves what then is an apostolic household?

An apostolic Household is a household that places a demand on fathering. It is a Household where a demand is being placed on every family member to grow to a place of maturity in Christ.

Apostolic houses are not looking for members - just for people to attend neither are you looking for tourists in the church, but they are looking for sons who are willing and ready to commit to a lifelong covenant relationship.

The purpose of an apostolic house is to lead people into their position of Kingship in Christ.

In order for you and me to come to that place of maturity in Christ we need to follow the pattern as God has set it in place in the Word and which we also see manifested from the life of Jesus with His disciples. We see hoe Jesus through the model of father and son relationship equipped and grew his disciples to a place of maturity in Christ.

Jesus had the spirit of sonship. The word "son" means one who is submitted to another. Jesus was completely submitted to His father, that is why when He was thirty years old, when he was baptized by John, the Father spoke from heaven,"this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased."

From that time he was baptized in the Holy Spirit and received power and authority for his public ministry. He began to minister with the authority that was given to him by His Father. So through Jesus's obedience He has now become our High Priest.

In the same way that Jesus progressed from faithful son to High Priest, we too have to start out by learning to be faithful sons in our relationship with God. Jesus said, if you have seen me you have seen my Father, for the Father and I are one. Isaiah tells us "unto us a child is born, unto us a SON IS GIVEN, his name shall be called, ...... EVERLASTING FATHER, ... " So today Jesus is also our Father, as He is one with His Father, He is the image of the Father.

Today we as the church needs this same spirit of sonship that Jesus had with His Father. The relationship of spiritual father to spiritual son. We need to show the true nature of God to the world. Jesus came to reveal God is a Father. The Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father. The nature of God is God is a Father and God is love.

Jesus prayed in John17:21 that the world needs to believe that the Father sent the Son. In order for this to happen the church needs to show the same kind of unity in our relationships inside the church. The secret for winning nations in not better organizations or better preaching or even more churches. Love is the key, love that joins the hearts of people together, the church in unity, this will draw the world into the church to find salvation.

SONSHIP:

As a Household of faith we then place a demand on sonship. Sonship concists of the following attributes:

S - Sons that will Submit to the Spiritual Father and Setman of the House;

O - Take Ownership of the vision;

N - Bear the Nature and personality of the set man and spiritual father;

S - Support the set man;

H - Honour the set man;

I - Intimate with the set man;

P - Protect the set man.

God speaks to us in several and many different ways; He speaks through dreams; through visions; impromptu thoughts; signs; wonders; clear voice; unctions; rhemas; events; through His servants; sends angels; but one of the most powerful ways God speaks to us today is through pictures in the Old Testament. He give you a historical account of what the present operating system should be on the earth in terms of construction of the church.

1Sa 18:1 WHEN DAVID had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own life.

1Sa 18:2 Saul took David that day and would not let him return to his father's house.

1Sa 18:3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own life.

1Sa 18:4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, even his sword, his bow, and his girdle.

Jonathan standing next to Saul had never seen such an exhibition of the anointing. When he saw the anointing on David he was attracted to David and he then moved to the next level where he attached himself in covenant with David. He recognized the anointing; he recognized that David would be king one day and so he covenanted with him.

In a practical sense this is how many of you sitting here has come to be in this house. You have been drawn by the Word and the message that are being lived and preached in this household. You came to a place of recognizing the grace of God upon our lives and also that you need that grace if you wish to grow and develop to a place of maturity in Christ.

1Sa 20:1 DAVID FLED from Naioth in Ramah and came and said to Jonathan, What have I done? Of what am I guilty? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?

1Sa 20:2 Jonathan said, God forbid! You shall not die. My father does nothing great or small but what he tells me. And why should [he] hide this thing from me? It is not so.

1Sa 20:3 But David replied, Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved. But truly as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.

1Sa 20:4 Then Jonathan said to David, Whatever you desire, I will do for you.

1Sa 20:5 David said to Jonathan, Tomorrow is the New Moon [festival], and I should not fail to sit at the table with the king; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening.

