WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.400 Luke chapter number 15. We're going to try to get into this and hit the ground running. 00:00:05.860 --> 00:00:10.440 We've got quite a bit of ground to cover, a story that maybe we're familiar with, but 00:00:10.440 --> 00:00:14.240 sometimes just because we're familiar with it doesn't mean we're really taking it in. 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:17.759 So we're going to read a little bit of Scripture here this morning. That's okay, right? 00:00:18.940 --> 00:00:23.840 Okay. It is church, so we are going to read the Bible, and then we're going to walk right 00:00:23.840 --> 00:00:27.460 through it. Here in Luke chapter number 15, verse number 11, the Bible says this, 00:00:27.880 --> 00:00:29.899 And he said, this is Jesus speaking, 00:00:29.899 --> 00:00:33.619 A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, 00:00:33.619 --> 00:00:40.119 Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 00:00:40.780 --> 00:00:45.000 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:50.979 country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, 00:00:51.099 --> 00:00:56.459 there arose a mighty famine in the land, and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself 00:00:56.459 --> 00:01:02.899 to a citizen of that country and sent him into the fields to feed swine. And he would fain have 00:01:02.899 --> 00:01:10.400 filled his belly with the husk that the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him. And when he came 00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:17.180 to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough to spare, and I perish 00:01:17.180 --> 00:01:22.819 with hunger? I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against 00:01:22.819 --> 00:01:29.039 heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired 00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:36.640 servants. And he arose and came to his father. But when he was a great way off, his father saw him 00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:43.219 and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, 00:01:43.320 --> 00:01:47.880 I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 00:01:48.540 --> 00:01:54.620 But the father said to the servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on 00:01:54.620 --> 00:02:00.480 his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and be 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:07.580 merry. For my son was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found, and they began to be merry. 00:02:08.659 --> 00:02:15.500 Now the elder son was in the field, and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. 00:02:16.300 --> 00:02:21.219 And he called to one of the servants and asked, What these things meant? And he said unto him, 00:02:21.219 --> 00:02:26.020 Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him 00:02:26.020 --> 00:02:35.240 safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore came his father out and entreated him. 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:42.259 And he answered and said unto his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I 00:02:42.259 --> 00:02:49.360 at any time thy commandment. And yet thou never gavest me a kid, or killed the fatted calf, that I might 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:57.540 make merry with my friends. But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with 00:02:57.540 --> 00:03:04.980 harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all 00:03:04.980 --> 00:03:11.980 that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad. For this thy brother was dead, 00:03:11.979 --> 00:03:19.899 and is alive again, and was lost, and is found. I want to preach the message entitled this this 00:03:19.899 --> 00:03:26.819 morning, The Heart of the Father. Maybe your Bible has the prodigal son written atop of it. I would 00:03:26.819 --> 00:03:32.599 submit to you this morning, this is not about a son that ran away. It's about a loving father that is 00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:36.579 always pursuing his children. And I think there's some great truths that we can glean from it this 00:03:36.579 --> 00:03:39.919 morning. Let's ask the Lord to bless our time together in the Word. Father, thank you for this 00:03:39.919 --> 00:03:44.419 opportunity to open up your Word. Lord, we're thankful for this beautiful chapter here in Luke 00:03:44.419 --> 00:03:49.500 chapter 15 that you've really just kind of pulled the curtain back and allowed us to see your heart 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:56.279 for us. Lord, we do not deserve your love. We sang about it. We're thankful for it. But Lord, we do not 00:03:56.279 --> 00:04:01.839 deserve it. But Lord, help us to be reminded that you didn't just come to draw a crowd. You didn't come to 00:04:01.839 --> 00:04:09.060 preach a message or to feed the bellies. Lord, you came to fill the heart, to save the souls. And Lord, 00:04:09.060 --> 00:04:12.199 I pray there's somebody here today that doesn't know you as Savior, that today would be that day. 00:04:12.740 --> 00:04:18.060 But Lord, maybe there's some here that their heart is far from you. And Lord, you're pursuing after 00:04:18.060 --> 00:04:23.560 them. Lord, I pray you would just continue to call your children home. Continue to call those that 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:27.579 are wayward. Lord, I pray that you would just be glorified in everything we do. And we ask it in 00:04:27.579 --> 00:04:34.959 Christ's name. Amen. Thank you so much for standing. May you be seated. Have you ever watched somebody make a 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:40.639 decision that you knew was going to end badly? Any of you have any redneck friends? They say, 00:04:40.719 --> 00:04:46.859 hey, watch this. Never going to end well. It sounds really good. I mean, in their mind, 00:04:46.919 --> 00:04:50.599 they think they've thought it out. And maybe it was a friend. Maybe it was one of your children. Maybe 00:04:50.599 --> 00:04:54.839 it's a co-worker. Maybe if you're being honest, it's the person staring back at you in the mirror. 00:04:55.819 --> 00:05:00.779 You're trying to convince yourself. And maybe you want to say something. You want to try to stop them. 00:05:00.779 --> 00:05:06.459 You want to spare them heartache if it's a bad decision in that regard. But I'm sure you found 00:05:06.459 --> 00:05:11.659 out with other people and yourself that some people are just absolutely convinced they know 00:05:11.659 --> 00:05:18.299 exactly what they are doing. Ever run into that? I deal with that all the time in my own life. And 00:05:18.299 --> 00:05:22.859 the Lord has to remind me, I don't know what I'm doing. I mean, as parents, I'm sure you've had a 00:05:22.859 --> 00:05:27.559 moment like this and your child says, dad, I got this. And in my mind, I'm thinking, there's no way you 00:05:27.560 --> 00:05:31.600 have this. Like, you've tried this over and over again. I remember when my kids were little and 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:36.259 they couldn't read yet. And they'd go to a store and it says, pull. And they are just pushing as 00:05:36.259 --> 00:05:41.079 hard as they can. I'm like, you want me to help you? I got this, dad. All right, we're just going 00:05:41.079 --> 00:05:44.920 to stand outside of this store for the next 20 minutes while you keep pushing on the door. 