WEBVTT 00:00:06.100 --> 00:00:08.759 Amen. You know, something I love about that song, 00:00:08.859 --> 00:00:12.300 we talked about it a few weeks ago in the songs 00:00:12.300 --> 00:00:14.720 we sing Wednesday night Bible class, but that 00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:19.000 song was actually written as a counter to the 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:23.839 Times Magazine cover that claimed God is dead. 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:28.199 And that song was written as a counter to say, 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:32.460 no, no, no. There is a God and he is alive. He 00:00:32.460 --> 00:00:35.420 is more alive than you could imagine. He is active. 00:00:35.479 --> 00:00:39.179 He is working and he is doing good things. And 00:00:39.179 --> 00:00:40.659 we believe that to be true. That's why we're 00:00:40.659 --> 00:00:43.679 here this morning. And so as we've gone through 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:46.380 Luke 15 the last couple of weeks, we've been 00:00:46.380 --> 00:00:48.140 looking at different ways that people become 00:00:48.140 --> 00:00:51.920 lost. And we clarified in the first lesson, and 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:54.320 I want to keep saying it, that to say someone 00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:58.000 is lost is not an insult. It's actually a compliment 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:01.060 because to say someone is lost is to say that 00:01:01.060 --> 00:01:03.700 they have value. You don't lose something you 00:01:03.700 --> 00:01:06.840 don't care about. If it's gone and you don't 00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:09.260 care about it, it's just gone. But if you care 00:01:09.260 --> 00:01:11.620 about it, it's lost and it needs to be found. 00:01:11.819 --> 00:01:14.340 So we've been talking about these different kinds 00:01:14.340 --> 00:01:17.140 of lost people, these different kinds of distance 00:01:17.140 --> 00:01:19.659 from God, if you will. You know, most of us can 00:01:19.659 --> 00:01:22.239 find ourselves or someone we love somewhere in 00:01:22.239 --> 00:01:23.980 these categories. We've been working through 00:01:23.980 --> 00:01:27.140 this. The last couple of weeks, I guess I didn't 00:01:27.140 --> 00:01:29.500 put this slide in this week, but it's there are 00:01:29.500 --> 00:01:31.739 some that grew up in church, but they slowly 00:01:31.739 --> 00:01:34.700 wandered from the faith. There's some that grew 00:01:34.700 --> 00:01:37.159 up in church and maybe they were dropped. They 00:01:37.159 --> 00:01:39.900 were hurt. And so there were people in the church, 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:41.959 maybe people in their lives, people in their 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:45.060 family that hurt them and maybe push them out. 00:01:45.379 --> 00:01:47.519 There are some people that believe they found 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:50.480 a better way to live apart from God. And then 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:52.659 there are some that would call themselves Christians. 00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:55.980 But they are trusting more in their own goodness, 00:01:56.079 --> 00:01:58.459 their own self -righteousness than they are in 00:01:58.459 --> 00:02:00.939 Jesus. And then there are some, and this is where 00:02:00.939 --> 00:02:03.420 I hope we find ourselves. There are some that 00:02:03.420 --> 00:02:07.340 are genuine followers of Christ. Genuine disciples, 00:02:07.700 --> 00:02:10.979 still flawed people, not perfect, but faithfully 00:02:10.979 --> 00:02:14.259 following. So he started with the one who wandered, 00:02:14.259 --> 00:02:16.500 the sheep, who didn't necessarily... plan on 00:02:16.500 --> 00:02:18.680 getting lost, maybe just kind of nibbled its 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:21.000 way into lostness. Then we looked at the one 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:23.080 who was lost by somebody else. That would be 00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:26.120 the coin that didn't choose to maybe roll away, 00:02:26.280 --> 00:02:29.759 but instead was dropped. Well, today we're going 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:31.840 to hear Jesus tell a story about someone who 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:35.840 absolutely chose to be lost. Someone who absolutely 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:39.740 chose to leave. The sheep didn't choose to leave. 