1Sa 20:6 If your father misses me at all, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.

1Sa 20:7 If he says, All right, then it will be well with your servant; but if he is angry, then be sure that evil is determined by him.

1Sa 20:8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought [me] into a covenant of the Lord with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?

1Sa 20:9 And Jonathan said, Far be it from you! If I knew that evil was determined for you by my father, would I not tell you?

1Sa 20:10 Then said David to Jonathan, Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?

1Sa 20:11 Jonathan said, Come, let us go into the field. So they went into the field.

Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David saying let the Lord require it at the hand of David's enemies. Jonathan again calls David to vow because he loved him as his own soul. There was this powerful soul tie between David and Jonathan, but Jonathan wants to remind him of this and that it extends to his children - make my children part of this covenant. So the covenant is ratified.

Jonathan dies with Saul in the battlefield and the nurse that was carrying Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, 5 years old, he fell and became lame.

2Sa 4:4 Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was a cripple in his feet. He was five years old when the news came out of Jezreel [of the deaths] of Saul and Jonathan. And the boy's nurse took him up and fled; and in her haste, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

The nurse dropped the baby, who broke both his feet and grew up lame. Several years go by and David is promoted - he has moved through Adullum, he has moved through Hebron, he has moved to Zion, he has conquered all his enemies and is in a position of rest.

2Sa 9:1 AND DAVID said, Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan's sake?

David is a man of great integrity. Here he reaches his position of rest and while he is sitting on his throne and thinking to himself - who were the ones that were with him in his journey; who were the ones that encouraged him; who were the ones that supported him; who were the ones that loved him; and he realized that Jonathan was a man that loved him and entered into covenant with him. Now that he was in a position of great influence and power - is there anyone remaining of the house of Jonathan. David needed to keep the contract before God.

2Sa 9:2 And of the house of Saul there was a servant whose name was Ziba. When they had called him to David, he said to him, Are you Ziba? He said, I, your servant, am he.

2Sa 9:3 The king said, Is there not still someone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the [unfailing, unsought, unlimited] mercy and kindness of God? Ziba replied, Jonathan has yet a son who is lame in his feet. [I Sam. 20:14-17.]

2Sa 9:4 And the king said, Where is he? Ziba replied, He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.

2Sa 9:5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel at Lo-debar.

David finds out that there is a son called Mephibosheth, that he is lame in the feet and located in the house of Machir in Lo-debar. David sends his chariot.

2Sa 9:6 And Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, Mephibosheth! And he answered, Behold your servant!

2Sa 9:7 David said to him, Fear not, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father [grandfather], and you shall eat at my table always.

2Sa 9:8 And [the cripple] bowed himself and said, What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I am?

2Sa 9:9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, I have given your master's son [grandson] all that belonged to Saul and to all his house.

Sa 9:10 And you shall till the land for him, you, your sons, and your servants, and you shall bring in the produce, that your master's heir may have food to eat; but Mephibosheth, your master's son [grandson], shall eat always at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

2Sa 9:11 Then Ziba said to the king, Your servant will do according to all my lord the king commands. So Mephibosheth ate at David's table as one of the king's sons.

2Sa 9:12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in Ziba's house were servants to Mephibosheth.

2Sa 9:13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table, [even though] he was lame in both feet.

Mephibosheth - fell down - here is your slave (servant). David rejected that position. He did not accept Mephibosheth as a slave.

We need to understand that two kinds of people can get the job done in the house - slaves and sons. In this season we are not building according to the pattern of slaves, we are building according to the model of father and son relationship. The set man is not your task master, he is your spiritual father. You can not call someone your spiritual father if you do not have an intimate relationship with him. The basis of a father an son relationship is a mutual love for one another. You can not have a father and son relationship without stepping into intimacy with the father. You must know his heart and he needs to know your heart. How often do we not read in scripture that Jesus knew what his disciples were thinking and talking about.