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:49.879 Maybe you've watched someone buy something they absolutely could not afford. You're thinking, 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:54.420 I don't know how this is going to work. This is not going to end well for them. Or maybe start a 00:05:54.420 --> 00:05:58.620 relationship that everybody seemed to know it was a bad idea except that one person. 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:06.199 Or maybe you've confidently taken something apart, knowing you think you can fix it, but you have no 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:13.300 chance of putting it back together. You know, you look at my YouTube history, it's how to put a dryer 00:06:13.300 --> 00:06:20.800 back together. I can get it apart really easy. Getting it back together and working again is a totally 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:26.660 different story. And I think we've all been there when it comes to bad decision making, whether you've 00:06:26.660 --> 00:06:31.980 seen it or you've dealt with it on a personal level. And I would imagine in a room this size, 00:06:32.100 --> 00:06:38.460 most of us have lived long enough to know this simple truth, that freedom doesn't always lead 00:06:38.460 --> 00:06:44.460 to fulfillment. Just because you can make a decision, just because nobody's stopping you, 00:06:44.740 --> 00:06:49.680 just because it's there in front of you, doesn't necessarily mean it's a great decision. 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:55.660 It doesn't mean it's something that we should do. I think if we're being honest, some of the biggest 00:06:55.660 --> 00:07:01.720 regrets in life begin with these words, well, I just thought I could do it my way. It might have 00:07:01.720 --> 00:07:06.460 been a good song back in the day, but it's a terrible way to live your life. I mean, Frank Sinatra did not 00:07:06.460 --> 00:07:12.399 read Luke chapter 15, apparently, when he wrote this, when he wrote that song. Well, that's what Jesus does 00:07:12.399 --> 00:07:18.100 here in Luke chapter number 15. We would probably know this story if you're familiar with this chapter as 00:07:18.100 --> 00:07:23.400 the prodigal son, but I think that causes us to really miss what Jesus is emphasizing here. 00:07:24.080 --> 00:07:30.260 It's not about this wayward son, because when you look at it, there's actually two lost sons in this 00:07:30.260 --> 00:07:39.160 story. One is lost in rebellion. The other is kind of lost in religion. One leaves home, and one never 00:07:39.160 --> 00:07:45.220 leaves home. One's sin is obvious. The Bible says that he wasted it on riotous living, and the other's 00:07:45.220 --> 00:07:53.120 sin is hidden. See, it's not about the sons. I submit to you that this story is about the extraordinary 00:07:53.120 --> 00:08:00.440 heart of a loving father. And before we really step into this story and walk through it, I just want 00:08:00.440 --> 00:08:06.200 to remind us why Jesus is telling this story. See, nothing has changed since the beginning of Luke 00:08:06.200 --> 00:08:10.940 chapter number 15. If you were here last week, we kind of really dove into it, but notice verse number 00:08:10.939 --> 00:08:18.319 one, the Bible says this, then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners to hear him. So all these 00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:24.680 dregs of society, all these people that were complete outcasts that were not allowed to even worship in the 00:08:24.680 --> 00:08:30.620 synagogue, they are coming and they are gathering around Jesus. Verse number two, and the Pharisees and 00:08:30.620 --> 00:08:36.559 scribes, they murmured, they're complaining, they're grumbling. Here's what they were saying, this man, talking 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:44.779 about Jesus, receiveth sinners and eateth with them. So that's what's taking place. That's the atmosphere. 00:08:45.019 --> 00:08:52.079 That's the context of these stories. And last week we saw in the first ten verses that Jesus began to 00:08:52.079 --> 00:08:59.039 answer their grumbling, answer their murmuring by giving some parables. The first parable he gave was 00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:06.159 of one of a shepherd who was searching for one lost sheep. He had a hundred sheep, ninety-nine were there, 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:11.639 but there was one that was gone and he was determined to find it. He also introduced us in 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:17.600 verse number eight to a woman who was most likely very poor, living day by day, paycheck to paycheck, 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:24.500 and she lost a coin that would have been equivalent of a day's pay. And she turned the house upside down, 00:09:24.839 --> 00:09:32.319 searching for it. And in both stories, Jesus is revealing the heart of God. He's revealing that 00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:39.080 God values the lost. It doesn't matter if you have ninety-nine sheep, He still values that one lost 00:09:39.080 --> 00:09:45.540 sheep. Not only does God value the lost, He seeks for them. He's going, He's good, He's willing and 00:09:45.540 --> 00:09:50.280 determined to find them no matter what. He's not going to search for a little while and give up. No, 00:09:50.340 --> 00:09:57.040 He's going to find the lost sheep and the lost coin. And what we saw in verses seven and verse number 00:09:57.039 --> 00:10:05.939 10 of this chapter is that when they are found, God rejoices, that He finds joy in transforming lives. 00:10:07.259 --> 00:10:12.959 But here in our text this morning in verses 11 through 32, Jesus is going to tell a story that 00:10:12.959 --> 00:10:22.219 reveals the heart of God. See, the sheep wondered. The coin was helpless. But in our text this morning, 00:10:22.220 --> 00:10:30.540 we find a son who chose to leave, who chose to walk away, who willingly left on his own accord. 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:37.300 And Jesus reminds us this, that sin isn't merely something that happens to us. No, here's what it is. 00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:45.180 It's a willful rejection of the Father. He didn't just fall into this. No, He chose to do what He did. 00:10:45.540 --> 00:10:50.000 He chose to walk away. He chose to take all the love that He received to Him and said, 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:56.240 hey, I can find something better. But here's the awesome thing. Even when the son chose that, 00:10:56.539 --> 00:11:02.240 God's love did not change. It remained steady. Why? Because He's the same yesterday and today 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:08.200 and forever. And as we dive into this text, here's kind of the big idea that we're going to see. 00:11:08.840 --> 00:11:15.200 That the Father's grace is great enough to restore those who have wondered far away from home, 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:20.460 and it's great enough for those who realize, who've never even realized they're lost. 00:11:21.360 --> 00:11:26.540 That God's grace isn't just for one group of people, simply said. It's for all people. It's for 00:11:26.540 --> 00:11:31.540 all situations. So we're going to ask the same and answer the same question that we did last week. 