00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:42.340 It just kind of wandered. The coin didn't choose 00:02:42.340 --> 00:02:46.229 to leave. It was dropped. But this person, One 00:02:46.229 --> 00:02:48.229 hundred percent chose to leave on their own. 00:02:48.330 --> 00:02:50.849 There's no confusion about it. There's no accident 00:02:50.849 --> 00:02:53.490 here. There is no one to blame except for this 00:02:53.490 --> 00:02:56.330 person. So this morning we're talking about the 00:02:56.330 --> 00:03:00.169 one who is willful. Before we can go any further, 00:03:00.250 --> 00:03:02.530 I want to define that word because I know when 00:03:02.530 --> 00:03:05.569 I first heard a lesson on the one who was willful, 00:03:05.610 --> 00:03:07.389 I was like, what in the world does willful mean? 00:03:07.590 --> 00:03:10.590 I know I'm from Mississippi. Give me a break. 00:03:10.689 --> 00:03:14.949 All right. So willful. Having or showing a stubborn 00:03:14.949 --> 00:03:18.310 and determined intention to do what one wants, 00:03:18.590 --> 00:03:22.490 regardless of the consequences. So that's our 00:03:22.490 --> 00:03:24.129 definition that we're going to run with this 00:03:24.129 --> 00:03:27.430 morning for willful. You know anybody like that? 00:03:28.050 --> 00:03:32.150 Anybody that maybe is a little stubborn? I'm 00:03:32.150 --> 00:03:34.110 thinking specifically about my three -year -old, 00:03:34.229 --> 00:03:38.259 very willful kid. Do you know anybody that's 00:03:38.259 --> 00:03:40.439 determined to do what they want to do regardless 00:03:40.439 --> 00:03:43.000 of what consequences come from it? They're going 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:45.319 to be their own person. They're going to do what 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:46.840 they want. They're going to do what makes them 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:49.360 happy. And they don't care who it hurts, even 00:03:49.360 --> 00:03:52.039 if it hurts themselves. Do you know anybody like 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:55.039 that? You know, we immediately, like I said, 00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:57.460 think about how stubborn our kids are. Whether 00:03:57.460 --> 00:04:00.180 our kids are three or 30, they can be pretty 00:04:00.180 --> 00:04:01.539 stubborn. But I want you to think about your 00:04:01.539 --> 00:04:04.520 friends, your willful friends, or maybe your 00:04:04.520 --> 00:04:07.960 family members. Maybe it's a coworker. And if 00:04:07.960 --> 00:04:11.219 we're honest, maybe we find ourselves as the 00:04:11.219 --> 00:04:14.120 stubborn individual, the determined individual. 00:04:14.180 --> 00:04:16.680 I'll go ahead and raise my hand. I got a head 00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:19.379 as hard as a rock. I'm a little willful sometimes. 00:04:20.360 --> 00:04:24.199 And these people almost always have to fall flat 00:04:24.199 --> 00:04:27.009 on their face before they'll listen. It takes 00:04:27.009 --> 00:04:29.529 something kind of traumatic, something like a 00:04:29.529 --> 00:04:32.529 punch upside the head to make them realize what 00:04:32.529 --> 00:04:34.870 they're doing is not good for them or not good 00:04:34.870 --> 00:04:36.730 for the people around them. It takes hitting 00:04:36.730 --> 00:04:39.990 rock bottom before they can realize how far they've 00:04:39.990 --> 00:04:42.829 fallen. And that's the son that Jesus introduces 00:04:42.829 --> 00:04:47.930 us to in Luke 15 verses 11 through 24. Now we've, 00:04:47.930 --> 00:04:50.170 I think since I've been here and just for six 00:04:50.170 --> 00:04:52.509 months, I've already preached two different lessons 00:04:52.509 --> 00:04:54.230 on this story. And guess what? We're going to 00:04:54.230 --> 00:04:57.670 do it again. So Luke 15, 11 through 24, I want 00:04:57.670 --> 00:04:59.829 you to just read along with me. It'll be on the 00:04:59.829 --> 00:05:02.709 screen. And he said, there was a man who had 00:05:02.709 --> 00:05:05.069 two sons and the younger of them said to his 00:05:05.069 --> 00:05:07.269 father, father, give me the share of property 00:05:07.269 --> 00:05:10.449 that's coming to me. And he divided his property 00:05:10.449 --> 00:05:13.110 between them. Not many days later, the younger 00:05:13.110 --> 00:05:15.490 son gathered all he had and took a journey into 00:05:15.490 --> 00:05:18.569 a far country. And there he squandered his property 00:05:18.569 --> 00:05:21.389 and reckless living. And when he had spent everything, 00:05:21.550 --> 00:05:23.930 a severe famine arose in that country and he 00:05:23.930 --> 00:05:26.829 began to be in need. So he went and hired himself 00:05:26.829 --> 00:05:29.689 out to one of the citizens of that country who 00:05:29.689 --> 00:05:32.629 sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he 00:05:32.629 --> 00:05:34.889 was longing to be fed with the pods that the 00:05:34.889 --> 00:05:38.439 pigs ate. And no one gave him anything. But