WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.640 This podcast is the Ministry of Grand Parkway Baptist Church. 00:00:02.799 --> 00:00:06.080 For more information on our church, please visit Grandparkway.org. 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:13.199 Well, again, if you came in uh a little bit later, my name is Wade Collier, and I'm the Missions and Outreach Pastor here at Grkway. 00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:28.879 Um, over uh the next several weeks, I think we're about three or four weeks into this, our lead pastor Neil is on a 12-week sabbatical, and uh I'm one of the faces that you'll see behind the pulpit, um, along with Lance Williams, our spiritual formation pastor, and uh and some guest speakers as well. 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:30.320 Uh, I'm glad to be here. 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:37.039 I don't get to be here much during the summer, especially on Sundays with my traveling, um, with our mission trips and uh and initiatives and things. 00:00:37.119 --> 00:00:40.960 So it's it's good to be here with you uh one of the few times I get to be. 00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:45.679 And while I'm here, I'm gonna continue us and lead us in uh our series of the parables. 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:53.280 When we knew we had 12 Sundays that we were looking at, um we we we came to a consensus vote that a pay the parables were the way to go. 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:56.880 Um and so this morning is is no different. 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:00.960 And so if you have your Bibles, do me a favor and turn to Luke chapter 15. 00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:08.719 If you don't have a Bible, if you look to your left, to your right on the pew, I guarantee there's probably at least one black pew Bible there. 00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:10.239 Um we don't say this enough. 00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:13.519 If if you don't have a Bible, please take that as a gift. 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:14.799 Um we'll get more. 00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:15.519 It's no big deal. 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:17.040 We want you to have your own copy. 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:21.120 Um what most of what we read will also be on the screens this morning as well. 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:25.120 Luke chapter 15, beginning in verse eleven. 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:26.799 It says this. 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:36.319 And he said, There was a man who had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of my property that is coming to me. 00:01:37.120 --> 00:01:47.439 And the father divided between them, and not many days later the younger son gathered all that he had, and he took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property and reckless living. 00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:53.280 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:59.359 And so he went and he hired himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his field to feed the pigs. 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:06.000 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:11.680 Verse 17 But when he came to himself, he said, How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread? 00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:13.520 But I perish here with hunger. 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:19.439 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:22.319 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. 00:02:22.639 --> 00:02:26.639 Treat me as one you have hired as one of your hired servants. 00:02:26.879 --> 00:02:29.280 And he arose and he came to his father. 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:37.840 But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:45.120 And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son. 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:56.479 But the father said to his servants, Bring quickly the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, and bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 00:02:56.719 --> 00:03:04.000 For this my son was dead, and he is alive again, he was lost, he is found, and they began to celebrate. 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:11.360 Now, his older son was in the field, and as he came to draw near to the house, he heard music, and he heard dancing. 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:21.199 And he called one of the servants, and he asked what these things meant, and the servant said to him, Your brother has come home, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him back safe and sound. 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:24.560 But he was angry, and he refused to go in. 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:36.159 His father came out and entreated him, and he answered his father, Look, these many years I have served you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends. 00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:40.400 But when this son of yours came, he's devoured your property with prostitutes. 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:42.479 You killed the fattened calf for him. 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:48.000 And he said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 00:03:48.240 --> 00:03:53.840 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and he's alive. 00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:56.800 He was lost, and now he's found. 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:06.400 It uh it might appear to be somewhat low-hanging fruit to preach the prodigal son parable on Father's Day. 00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:09.199 It appears that way because it is. 00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:23.519 Uh when uh when when Lance and I started sketching out the preaching sermon back in the fall when we were making preparations for all of this, I saw that uh one of the Sundays I was in town fell on Father's Day, and I said, Man, I want to I want to preach the prodigal son. 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:25.279 I think I think God's got something to say. 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:31.839 With all the parables, um there's there is a um, and I think Colin spoke to this when he when he preached a couple weeks ago. 