I love when different ones identifying me as my father’s son. It immediately gives me an identity in our family as well as, there comes a comfort and sense of privilege when I represent by family name. That was a big part of the birthright we see in scripture. The first-born son would receive the authority and privilege of leading the family once the father would pass it down. It was a position of honor, prestige and authority but also carried the burden and weight of responsibility. Any place for arrogance and pride in this position would quickly be swallowed up by the demands that were on the person who would carry the fathers’ name.

Unfortunately, we have an epidemic of children being raised up without or not knowing their father living in our society, which breeds’ emptiness and a orphaned mentality. Once we have lost that identity it quickly flows into forgoing the

We will never know who we are until we have understanding of who Jesus is. (tweet)

blessings of the father’s name also. Esau is a sad but real biblical example of so many others that have given up their identity and birthright with lead to the deteriorating of the blessing. (Gen.   )

I believe that is why Jesus when coming into the region of Caesarea Philippi huddled up His disciples and asked them some pointed questions. He started off with wanting to know what they had heard about who He was around the water fountains and the coffee shops of their day. In Matt 16:14, we read that they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets”. So there was a lot of religious talk going on in the area, but as we know ourselves, that can lead to confusion if it is not ground on the truth. So Jesus probes a little deeper and asks, “who do you say that I am?” This was a “pop quiz” just like your teacher would give you growing up after a long weekend. She wanted to make sure you were learning correctly so everything else she taught would fall in place that next week. Right? So in the same token Jesus was now pressing the envelope to see what the disciples were learning or maybe catching. Did they really understand the depth and truth of who He was? Was it sinking in or was this just a casual social club that would have no lasting impression for them? Jesus wants us to know Him.

The bottom line is we will never know who we are until we have understanding of who He is. We will go through life knowing the surface talk of religion without ever being penetrated by the power of knowing who He is and what

We will only begin to walk in the benefits and authority of son-ship with Christ when we really catch the revelation of who Jesus is ourselves.

He has done for us. Making the statement of thanks to the “man upstairs” after a sports game or the action of pointing up once a touch down has been made is not enough to settle the dilemma of birthright in our lives.

Peter blurts out a download from heaven that he probably hadn’t really digested himself in response to Jesus’ question. He says, in verse 16 “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus immediately let’s them know that this answer was straight from the heart of God the Father. It was a divine revelation that Jesus would establish His church in the earth. And that would be the prevailing truth that would sustain His people from the onslaughts of the enemy.  When you and I come to that understanding ourselves we will truly begin to walk in the benefits and authority of son-ship with Christ.