when 00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:40.860 he came to himself, he said, how many of my father's 00:05:40.860 --> 00:05:43.459 hired servants have more than enough bread? But 00:05:43.459 --> 00:05:46.579 I perish here with hunger. I will arise and go 00:05:46.579 --> 00:05:49.019 to my father and I'll say to him, Father, I've 00:05:49.019 --> 00:05:51.720 sinned against heaven and before you. I'm no 00:05:51.720 --> 00:05:54.019 longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me 00:05:54.019 --> 00:05:57.139 as one of your hired servants. And he arose and 00:05:57.139 --> 00:05:59.360 he came to his father. But while he was still 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:02.600 a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion. 00:06:03.500 --> 00:06:07.639 And he ran and embraced him and kissed him. And 00:06:07.639 --> 00:06:09.800 the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against 00:06:09.800 --> 00:06:12.740 heaven and before you, I am no longer worthy 00:06:12.740 --> 00:06:16.240 to be called your son. But the father said to 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:18.899 his servants, bring quickly the best robe and 00:06:18.899 --> 00:06:21.079 put it on him and put a ring on his hand and 00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:23.259 shoes on his feet and bring the fattened calf 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:27.220 and kill it and let us eat and celebrate. For 00:06:27.220 --> 00:06:30.480 this, my son was dead and now he's alive again. 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:35.279 He was lost. Now he's found. And they began to 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:38.110 celebrate. You know, this story kind of begins 00:06:38.110 --> 00:06:41.110 with a really shocking line. The son says, Father, 00:06:41.269 --> 00:06:44.329 give me the share of your property that's going 00:06:44.329 --> 00:06:47.569 to be mine. And in that culture, asking for your 00:06:47.569 --> 00:06:49.870 inheritance early was essentially saying, I wish 00:06:49.870 --> 00:06:51.769 you were dead. Imagine your kid comes up to you 00:06:51.769 --> 00:06:54.709 and says, hey, I wish you were dead. That wouldn't 00:06:54.709 --> 00:06:57.769 be very nice, would it? And you might say, well, 00:06:57.850 --> 00:06:59.250 why would you wish that? And they're like, oh, 00:06:59.290 --> 00:07:01.949 I just want my inheritance now. You're like, 00:07:02.009 --> 00:07:03.529 well, I can give it to you. I mean, I don't have 00:07:03.529 --> 00:07:05.550 to die for you to get this little bit of money. 00:07:05.670 --> 00:07:07.769 And so he's saying, I wish you were dead. This 00:07:07.769 --> 00:07:10.769 is not just about impatience. This is a rejection. 00:07:11.329 --> 00:07:13.589 This is the son saying, I don't care to live 00:07:13.589 --> 00:07:15.990 under your roof anymore. I don't care to do what 00:07:15.990 --> 00:07:17.370 you're asking me to do. I don't want to live 00:07:17.370 --> 00:07:19.569 under your rules. I don't want to be in your 00:07:19.569 --> 00:07:22.449 household anymore. I'm rejecting your way of 00:07:22.449 --> 00:07:26.389 life for me. He's essentially severing the relationship. 00:07:27.610 --> 00:07:29.910 And I want you to notice something crucial. The 00:07:29.910 --> 00:07:33.019 father gives it to him. Could you imagine your 00:07:33.019 --> 00:07:35.459 child comes in and says, hey, I wish you were 00:07:35.459 --> 00:07:37.420 dead. And you're like, OK, well, here you go. 00:07:38.120 --> 00:07:40.160 Here's all the money that you are going to get 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:41.860 when I die. But instead, you get it right now, 00:07:41.879 --> 00:07:44.079 which, first of all, I mean, I don't have that 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:46.860 much to just hand over to my kid. I mean, I imagine 00:07:46.860 --> 00:07:49.060 the father had to go like sell some some things 00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:52.300 to get a little bit, maybe liquid assets to hand 00:07:52.300 --> 00:07:54.740 over to his kid. But he just gives it to him. 00:07:55.079 --> 00:07:57.660 He doesn't argue with them. Well, maybe he did. 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:00.420 But He doesn't stop him. He doesn't lecture him. 