Sometimes we thinkl that is I work for the set man then I am a good son. This kind of response without a relationship makes you nothing less than a slave.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SLAVES:

• Ñ Slaves stay in the house because of captivity. So many people stay in a house because they are psychological captives. They complain and complain and the moment they get an opportunity they will leave.
• Ñ Slaves can only follow instructions.
• Ñ Slaves do not have a burden for the vision.
• Ñ Slaves eat their own food; they do not eat at the master's table.
• Ñ Slaves have to be told what to do.
• Ñ Slaves lack intimacy with the set man.
• Ñ Slaves submit out of the law.

Mephibosheth said to David that he is a slave and David rejected that position. Then he moved to the next statement saying that "I am a dead dog".

Another name for set man is postman - he brings the message to the house. Dogs are the postmen's enemy.

The postman's enemy is a DOG. Dogs carry rabies. The symptoms of rabies - is hydrophobia - a hatred for water. They cannot stand water, they go into spasms. And water is the Word of God. Dogs here is a picture of a religious spirit. That is why Paul said beware of dogs. Religious spirits hates the postman and they hate the doctrine of the set man. They begin to rear their heads and to position themselves as dogs. Postman will often tell you that they don't know where this animal appeared from.

Dogs carry rabies. Everything about a dog is a picture of a religious spirit. Dogs bury the bones and then they go back and dig it up. They love the past - everything of the past. There are good dogs in the Bible. A dead dog brings nothing into the house and takes nothing out - of no value to the house.

David rejects Mephibosheth's position. David looks at Mephibosheth and says from today onwards you will sit at my table as one of my sons.

Mephibosheth wonders why David wants to do this, just as we ask ourselves why God wants to bless us. It is because of the covenant on the cross that God wants to bless us.

In the life of Mephibosheth there are about ten characteristics of a son. God is establishing the tabernacle of David. If you want to know what a son should look like - study Mephibosheth's life - here is a powerful picture. For him to be accepted as a son there were certain demands placed on him:

CHARACTERISTICS OF SONS

• 1. He had to leave Lo-debar; he had to vacate Lo-debar. Lo-debar mean the dry place or the place of rebellion and independence. When Jesus cast out the demons he sent them to the dry place. The bible says the rebellious shall dwell in the dry place.

The first characteristic of a son is two fold:

• He leaves the dry place.
• he abandons every streak of rebellion and independence. There is no rebellion or independence in sons.

What can then be defined as the DRY PLACE?

• Place without pasture - Place where you are not receiving nourishment
• Wilderness - Place of barrenness - Uncultivated land

A definition for rebellion

• resistance; enmity for authority; certain people just hate authority and they don't realize it's an anti-social personality disorder - it is one of the most powerful diagnostic features of a person who has rebellion; barrenness; lack of insight; idolatry; opinionated; non conformity - does not want to conform to the demands of the local church.

Every time the set man gives an instruction the person who is in rebellion or independent will get offended - he will say to himself that he also has God inside of him - who is this man to tell him what to do. They think it is normal behaviour. This is the reason that the army of God cannot be configured on the earth because there is a mentality that is accepted that comes from independent Babylon.

We all have access to the throne of grace, but we have to understand the functional positions that God has placed us in to compliment one another and deliver cities. As a son you need the grace in the father to grow to your place of maturity in Christ

• 2. The son sits continually at the set man's table. In your journey through life you must know for certain which table you must sit at. The moment you know this is the table, the demand of sonship requires that you sit at that table continually. Some places people change tables every six months. If you keep changing tables you can build anything in the city. Sons understand this that they have to sit at this particular table.

Plant yourself. Don't move from the table if you are certain the doctrine is right, fix yourself on this table and move to the next level. Why did Mephibosheth have to do this? David did not cure Mephibosheth of his lameness, but as long as Mephibosheth sat at David's table no one could see he was lame. The set man's table covered his defect. If you are a son you may have defects, but if you sit at the table in loyalty, there is a grace configuration upon the set man and the table of the Household that will cover your defect.