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:40.000 There's a um I don't know if it's an insecurity, but it's a desire within preachers for those who are responsible to bring in the word of maybe bringing something new. 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:41.920 I don't think that's I don't think that's our job. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:51.120 I don't think that's that's that's my responsibility this morning, but I think it is um our responsibility to open up the word and look at the goodness of who God is. 00:04:51.279 --> 00:05:16.560 Um and in preparing for this parable and preparing um for this summer uh at large, I was just inspired and blown away and convicted and enlightened and several other adjectives that I won't bore you with when I looked at these parables because wrapped around these parables and these parables wrapped around other situations, you see a lot of incredible things about Jesus and his time on earth. 00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:22.560 And his ministry was so short and the amazing things of healing and the conversations he had. 00:05:22.639 --> 00:05:30.160 Um but one thing as we kind of drawed in on these parables and this parable that we looked at this morning is Jesus was a phenomenal storyteller. 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:36.000 Um and some of us we know great storytellers, some of us that we know um aren't so hot at telling stories. 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:41.199 We know you know, people who tell great stories and they know how to draw you in and make you empathetic. 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:46.240 This is gonna kind of out myself as an as an as a uh an old man kind of in a younger guy's body. 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:52.240 I love Garrison Keeler on uh on KHF Prairie Home Companion out of Minnesota. 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:57.279 Man, he he tells stories, and every at the end, if you ever listen, Saturday nights 5 to 7. 00:05:57.360 --> 00:05:59.120 That's my little infomercial there for KHF. 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:01.360 Maybe I'll get a kickback from a nonprofit organization. 00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:07.839 Uh at the at the end of the show, typically he tells stories from this fictional hometown of his called Lake Wobagon. 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:10.800 And I've been listening to this since I was, I mean, I think I was three. 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:15.040 There's a picture of me sitting on my dad's lap in his recliner, listening to Prairie Game Companion. 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:23.839 And so I I kind of almost, because he's such a good storyteller, I feel like intimately involved with these people that live in this fictional town that don't even exist. 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:27.439 And I can picture certain people that he's been talking about my entire life. 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:28.560 I can picture their faces. 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:29.920 That's a great storyteller. 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:41.519 And there's some people that are horrible storytellers and they don't know when to stop and they beat things to death, and maybe they're a close talker, or uh maybe they uh they're dehydrated all the time, so they have that little spot of spittle on their lip. 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:42.480 You know what I'm talking about? 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:44.800 And then sometimes you're just waiting for their lips to touch and to connect. 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:50.560 I had a boss in college and he loved to tell really bad stories, and uh he drank Dr. 00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:55.759 Pepper all the time, so he was forever dehydrated and he always had that little spot of spittle, and I never heard a word he said in his stories. 00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:57.600 It was just like, oh, is it gonna touch? 00:06:57.759 --> 00:06:58.480 No, it didn't touch. 00:06:58.639 --> 00:06:59.279 Oh, it's gonna do that. 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:03.120 Anyway, there's no that's nowhere in my notes, by the way. 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:14.720 Uh but Jesus, on the other hand, just an incredible storyteller, and not only because he had a point and a purpose, but Jesus, man, he would take everything and still does. 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:34.879 That's that's another sign of just what the best storyteller the world has ever seen, is he would take your understanding and your conception of what was right and what was wrong and what you were owed and what faith should look like and what life should look like and turn it upside down and rearrange it and orient it in such a way that everything is focused on him and his truth. 00:07:35.600 --> 00:07:46.480 And um this week, as I was preparing the sermon, I I the way I just write and write and write and write and write, and and most of it you should be thankful, never makes it into the sermon. 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:51.199 Um, and then just kind of start carving stuff down, and I was just struck and was just laughing to myself. 00:07:51.279 --> 00:07:58.800 If anybody was walking by me um uh at Starbucks when I thought about this, probably thought I was crazy, but I just started uh dying laughing to myself. 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:02.959 I started when I first went on staff of the church, I worked as a youth intern. 00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:09.279 Um and my boss was this incredible guy, ended up being and still is um one of my greatest mentors. 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:13.600 And uh he left town, went on vacation, and said, Hey, can you come take care of my house? 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:17.279 Can you come, you know, feed the dog, pick up the mail and all these things? 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:19.279 Um and I said, Sure, that's fine. 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:27.040 And let me pause in this story and and ask the ladies that are in here um not to hate me once I've told this story. 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:30.160 Can we um be on the same page that you won't be mad at me? 