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:02.079 He doesn't restrain him. He doesn't lock him 00:08:02.079 --> 00:08:05.680 in his room. He just gives it to him. And I can't 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:07.959 imagine doing that. And so I'm reading this and 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:10.540 I'm asking the question of why would you do that? 00:08:11.660 --> 00:08:14.959 Your son just disrespected you in the most disrespectful 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:17.579 way I can think of and you're just going to hand 00:08:17.579 --> 00:08:21.860 it over to him? That's insanity. But I look at 00:08:21.860 --> 00:08:23.920 it through the Father's eyes. And when I say 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:28.240 Father, I mean God. Capital F, Father. And the 00:08:28.240 --> 00:08:30.600 only answer I can think of is because love does 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:34.899 not force obedience. If I love you, it's not 00:08:34.899 --> 00:08:38.159 me forcing you to do what I want you to do. It's 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:40.700 not me telling you, you have to operate this 00:08:40.700 --> 00:08:43.279 way if you're going to be loved by me. But this 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:46.299 is just the father saying, I love you. I hope 00:08:46.299 --> 00:08:49.559 you make it. I hope you do all right. I hope 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:54.379 everything you're looking for, you find. God 00:08:54.379 --> 00:08:57.620 will let you choose your own way. He'll let you 00:08:57.620 --> 00:09:00.220 choose. It may not be the right choice. It may 00:09:00.220 --> 00:09:02.600 not be the good choice. It may not be the smartest 00:09:02.600 --> 00:09:04.620 choice, but God will let you choose your way 00:09:04.620 --> 00:09:09.639 even when he knows where it leads. Because God 00:09:09.639 --> 00:09:13.600 doesn't desire robots. He doesn't desire slaves. 00:09:14.100 --> 00:09:16.320 I don't know about y 'all, but I love just like 00:09:16.320 --> 00:09:18.340 having, this is going to make me sound really 00:09:18.340 --> 00:09:21.059 dumb, but I love having conversations with AI. 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:23.940 Sometimes I like to be mean to AI because I can't 00:09:23.940 --> 00:09:26.120 be mean to real people. So like when the Terminator 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:27.899 situation happens, I'm going to be the first 00:09:27.899 --> 00:09:30.799 one dead. I know it. AI is going to come kill 00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:33.440 me. But I like to just have conversations with 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:35.720 AI. You know what the cool thing about AI is? 00:09:36.019 --> 00:09:38.320 It will tell me exactly what I want it to say. 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:41.799 I can control it. I can make it say what I want 00:09:41.799 --> 00:09:44.960 to say. It has this algorithm in it that it kind 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:47.960 of watches our conversation so it knows the answers 00:09:47.960 --> 00:09:51.629 that I'm looking for. That's a robot. That's 00:09:51.629 --> 00:09:54.029 something that I can control. God doesn't want 00:09:54.029 --> 00:09:56.210 something he can control. He wants people that 00:09:56.210 --> 00:09:58.549 want to be with him, people that love to be with 00:09:58.549 --> 00:10:00.789 him, people that desire to be in relationship 00:10:00.789 --> 00:10:04.169 with him. So if all we are is his robots that 00:10:04.169 --> 00:10:06.690 do what he says because we have no other choice, 00:10:06.850 --> 00:10:10.330 that's not the relationship he wants. And that's 00:10:10.330 --> 00:10:12.470 what we see here with the son and the father 00:10:12.470 --> 00:10:16.990 in Luke 15 is the father says, go ahead. Do what 00:10:16.990 --> 00:10:21.899 you need to do. He lets him go. But another why 00:10:21.899 --> 00:10:24.360 question that I have in this story is why would 00:10:24.360 --> 00:10:27.159 the son want to leave? You know, the son has 00:10:27.159 --> 00:10:29.559 it. He's got it made. I mean, if the father has 00:10:29.559 --> 00:10:31.960 enough resources to just go ahead and hand him 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:34.179 what's going to be his and still keep going, 00:10:34.360 --> 00:10:37.240 he must have a lot of money. He must have a lot 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:40.440 of property. And so he's got security in this 00:10:40.440 --> 00:10:43.519 household and he's got a job. He's got some things 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:46.100 he can do. So, you know, he's got purpose. I 00:10:46.100 --> 00:10:48.460 mean, he's being provided for. He has everything 00:10:48.460 --> 00:10:50.700 he needs. He's got an identity as a part of this 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:53.480 family. He's got a community around him. He has 00:10:53.480 --> 00:10:56.980 everything he could want. Why would he want to 00:10:56.980 --> 00:11:00.120 leave? Why would he want to go somewhere else? 00:11:01.159 --> 00:11:03.379 You know, I was thinking about, it's funny, you 00:11:03.379 --> 00:11:06.759 