WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.000 Good morning, everybody. I don't have any slides or anything for you today, but we can do without 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:13.040 that. Go ahead and turn your Bibles over to Luke chapter 15. Many of us are familiar with this 00:00:13.040 --> 00:00:20.280 passage of the prodigal son. We're going to focus on him mainly, not the older brother. One thing I 00:00:20.280 --> 00:00:25.600 learned in school is when you're studying scripture, they taught us to look for the five 00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:31.179 C's is what they called it. And that's something that helps me, and I wanted to share it with you, 00:00:31.260 --> 00:00:36.760 maybe to be a blessing. But when you're looking through scripture, studying scripture, the first 00:00:36.760 --> 00:00:43.000 C that you want to look for and study out are the characters. Helps to know who has a part in that 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:50.200 account. And obviously we have a father here with two sons. It's important to know the culture of the 00:00:50.200 --> 00:00:56.820 time. Sometimes there's things in the Bible that doesn't make sense to us in our American culture 00:00:56.820 --> 00:01:02.940 of today. And so it's interesting to look that up. It gives us a greater appreciation of what God has 00:01:02.940 --> 00:01:09.640 in his scripture. And then the content, knowing what's in the chapter that you're studying. 00:01:11.540 --> 00:01:18.659 Luke chapter 15, there's three parables in the content here. And verses one through seven, 00:01:18.659 --> 00:01:28.060 we see a sheep gets lost by its own foolishness. And then that's a one in 100 kind of ratio. 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:34.439 And then verses eight through 10, we see a coin that was lost at no fault of its own. And that's a 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:42.099 one to 10 ratio. And then the area that we'll be studying, verses 11 through 32, we see a son that was 00:01:42.099 --> 00:01:48.640 lost by deliberate disobedience. And it's interesting that God searches for all, and he rejoices, 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:57.659 once they are found. The context, it's important to know that we're talking about a lost son, 00:01:58.060 --> 00:02:04.060 but we need to be very careful with our language because he's not unsaved. He's just separated. He 00:02:04.060 --> 00:02:11.719 rejected the father and he's gone his own way. So this verse in the context, this account is not 00:02:11.719 --> 00:02:17.819 about salvation, but reconciliation. And then the last C, the most important one, is finding Christ. 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:24.419 And obviously, in the scripture, the father represents Christ. So if you'll stand with me, 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:30.840 we'll go ahead and just read Luke chapter 15, starting in verse 11. I know many of us are familiar with 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:33.680 this passage. It says, 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:34.819 And he said, 00:02:34.819 --> 00:02:38.860 A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:44.219 Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 00:02:44.640 --> 00:02:49.900 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, 00:02:50.379 --> 00:02:53.140 and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 00:02:53.139 --> 00:02:58.839 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 00:02:59.619 --> 00:03:06.139 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed 00:03:06.139 --> 00:03:12.839 swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat, and no man gave unto 00:03:12.839 --> 00:03:19.299 him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough 00:03:19.300 --> 00:03:25.500 and to spare, and I perish with hunger? I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, 00:03:25.580 --> 00:03:31.060 Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 00:03:31.300 --> 00:03:37.840 Make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:44.980 way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the 00:03:44.979 --> 00:03:50.799 son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to 00:03:50.799 --> 00:03:56.899 be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on 00:03:56.899 --> 00:04:02.839 him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet, and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, 00:04:02.899 --> 00:04:09.859 and let us eat, and be merry. For this my son was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found. 