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:33.039 This was a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:43.519 Uh so he gave me his key, and uh we had, you know, I just did did didn't did the job and took care of the dog, and then I was sitting around a couple nights in with my friends, and we were like, man, I got the key to Walter's house. 00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:46.320 What should we do to Walter's house? 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:49.039 We should do something, we shouldn't miss this opportunity. 00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:52.320 And you just run through the list of things, and all of them seem lame. 00:08:52.559 --> 00:08:56.720 Like, we this has to be paramount, but this has to be something that they talk about forever. 00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:00.799 This must echo in eternity, this prank that we pull on Walter's house. 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:05.039 And so what we decided to do was take two of his rooms and flip them. 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:12.559 And here's what I mean by flip them is that we would take all the furniture out of one room and put it in another room, and then take all the furniture out of that room and put it, but not just stop there. 00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:13.440 We were serious about this. 00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:21.120 We had this buddy named Jimmy, who's this incredible artist, and he came in and he sketched both rooms and where all the furniture were, and we had tape measures and we're measuring everything out. 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:25.440 And so then we took all the furniture out of the living room and put it in the backyard. 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:29.440 And then we take everything out, so we decided the master bedroom living room would be the good switch. 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:29.840 All right? 00:09:29.919 --> 00:09:30.879 Yeah, see, easy. 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:32.879 You promised that you wouldn't be mad at me. 00:09:33.039 --> 00:09:39.279 So we started making the switch and we moved, and so we were so into this, we started pulling doors off the hinges. 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:42.240 To to I know, I know, I get it. 00:09:42.480 --> 00:09:43.039 I understand. 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:45.360 I'm married now, I realize how horrible this is. 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:51.279 All right, and so we would take doors off, like closet doors, and like this is where the door is in their room, so we'll put it over here. 00:09:51.519 --> 00:09:57.600 And uh, I mean we took pictures of this before digital cameras, so we had to like go get them printed at Walgreens that were waiting and then come back and bring them back. 00:09:57.679 --> 00:09:59.039 Look, okay, put that over there. 00:09:59.200 --> 00:10:03.440 And then oh wait, so then the we moved everything, and then so everything we pull out in the room was time to put in the mash. 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:04.720 Did I mention it was Christmas? 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:05.840 Did I mention? 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:14.960 Um so we moved the Christmas tree and the presents and the stockings. 00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:21.440 Um the stockings were hanging on their fireplace, so we even fashioned our own mantelpiece and put it up on the wall. 00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:31.600 Um and so their house that was perfectly set up when they returned home on Christmas Eve would be ready for Christmas, and unbeknownst to us, all of her family coming into town at the exact same time. 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:34.320 Yeah, that happened. 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:39.759 Uh so we uh so in our minds we're thinking this is the greatest. 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:41.759 Walter's got a great sense of humor. 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:44.480 When he gets home, he's going to love every bit of this. 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:49.279 And what happened was this is before cell phones, children, so I got a page. 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:51.919 Um, because I was cool to have a page or so. 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:57.440 I got a page, and it was Walter, and I called him back, and he said, You need to be here in about four minutes. 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:09.279 I lived about 15 minutes away, but from the tone of his voice, I made it about two and a half and met us on the doorstep, and I am really surprised that he did not end our lives then and there. 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:12.799 And his wife is crying, and just in the oh man. 00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:15.759 I just and so we didn't even tell him until later. 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:16.799 He discovered later. 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:21.440 I didn't have the heart to tell him that we had gone into his pantry and taken all the labels off his canned goods as well. 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:28.799 The good news is he still talks to me. 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:31.440 Um talked to his wife the other day. 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:35.039 She's found in her heart 18 years later how long it's been to forgive me. 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:37.759 Um actually gave us great uh vacation advice a few weeks ago. 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:45.600 But anyway, so I share that story because here's the deal is not not only to out myself as an 18-year-old moron, but what 18-year-old isn't a moron, let's just be honest. 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:50.960 Uh some of the parents are enjoying that a little too much. 00:11:51.120 --> 00:12:02.399 Uh but here's here's the deal is imagine walking into your house and everything has been rearranged and everything has been reoriented in a way that is completely nonsensical to you. 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:12.000 The reason I tell that story is this is what God, through these parables, here's the reason, we're not we're not doing this to fill 12 weeks and 12 Sundays while the head guy's gone. 