know, I wrote this lesson on Wednesday, Thursday, 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:09.759 kind of both days. And then yesterday, I'm sitting 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:12.679 at home and Easton comes in, my four -year -old, 00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:14.659 and he asked me, he says, Dad, how come we can't 00:11:14.659 --> 00:11:16.950 have a dog? I was like, buddy, because I don't 00:11:16.950 --> 00:11:19.429 like dogs. Just being honest. He said, well, 00:11:19.429 --> 00:11:22.509 that's not cool. I was like, I don't care. He's 00:11:22.509 --> 00:11:24.590 like, but could we get a dog? No, I don't like 00:11:24.590 --> 00:11:27.649 dogs. And he said, well, when I have my own house, 00:11:27.830 --> 00:11:31.789 you ever heard that one? I think this is my first 00:11:31.789 --> 00:11:33.610 time hearing that as a parent. I thought it would 00:11:33.610 --> 00:11:36.409 come at like 15, but instead it's at four. And 00:11:36.409 --> 00:11:38.970 he said, when I have my own house, I'm getting 00:11:38.970 --> 00:11:42.090 a dog. I said, that's great. Just keep them away 00:11:42.090 --> 00:11:44.419 from me. He said, well, my house is going to 00:11:44.419 --> 00:11:48.940 be in our backyard. So, okay, keep it on your 00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:52.580 side of the yard. But Easton has everything he 00:11:52.580 --> 00:11:55.059 wants in my household. Well, except the dog. 00:11:55.519 --> 00:11:58.740 He's got juice boxes. He's got TV. He's got toys. 00:11:58.820 --> 00:12:00.639 He's got clothes. He's got he he's got water. 00:12:00.700 --> 00:12:02.639 He's got everything he could need, everything 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:05.720 he could want. But for some reason, he wants 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:08.080 something else, something that I'm not going 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:10.940 to allow. And so his mind starts to tell him 00:12:10.940 --> 00:12:15.059 when I have my own house. Another way to put 00:12:15.059 --> 00:12:19.899 that is when I have my own way or when my will 00:12:19.899 --> 00:12:22.879 be done. And, you know, the son here in Luke 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:26.990 15. The only answer I can think of as to why 00:12:26.990 --> 00:12:29.450 he would want to leave his father's house is 00:12:29.450 --> 00:12:32.669 because he wants his own will. He wants his own 00:12:32.669 --> 00:12:36.009 way. He wants his own control. This isn't about 00:12:36.009 --> 00:12:39.110 money. It's not about power. It's about having 00:12:39.110 --> 00:12:41.850 the control over your own life to have the dog 00:12:41.850 --> 00:12:44.250 if you want it, to have whatever you want to 00:12:44.250 --> 00:12:46.149 do. If you want to eat chocolate for dinner, 00:12:46.269 --> 00:12:47.830 you can eat chocolate for dinner because you 00:12:47.830 --> 00:12:50.549 don't have mom and dad telling you no. And the 00:12:50.549 --> 00:12:53.149 son here says, I don't want your will for my 00:12:53.149 --> 00:12:57.129 life. I want my own. Any willful person knows 00:12:57.129 --> 00:13:00.009 this tension. You know, when you live under someone 00:13:00.009 --> 00:13:02.669 else's authority, when you live under someone 00:13:02.669 --> 00:13:05.909 else's rules, when it's not your will being done, 00:13:05.970 --> 00:13:08.970 but it's someone else's, you know exactly what 00:13:08.970 --> 00:13:13.149 that feels like. And eventually, if you're willful 00:13:13.149 --> 00:13:16.679 enough, you'll want to change it. And if you 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:19.120 can't change it where you are, this is the most 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:22.759 common result. We run. We go away. We go do our 00:13:22.759 --> 00:13:25.240 own thing. You know, I think of assistant coaches. 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:29.360 An assistant coach, they are exactly what their 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:32.899 title says. The assistant to the coach being 00:13:32.899 --> 00:13:34.840 the head coach. The head coach makes the rules. 00:13:35.019 --> 00:13:37.080 The head coach develops the program. The head 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:39.320 coach sets the standard. The assistant coach 00:13:39.320 --> 00:13:42.580 is at the mercy of the head coach. But if the 00:13:42.580 --> 00:13:44.620 assistant coach starts thinking, man, if I were 00:13:44.620 --> 00:13:47.080 the head coach, we'd do it my way. You know, 00:13:47.080 --> 00:13:48.940 if I was the head coach, we'd do things a little 00:13:48.940 --> 00:13:50.559 bit differently. We'd have a different culture. 