00:04:09.860 --> 00:04:15.300 And they began to be merry. Dear Holy Father, I just thank you, God, for this day you've given us. 00:04:15.580 --> 00:04:19.000 Thank you for the opportunity that we have to come to your house and worship together. 00:04:19.740 --> 00:04:28.360 Lord, I just ask that you would let our hearts be open to your word. Just pray that you would speak 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:36.379 to us despite my shortcomings, Lord. I thank you for your goodness to us, and I ask that you would 00:04:36.379 --> 00:04:41.139 bless this time. I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. You can go ahead and be seated. 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:52.000 We're just going to jump right in. Some of the culture of this time is this inheritance that the 00:04:52.000 --> 00:05:00.399 younger son asks for. This is a reasonable request, to ask for the inheritance. But the culture, you didn't 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:06.159 receive that inheritance until after the father was dead. So he was basically saying, I wish you were 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:13.100 dead. Give me my money. In this time, I really want to get through a lot of this, so we won't 00:05:13.100 --> 00:05:19.120 slow down for some of these verses. But in Deuteronomy chapter 21, it kind of explains how the inheritance 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:25.240 would be broken up. The elder son, he would be getting two-thirds of what the father has, and then 00:05:25.240 --> 00:05:33.640 this younger son would be only getting a third of that. One thing with this family, even though it's a 00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:41.240 terrible, I believe that this was, as we see, a godly father. I believe that he had taught his 00:05:41.240 --> 00:05:49.620 children the right way. I believe that they had times of devotions, and the father was devout, and so 00:05:49.620 --> 00:05:57.039 his sons, they knew these things. But sometimes we can go wayward. We shouldn't be surprised by the 00:05:57.040 --> 00:06:03.879 selfish behavior. It breeds covetousness. And we live in the last days. Second Timothy chapter 3 00:06:03.879 --> 00:06:13.960 talks about some of those sins. Covetousness, it talks about, it likens it onto idolatry in Colossians 00:06:13.960 --> 00:06:20.400 chapter 3 verse 5. One thing I noticed as I was studying for this, and then as you just see 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:26.579 in the world that we live in, Christians who are wrapped up in themselves are ugly packages. 00:06:28.799 --> 00:06:36.419 But it shows the graciousness of the father that he grants the request to his younger son. He grants 00:06:36.419 --> 00:06:43.599 that request, and if you turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 21, Deuteronomy chapter 21 and verse 17, 00:06:43.599 --> 00:06:44.419 it says, 00:06:44.420 --> 00:06:49.879 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all 00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:56.720 that he hath, for he is the beginning of his strength. The right of his firstborn is his. 00:06:57.759 --> 00:07:07.220 Then Deuteronomy, that's kind of the inheritance. Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 19. I think this is the verse I wanted. 00:07:07.220 --> 00:07:14.300 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, 00:07:14.440 --> 00:07:21.440 blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. Just like the father, 00:07:21.940 --> 00:07:28.260 as a picture of Christ, gave to the younger son a choice, God gives to the sinner a choice. We have 00:07:28.260 --> 00:07:35.520 two choices. You can receive God, or you can reject God. And this is a picture of the son. Again, 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:40.819 this is not salvation, but reconciliation. He's choosing to reject God. He's choosing to live in 00:07:40.819 --> 00:07:46.699 his flesh, go his own way. We'll see in our text here in verse 13, just revelry. 00:07:47.819 --> 00:07:52.579 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country, 00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:58.560 and there wasted his substance with righteous living. It's important to note that the younger son 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:03.740 removed himself from the presence of the father. And then he tragically wasted his inheritance 00:08:03.740 --> 00:08:15.019 that the father had invested time and effort into. He wasted it. Galatians chapter 6. We'll be 00:08:15.019 --> 00:08:20.000 looking at a lot of verses, because frankly, I know you don't care what I have to say. It's what 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:29.199 scripture says that's important. Galatians chapter 6, verse 7. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. 