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:28.080 In these parables, and what God is doing is he is using these stories and coming to our level, and he is rearranging our understanding to look like him and for our lives to look like him, and the way that we approach faith and the way that we approach him to look like him. 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:31.039 The story of the prodigal son is no different. 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:36.799 Um a good trait of a good storyteller knows how to break it up and kind of invite you in. 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:38.879 And a lot of that is done through plot points. 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:44.639 Um, and so what I want to do is I think this um this text kind of breaks itself into four different plot situations. 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:50.240 An even better storyteller, much like Jesus, would then take that plot and have a subplot running through it. 00:12:50.399 --> 00:12:56.799 Um that's like if you're watching a real good movie or reading a real good book, and there's something, there's some kind of undercurrent that continues to kind of hold things together. 00:12:56.879 --> 00:12:57.840 Maybe it's the glue. 00:12:57.919 --> 00:12:59.200 I'm gonna go ahead and ruin the now. 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:00.320 I'm gonna be a bad storyteller. 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:04.000 I'm gonna ruin the end of this, and uh and I'm gonna tell you all these things. 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:07.360 I'm just gonna write it up on the wall so we can fully understand and embrace this together. 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:10.399 The undercurrent, the subplot to this is love. 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:12.240 It is God's love. 00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:17.200 It is God's unchanging, consistent, true love. 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:20.080 And then you have characters in here. 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:21.120 You have three characters. 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:23.440 You have the father, you have the son, and you have the older brother. 00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:24.879 The father is God. 00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:26.399 The father is God. 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:28.080 The son is the sinner. 00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:30.639 The son who runs off, he is the sinner. 00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:40.000 Um and then the the the older brother, that's all of us religious hacks who just completely miss the beauty of God's love, restoration, forgiveness, grace. 00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:42.080 We want people to pay for what they did. 00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:43.600 That's that's the older brother. 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:46.159 And that's what we're gonna dive into this morning. 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:48.720 Um so I spoke about plot points. 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:52.399 The first one, um, I think we're gonna call rebellion this morning. 00:13:52.639 --> 00:13:53.679 Rebellion. 00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:55.279 What do I mean by rebellion? 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:56.879 Look at verse 11 through 13. 00:13:57.039 --> 00:14:04.639 And Jesus says, There was a man who had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of the property that is coming to me. 00:14:04.799 --> 00:14:06.720 And he divided his property between them. 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:15.519 And not many days later the younger son gathered all he had, and he took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property on reckless living. 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:18.080 And you might be thinking, Man, I don't I get it. 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:20.720 I mean, he he kind of went against what he was supposed to do. 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:22.480 I don't understand how rebellious it is. 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:25.600 It's pretty common for people to take off and do their own thing. 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:36.000 But when you when you read it, and then this is man from my youth pastor days, when I always tell people, when you read the word, read it and then read it again and read it a third time. 00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:40.320 And you'd be amazed at the things that begin to jump out at you, not even with a commentary in front of you. 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:42.080 But as you read, you begin to see things. 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:49.840 And so I don't want to go through all of them just for the sake of time, but I just want to point out a few things that jumped out at me as I read this portion, just these few verses over and over again. 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:52.559 This is what the rebellion looks like from this son. 00:14:53.120 --> 00:15:00.399 By asking for his inheritance early, the son is not so subtly inferring that he would be he wouldn't be saddened if his dad passed away. 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:02.080 What do I mean by that? 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:05.919 Because he's asking for something that isn't really gonna be his until his dad dies. 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:12.320 And so he goes ahead and he asks for it now, saying, Hey man, you're gonna kick it someday. 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:14.720 So can I just go ahead and have what I have now? 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:16.080 What I have coming to me now? 00:15:16.240 --> 00:15:17.279 Can I just go ahead and have that now? 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:21.679 And so he tells his dad, it doesn't really bother me the thought that you're gonna die. 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:27.759 And not only has he saddened his father, he's offended everyone in the house as well as everyone in the village. 00:15:27.919 --> 00:15:33.519 And hang with me on this one, because this is gonna shape our understanding, hopefully our understanding of what God has for us this morning. 