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:38.240 What does Jesus reveal about the Father's heart towards sinners here in our text? What does it reveal 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:42.840 in this story? He's going to give us three pictures of the Father's heart. And the first thing that we 00:11:42.840 --> 00:11:50.019 see is this, found in verses 11 through 16, is the Father gives us the freedom to choose. He gives us 00:11:50.019 --> 00:11:56.580 the freedom to choose. Jesus begins there in verse number 11, a certain man had two sons. So He's 00:11:56.580 --> 00:12:01.620 painting the picture, but immediately the younger speaks up and He says in verse number 12, hey dad, 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:06.580 I'm tired of this house. I'm tired of all these rules. I'm just going to go live my life. Give me my 00:12:06.580 --> 00:12:13.200 inheritance. And that's kind of the mindset that this young man came with. And to us, it might sound 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:19.240 like an impatient son asking for an early inheritance. I mean, you're like, hey, he's going 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:24.860 to get it. Why doesn't he just get it now? No, but to Jesus' audience, to the group gathered around Him, 00:12:25.020 --> 00:12:31.120 this would have been a shocking request. Because in Jewish culture, an inheritance was distributed 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:38.159 after the Father's death. That's how things operated. So in essence, the Son is simply saying, 00:12:38.379 --> 00:12:44.539 hey listen, since you're not dead, I want what's mine now. I really don't care about what you want 00:12:44.539 --> 00:12:49.159 for me, Dad. I'd rather you be dead so I could have my stuff. That's kind of what He's saying. 00:12:49.740 --> 00:12:57.080 This is very bold. This is very audacious of how He's coming to His Father. You see, this wasn't just a 00:12:57.080 --> 00:13:03.680 financial request. He wasn't just behind on some bills. No, here's what it really is. It's a relational 00:13:03.680 --> 00:13:11.960 rejection. He's saying, I don't want anything to do with you anymore. Give me what's mine and let me go. 00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:19.960 That's the idea behind it. See, He wanted the Father's possessions without wanting the Father 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:27.620 Himself. And before we get too hard on the younger Son, I think sometimes we may need to look into the 00:13:27.620 --> 00:13:34.600 mirror. Because how often do we want God's blessings maybe without His authority in our life? 00:13:35.540 --> 00:13:42.360 How often do we want the peace that God offers without the Lordship of our life? You see, 00:13:42.580 --> 00:13:47.240 how often do we want the forgiveness without the surrender? God, forgive me, but just let me do what I 00:13:47.240 --> 00:13:54.080 want to do. See, we give this young man a hard time, but if we're honest, sometimes we are the same way 00:13:54.080 --> 00:14:00.379 with our Heavenly Father. Saying, listen, I just want what you can give me instead of what you are. 00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:07.039 And see, like the younger Son, we often want God, we want the gifts more than we want the giver. 00:14:07.980 --> 00:14:15.379 But the amazing thing that we see in verse number 12 is the Father grants the request. He said, 00:14:15.379 --> 00:14:20.620 hey, Dad, give me all my portion. And the end of it says, and He divided unto Him His living. 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:29.419 You think, and you read it, you think, why doesn't He stop them? Why doesn't He refuse to give Him this 00:14:29.419 --> 00:14:38.220 inheritance? Well, I think Jesus is showing us that love cannot be forced. You know, try to get your 00:14:38.220 --> 00:14:42.340 kids to eat something. You're going to eat this, and you're going to like it. Any other parents say that? 00:14:42.340 --> 00:14:47.379 And then you're over there trying to act like you like it, because if you don't, then your wife's like, 00:14:47.460 --> 00:14:53.139 you're going to eat this, and you're going to like it. I'm like, I like this. You know, it's kind of one 00:14:53.139 --> 00:15:00.580 of those situations. You can't force somebody to love somebody. He's not going to say, hey, you're 00:15:00.580 --> 00:15:04.780 going to stay in this house, you're not getting the inheritance, and you're going to like it, and you 00:15:04.780 --> 00:15:09.139 have no other options. No, here's what the Father does. He allows His Son to make a choice. 00:15:09.139 --> 00:15:16.279 And it just reminds us that God doesn't force people into obedience. That's not how God operates. 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:21.600 No, here's what He does. He invites them into relationship. We see that all throughout Scripture. 00:15:21.860 --> 00:15:25.939 We see it from the Old Testament all the way into the New Testament, that He is not forcing Himself. 00:15:26.100 --> 00:15:32.039 No, God is a gentleman. He is inviting. He's giving all the evidence. He shows us all the truth, but He 00:15:32.039 --> 00:15:39.299 lets us choose. But since we have a choice, He also allows them to walk away if they choose. 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:45.759 And that's what's taking place here in this text. Notice how quickly He leaves, and not many days 00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:52.339 after the younger son gathered all together. I mean, He converts everything into cash. He cuts every tie 00:15:52.339 --> 00:15:58.579 to home, and He leaves without looking back. That's what the Bible tells us, that He gathered, 00:15:58.580 --> 00:16:05.340 and He took His journey into a far country, and there wasted His substance with riotous living. 00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:13.700 You see, the far country had become attractive to Him, because in His heart and in His mind, 00:16:13.860 --> 00:16:18.940 He believed life would be much better without His Father always looking over His shoulder, 00:16:19.420 --> 00:16:24.560 without His Father telling Him what to do, and where to go, and how to live. But here's the reality. 