00:08:29.199 --> 00:08:37.419 For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. So many times I think we forget about that law of 00:08:37.419 --> 00:08:43.939 sowing and reaping. We see, and if you're familiar with this passage, you know that the father forgives 00:08:43.939 --> 00:08:51.439 the younger son, but that doesn't execute that law of sowing and reaping. Whatever you sow, you will reap, 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:58.639 regardless if God forgives you or not. It's just, it will happen. It's clear by the younger son's actions 00:08:58.639 --> 00:09:04.500 that he had already made this long journey in his heart ever before he took his first steps from 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:09.659 his father. The Bible says in Matthew chapter 6, verse 21, for where your heart, for where your treasure 00:09:09.659 --> 00:09:16.860 is, there will your heart be also. Obviously, they don't have magazines or TVs back in this time, 00:09:17.220 --> 00:09:22.899 but that's what that younger son, he had already looked at that far country. He desired to be there 00:09:22.899 --> 00:09:29.100 regardless of the cost, regardless of the hours that his father put into having an inheritance. 00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:36.519 That inheritance was supposed to sustain him when the father was gone, and he wasted it. In our text, 00:09:36.699 --> 00:09:46.360 verses 14 and 15, we see the reaping of his foolish choice. Not only does the younger son have empty 00:09:46.360 --> 00:09:55.820 pockets, but probably more importantly, he has an empty stomach. He's hungry. 1 Timothy chapter 6, 00:09:56.680 --> 00:10:03.180 verse 10 says, for the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, 00:10:03.419 --> 00:10:09.960 they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. He's starting to 00:10:09.960 --> 00:10:17.379 regret the decision of leaving his dad behind. Leviticus 11, verse 7, it kind of tells us that 00:10:17.379 --> 00:10:25.180 pigs are unclean animals. For this young Jew to be feeding swine and even really be around them, 00:10:25.280 --> 00:10:34.360 it was insulting. It was something that was really beneath a Jew. And here he is feeding pigs. 00:10:34.360 --> 00:10:43.600 The Bible says that nobody gave to him. I can't imagine being that hungry to be jealous of what a 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:50.279 pig is eating. But that's what happens when we get so far into sin. It makes us do things that we 00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:55.860 wouldn't normally do. We see verse 16 says in our text, 00:10:55.860 --> 00:11:01.360 and he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him. 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:08.060 Sin damns us, it degrades us, it demeans us, and eventually it can destroy us. 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:16.379 Turn with me, if you will, to Proverbs chapter 19, verse 4. I believe this is probably stuff that 00:11:16.379 --> 00:11:23.399 these boys would have known, but it says, wealth maketh many friends, but the poor is separated from 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:30.560 his neighbor. This is a perfect example of where this kid is. I'm sure he had a bunch of pals 00:11:30.559 --> 00:11:34.619 hanging around him when he had the money, when things were going good before the famine hit. 00:11:34.899 --> 00:11:41.839 I bet he was a pretty popular person. But now the money's gone, the food is gone. The Bible says that 00:11:41.839 --> 00:11:50.819 no man gives unto him. Turn with me to Proverbs chapter 1. I remember listening, it's an old song, 00:11:50.819 --> 00:11:57.279 but the chorus goes, nobody knows you when you're down and out. Proverbs chapter 1, verse 10. 00:11:57.279 --> 00:12:04.799 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. I'm sure that's something that his father had told 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:10.639 him. When people are trying to tempt you to do the wrong thing, tell him no. And he didn't listen. He 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:17.100 didn't heed that advice. Turn with me to Proverbs chapter 13, verse 20. It says, he that walketh with 00:12:17.100 --> 00:12:25.360 wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. I would say that that's where he's at 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:32.620 right now. I'm sitting in a pig pen. I have no doubt in my mind that he's frustrated. He probably 00:12:32.620 --> 00:12:39.860 just wrestled a pig, and he's dirty, he's grody, and he's hungry. He's defeated. Verse 17 of our text, 00:12:39.860 --> 00:12:47.000 we see reflection. It says, and when he came to himself, he said, how many hired servants of my 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:54.639 fathers have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger? I literally think he's sitting in the mud 00:12:54.639 --> 00:13:01.299 like, my dad has servants that work for him, and they don't even have to go through this. 00:13:01.899 --> 00:13:11.819 I need to get up and go home. Sin is likened to moral insanity. Keep trying to do the same things, 00:13:11.819 --> 00:13:19.059 and you get these poor results. My heart breaks for people like this, people who have been raised to 00:13:19.059 --> 00:13:24.519 no good. Maybe they're raised in the same household, and they choose to reject what you were taught. 