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:44.960 And offending these people, the people that work for this good father, the people that live in the village, that probably prosper from the economy this good father supplies, they're gonna be offended by what this son has done. 00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:52.639 And then in the son's mind, that is gonna create an obstacle for his inability to come home when he reaches the bottom. 00:15:52.879 --> 00:16:01.840 When he finds himself with nothing, his offense, what he has done, what he has said, is going to in his mind create an obstacle to where he can't come home. 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:14.799 And the text doesn't directly speak to this, but trust me, as someone who has a litany of horribly reprehensible things he said to his earthly father on my time on earth before I knew the Lord. 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:20.960 And that when his father was probably being gracious and they were working out the paperwork and they're doing this, and son, do you really want to do this? 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:24.799 And you need to stay here, and I know what's best for you is your father. 00:16:25.039 --> 00:16:29.200 I am sure that he said things to his dad that he thinks he can never take back. 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:33.919 I say that as someone from experience, and some of you in this room as well. 00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:40.639 And for that, that's just one more thing to add to the list of the reasons that he believes that he can't come home when he reaches the bottom. 00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:45.200 And in doing this, he wants to find himself, but he really ends up losing himself. 00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:51.679 And the reason that's important is if you go back and read when you get home today, if you, or even if you look, you've got your Bible open, look up in verses one through ten. 00:16:51.840 --> 00:16:53.200 There's two parables that come before this. 00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:54.480 And they both have lost in the word. 00:16:54.639 --> 00:16:56.480 You have the lost coin, you have the lost sheep. 00:16:56.879 --> 00:17:05.920 The sheep is lost because of uh someone else, and the coin lost because of obviously being a coin, um conditions that that they can't control. 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:09.440 But the son, um, he chooses, he chooses to go get lost. 00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:12.559 It's the result of his own consequences and his own choices. 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:25.119 And after reading this parable in all its entirety, I'm not, you know, obviously taking a step back from where we are right now with the rebellion, you see at the end of this, again, ruining the end of the story, that God's love never falters. 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:34.240 No matter what he did with the son, no matter what he said, no matter what actions he took, the Father's love never faltered. 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:35.519 And look at me. 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:46.079 No matter what you've done, no matter what you've said to God, or against God, or in spite of God, his love never falters. 00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:47.920 And it doesn't change. 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:59.599 But but here here here's what I need to speak to and about this morning is is this kind of nonsensical nature that we have when it comes to God. 00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:05.759 Is we convince ourselves that God has a certain tolerance towards us, but then it reaches a point. 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:22.240 And we convince ourselves that our apathy or our self-serving decisions, or our lying, or this, or that will cause God to treat us the way that we would treat ourselves if we did this, if we were in charge, if we were the father. 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:27.759 If someone did something against us, we convince ourselves, okay, that God's gonna begin to treat us like I would treat somebody. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:28.880 Here's what I mean by this. 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:30.640 Sally and I were having um a conversation. 00:18:30.720 --> 00:18:42.559 I was uh I did this camp this week, this in town camp, and one night they wanted to go to the beach, and so um Sally and I got a sitter, and she came down there with me, and we were driving, and just kind of this is a crazy the summer is always just non-stop for me. 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:47.039 And so we kind of lunged toward these times where we can kind of catch up and figure out what's going on. 00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:54.640 And we're talking about the kids and talking about summer calendar, and she said, Man, she goes, the other day um I had one of the most convicting experiences. 00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:57.279 And I said, Were you sitting around thinking about you should be doing more for me? 00:18:57.440 --> 00:19:00.079 Because I was praying that you'd be convicted. 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:02.319 I didn't say that at all. 00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:05.920 Uh but she's not here, so I can act tough, like I said that. 00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:09.599 Uh and uh no, she said, you know, it was it was incredible. 00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:11.519 I was um spending time with Sophie. 00:19:11.599 --> 00:19:12.960 Sophie's our four Sophie's our oldest. 00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:15.839 Sophie's about four and a half years old, and Sophie is all over the place. 00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:22.160 Sophie is a live wire, and she is her own person, and she has a personality unlike any other I've ever seen. 00:19:22.319 --> 00:19:27.440 And she's she's um she's not much like her mom, um, which is great. 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:28.880 And she doesn't need to be. 00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:34.960 Um but what Sally said she's beginning to realize is they show love in different ways, and they receive love in different ways. 