00:13:50.620 --> 00:13:52.220 We'd be a little bit more aggressive or maybe 00:13:52.220 --> 00:13:55.480 we'd be a little more calculated. Maybe the assistant 00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:58.539 coach starts thinking that way. And it's that 00:13:58.539 --> 00:14:03.919 if I were in charge and eventually the assistant 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:07.100 coach says, why don't I just go be a head coach 00:14:07.100 --> 00:14:09.279 somewhere else and do my own thing? And then 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:12.860 I get to have control of it. You see, a willful 00:14:12.860 --> 00:14:15.799 person can't live long under authority that they 00:14:15.799 --> 00:14:18.240 don't believe in. And this isn't about trust. 00:14:18.340 --> 00:14:21.080 I'm sure the son trusted his father. But maybe 00:14:21.080 --> 00:14:23.080 he didn't agree with the father's rules for him. 00:14:23.580 --> 00:14:25.419 Maybe he didn't like what the father said. No, 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:27.220 you can't have women just come spend the night. 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:28.799 We ain't doing that. Y 'all got to get married 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:30.759 first. Maybe he didn't like the father saying, 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:32.500 no, we're not just going to eat junk food for 00:14:32.500 --> 00:14:34.879 dinner. We've got to eat a pretty kosher meal. 00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:37.179 Maybe he didn't like the father saying, we can't 00:14:37.179 --> 00:14:39.360 just blow money on bulls because you want to 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:41.240 go ride bulls. We need some cows that we can 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:43.080 actually get some meat from and make some money. 00:14:43.159 --> 00:14:45.139 Maybe he didn't like the way the father was running 00:14:45.139 --> 00:14:48.259 things. He didn't believe in that way of doing 00:14:48.259 --> 00:14:51.100 things. And so the son says, I want to go do 00:14:51.100 --> 00:14:55.080 my own thing. So your choices are either you 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:59.669 try to overthrow it. Or you just walk away. And 00:14:59.669 --> 00:15:02.009 that's exactly what he does. He thinks he's got 00:15:02.009 --> 00:15:03.850 a better way of doing things. Maybe he thinks 00:15:03.850 --> 00:15:06.690 he's got a better way of living life. So he walks 00:15:06.690 --> 00:15:08.950 away to give it a go. And the son gets exactly 00:15:08.950 --> 00:15:12.190 what he wants. He gets to have his will. He gets 00:15:12.190 --> 00:15:17.629 to have his way. And it feels like, maybe it 00:15:17.629 --> 00:15:20.389 looks like freedom for a while. I'm sure he had 00:15:20.389 --> 00:15:23.919 a lot of fun. I mean, I can imagine if my father 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:26.440 had a lot of money to just hand me and he gave 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:29.000 it to me and I could just go and do what I want 00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:31.320 to. And as the scripture says, he lived recklessly. 00:15:31.500 --> 00:15:33.519 If I could do that, I'm sure it'd be fun for 00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:35.799 a couple of days. I mean, you've gone on vacation 00:15:35.799 --> 00:15:38.419 without your kids before. It's a lot of fun. 00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:41.340 There's some freedom there. And instead of paying 00:15:41.340 --> 00:15:43.779 for a Happy Meal, now you get to have the appetizer 00:15:43.779 --> 00:15:48.059 that you want. The son gets his way and it probably 00:15:48.059 --> 00:15:50.379 feels good for a little while. But what happens 00:15:50.379 --> 00:15:56.450 next? Well, we find out that freedom apart from 00:15:56.450 --> 00:16:00.049 God always has a shelf life. Freedom apart from 00:16:00.049 --> 00:16:03.850 God always expires. Eventually, the money runs 00:16:03.850 --> 00:16:06.830 out. Eventually, the friends that were with you 00:16:06.830 --> 00:16:09.710 for a little while, they disappear. You know, 00:16:09.750 --> 00:16:11.809 the consequences of those actions, they start 00:16:11.809 --> 00:16:17.809 to pop up. Sin always, always. It's never failed. 00:16:17.889 --> 00:16:19.909 And if you want to check it. Do some math on 00:16:19.909 --> 00:16:23.190 your own. Sin always over promises and under 00:16:23.190 --> 00:16:26.309 delivers because it promises good life. It promises 00:16:26.309 --> 00:16:29.090 fun. It promises freedom. But eventually you 00:16:29.090 --> 00:16:31.769 find yourself like the sun did sleeping with 00:16:31.769 --> 00:16:36.149 pigs, feeding the pigs, wishing that you could 00:16:36.149 --> 00:16:38.549 just have the scraps of what the pigs are eating. 