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:31.000 And you see this life of heartache. I have a cousin. We used to be pretty close. I'd call her 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:38.340 at least once a week when I was in college. And even though she wasn't raised in a Christian home, 00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:46.399 there was a time where she went to church with us, and it got to the point where she was getting older, 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:52.679 and she was starting to get attention from boys, and she was starting to give attention. 00:13:53.319 --> 00:13:59.000 And she would call me and ask me advice, and I'd tell her, this is what you need to do. She wouldn't 00:13:59.000 --> 00:14:05.199 do it. She would have problems. She would call me upset, tell me what her problems were, and I'd tell 00:14:05.199 --> 00:14:09.819 her, well, this is what you need to do. She would do the opposite, and this went back and forth, back and 00:14:09.820 --> 00:14:15.620 forth. And things got pretty bad, and I finally had to tell her, quit calling me, because you don't 00:14:15.620 --> 00:14:20.879 listen to any of my advice. And then you whine, and you complain about the situation that you're in, 00:14:20.940 --> 00:14:26.240 and I just can't take it. I don't want to hear it, because you're not listening. And I can see, 00:14:26.700 --> 00:14:32.560 I'm sure this younger son is having some reflection, having some time. The Bible says he comes to 00:14:32.559 --> 00:14:39.299 himself. Things are getting pretty clear. Sometimes God has to break us before we can listen. I remember 00:14:39.299 --> 00:14:45.179 my dad told me, I was set in my younger years to be in the military, and he said, they're going to 00:14:45.179 --> 00:14:50.959 break you, because they need you to be someone that they can form. Well, that's how God is with us. 00:14:51.219 --> 00:14:57.239 I think about Jonah. I think most of us would say to ourselves, we wouldn't never find ourselves in the 00:14:57.240 --> 00:15:03.080 belly of a fish. Jonah found himself there. He had to be broken. There's so many times in Scripture, 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:09.399 we see Moses on the backside of the desert. We have to be broken, broken down, so there's only thing we 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:17.419 can do is look up to God. In verse 18, we see the resolution. He says, I will arise and go to my father. 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:23.919 It's probably the first smart thing this guy has done since we've been reading. I will arise and go to 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:31.279 my father. It's a pretty solid plan, because he's got the right person, his father. He has the right 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:39.519 thing to say. I have sinned. With that comes repentance, regret, realization, and it's going to 00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:46.199 be all wrapped up in this resolution. First John 1.9 says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and 00:15:46.199 --> 00:15:51.459 just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Again, that's not salvation, 00:15:51.460 --> 00:15:58.879 but reconciliation. It's us who separate ourselves from God. He's always there. He's fixed, and we're 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:05.940 the ones that leave. I think this instance, this parable, is encouraging, because there could be some 00:16:05.940 --> 00:16:12.540 here who have children who've kind of gone wayward, and the Bible tells us that if we train up a child 00:16:12.540 --> 00:16:16.980 in the way he should go, when he is old, he will not depart from it. That doesn't mean he'll never 00:16:16.980 --> 00:16:25.519 leave, but he'll come back, and that's an example of this younger son. He had his time. Sometimes that 00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:31.259 happens, but he's coming back. We should not give up on those individuals. We should pray for them and 00:16:31.259 --> 00:16:40.039 ask God to soften their heart. Verse 