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:31.500 The far country wasn't just a place. It was a condition of His heart. That's what it was. 00:16:32.199 --> 00:16:40.259 You see, He left home long before He packed His bags, long before He was already there. And I think 00:16:40.259 --> 00:16:46.359 it works the same way in our lives. Before there's ever outward rebellion, there's an inward wandering 00:16:46.359 --> 00:16:52.759 in our heart. That's why we sing that old song, hey, bind my heart. I'm prone to wonder. Lord, 00:16:52.759 --> 00:17:00.319 I feel it. Listen, we have that within us. Because the truth is, nobody wakes up one morning and says, 00:17:00.379 --> 00:17:06.599 you know what? I'm going to abandon God today. That's not how that works. No, the drift begins 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:13.940 in the heart. So He gathers His things, He goes to the country, and He wastes all His inheritance. 00:17:14.980 --> 00:17:19.480 That word waste means what you think it means. It means to scatter, to throw away, to squander. 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:28.160 Father, everything the Father gave Him, He wasted it. He just thought He was living for Himself. 00:17:29.380 --> 00:17:34.839 Listen, that's what sin does, by the way. You know what sin does? It wastes opportunities. 00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:45.240 It wastes relationships. It wastes years of your life. It wastes God's good gifts. 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:51.240 I'm sure you've heard it, but sin always promises more than it could deliver. 00:17:53.259 --> 00:17:58.019 It looks so fancy. It looks so fun. It looks like everybody's involved with it. But here's what it 00:17:58.019 --> 00:18:05.819 does. It advertises freedom, but produces slavery in your life. Read Romans chapter 6. That became His 00:18:05.819 --> 00:18:11.279 master. So He's there, and He's living life, and He thinks everything's really good. But here's the 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:18.180 problem. The money runs out. The friends disappear. The fun ended. And on top of that, to add insult to 00:18:18.180 --> 00:18:26.500 injury, verse 14, and when He had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in the land. So now He's there. 00:18:27.339 --> 00:18:33.899 He's in this far country. He's away from everybody that loves Him. He's wasted everything, and now there's 00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:40.360 a famine. And the young man who demanded his inheritance and said, Father, I'd be much better 00:18:40.360 --> 00:18:49.060 without you. Now in verse 15 and 16, He's living in a pig pen, literally. The Bible says that He joined 00:18:49.060 --> 00:18:55.519 Himself to a citizen of that country. And once again, just a little background history for us. 00:18:56.080 --> 00:19:01.740 To us, we think, okay, He went on a trip. This would be a Jewish man living in a Gentile country, 00:19:01.740 --> 00:19:10.900 which was a no-go for them. And He's working as a hired servant, the lowest of low. And not only is 00:19:10.900 --> 00:19:17.440 he working for this man, he's feeding pigs which were ceremonially unclean. I mean, this is called 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:26.599 the bottom of the barrel. That is where this man is. But it's just a constant picture in this text 00:19:26.599 --> 00:19:32.879 of reminding us of what sin does. When he left home, he didn't think, man, you know, one day, 00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:41.799 I'm probably going to be in a pig pen. It's going to be amazing. No. We never think that. We never 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:46.240 think that that's where that decision is going to take us, how that's going to play out. I mean, 00:19:46.279 --> 00:19:50.019 my preacher said it all the time growing up. I mean, it's just kind of ingrained in my brain. But 00:19:50.019 --> 00:19:55.559 sin, it takes you farther than you intend to go. It keeps you longer than you intend to stay. 00:19:55.559 --> 00:20:00.700 And it costs you a lot more than you ever intended to pay. That's where this man is. 00:20:01.399 --> 00:20:08.720 That's the life that he is living. Because he thought, he said, the Father really doesn't love 00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:14.079 me. He didn't realize how good he had it. Because he thought in his mind, there's got to be more to 00:20:14.079 --> 00:20:19.960 life than this. There's got to be more to life. There's got to be satisfaction outside of these walls, 00:20:20.460 --> 00:20:25.240 outside of these rules, outside of this law. That's what he was thinking. That's where he was 00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:29.599 living. And may I ask you, where have you been looking for satisfaction? 00:20:31.220 --> 00:20:38.099 Where have you convinced yourself, if I just had this, I'd be happy? It might be a raise. It might 00:20:38.099 --> 00:20:43.180 be more money. It might be a different relationship, an accomplishment, more success. 00:20:43.180 --> 00:20:50.920 But I think the younger son teaches us a lesson that will never outgrow. And here's what he's 00:20:50.920 --> 00:20:56.779 teaching us in these first few verses, that anything we pursue apart from the Father will 00:20:56.779 --> 00:21:05.680 always leave us empty-handed. He has nothing to show for his life. He wasted it all. He spent all, 00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:10.200 the Bible says. It makes it very clear. He had nothing. But yet, when he took that journey, 00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:14.400 he thought, I'm going to find everything. It's all out there. I just got to find it. 00:21:16.559 --> 00:21:22.100 Why was he empty-handed? Because the greatest gift the Father can ever give a child, 00:21:22.700 --> 00:21:27.660 the greatest gift that our Heavenly Father can ever give us, is not the gifts of himself. It's him. 00:21:28.880 --> 00:21:33.740 He missed what the real gift was. He thought, you know what, my dad knows nothing. Just give me my 00:21:33.740 --> 00:21:37.779 money so I can run. He didn't realize the most important thing he ever had in his life 00:21:37.779 --> 00:21:44.099 was his father. That his father loved him, and he took care of him, and he had everything he 00:21:44.099 --> 00:21:50.399 possibly could need. But I'm so thankful that this story doesn't end in the pig pen. 00:21:52.139 --> 00:21:59.859 Sometimes God allows us, and we have to come to the end of ourselves, so we can discover that 00:21:59.859 --> 00:22:05.859 everything we've been searching for has been found in him all along. That's where this young man had to 00:22:05.859 --> 00:22:13.859 come. And in these next verses, Jesus introduces us to a wonderful picture of grace that's found all 00:22:13.859 --> 00:22:20.299 throughout Scripture, from Genesis to the book of Revelation, that a father never stopped watching, 00:22:20.599 --> 00:22:27.539 he never stopped loving, he never stopped waiting for his son to come home. So not only does God give 00:22:27.539 --> 00:22:34.519 us the choice to choose our life, but he never stopped waiting for his son to come home. He 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:44.319 will return. He joyfully receives those who return in verse 17 through 24. I mean, verses 11 through 16 00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:51.359 are depressing. I mean, they leave us with this feeling of the emptiness of sin, and it should. 