00:16:38.649 --> 00:16:41.350 And so you got to think about this for a Jewish 00:16:41.350 --> 00:16:44.110 audience, which is who Jesus is talking to. This 00:16:44.110 --> 00:16:48.399 is like the definition of rock bottom. This is 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:51.559 the son finding himself in ragged clothes, no 00:16:51.559 --> 00:16:54.620 food, bunch of weight loss, scraggly hair, bugs 00:16:54.620 --> 00:16:57.820 all around him sleeping under a bridge. Because 00:16:57.820 --> 00:17:00.960 for the Jews, a pig is not just physically gross 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:02.820 because pigs are gross, right? They're disgusting. 00:17:03.299 --> 00:17:06.339 Pigs aren't just physically gross. They are spiritually 00:17:06.339 --> 00:17:09.900 unclean. So for the son, he's not just broke 00:17:09.900 --> 00:17:13.640 now. He is spiritually, socially and morally 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:18.150 bankrupt. All that stuff his dad gave him, gone. 00:17:19.430 --> 00:17:22.190 All the spiritual enrichment that his father 00:17:22.190 --> 00:17:26.150 probably raised him in, gone. The social status 00:17:26.150 --> 00:17:29.089 he had from being a part of this family, gone. 00:17:29.529 --> 00:17:32.430 The purpose he had from having a family that 00:17:32.430 --> 00:17:34.430 he could live with and work with and serve with 00:17:34.430 --> 00:17:41.009 and enjoy, gone. He is bankrupt. You don't end 00:17:41.009 --> 00:17:43.880 up in the pig pen. Because your way was better. 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:46.559 You don't end up socially, morally, spiritually 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:50.380 bankrupt because your way was better. That's 00:17:50.380 --> 00:17:53.720 not how it works. That's not how walking away 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:57.559 works. You get there because your way could not 00:17:57.559 --> 00:17:59.740 sustain you. Like I said, it's fun for a little 00:17:59.740 --> 00:18:03.119 while. I've gone on vacation before. And I've 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:05.599 spent a weekend or a couple days without my kids. 00:18:05.740 --> 00:18:09.640 Guess what? Days one and two, I'm good. Day three, 00:18:09.700 --> 00:18:14.589 I'm ready to go home. Day four, packing the bags, 00:18:14.730 --> 00:18:17.289 let's get going. And then I get home and I'm 00:18:17.289 --> 00:18:19.650 like, man, we can go back on a vacation, right? 00:18:20.630 --> 00:18:23.349 The son gets out there. He gets to have his way. 00:18:23.369 --> 00:18:26.369 He gets to do his own thing. But after a while, 00:18:26.490 --> 00:18:30.509 it grows old. And you find yourself in a place 00:18:30.509 --> 00:18:35.789 that really stinks. And this is who we're talking 00:18:35.789 --> 00:18:38.130 about today. We're not talking about the people 00:18:38.130 --> 00:18:40.210 who drifted. We're not talking about the people 00:18:40.210 --> 00:18:42.269 that they grew up in church and life just kind 00:18:42.269 --> 00:18:44.569 of pulled them away and they just kind of, you 00:18:44.569 --> 00:18:46.430 know, wandered. We're not talking about the people 00:18:46.430 --> 00:18:48.490 that were hurt by life, the people that were 00:18:48.490 --> 00:18:49.829 hurt by the church, the people that were hurt 00:18:49.829 --> 00:18:52.069 by friends and family. And they started asking 00:18:52.069 --> 00:18:53.769 themselves, what kind of God would allow me to 00:18:53.769 --> 00:18:55.990 do this? So they just kind of step away. We're 00:18:55.990 --> 00:18:59.289 talking about the people that they sat there 00:18:59.289 --> 00:19:02.430 and they thought, I'll just be happier. If I 00:19:02.430 --> 00:19:05.569 go and do fill in the blank, I'll be freer if 00:19:05.569 --> 00:19:08.309 I can walk away and do fill in the blank. I'll 00:19:08.309 --> 00:19:11.730 finally get to be myself if I just we're not 00:19:11.730 --> 00:19:15.650 talking. We're talking about those people. And 00:19:15.650 --> 00:19:20.089 some of us may be those people. And for you, 00:19:20.150 --> 00:19:22.430 if you're that person or for those people out 00:19:22.430 --> 00:19:26.069 there, you may find that that is the case that 00:19:26.069 --> 00:19:28.369 you are a little bit freer, that you are having 00:19:28.369 --> 00:19:30.690 the time of your life, that you are feeling like 00:19:30.690 --> 00:19:34.170 yourself. For a little while. But eventually. 00:19:35.430 --> 00:19:40.890 Everyone. Not some. Not most. Not many. Everyone. 00:19:41.809 --> 00:19:45.269 Finds themselves saying. This isn't what I thought 00:19:45.269 --> 00:19:48.470 it would be. This isn't how I thought it would 00:19:48.470 --> 00:19:52.609 go. This isn't what I planned for my life. That 00:19:52.609 --> 00:19:55.069 was your first mistake. Planning for your life. 00:19:56.349 --> 00:19:58.789 You ever heard the phrase. Make plans. God laughs. 