20, let's see. And he arose and came to his father, but when he was yet 00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:47.879 a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 00:16:49.419 --> 00:16:56.639 Now, I mentioned earlier those five C's, and one of those was culture. The culture of the time, 00:16:57.099 --> 00:17:03.539 someone like this father, it would be below him to run. That's why he has servants. They do all of his 00:17:03.539 --> 00:17:09.559 running around, running his errands. This father would not do that. It was kind of undignified, 00:17:10.019 --> 00:17:15.759 maybe a little shameful, but we see that he runs, and I kind of studied into that a little bit. 00:17:16.379 --> 00:17:22.559 Why did the father run? Obviously, I believe he had already forgiven his son, and he was just out 00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:29.180 there waiting to see if his prayers were being answered, but I came across this ceremony that the 00:17:29.180 --> 00:17:36.000 Jews would do, you'll have to forgive me if I don't pronounce it correctly, Keziah or Kezaza. 00:17:37.180 --> 00:17:46.640 And when in the village, if the Lord or the master had been disgraced, the villagers would run out and 00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:51.940 they would beat this person. It was kind of a shameful thing, and then they would kick him out and be like, 00:17:51.980 --> 00:17:57.580 you're not a part of us. Get out of here. I think some of that, if they were grown up with that ritual, 00:17:57.579 --> 00:18:03.939 the father was running past everybody else to say, hey, I've forgiven him. There's no need for this. 00:18:04.779 --> 00:18:11.740 The Bible says that he kissed him. Again, with culture back in this time, a kiss in the east 00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:18.579 was kind of a token of two things. First off, there was peace. You can see even in Old Testament 00:18:18.579 --> 00:18:25.179 scripture, kings kissing one another, letting them know, we're not at war, we're together. Peace with 00:18:25.180 --> 00:18:32.600 this case resulted in forgiveness. Forgiveness is to bind together that which has been separated. 00:18:34.060 --> 00:18:43.880 Isaiah chapter 59, verse 2, says, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, 00:18:43.980 --> 00:18:51.460 and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear. That's all on us. When we sin, 00:18:51.460 --> 00:18:57.900 we're the one that separates ourself from God, not God leaving us. A lot of times we, in our sin, 00:18:58.120 --> 00:19:04.759 in that moral insanity, while we're in the mire of the pig pen, we think, God left me here. No. 00:19:05.299 --> 00:19:09.940 You need to have a moment where you come to yourself and realize, I was the one that rejected God. I was 00:19:09.940 --> 00:19:14.559 the one that went my own way, and things aren't gone the way that I thought they would. I need to get 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:22.940 right and go back to God. Not only was it a token of peace, but it was also a pledge 00:19:22.940 --> 00:19:29.399 that there had been a permanent change between the parties involved. Between God and man, 00:19:29.579 --> 00:19:35.980 that pledge was the cross. Turn with me, if you will, to Colossians chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1, 00:19:35.980 --> 00:19:40.259 and we'll look at verses 20 and 22. Starting verse 20. 00:19:42.360 --> 00:19:47.140 And having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself, 00:19:47.500 --> 00:19:52.539 by him I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven, and you that were sometime 00:19:52.539 --> 00:20:02.240 alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of the flesh 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:09.079 through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. That's what God did 00:20:09.079 --> 00:20:16.519 on the cross for us. It's humbling, really, that God would lower himself to someone like me. We see 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:21.339 this reception here in verse 21. It's exciting. Verse 21, it says, 00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:27.000 And the Son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:33.339 to be called thy Son. Romans chapter 8, verse 1 is very familiar. It says, 00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:39.819 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the 00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:45.380 flesh, but after the Spirit. Then Ephesians chapter 2, starting in verse 1. 