• 3. Sons eat the set man's food continually. The set man is a resource to the apostolic house. The set man carries bread; he carries meat; he carries revelation. The anointing of the set man; the grace of the set man is in the food that he delivers. Therefore you should know the feeding times and as far as possible for a son you should be present for feeding times. In feeding times you should not be busy washing your car, fixing your house, playing golf. If you are a son this is the demand.

What you look for in a son is stability. People that should be promoted are people who are stable.

Pro 28:20 A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich [at any cost] shall not go unpunished.

All you have to do in the Kingdom of God is be faithful and you will prosper; increase; have favour; be stable.

Build stability in your house and in your life. When you find people you are loyal to them for life. There are too many people in the church that suffer from eczema - an itchy skin condition. In the Old Testament if you had eczema you were disqualified from being a priest. Scratching is a symbol of instability. God did not want unstable people in His presence.

• 4. Sons identify with the set man

2Sa 19:24 Mephibosheth the son [grandson] of Saul came down to meet the king, and had not dressed his feet, trimmed his beard, or washed his clothes from the day the king left until he returned in peace and safety.

During this time there is a rebellion - one of David's son's rebels. His name is Absalom. He manages to cease the throne. David runs into the wilderness; he runs bare feet. This is very dark days in the nation of Israel. While David is in the wilderness barefoot - Mephibosheth is in the palace and Mephibosheth understands that his spiritual father is out there in the wilderness. He did not trim his beard; he didn't care for himself; he did not wash his clothes - he was identifying with the set man. He lived as if he was in the wilderness with him.

This is a powerful characteristic of a son - a son identifies with the set man's pain; when the set man cries, he cries; when the set man rejoices, he rejoices. You look for people of this caliber. This is spiritual joining architectured by God; build by God; loyal in building the household of God.

• 5. Sons will suffer false accusations.

2Sa 19:27 He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But the king is as an angel of God; so do what is good in your eyes.

When David gets restored, Mephibosheth goes to meet David and David received a false accusation about Mephibosheth. Ziba had came to David privately - lied to David. When you position yourself to be a son in the house, you are going to suffer false accusations. People will call you the pastor's blue eyed boy.

This is a reality in autonomous churches. When you position yourself as a son; be prepared to suffer all kinds of derogatory false accusations.

• 6. Sons surrenders to set man's discipline or correction.

Mephibosheth did not defend himself before his spiritual father. He surrenders to the set man's discipline. A son in the house is able to suffer set man's correction. We are living in a world where we are unable to instruct and correct. The moment we instruct and correct people take offense and leave the church. A son is able to take set man's discipline. If you are inspiring for position in the house of God, be prepared to accept correction.

In this season the qualification to be in leadership in an apostolic house - are you able to accept scolding? This is one reason why people bring from church to church - as soon as the set man wants to bring some adjustment, they jump to another church. Therefore they build nothing on the earth.

• 7. Sons do not stay in the house because of inheritance, they stay in the house because of relationship with the father.

• 2Sa 19:30 Mephibosheth said to the king, Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has returned home in safety and peace.

You can give everything away as long as you return safely.

It is a very powerful position for a church to be in that the men and women that calls themselves to be sons are in the house because of the relationship with the father of the house.

The word father is a not a title, we are not building authority on a title. Jesus said do not call anyone father - it is a functional authority. When the bible talks about father it means someone who nourishes. Mephibosheth says he is here because of the nourishing relationship.

• 8. In your journey in the church there is a relationship that you build with the set man which is typically the Elijah/Elisha relationship. Notice Elisha when he senses the mantel of Elijah he leaves and goes to the place called Gilgal. He runs after the leader and goes all the way to Gilgal. In your relationship with your set man you must be prepared to go to the four places with your set man. You must be prepared to go to Gilgal (place of circumcision) with your set man; you must be prepared to go to Bethel (place where you are position accurately) with your set man; you must be prepared to go to Jericho (place of instruction) with your set man; you must be prepared to go to all the way to Jordan (place of descent - humble yourself) with your set man. What does this mean?