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:57.579 We need to be reminded that's where sin leads. It only leads to death. It doesn't lead to anything 00:22:57.579 --> 00:23:02.439 good. But I'm so thankful for this second part, because it hopefully is going to leave us just 00:23:02.439 --> 00:23:09.039 marveling at the grace of God. But Larry sang about it this morning. I'm so thankful for the grace of 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:15.919 God. But the Apostle Paul said, it's by the grace of God I am what I am. It's by the grace of God that 00:23:15.920 --> 00:23:22.420 we're here. It's by the grace of God that he loves us. And probably my favorite line in this whole story 00:23:22.420 --> 00:23:30.820 is verse number 17, and when he came to himself. You ever had that aha moment? We call it aha 00:23:30.820 --> 00:23:36.940 realization, like what am I doing? We've had that moment, maybe you were running, maybe you were 00:23:36.940 --> 00:23:42.120 looking for satisfaction, and it's just like the light goes off. Here's what it is. It's the Holy Spirit 00:23:42.119 --> 00:23:49.699 saying, hey, there's more to life than this. And he said, I got to change something. This is not 00:23:49.699 --> 00:23:54.259 working. I mean, it would have been much better if he did it before he got to the big pen, but I'm 00:23:54.259 --> 00:23:57.959 thankful it doesn't matter if you're in the pig pen or you're on the way to the big pen. You got to come 00:23:57.959 --> 00:24:02.539 to yourself and realize, hey, God has something much better for me. And that's what we see in verse 00:24:02.539 --> 00:24:08.479 number 17, that the younger son had been living under the illusion that life away from his father would be 00:24:08.480 --> 00:24:16.440 so satisfying. But the illusion's gone, the money's gone, the friends are gone, the pleasure's gone, 00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:22.759 and now he's facing reality. Why am I here? How did I get here? 00:24:25.019 --> 00:24:30.960 And that's a wonderful place to be, actually, because that's where repentance truly takes place. 00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:36.960 The Bible tells us in Matthew chapter 5, verse number 3, blessed are the poor in spirit. You know 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:43.259 where salvation begins? When you realize you are spiritually bankrupt, that you have nothing. 00:24:43.880 --> 00:24:48.340 And if something doesn't change, and if God doesn't show up, then it's not going to end well, 00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:54.500 and we begin to stop blaming everyone else and honestly see ourselves before God as who we are. 00:24:55.200 --> 00:25:02.279 The Bible says in verse 17, he came to himself. He didn't blame the famine. He said, man, I'd be fine 00:25:02.279 --> 00:25:07.000 if there wasn't this stinking famine in the land. Hey, I'd be fine if some of those friends that I, 00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:12.700 that borrowed some money, they'd just pay me back. I mean, what's their deal? He doesn't blame his 00:25:12.700 --> 00:25:16.259 father saying, well, if he really loved me, he wouldn't have given me this inheritance. 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:23.799 Sometimes we can blame God for things that we ask for. Some of the, some of the worst things we can 00:25:23.799 --> 00:25:28.440 have in life is God finally gives us what we want. Because sometimes we have to learn the lesson the 00:25:28.440 --> 00:25:34.940 hard way. He doesn't make excuses. We don't find that anywhere here in these verses. No, here's what 00:25:34.940 --> 00:25:43.299 he recognizes. I'm the problem. It's my sin that put me here. And no one is ever saved until they 00:25:43.299 --> 00:25:50.519 first realize they're lost. See, he was fine when he was living it up, when life was good, so to speak, 00:25:50.519 --> 00:25:54.940 when the pleasure was there and when the money was flowing and the friends were all around. But he 00:25:54.940 --> 00:26:00.220 realized for the first time since leaving home, he begins thinking about somebody other than himself. 00:26:01.480 --> 00:26:07.639 He begins to think about his father. When he came to himself, he said, how many hired servants 00:26:07.639 --> 00:26:15.039 of my father's have bread enough to spare and I perish with hunger? I mean, life will hit you really, 00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:21.059 really hard in the face when he's thinking about his home and the lavish spread they used to have all 00:26:21.059 --> 00:26:26.240 the time. He thought that was just normal. Now he's in a pig pen just trying to maybe eat some husk 00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:29.740 that they have. You ever seen, I mean, I grew up in the city, but first time I saw a pig pen, I was like, 00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:34.819 I get it now. That's disgusting. You know, walking, I remember we, I think Brother Kevin took us out there 00:26:34.819 --> 00:26:38.940 to the, when they were showing pigs, we were walking to the barn, I'm like, this is gross. Listen, I'm for bacon. 00:26:38.940 --> 00:26:44.360 I'm not for going into barns. You know, that's just kind of, that's more, that's kind of how I roll. 00:26:45.700 --> 00:26:47.779 I mean, that will make anybody come to themselves. 00:26:49.980 --> 00:26:55.200 But notice what he remembers about his father. He remembers the kindness of his father. 00:26:56.820 --> 00:27:02.720 He didn't say, oh man, I love how my dad treats his family. No, he said, my father's so good, he even 00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:08.080 treats his servants well. How many servants at home just have enough bread? I mean, they have bread for 00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:16.159 me to have some. They'd have enough to spare. And suddenly he realizes, man, life in my father's 00:27:16.159 --> 00:27:23.980 house is actually a lot better than a far country. I wish I would have stayed there. You see, sin can 00:27:23.980 --> 00:27:29.740 convince you that you're missing out of, by following God. Yeah, you're missing out of things. You're 00:27:29.740 --> 00:27:35.599 missing out of guilt and shame and heartache and regret and pain and difficulty. You're missing out 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:40.679 on a lot of those things. But sooner or later, we're going to discover that it's not difficult, 00:27:40.679 --> 00:27:45.019 that God loves us, and he's going to walk with us through this life. And there's no better place 00:27:45.019 --> 00:27:51.980 to be than in the father's house, to be in the family, to be near to him. He's going to take care 00:27:51.980 --> 00:27:56.939 of us. He's going to care for us. He's going to love us. And so in verses 18 and 19, the son makes one 00:27:56.939 --> 00:28:01.579 of the greatest decisions. He says, hey, listen, I'm going to go back. I'm going to tell my father, 00:28:01.579 --> 00:28:09.699 I'm sorry, father. I've sinned. I messed up. And we see in verse 18 and 19, he doesn't just feel 00:28:09.699 --> 00:28:19.000 guilty. He acts. You know, sometimes I know growing up, this hypothetical, of course, I felt guilty, 00:28:19.919 --> 00:28:26.059 but I didn't do anything about it. You know, when I was, I was sad because my dad knew now, 00:28:26.059 --> 00:28:32.359 but you know what? It didn't really change anything. No, no, here's what we see this son do. 00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:40.019 He begins to act because true repentance is more than sorrow. No, no, true biblical repentance, 00:28:40.159 --> 00:28:46.399 here's what it does. It changes direction. He was going this way. He said, this is not working. 