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:51.299 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past he walked 00:20:51.299 --> 00:20:56.599 according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the Spirit that 00:20:56.599 --> 00:21:02.480 now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also we had our conversation in times past 00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:09.179 in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the 00:21:09.179 --> 00:21:15.839 children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:20.919 us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace, you are saved. 00:21:21.119 --> 00:21:24.839 There was a time, if you are a Christian, there was a time where you were dead in your sins, 00:21:24.839 --> 00:21:33.799 and Christ forgave you. He brought you into his family. Again, I have to make it clear, 00:21:34.019 --> 00:21:39.779 in this context, we're talking about reconciliation, not salvation. But now he comes to the Father, 00:21:39.980 --> 00:21:45.859 he's been forgiven, and he's a member of the family. Again, if we remember, the younger son's 00:21:45.859 --> 00:21:51.419 plan was just to be a hired servant. He was good with that. And the father said, no, you're my son. 00:21:51.420 --> 00:21:56.900 You've come back. I've forgiven you. And so what does he do? We see restoration in verse 22. 00:21:58.259 --> 00:22:03.860 But the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on 00:22:03.860 --> 00:22:12.200 his hand and shoes on his feet. This father had to put a robe on him. He came back in rags, I bet. 00:22:12.200 --> 00:22:19.559 And God cannot be concerned with our filthy rags. The Bible says in Isaiah 64 verse 6, 00:22:20.080 --> 00:22:26.860 that all the good that we can do in ourselves, they're as filthy rags to God. Those filthy rags 00:22:26.860 --> 00:22:32.580 that are mentioned are the rags that they would put on someone who has leprosy. Just think about 00:22:32.580 --> 00:22:39.519 these open sores and oozing wounds. If someone would bring something like that in here today, 00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:43.220 we would be repulsed by it. We'd say, get it out of here. That belongs in the trash. 00:22:43.879 --> 00:22:50.039 That's what our good deeds are to God. It's nothing impressive. He had to put a robe of righteousness 00:22:50.039 --> 00:22:58.379 on this son. Turn with me to Romans chapter 3 verse 22. Romans chapter 3 verse 22. It says, 00:22:58.799 --> 00:23:04.379 even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe, 00:23:04.380 --> 00:23:10.440 for there is no difference. We cannot come into the father's presence or be acceptable in his sight 00:23:10.440 --> 00:23:17.860 without that robe. Then we also see the ring. It says, bring forth the best robe and put it on him 00:23:17.860 --> 00:23:24.960 and put forth a ring on his hand. The ring is a picture of authority. Many times the father would 00:23:24.960 --> 00:23:30.400 be busy maybe doing something and he would send one of his kids with a ring that would say, hey, 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:36.400 my father's not here to transact this business deal maybe, but I have his ring. I'm his walking 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:43.140 authority. And that's what we have in Christ. This is a picture of sonship. The ring is an unbroken 00:23:43.140 --> 00:23:48.920 symbol of an unbroken relationship, just like when you were born into God's family. Turn with me, 00:23:48.980 --> 00:23:55.540 if you will, to John chapter 10. John chapter 10, we'll start in verse 27. It says, my sheep hear my voice 00:23:55.539 --> 00:24:01.619 and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. 00:24:02.099 --> 00:24:08.099 Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father, which gave them me, is greater than all 00:24:08.099 --> 00:24:14.559 and no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand. That's encouraging to know that once we're 00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:21.119 saved, we're always saved. The Bible says we're placed in his hand. No power, no man, nothing can take 00:24:21.119 --> 00:24:26.799 us out of that. The Bible says that Jesus Christ died on the cross one time. I think it's foolish and I 00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:33.759 understand people aren't believing correctly, but think that they can lose their salvation. 