Keller's Tapes are put into MS Word Note files. For those interested in receiving this series of notes send a private e-mail to: tmaywpc@earthlink.net. Just ask to be added to the Keller list. They come sporadically.<br><br>Here is a sample. Please note Keller pushes Sonship Training (PCA) which we have discussed here before. Please note it is here in this particular sermon as well. There is a particular phrase also that troubles me, [color:red]What is meant by spirit of sonship? A healed relationship?</font color=red> especially when it is followed by [color:red]Look at Jesus – we get a mini-version of that</font color=red>, who of course did not need a healed relationship with His Father. Again, these are just tape "notes" and thus the transition from one phrase to another may have been lost. There are some other parts that I am uncomfortable with as well, but I will let you find them so they may be discussed.<br><br>Tape 344 12/08/02<br><br>the Excellence of Jesus Luke 2:41-52; 3:22-23<br><br>Life of Jesus from Luke; he claims this actually happened and he wants us to have a relationship with Christ so he has recorded the life of Jesus. what he records is there to teach us how to meet and encounter Jesus. <br><br>The early events relate to the Sonship of Jesus. – in the temple and the baptism – sonship of boy, man Jesus and his followerers.<br><br>I. amazing sonship of the boy Jesus. <br><br>This was a special year because of his age – 12 – a year of intensive training with his father who trained him in his calling as an adult man. Vocational and religious instruction. Of all the years this would be the year that Joseph would explain the Passover to Jesus. Normally Jesus would be with Joseph for learning, but they find that he is not with the crowd. <br><br>They go back and find him in the temple. <br><br>Mary, “why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been looking for you.” <br><br>Luke has already signaled the significance of this Passover and importance of the father son relationship. “of all the years this should be the year that you learn from your father, walking with him.” <br><br>Jesus says, “mom I am. I am learning from my Father.” <br><br>In some way Jesus was learning from the Father, though we don’t know exactly how, but it was happening. <br><br>God speaks to him about his sonship – “I’m about my Father’s business.” The parents and crowd are perplexed. <br><br>In that day no one spoke like this. Parental obedience was the ultimate duty in that day; Jesus says that his relationship with God transcends his relationship on earth. It is a deeper relationship than anyone claimed to have. No jew spoke of “my father” as Christ did. This is a great claim, and he went home to obey his parents – majesty and humility combined. <br><br>In Luke the next event is the baptism of Jesus; a process of recognition of his sonship began at the temple and continued til his baptism. At baptism the Holy Spirit comes down to empower him for the testing to come and his ministry. <br><br>How does the power come? Not as a jolt or infusion, but as a direct clear communication regarding his identity as a beloved son. <br><br>The power is an assurance of his sonship. The voice spoke and quoted scripture. Jesus would have known this. 3 things:<br><br>1. You are my son – Psalm 2- messianic king<br>2. Isaiah 42 – suffering servant; very different from the king of Ps 2. <br><br>This is a combination of traits that no one expected to find in the same person. <br><br>How could you do both – triumph over evil through death? <br><br>This confirmation of sonship gives Jesus power, but what does it have to do with us? <br><br>Everything. His ministry is to bring others into a relationship of sonship. This is also theme of rest of the bible – EX Rom 8:15; Gal 4-4-7 <br><br>Paul says the power of the Holy Spirit is for us as well, but it is not abstract. It works in us as it did in Jesus. the Holy Spirit assures us of our identity as a child of the Lord of the universe – a loved, accepted child of God. <br><br>In series on Exodus I referred to sin as “building your ID on anything but God.” (Kierkegaard) Making anything about yourself or any relationship more central to your sense of worth, your purpose, your definition, your meaning in life, your hope than God. If you do that there will always be a meltdown; your ID is always fragile; it can easily be affected. <br><br>But this gospel is what we need. Our ID won’t be healed until we hear this in our soul – “you are my child whom I love, with whom I am well- pleased.” You need a parental resonance, a voice, an assurance deep in the center of your being saying, “you are beloved child”. Until you get that from God himself you’ll always be in a form of meltdown. <br><br>Because Christ has that uniquely, we can get it through him. Then we become those who get the combined traits of Jesus. – meekness and majesty; <br><br>What is meant by spirit of sonship? A healed relationship? <br><br>Look at Jesus – we get a mini-version of that: 3 things<br><br>Honor, access, absolute safety<br><br>1. Honor – your are my son Ps 2 – the heir was the son who got all that the father had. All went to the elder son. For Jesus to say this of us gives us infinite value. This is not gender insensitivity, but a radical equality of grace. “Sons” means it is radical for men and women; even women could be counted as heirs. Gal 3 “all heirs in Christ” just use the metaphors, don’t mess with them – sons, brides, sheep. – we need them all, none is rich enough to tell all. <br><br>This incredible honor means, “who cares what people think”? if we really have this in our being we wouldn’t be controlled by others approval and criticism.<br><br>2. Access - “whom I love” - this was unique to Jesus’ rel with God. He called God “abba” – papa- this was bold; he prayed that way and told us to pray that way. Joachim Jeremias did study of religions and showed when Jesus prayed that way he was the first. No one had prayed that way before or dared to say, “I want to open a door to heaven that gives you a relationship this intimate” in luke 11 he teaches how to pray and the word “boldness” really means shameless or irreverent. That is radical; we pray like this because of a family relationship. <br><br>EX: at 2 am who can ask for a drink of water? Friend, spouse? No, but your child can be shameless and ask. She doesn’t need an appointment. <br><br>Jesus gives access like that; we can go right in. he offers a relationship with God that is a different species of any other religion. <br><br>3. Absolute safety – “I am well pleased” Parent love is most unshakable. You lose friend love and romantic love when they act up; but parent love remains; often you get more loving toward the child who acts up than before. “you’re only as happy as your least happy child” if we love like that, how much more is God’s love – Is 59 “can a woman forget the baby who nursed? She may forget, but I won’t forget.” <br><br>That is radical – a nursing mother has no love for the baby compared to the love of God for us. <br><br>If this is true what would it mean if you know it deep in your soul? Majesty and meekness. Who care what they think? But also an ability to admit to God and others our sins and faults. I can finally admit when I’m wrong because I’m safe. <br><br>How to get it? <br><br>Get the understanding and experience of sonship<br><br>The understanding:<br><br>1. sense of the excellence of Jesus Christ – in the west we expect God to be a father, it doesn’t’ amaze or stun or transform us. we take it for granted. Yet it amazed the ancients because they understood the excellence of God. We have a shallow view of God. <br><br> Edwards : an admirable convergence of the excellencies in Christ that meet in one person like in no one else, and this makes him altogether beautiful. <br><br>Do you see that?<br><br>2. see Jesus’ sacrifice – the only way God can be pleased in us is because someone else earned it for us. it is too good to believe. The quote is from Is 42 God is pleased with the servant because of his sacrifice – his work – Is 53. <br><br>God was pleased with the sacrifice of Jesus. when the 12 yr old Jesus saw the Passover lamb he began to understand the meaning of his life. He did it all for us. <br><br>We deserve rejection, but Jesus took it for us. he lost the sonship so we could have it. <br><br>Do you know this? <br><br>You also need the experience of sonship: you need God to speak it to your heart. How? By the Holy Spirit speaking the Word to his heart. Go to God’s word and ask him for it.

Reformed and Always Reforming,