Feast of Sonship
- Henley Samuel
- May 15
- 4 min read
May 15, 2025
In our spiritual journey, we often underestimate our true position in God's kingdom. Many believers live far below their privileges, mistakenly thinking this represents humility. Yet our loving Father eagerly waits for us to embrace the fullness of what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf. Today, let's explore what it means to live as true sons and daughters rather than mere servants in our Father's house.
The Prodigal's Return
In Luke 15, we encounter the powerful story of the prodigal son. After squandering his inheritance, this young man found himself destitute and desperate. In his shame, he rehearsed a speech, planning to ask his father to hire him as a servant. He felt unworthy of sonship.
But the father had other plans.
The son asked to be hired just like a servant, but his father restored him to full sonship, replaced his rags with expensive clothing, and made a feast in his honor.
Our Father doesn't just pardon our sins, He transforms our very identity. As Paul reminds us:
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. - 2 Corinthians 5:17
God cleanses us from all sin and makes us joint heirs with Jesus Christ:
And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. - Romans 8:17
Symbols of Restoration
When the prodigal returned, his father immediately called for three significant items:
The Best Robe - This represents the robe of righteousness that covers our shame and declares us righteous before God.
A Ring - Placed on his finger, this symbolized authority, sonship, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit. It wasn't just jewelry but a declaration of position and power.
Sandals - These represent the peace of salvation. Wherever we walk, we carry this peace with us.
Wherever you go, you release peace in Jesus' name. When there is turmoil and you enter that space, you change the atmosphere.
A New Passport
When we accept Christ, we receive a new identity and citizenship. We've moved from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.
Now we have moved from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. Let's get rid of the bad thinking, anxiety, depression, all those things that belong to darkness. Now we have a new passport in the Kingdom of Light.
Just as immigrants eventually adopt the culture of their new country, we must embrace our heavenly citizenship. Whatever we accumulated in the kingdom of darkness has been canceled in Jesus' name. We now live under Father's love, clothed in righteousness, equipped with authority, completely healed, and filled with peace.
The Celebration
Perhaps the most beautiful part of the prodigal's return was the celebration that followed:
Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let us have a feast and celebrate. - Luke 15:23
It's always feast time in Father's house! This celebration far surpassed any worldly party the son had experienced during his rebellion. Those gatherings may have offered momentary pleasure, but they came with guilt and emptiness. In contrast, the father's celebration was filled with joy, peace, and love, without shame or condemnation.
This celebration doesn't carry any guilty conscience. This celebration doesn't have any pain. This celebration is full of joy, wisdom, and enjoyment. In the presence of God, there is joy, peace, and love.
The Prepared Sacrifice
Notice that the father already had a fattened calf prepared. He wasn't caught off guard by his son's return, he was expecting it! The calf had been growing and fattening in anticipation of this very moment.
This beautifully pictures Christ, the Lamb of God, prepared before the foundation of the world to take away our sins. Just as John declared:
Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
The fattened calf was sacrificed for the celebration, just as Jesus was sacrificed for our redemption. Now we're invited to partake and celebrate what Jesus has done.
The Divine Reversal
There's a profound symmetry here: The first sin in Eden involved eating forbidden fruit. God's redemption plan involves eating as well, partaking of Christ's body and blood.
The first sin happened by eating a fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. But God turned the tables and made us eat His body and drink His blood to restore us.
When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, guilt, shame, and sickness entered the world. But when we participate in communion, remembering Christ's sacrifice, we experience healing, blessing, mercy, and grace. Shame and fear are replaced with restoration.
Every time we partake in His body, whatever was lost will be restored in the name of Jesus. Every time we remember and partake, there will be new healing, new anointing, new blessing, new deliverance, new redemption, new power.
Conclusion
You are not a hired servant in God's kingdom, you are a beloved child with full inheritance rights. The Father has clothed you with righteousness, given you His authority, and prepared a continual feast of celebration in your honor.
Don't worry about the world's recession when you carry resurrection power within you. Remember who you are in Christ. The blood was shed and the body was broken just for you. Participate in this divine feast whenever you can, inherit the promises, and walk confidently as a son or daughter of the King.
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To dive deeper into this powerful message, watch the full sermon on our YouTube video below.
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