00:28:46.740 --> 00:28:51.579 I need to go back the other way. I need to turn toward the father. I need to turn towards him. 00:28:51.579 --> 00:28:56.460 And that's what repentance does. He's no longer running from his father. Now he's running to his 00:28:56.460 --> 00:29:00.379 father. And he's got this speech prepared. Maybe he's got a note card he keeps looking at, making 00:29:00.379 --> 00:29:05.059 sure he's going to say the right thing when he shows back up. That's what we see in verse number 19. 00:29:05.339 --> 00:29:10.139 We see the humility. There's no self-defense. There's no attempt to negotiate. He's just said, 00:29:10.319 --> 00:29:14.039 hey, when I get home, I'm going to see dad and I'm going to say, dad, make me a hired servant. 00:29:14.039 --> 00:29:19.779 There's no self-defense. There's no self-defense. There's no self-defense. There's no self-defense. 00:29:19.779 --> 00:29:24.000 Because he knows in his mind that he has forfeited the right to be called a son. 00:29:24.940 --> 00:29:30.559 So he's just willing just to be in the house, just to have some provision in his life. 00:29:31.879 --> 00:29:37.559 Maybe in his mind he thought, well, if I get home and I work real hard, maybe I can earn my way back. 00:29:38.299 --> 00:29:43.960 Maybe I can earn my way back into dad's good graces. Maybe he thinks, I'll just spend the rest of 00:29:43.960 --> 00:29:48.259 my life paying off the debt and that's going to be okay because I know this, my God, my father will 00:29:48.259 --> 00:29:55.259 take care of me. Maybe that was his mindset. And that mindset I would submit to you today is still 00:29:55.259 --> 00:30:01.319 alive and well. Maybe you've wondered from God, maybe life is not where it should be and maybe 00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:05.319 God has kind of woke you up and said, hey, something's got to change. Let me just remind you, 00:30:05.319 --> 00:30:12.100 it's not if I just do good enough. Your life's not all about if I clean myself up, if I prove myself, 00:30:12.099 --> 00:30:16.480 then maybe God will take me back. No, there's something even greater than that. It's called 00:30:16.480 --> 00:30:23.480 grace. That's not how grace works. We're saved by grace. We're kept by grace. We're sustained by 00:30:23.480 --> 00:30:30.939 grace. We don't have to earn it. It was freely given to us. Now it cost Jesus his life on the cross. 00:30:32.339 --> 00:30:37.980 But I love this. This son, he's rehearsing this speech in his head and he's thinking, man, 00:30:37.980 --> 00:30:47.000 I hope this works. But before he ever got home, dad was looking. Look at verse number 20. 00:30:47.759 --> 00:30:57.299 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, the father saw him. 00:30:58.360 --> 00:31:05.839 How? Because he was looking. Because he was waiting. Because this is what he had been praying 00:31:05.839 --> 00:31:12.500 for day after day, week after week, month after month, perhaps year after year. He just wanted his 00:31:12.500 --> 00:31:18.599 son to come home. And though the son's heart was far from his father's house, his father's heart was 00:31:18.599 --> 00:31:24.379 never far from the son. Every morning he may walk up and say, hey, this might be the day my son comes 00:31:24.379 --> 00:31:29.279 home. And I'm going to be ready and I'm going to be waiting. And what a picture of God's heart 00:31:29.279 --> 00:31:36.299 towards sinners. Listen, God is not reluctant to receive sinners. He's not saying, ugh, that guy 00:31:36.299 --> 00:31:41.039 looks like he's been in the pig pen. No, here's what he does. He picks us up. He cleans us off himself. 00:31:41.259 --> 00:31:48.579 He sets our feet on a rock. He establishes a joy and peace and hope in our hearts. No, God longs for 00:31:48.579 --> 00:31:54.399 his children to come home. The father doesn't just see his son. Notice what it says. He had compassion. 00:31:54.400 --> 00:32:04.140 That word means he was moved. He was moved to action. His compassion wasn't cold. It wasn't 00:32:04.140 --> 00:32:09.240 distant. It wasn't just merely intellectual. No, his heart broke for his son. 00:32:11.500 --> 00:32:16.800 But then comes one of the most surprising moments in all of Scripture, and especially for the original 00:32:16.800 --> 00:32:22.660 listeners that had been gathered around Jesus. Not only did he have compassion, here's what the father did. 00:32:22.660 --> 00:32:33.140 He ran. That was a no-go in the Middle Eastern world. Middle Eastern patriarchs did not run. 00:32:33.940 --> 00:32:39.500 That would have disgraced themselves. They would have to gird up their robes a little bit, and they 00:32:39.500 --> 00:32:45.360 would have exposed their legs. And in that situation, and in that culture, that was an absolutely awful 00:32:45.359 --> 00:32:51.919 thing. Men did not run. Some of you are like, man, that's my life verse now. I'm not running. 00:32:53.059 --> 00:32:59.199 I hear all the verse I run. Oh, the wicked run when nobody chases. Get over it. But in this culture, 00:32:59.299 --> 00:33:04.579 in this story, when he said, and the father ran, they would have been like, you can't do that. You 00:33:04.579 --> 00:33:12.619 can't run. But you know what we see here? That the father willingly lays aside his dignity because his 00:33:12.619 --> 00:33:21.239 son matters more to him than his own reputation. Read Philippians chapter 2, that Jesus became of 00:33:21.239 --> 00:33:28.839 no reputation, that he humbled himself as a servant. Why? Because he loved us more than his own 00:33:28.839 --> 00:33:36.279 reputation. And we see God running in this story. And many Bible scholars point out that a young Jewish 00:33:36.279 --> 00:33:42.859 man that would have done something like this, gone and wasted his living on, especially with the Gentiles, 00:33:42.980 --> 00:33:47.639 they would have had a ceremony called the Kazaza. I'm sure that's completely wrong, but that's just 00:33:47.639 --> 00:33:54.960 what it looks like when I say it. But here's what it was. When this young man would have came back, 00:33:55.779 --> 00:34:00.680 the community, the little village he would have been in, they would have gathered around him. They would 00:34:00.680 --> 00:34:06.259 have publicly rejected him. They would have declared him cut off from any help, any community, anything 00:34:06.259 --> 00:34:17.619 like that. But before the village could reach him, the father does. He shields him from it. He runs. He 00:34:17.619 --> 00:34:22.880 embraces him. He publicly identifies with his son. And instead of allowing his son to bear the shame alone, 00:34:22.880 --> 00:34:34.320 he bears it himself. I think we can see the picture that Jesus willingly bore our sin and our shame. 