When the bible says you must go to Gilgal; it is the place of circumcision. Gilgal was the place where Joshua said to all the males now you must all be circumcised in order to possess the land. Gilgal is a painful place - a place of suffering. This is a wilderness, there is no operating table there is only a stone and stone knives - no anesthetic. And it has to be done within a certain period of time.

If you want to be a son you must be able to go to the set man's tent and say there are issues in your life, I need you to circumcise me; I need you to help me. You need leadership. You need to be corrected. You won't be able to see your own blind spot, but the set man will see it.

The set man is a prophet; is a teacher; is a preacher; he can see a lot of things but sometimes he will not tell you, but you need to give him the freedom.

• 9. Next place is Bethel and Bethel means the house of God. That means that you must be joined to the house of God that the set man is leading.

• 10. Then you have to move to Jericho. Jericho was the place where Joshua told the people you only shout when I tell you to shout. And as a son are you able to come to that the place in your relationship with your spiritual father where you are able to take instructions.

• 11. As a son are you able to go all the way to Jordan? And Jordan means descend - are you able to humble yourself under leadership. A very powerful position through the spirit. Only there Elisha asked for the double portion of what Elijah got. A lot of people come to Gilgal and ask for a double portion, but it is a relationship - a journey. Elijah said if you see me going up then you will get what you asked. Elisha had to follow him so closely that at the moment of transfiguration that's when it happened. That is the level of closeness this required.

• 12. Sonship is about the process that you have to go through. Closeness of walk. You can't have many sons. The Mantel is for sons only. Sons stay because of the relationship. That is also why you cannot have many sons - it is impossible. Others will be friends or members. The mantel is for sons only. After 20 years - the journey and the relationship he could call him father.

• 13. Sons stay in the house because they are bound by gratitude.

One thing about a son - he is grateful - male and females.

2Sa 21:7 But the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord's oath that was between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

• 14. Live to see increase, breakthrough, blessing.

The famine is because of what Saul violation of the covenant. David goes to the Gibbionites and all they want is seven sons of Saul so that they can hang from the tree.

There are sons in the house, but there are also sons of Saul in the house that have not crossed the Jordan. The sons of Saul enjoy the resources of the house; but refuse to cross over in covenant; there only there because of historical allegiance; that were there because they were part of the inheritance - they die when crises comes into the church. They are hanged from the tree. But Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan who had crossed over in covenant; who was sitting at the table; he survived the crises.

2Sa 21:10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell on them, and she did not allow either the birds of the air to come upon them by day or the beasts of the field by night.

Son of Rizpah is also called Mephibosheth and he died.

She interceded for seven months as the seven sons of Saul hanged - she continued to chase the vultures / hyena until rains came. The sons of Saul did not see the rain; they did not see the famine break; they did not see the harvest. But the son who crossed over lived to see the day the rain came; lived to see the famine broken; live to see the day of the new harvest. When you sit at the table in covenant you live to see good days; you will live to see the increase; you will live to see the breakthrough; you will live to see the fruitfulness. Covenantal blessings do not come easy. They come to a people who are prepared to sit at the table.

In this season we are faced with a new level of problems in the church. People who have itchy feet, who move from church to church. The autonomous church has to address this disease. In the birth of independence and in our migration to the post-denomination era we have produced a whole generation of people who are nomads that are wanders in the wilderness. Eventually these people become major casualties. They sit at home and watch TBN. Church is hard. You come into church you got to get ready for battle. You are going to sit at the table people are going to be jealous of you; all kinds of problems are going to take place. You have to keep sitting at the table, enjoy the food, and enjoy the journey. A whole generation of people are being fed by television. They have weakened the house of God. You have to become a son and sit at the table.

The major desire of an apostle is sons; evangelist wants souls; pastors wants sheep; prophets wants saints; teachers wants students. Apostles want to have sons to sit at their table, sons that can take the heat.

The new wine is in the cluster - skin against each other; rubbing against each other.

Fathers and sons will bring the glory into the city.