00:24:34.459 --> 00:24:38.559 That would literally mean Jesus would have to come and die on the cross every single time we sin. 00:24:39.239 --> 00:24:44.559 It doesn't make any sense to me. Jesus died one time. Let's look at Ephesians chapter 1, 00:24:44.739 --> 00:24:50.479 start in verse 13. In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your 00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:56.039 salvation, in whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 00:24:56.380 --> 00:25:00.680 which is the earnest of our inheritance unto the redemption of the purchased possession unto the 00:25:00.680 --> 00:25:07.279 praise of his glory. Seal means guarantee of deliverance. Earnest means a down payment with more 00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:14.620 to follow. As sons of God, there's so much more that we have than this life can offer us. 00:25:14.619 --> 00:25:22.439 Then lastly, in verse 22, it said put a robe on him, put a ring on him. Now it says put shoes on his feet. 00:25:23.339 --> 00:25:32.859 He came back without shoes. Shoes is significant of freedom. In the service to himself and the world, 00:25:33.019 --> 00:25:41.319 the son lost all including his shoes, but now he has them. And as Christians, we know that shoes are 00:25:41.319 --> 00:25:49.980 important, not only for just walking through this life, but we also see warfare. So we'll start with 00:25:49.980 --> 00:26:00.099 warfare. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter 5. It's a pretty familiar passage. Chapter 5, verse 15. 00:26:01.179 --> 00:26:06.939 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. So walking. But then in warfare, 00:26:06.940 --> 00:26:13.200 chapter 6, verse 15 says, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. 00:26:13.860 --> 00:26:21.200 Turn back to Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10. The Bible says, for we are as workmanship created 00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:27.680 in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 00:26:28.820 --> 00:26:35.200 Again, walking. It's interesting to note this word workmanship is literally masterpiece. 00:26:35.200 --> 00:26:42.900 When God is working on us, he's working a masterpiece. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1 says, 00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:49.460 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith 00:26:49.460 --> 00:26:55.340 ye are called. Are shoes walking for life? I think we'll pass it for now, but Psalm chapter 23 00:26:55.340 --> 00:27:02.140 mentions the shoes for walking for when we are that time of death. In our text here, we see the 00:27:02.140 --> 00:27:09.620 restoration. But then beyond that in verses 23 and 24, we see rejoicing. And bring hither the fatted calf 00:27:09.620 --> 00:27:16.240 and kill it and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and 00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:23.460 is found. And they began to be merry. The fatted calf represents the very best as Christ. Just like the 00:27:23.460 --> 00:27:29.580 calf was slain for the son, Christ was slain for us. What a satisfaction we have when we are restored 00:27:29.579 --> 00:27:34.779 to fellowship with the Father. And there's two things here I'd like to just focus on quickly. 00:27:35.639 --> 00:27:45.559 First off, the food. Our food is this book. Sometimes I hear people say, I keep praying to God 00:27:45.559 --> 00:27:51.399 and he never answers any of my prayers. And it's like, well, that's where you're failing. Because 00:27:51.399 --> 00:27:56.240 when we talk to God, that's our prayers. But how God answers and talks to us is through his word. 00:27:56.240 --> 00:28:04.599 And so many times we are selfish. We pray, we treat God as maybe a genie in a bottle. And we pray that 00:28:04.599 --> 00:28:11.079 he'll give, give, give. And we need to be searching out and seeing what he has for us through his word. 00:28:12.319 --> 00:28:13.779 Jeremiah 15, 16 says, 00:28:13.880 --> 00:28:20.140 Thy words were found, and I did eat them. And thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart, 00:28:20.140 --> 00:28:27.900 for I'm called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. We should be reading, memorizing, and meditating 00:28:27.900 --> 00:28:34.540 upon his word. Reading is kind of what we've been doing right now. Just we see the scripture, 00:28:34.920 --> 00:28:44.220 we read it. Memorizing, we even have the children doing that. Take that scripture and memorize it 00:28:44.220 --> 00:28:50.860 so you can say it. But then meditating is even more intense than both of those. It's taking what 00:28:50.860 --> 00:28:56.500 you've learned and applying that to your heart and to your life and live out what you read through 00:28:56.500 --> 00:29:03.660 scripture. Not only do we see the food, but we see the fellowship to be merry. Again, 1 John 1, 9 says, 00:29:03.660 --> 00:29:09.200 if we are faithful, or if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins 00:29:09.200 --> 00:29:15.440 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It has to be us that takes that initiative. 00:29:19.240 --> 00:29:23.560 Just like the younger son, we have to come to ourself. We have to be the ones to go to God 00:29:23.560 --> 00:29:25.220 because we were the ones that left.