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:40.720 And there's some things that are similar, they both really embrace quality time together, but the way they show and give love is different. 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:50.799 And Sally says, if I'm not careful, if I get real tired, if I'm worn out, I get frustrated, I I I can I can get really upset with her that she doesn't reciprocate the way I want her to reciprocate. 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:56.000 And she doesn't give love the way I want to get love, and I and and then I don't know how to love her in return. 00:19:56.079 --> 00:19:59.759 And she said, I was just kind of tormented by this, and she said, Clear as a bell. 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:04.880 I heard God say, Hey, what if I showed you love in the way that you showed me love? 00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:07.759 And then I was like, Okay. 00:20:08.640 --> 00:20:14.160 I think that's a word for me, because then I started thinking about my inconsistent nature in the way that I love God. 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:19.039 What if God just mirrored the way that we love him? 00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:26.319 And really, if you think about it, that's that's the way we function a lot of the time. 00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:27.920 That's the way we approach God. 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:30.400 That's the way this the son saw his dad. 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:35.359 Because, well, if I was my dad and I did this, then I wouldn't I wouldn't have a welcome home, right? 00:20:35.759 --> 00:20:37.200 And we put that on God. 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:38.960 But that's not God. 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:41.039 Look at me, that's not God. 00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:44.559 God's not changing, it means what he says. 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:53.279 This is the same God that when the boy comes home at the end of the story, his dad goes running out to him, falls on his neck, and kisses him. 00:20:54.400 --> 00:21:00.240 Friends, let me let me let me love you enough to say this that notice when the son leaves, the dad doesn't go running after him. 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:05.839 He's at home and he's confident and he means what he says. 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:15.599 But he also loves you enough to let you go and see what it looks like to live life without him to give you an understanding of how good he really is. 00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:20.720 The father's like, I'm right here. 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:24.240 But I'm also not running after you. 00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:27.759 You know that you're you've been around and you've done life with me. 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:40.720 Which brings us to where the son finds himself in our second plot point, which is realization. 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:47.759 Verse 14 through 19 says this. 00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:53.039 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 00:21:53.359 --> 00:21:54.559 And remember, he can't go home. 00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:56.480 In his mind, he can't, that's not an option. 00:21:56.640 --> 00:22:02.480 So he went and he hired himself out to one of the citizens in that country who Sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:08.559 And when he was longing to be fed with pods that pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:14.319 And he came to himself, and he said, How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread? 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:16.079 But I perish here with hunger. 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:24.720 I will arise and I'll go to my father, and I'll say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:27.359 Treat me as one of your hired servants. 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:31.599 It says he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate. 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:48.480 He has become, he's a son of the king, and he finds himself feeding pigs, and he finds himself such at the bottom of the barrel of the consequences of these decisions that he's made, is he's looking at these peapods and he's longing to eat them. 00:22:50.480 --> 00:22:56.079 Here's where that realization of repentance, that realization, repentance, here's where the realization comes in. 00:22:56.319 --> 00:23:01.839 Is he looking at these peapods and he's looking them, he's looking at them for nourishment. 00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:05.599 He's looking at something that was never meant to sustain for nourishment. 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:10.000 Why does that matter? 00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:11.359 Why does it matter in the story? 00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:12.400 Why does that matter to us? 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:15.839 Have you ever heard the saying, don't worship the gift but the giver? 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:23.039 That is when we begin to find comfort and security and finances instead of the God who blesses us with money. 00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:29.839 That's when we begin to put all of our faith and all of our hope and all of our energy into our children. 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:42.559 Instead of saying, I'm gonna parent my kids out of the overflow of the relationship that I have with God, then I begin to look like God in the way that I parent my kids. 00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:52.160 And then when my parents, when my kids, rather, when my kids ask questions about God, they'd be like, Oh, that makes sense because I've seen that at my house. 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:56.000 Because we were never meant to satisfy ourselves. 00:23:56.079 --> 00:23:58.000 We were never meant to be our own father. 00:23:58.240 --> 00:24:02.480 We were never meant to chase after nourishment from something that never could sustain. 00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:08.799 And that's when he finds himself and he's realized and he's like, I'm at the point where I am, it's like eating corn husks. 00:24:08.880 --> 00:24:11.279 If you've never done snap peas, you didn't grow up in the country. 