00:34:35.500 --> 00:34:42.940 The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5, 21, he became sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the 00:34:42.940 --> 00:34:48.240 righteousness of God in him, that he took our place, he endured the cross so that we could receive that 00:34:48.239 --> 00:34:53.819 embrace from the father, that invites us into his house, and invites us into his table. And Jesus 00:34:53.819 --> 00:35:00.399 continues and says, and he fell on his neck, and he kissed him. He was showing affection. He was showing 00:35:00.399 --> 00:35:07.439 joy, just like the lost sheep, just like the lost coin. When lost sinners are found, the father rejoices. 00:35:08.819 --> 00:35:13.279 And the son begins to immediately go into his speech that he had rehearsed. He pulls his note card out of 00:35:13.279 --> 00:35:17.779 his pocket, and he begins to say it. But before he could finish, the father said, hey, 00:35:17.780 --> 00:35:26.500 none of that. Go get a robe. Go get the ring. Go kill the fatted calf. You know what that is? That's grace. 00:35:28.080 --> 00:35:35.780 God doesn't love us because we've earned it. God loves us because that's who he is. That's what we see in 00:35:35.780 --> 00:35:46.400 this picture. He never has to ask to be a hired servant. The father says there in verse number 22, 00:35:46.400 --> 00:35:54.480 bring forth the best robe. Most likely in whose robe this would have been? The father's. Because he's 00:35:54.480 --> 00:36:01.900 the father of the house. He's going to have the best robe. And he gives them his robe. The dirty rags of 00:36:01.900 --> 00:36:08.680 a far country are immediately replaced, and our righteousness, our dirty rags, God replaces them with 00:36:08.679 --> 00:36:15.719 his own. And God doesn't simply clean us up. No, he clothes us in his righteousness. He says not only 00:36:15.719 --> 00:36:21.539 get him a robe, he said put a ring on his finger. The ring, it would have represented authority and 00:36:21.539 --> 00:36:29.319 identity and family. That he's not just a servant. No, he's part of the family. The son isn't returning to 00:36:29.319 --> 00:36:36.819 work. No, he's being restored as a son. And the father wanted to make that known. He said, get some shoes 00:36:36.820 --> 00:36:44.960 for his feet. Servants often went barefooted in these days. He came home without shoes. Sons wore 00:36:44.960 --> 00:36:54.680 sandals. He's clothing them. And every gift is saying the same thing. You belong here. This is your home. 00:36:55.360 --> 00:37:02.740 I am your father. And he says in verse number 23, bring hither the fatted calf and kill it and let us 00:37:02.739 --> 00:37:11.439 eat and be merry. See, the father doesn't just merely forgive. He celebrates. Because God doesn't 00:37:11.439 --> 00:37:20.059 just reluctantly tolerate sinners. No, he delights in restoring them. Let me just remind you this morning, 00:37:20.159 --> 00:37:26.619 maybe you've believed the lie that you've wandered too far. Maybe you've convinced yourself that God 00:37:26.619 --> 00:37:34.619 could never receive someone like you. But Luke 15 makes it pretty clear that's not how God operates. 00:37:35.420 --> 00:37:41.259 That's not how he views you. No, he values you. He loves you. In fact, he's running to you today. 00:37:41.559 --> 00:37:47.559 And friend, I want you to see that's the heart of God. And at this point, if we were writing the story, 00:37:47.739 --> 00:37:52.579 this seems like a great ending. I mean, I love good endings like this. You kind of see it all and you're 00:37:52.579 --> 00:37:57.900 like, man, this is great. The son is home. The father's rejoicing. The feast has begun. Roll the credits. 00:38:01.420 --> 00:38:08.360 But Jesus is none because there's another lost son. One who never left home for the far country, 00:38:08.619 --> 00:38:14.659 but his heart is just as far from the father. And that's what we see in verses 25 through 32. We see 00:38:14.659 --> 00:38:20.480 this last point. The father lovingly pursues those who think they don't need him. 00:38:22.579 --> 00:38:28.819 I hope you can see the picture now. We read verse 1 and 2. You know, the younger son is the tax 00:38:28.819 --> 00:38:33.840 collector. He's the publican. He's the sinner. But the Pharisees that are gathered around, you know 00:38:33.840 --> 00:38:39.079 who they are? They're the younger son. They're the older brother. They've kept all the rules. 00:38:40.219 --> 00:38:46.920 Not one commandment is he broken, he says. See, while the younger brother was returning home, 00:38:46.980 --> 00:38:51.500 the older brother was busy working. You see the picture the Pharisees were always trying to do that. 00:38:51.500 --> 00:38:56.460 Check all the boxes. Tithe and do all the things they're supposed to do and be good older brothers. 00:38:57.880 --> 00:39:01.480 But as he approached the house, he heard the music and the laughter and the celebration. He said, 00:39:01.539 --> 00:39:05.679 hey, what's going on in there? The servants all said, you're not going to believe this. 00:39:05.880 --> 00:39:11.559 Your younger brother's home. And your dad was so excited. He said, kill the fatted calf. It's a party. 00:39:11.699 --> 00:39:19.719 Come on in. Verse 28, and he was angry. How many times over the last few chapters in the Gospel of Luke 00:39:19.719 --> 00:39:23.239 that when Jesus does something, when Jesus restores his soul, when Jesus saves a sinner, 00:39:23.519 --> 00:39:29.759 the Pharisees are mad as a hornet? Why do they deserve it? I do all the things. I follow all 00:39:29.759 --> 00:39:35.919 the rules. I check all the boxes. And he's so angry, he just throws himself a little pity party on the 00:39:35.919 --> 00:39:40.759 front porch. I'm sure he got the lawn chair and he put it right in the way so his dad could see him. 00:39:40.760 --> 00:39:47.760 You know how it is sometimes? Like, yeah, I'm out here. I've been here the whole time. 00:39:49.520 --> 00:39:54.060 See, the younger brother was outside of the house because of rebellion, but now the older brother 00:39:54.060 --> 00:40:01.180 stands outside because of his own self-righteousness. One broke all the rules, the other one trusted in 00:40:01.180 --> 00:40:08.740 the rules. But both of them were separated from the heart of the Father. See, isn't it amazing 00:40:08.739 --> 00:40:14.439 how easy sometimes it is to identify with the younger brother but completely miss the older 00:40:14.439 --> 00:40:20.619 brother inside of ourselves? I mean, sometimes we can, most of us never run to a far country per se. 00:40:21.139 --> 00:40:25.419 We're not going to go out and do these worldly, wicked, sinful things that be like, oh, I can't 00:40:25.419 --> 00:40:30.899 believe they do that. But it's easy to become critical and cold and convinced that we deserve 00:40:30.899 --> 00:40:35.839 God's favor because of our faithfulness. Hey, I was at church and I served faithfully and I know some 00:40:35.840 --> 00:40:41.079 Bible verses and we can know all those things and still have a heart that looks nothing like the 00:40:41.079 --> 00:40:48.840 Father. That's the danger Jesus is exposing. Just being close doesn't create a relationship. 