Being a Son — Honoring, Forgiving, Becoming - For Men

Genesis 25–27Ephesians 1:3–6Genesis 37Genesis 45:1–151 Peter 2:232 Samuel 13–18Luke 15:11–24Romans 5:8Luke 15:11–32John 5:19–23John 14:8–14John 14:9John 14:1245:1–1514:8–14

Most men are sons longer than they are fathers — and the story we live as sons shapes everything that follows. *Being a Son* invites men to revisit their relationship with their fathers (or the absence of one) through the lens of Scripture and the fifth commandment — not as a childhood rule but as a lifelong practice. Through the stories of Jacob and Isaac, Joseph and Jacob, Absalom and David, the prodigal and his father, and Jesus and the Father, participants will confront the ways family wounds and generational patterns have formed them, learn to honor and forgive imperfect parents, and discover what it means to become the kind of son their fathers could not be. Designed for men who carry both gratitude and grief toward their fathers, this study creates space for honesty, healing, and the rediscovery of sonship under the Father who makes all things new.

What's Included

When you pull this study into your workspace, these items come with it.

Lessons5
Teaching sessions adapted for your audience.
Handouts5
One handout per lesson when this deliverable is included.
Discussion Guides0
Questions and prompts for teachers and parents.
Slides0
Presentation decks for classroom use.

What You'll Study

The Story We Inherited

Genesis 25–27

Facing Our Formation

Learning Objectives

Participants will identify how their relationship with their father (or lack thereof) shaped their understanding of blessing, approval, or identity. They will trace patterns of striving or insecurity formed in childhood and invite God to reinterpret their story in light of His fatherly love.

The Wound and the Work

Genesis 37; 45:1–15

Confronting and Forgiving

Learning Objectives

Participants will recognize the wounds and generational patterns that have been passed down in their families. They will explore the biblical model of forgiveness through Joseph’s story and practice releasing resentment while still acknowledging responsibility and pain.

When Love Breaks Down

2 Samuel 13–18

The Cost of Distance

Learning Objectives

Participants will examine how emotional distance, anger, or silence have affected their own relationships. They will reflect on Absalom and David’s estrangement to understand the cost of avoidance and discover God’s invitation to pursue reconciliation, even when outcomes are uncertain.

Coming Home

Luke 15:11–32

Returning to the Father

Learning Objectives

Participants will experience the parable of the prodigal son as a personal invitation to return to the Father. They will identify barriers that keep them from receiving grace and learn to rest in the Father’s delight rather than performance or shame.

Becoming Like the Son

John 5:19–23; 14:8–14

Living as Beloved Sons

Learning Objectives

Participants will envision what it means to live as beloved sons who reflect the character of Jesus. They will commit to practices of honoring and forgiving their fathers (and others) and to embodying the Father’s heart in their own families and communities.

Actual Lesson Preview

A real rendered lesson for Adults from this study — a preview, not the full content.

Sample Content

Setting the Scene (5 min) This section provides essential background and context so participants can understand the world of the text and its theological weight. Genesis presents Joseph as one of Jacob’s sons — favored above his brothers, gifted with dreams that foretold his rise, and despised because of it. Genesis 37 exposes a family fractured by favoritism: a father’s partial love becomes the soil of jealousy and violence. Later, in Genesis 45, the same Joseph — now second-in-command in Egypt — stands before the very brothers who betrayed him. Instead of vengeance, he weeps and forgives. Theologically, Joseph’s story reveals a God who weaves redemption through human failure. What was meant for harm becomes a conduit of grace. Practically, this story helps us name our own family wounds and see forgiveness not as weakness but as participation in God’s transforming work. Transition: Let’s look closely at the text to see what actually happens — the details that shape this movement from betrayal to forgiveness.

This study adapts to your church

When you bring this study into your workspace, it adapts to your theological convictions, your teaching context, and your audience. No other curriculum does this.

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