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:13.920 Just imagine you go to H E V, there's six for a dollar right now. 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:14.880 My wife went crazy. 00:24:14.960 --> 00:24:16.640 We have a freezer full of corn right now. 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:21.759 Just imagine instead of eating the corn, the husks are just laying there, he's like, man, those husks look tasty. 00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:23.839 That's where he finds himself. 00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:28.880 And that's obviously deeper than just the tangible food side of that. 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:35.119 That's the things that we settle for instead of the real deal, instead of what we were really meant to find sustenance from. 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:39.200 But when you realize, as the Son did, you need to repent. 00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:40.960 And that word repent, it's going to take a minute. 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:47.119 That word repent is one of those words that we hear in church and it's defined a lot of different ways, and a lot of people have different opinions on it. 00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:48.960 Let me just lay it out like this. 00:24:49.119 --> 00:25:01.279 Repenting is just coming to a point with your mind and your heart and your actions and your body where you recognize and you admit to God, hey, I've been trying to be father of my own life. 00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:06.000 But you're father of my life, and you go and you trust him as father. 00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:06.960 That's repenting. 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:08.160 I've been trying to do it on my own. 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:09.519 I've been trying to be my own father. 00:25:09.680 --> 00:25:12.880 I've been trying to find sustenance and things that were never meant to nourish me. 00:25:13.119 --> 00:25:14.079 But you're my father. 00:25:14.160 --> 00:25:16.559 And but when you realize it's time to repent, you're like him. 00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:23.519 He came to himself and he said, How many of my father's servants have more than enough bread? 00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:25.200 But I perish here with hunger. 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:28.319 I will arise and I will go to my father. 00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:30.480 Here's what he's realized. 00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:32.400 My father has never moved. 00:25:32.559 --> 00:25:36.880 When I walked out the door and I looked over my shoulder and I thought, man, I'm going to show all them. 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:40.160 My dad's in the exact same place he was when I left. 00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:52.240 Being steady, being constant, never changing, meaning what he says, overflowing with love and forgiveness. 00:25:53.279 --> 00:25:58.799 My wife and I have this joke about how it's dangerous to spend too much time at our parents' houses. 00:25:59.440 --> 00:26:04.799 Because both of our parents live out in the country, and it's just a slow pace of life for both of them. 00:26:05.279 --> 00:26:06.640 And there's just not a lot going on. 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:08.000 They're both retired. 00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:12.000 And you find yourself and you're like, I've been sitting on this porch swing for seven hours. 00:26:12.079 --> 00:26:13.680 What in the world am I doing? 00:26:14.880 --> 00:26:23.039 Or I'll go to my in-laws' house and they live on this little lake, and I'll go down there and sit in one of those like high-backed relaxed chairs with a cup of coffee. 00:26:23.119 --> 00:26:26.559 And I look and I look I walked out when the sun came up, and now the sun's coming back down. 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:27.359 I'm like, what in the world? 00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:29.440 Where did I check my email once, right? 00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:30.799 And that's great. 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:32.799 But then you get home and then you don't want to do anything. 00:26:32.880 --> 00:26:36.640 You know, you don't want to actually do your job because you've so fallen in love with that. 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:44.640 Um I remember we were about seven years ago, um, almost to the day, we we found ourselves at a really low place. 00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:48.960 I was very unhappy in my job and um feeling pretty beat up. 00:26:49.039 --> 00:26:52.319 And we went and spent some intentional time at both of our parents' houses. 00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:56.480 I hadn't had that freedom in about three years to take weekends and go do that. 00:26:56.640 --> 00:26:58.559 And we're just spending a lot of time. 00:26:58.880 --> 00:27:06.799 And in thinking back on that, and and in light of this, what I've realized is that's how it's supposed to be. 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:14.799 It's supposed to be comfortable and it's supposed to feel right because you're you're in your father's house. 00:27:15.200 --> 00:27:15.519 Right? 00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:20.400 And now I get some of you don't have that relationship with your father when you go home, but here's what I mean. 00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:23.119 When you're with God, you should feel at peace. 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:27.279 It should feel right, it should feel like home. 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:41.279 You should be overwhelmed with the love of the Father who takes all these things you've said and take all these things that you have done and removed them as far as the east is from the west. 00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:52.960 And your good father that's taken these things you've done and plunged them beneath the depths of the sea, never to be seen again, who is not holding an account of your rights and your wrongs. 00:27:53.119 --> 00:27:58.720 And this son is beginning to remember who his father is and what his father's about. 00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:06.559 And he's like, Man, my dad's so good that his servants' pantries are overflowing, and I'm sitting here in mud longing for peapods. 