00:40:49.780 --> 00:40:55.640 You have to enter into one. So there in verse number 28, therefore came his father out and 00:40:55.640 --> 00:40:59.880 entreated him. It's just a, listen, it doesn't matter if it's a far country or the front porch, 00:40:59.880 --> 00:41:07.119 God's pursuing you. He's still coming after you. He pursues the rebellious. He pursues the religious. 00:41:07.440 --> 00:41:12.280 He loves the one who runs away and he loves the one who's standing outside. In verse 29, the older 00:41:12.280 --> 00:41:17.920 brother, man, he just unloads years of resentment. And we won't read the verses again for sake of time, 00:41:18.119 --> 00:41:25.660 but he says, I've served. I've never disobeyed. You never gave me. See, the younger brother was all 00:41:25.659 --> 00:41:30.559 about himself, but guess what? So is the older brother. It's the same problem, just from a 00:41:30.559 --> 00:41:37.359 different angle. He's talking like a servant who thinks he has earned something. He can't even call 00:41:37.359 --> 00:41:43.679 his brother his brother. He says, hey, your son, he's not even going to identify because why would 00:41:43.679 --> 00:41:52.480 you identify with a sinner like that? See, pride had destroyed his compassion. That's not his brother, 00:41:52.480 --> 00:41:57.400 that's his rival now. Why does he get the best seat? Why does he get the fatted calf? Why does 00:41:57.400 --> 00:42:04.800 he have the robe? I just want to remind us that's what self-righteousness does. It causes us to compare 00:42:04.800 --> 00:42:11.320 ourselves with others instead of rejoicing in God's grace. Instead of celebrating redemption, 00:42:11.679 --> 00:42:16.159 we can come resentful of it. Instead of rejoicing when prodigals come home, we wonder, 00:42:16.420 --> 00:42:19.300 why do they get so much attention? I've been doing good my whole life. 00:42:19.300 --> 00:42:25.820 Because that's exactly what the Pharisees were doing here in Luke 13 and 14 and 15. 00:42:27.039 --> 00:42:31.519 See, the publicans and the sinners were coming to Jesus. Heaven was rejoicing, and the Pharisees 00:42:31.519 --> 00:42:40.380 were grumbling. See, Jesus isn't simply telling a story. He's exposing their heart. That's what's 00:42:40.380 --> 00:42:47.220 taking place here. And if we're not careful, we can become, church people can become older brothers 00:42:47.220 --> 00:42:55.220 real fast. We can forget what God has done for us. All the opportunities, all the blessings God has 00:42:55.220 --> 00:43:00.680 given, we can celebrate, we celebrate God's grace until it's extended to someone that we don't like, 00:43:01.380 --> 00:43:07.640 that we struggle to love. We can become so focused on fairness that we forget that God never treated us 00:43:07.639 --> 00:43:14.099 fairly. I hope you understand what I'm saying there. Because if you know God's love, if you know God's 00:43:14.099 --> 00:43:21.559 love, has He saved you? That's not fair. That's grace. That's mercy. See, if God dealt with us fairly, 00:43:21.679 --> 00:43:27.719 none of us would be here. We don't stand before God because we've earned His favor. We stand before 00:43:27.719 --> 00:43:33.079 Him because of His grace. For by grace are you saved through faith. It's not of works, it's a gift. 00:43:33.079 --> 00:43:41.539 The Father doesn't argue. He doesn't scold. He doesn't shame. He just said, listen, you've had 00:43:41.539 --> 00:43:48.719 me. I've been around. But you've got to decide if you want this. You've got to decide if you want to 00:43:48.719 --> 00:43:54.239 come in. Hey, the feast is going on. You're welcome to be a part of it. Are you going to sit out here and 00:43:54.239 --> 00:44:01.219 just pout about it? See, the older brother spent his whole life in his father's house, and yet he never 00:44:01.219 --> 00:44:05.099 learned to enjoy his father. He didn't have a relationship with his father. 00:44:08.759 --> 00:44:14.359 See, we see the same thread throughout the entire story. That the younger brother wanted the father's 00:44:14.359 --> 00:44:20.480 possessions. The older brother just wanted his rewards. But here's what God shows us. We should 00:44:20.480 --> 00:44:26.139 want Him. That's what's going to make the difference in your life. It's not what God can give you. It's not 00:44:26.139 --> 00:44:30.899 what He's going to bless you with. No, the fact that He wants to have a relationship with you is the 00:44:30.900 --> 00:44:39.119 greatest thing. And Jesus once again emphasizes that God finds joy in recovering the lost things. 00:44:39.880 --> 00:44:48.760 Verse 32, it was meet that we should make merry and be glad. For this thy brother was dead and is alive 00:44:48.760 --> 00:44:58.079 again and was lost and disfound. And then Jesus just stops the story. No ending, no resolution, 00:44:58.079 --> 00:45:03.799 no answer. It's kind of one of those cliffhanger shows. Does He go in the house? Does He not? 00:45:05.380 --> 00:45:10.639 We don't know. Because He was telling it right to the Pharisees. They had the opportunity to either 00:45:10.639 --> 00:45:18.440 accept Him or reject Him. And the same opportunity is for us today too. Maybe there's some here that 00:45:18.440 --> 00:45:22.440 you might be wandered far away. Here's the beautiful thing. God's... 00:45:22.440 --> 00:45:48.280 Don't miss who Jesus wants us to see. He wants us to see His Father. 00:45:48.280 --> 00:45:55.519 The Father that never stopped being the Father. See, God is patient and He's compassionate and He's 00:45:55.519 --> 00:46:00.780 gracious and He's waiting and He's running and He's pleading and He's restoring and He's rejoicing. 00:46:01.100 --> 00:46:08.260 That is the heart of God. And I hope you've experienced that. I hope you see it in your own life. 00:46:08.260 --> 00:46:19.540 He values the lost. He seeks the lost. He rejoices when the lost are found. But He's not going to force it. 00:46:20.200 --> 00:46:24.360 He's going to allow you to choose. Listen, you cannot know Christ as your Savior. You can walk out this 00:46:24.360 --> 00:46:31.780 door today. That's your choice. But that's not what He wants. He joyfully wants to receive you into His 00:46:31.780 --> 00:46:38.600 family. Maybe He's pursuing you thinking, I'm good. I'm a good person. Good people don't go to heaven. 00:46:39.460 --> 00:46:48.620 Saved people go to heaven. What an incredible God. What amazing grace. I want to leave you with this thought. 00:46:49.460 --> 00:46:57.820 The Father doesn't just forgive us and restore us and celebrate us. His greatest gift is that He welcomes us 00:46:57.820 --> 00:47:05.460 into a relationship with Himself. And every other blessing in your life will flow from that one blessing 00:47:05.460 --> 00:47:09.440 to know Him. Would you stand with your heads bowed? 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:09.599 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:39.579 Thank you.