00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:10.559 It's time for me to go home, and it's time for me to see my dad. 00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:13.359 Which brings us to our third point, the return. 00:28:13.920 --> 00:28:14.799 The return. 00:28:15.119 --> 00:28:24.480 This is where we kind of shift gears from the sinner to the father, and who the father is, and what it looks like to return to him. 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:26.559 Verse 20. 00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:33.359 He arose and he came to his father, but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion. 00:28:33.519 --> 00:28:37.039 And he ran and he embraced and he kissed him. 00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:44.880 And the son said to him, Father, I've sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son. 00:28:46.799 --> 00:28:51.519 I mentioned earlier that the father didn't chase after the son when he left. 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:56.880 But after all that has transpired, he's a good father, just like our father's good. 00:28:56.960 --> 00:28:58.559 He knows, he kept tabs. 00:28:58.880 --> 00:28:59.920 I know where my kids are. 00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:01.440 I've been a parent for like five minutes. 00:29:01.519 --> 00:29:03.839 I know where my kids are at any waking moment. 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:07.519 I know who's in the classes with them right now when they're in childcare. 00:29:07.680 --> 00:29:08.799 Some of the teachers know that. 00:29:08.960 --> 00:29:10.400 They always see me buzzing the tower. 00:29:10.559 --> 00:29:12.559 I keep I keep short accounts on my kids, right? 00:29:12.720 --> 00:29:14.160 I know where they are at all times. 00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:16.640 He's a good father and he knows what's transpired. 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:18.000 He knows what his sons did. 00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:21.519 His son, even later in the story, says, hey, this is what he blew your money on. 00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:22.799 I mean, how bad is that? 00:29:22.960 --> 00:29:25.200 And he knows that his dad knows that. 00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:36.960 In all that's transpired, it says that he sees his son coming and he runs to him and he embraces him and he hangs on his neck and he kisses him. 00:29:38.720 --> 00:29:47.519 Incredible preacher, Charles Spurgeon, forgotten more in his lifetime than I'll ever know about the Bible and about the goodness of God. 00:29:47.680 --> 00:29:56.319 Um credible things to say, more than just, if you ever cruise by my office, more than just the biblical great aspects of a manly beard on someone. 00:29:56.400 --> 00:30:00.319 Um he has great biblical things to say about a full beard on someone. 00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:03.839 But more than that, um just preach great sermons. 00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:08.240 And for my money, one of the greatest sermons ever preached was on one verse, and it's one verse out of fear. 00:30:08.559 --> 00:30:09.440 It's verse 20. 00:30:09.599 --> 00:30:10.720 It's the kiss. 00:30:10.960 --> 00:30:12.160 And he kissed him. 00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:14.799 And he's got this incredible sermon. 00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:24.400 And I just, instead of me trying to paraphrase it and butcher it, I just wanted to read, it's going to be on the screens behind me, I just want to read just one paragraph about this, because I couldn't do it justice the way he has. 00:30:24.880 --> 00:30:29.359 Before the kisses of love were given, this young man was on his way to his father. 00:30:29.599 --> 00:30:33.839 But he would have not reached him unless his father had come the major part of the way. 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:36.960 When you give God an inch, he will give you an L. 00:30:37.599 --> 00:30:43.680 When you come a little way to him, when you are yet a great way off, he will run to meet you. 00:30:43.920 --> 00:30:48.319 I do not know that the prodigal son saw his father, but the father saw him. 00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:52.000 The eyes of mercy are quicker than the eyes of repentance. 00:30:52.640 --> 00:30:58.559 Even the eyes of our faith, even the eyes of our faith is dim compared with the eye of God's love. 00:30:58.880 --> 00:31:03.359 He sees a sinner long before a sinner sees him. 00:31:07.359 --> 00:31:13.519 And the son comes back, he receives what a lot of theologians call condescending love. 00:31:13.759 --> 00:31:15.599 I think Neil talked about that not too long ago. 00:31:15.680 --> 00:31:21.200 We hear that word condescending, we hear patronizing, we hear kind of an insult, but that's not at all what it is. 00:31:21.440 --> 00:31:23.920 What it is is a father who knows everything. 00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:33.279 What it is is a father who embraces this son who is road traveled and smells like filth because he has been in a pig barn. 00:31:33.519 --> 00:31:46.880 Um, which don't have time to preach this, but just culturally, that is so far reaching, the fact that he would embrace someone who's been around an animal like that for his culture and embraces him and draws him in. 00:31:50.480 --> 00:31:57.759 Which brings us to our last final kind of drill-down point, which is restoration. 00:31:58.880 --> 00:32:06.079 The restoration, which is twofold, which continues on with this embrace with the prodigal son. 00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:18.480 It says the father said to his servants, Bring quickly the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, and bring a fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:21.279 For my son was dead, and he is alive again. 00:32:21.519 --> 00:32:25.519 He was lost, and now he's found, and they begin to celebrate. 00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:29.599 What he's saying is, put the cloak on him, put the ring on him, put the shoes on him. 00:32:29.759 --> 00:32:31.440 These are all symbols of a free man. 00:32:31.599 --> 00:32:40.000 My son, he left, he was in bondage, he made himself a servant, he's left, he's given it, he's given up himself, and now he's wanting to come and be a servant. 00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:43.599 I can't even hear that because he's my son and I'm so full of love. 00:32:43.759 --> 00:32:57.200