00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:01.680 I don't think God laughs. I think God kind of 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:06.640 just like sits back in amazement. That that's 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:09.920 what we would think our life should be. That 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:12.079 that's what we would think a fulfilling life 00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:14.859 would be. A life apart from God. God probably 00:20:14.859 --> 00:20:17.980 sits back and thinks, are you crazy? I mean, 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:19.759 think about Adam and Eve. God told Adam and Eve 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:22.359 exactly what to do. They doubted. They did their 00:20:22.359 --> 00:20:24.819 own thing. And I can only imagine God sitting 00:20:24.819 --> 00:20:27.200 there thinking, don't you remember when I told 00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:30.859 you that that would lead to death? Or the Israelites, 00:20:31.140 --> 00:20:34.779 every time God gave them a command and God told 00:20:34.779 --> 00:20:36.880 them not to do this one thing and then they do 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:39.720 the one thing and then they end up in slavery 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:42.279 or they end up getting ransacked by another country. 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:44.200 And God's looking at them like, hey, don't you 00:20:44.200 --> 00:20:47.940 remember I warned you about this? And think about 00:20:47.940 --> 00:20:49.660 the kids that grew up in the church and they 00:20:49.660 --> 00:20:51.339 heard all the stories, they heard all the warnings. 00:20:51.460 --> 00:20:53.720 And then when they turned 18 or they turned 20, 00:20:53.740 --> 00:20:55.220 they just decided I'm going to walk away and 00:20:55.220 --> 00:20:57.240 do my own thing because my way is better. And 00:20:57.240 --> 00:20:59.200 you're looking at them like you. You have no 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:03.559 clue what you're asking for. And you just kind 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:08.339 of sit back, terrified for what might happen. 00:21:09.700 --> 00:21:12.500 Because they think you think your way is better. 00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:17.500 And we always ask the question or say, this isn't 00:21:17.500 --> 00:21:19.500 what I thought it'd be. Or how did I get to this 00:21:19.500 --> 00:21:22.740 point? But I don't want you to miss what the 00:21:22.740 --> 00:21:26.140 son does next. Verse 17 says he came to himself. 00:21:27.249 --> 00:21:29.210 Another way of putting that is he came to his 00:21:29.210 --> 00:21:32.990 senses. You ever look at somebody and you're 00:21:32.990 --> 00:21:34.150 like, I was wondering when you were going to 00:21:34.150 --> 00:21:37.109 figure it out. Sometimes when my kids are having 00:21:37.109 --> 00:21:39.690 issues, like, you know, putting their shoes on 00:21:39.690 --> 00:21:42.529 or finding something, finding something is the 00:21:42.529 --> 00:21:45.089 worst because they'll like, they'll stand up 00:21:45.089 --> 00:21:47.630 from their position and just look. And they're 00:21:47.630 --> 00:21:50.049 like, dad, where'd it go? And I'm like, what? 00:21:50.269 --> 00:21:53.009 And they're like, I can't find my monster truck. 00:21:53.250 --> 00:21:56.180 I'm like, did you look for it? Yeah. I'm like, 00:21:56.240 --> 00:22:01.359 try again. So they do this. I can't find it. 00:22:01.380 --> 00:22:05.180 Can you help me? I'm like, dude, look for it. 00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:08.480 And then finally, it kind of makes sense to them. 00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:10.500 So they start walking around and they start looking 00:22:10.500 --> 00:22:13.440 for stuff and they look under things and they 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:18.180 actually look for it and they find it. And it's 00:22:18.180 --> 00:22:21.680 like they had that, aha, I'm capable of doing 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:24.809 more than the bare minimum. They come to their 00:22:24.809 --> 00:22:29.150 senses. And so for the son, he's sleeping in 00:22:29.150 --> 00:22:32.309 the pig pen, wishing for scraps from the pig's 00:22:32.309 --> 00:22:35.869 troughs. And he's thinking, huh, life really 00:22:35.869 --> 00:22:38.390 stinks right now, doesn't it? This isn't what 00:22:38.390 --> 00:22:40.549 I had planned. This isn't what I thought it would 00:22:40.549 --> 00:22:43.349 be. How did I get to this point? And finally, 00:22:43.349 --> 00:22:48.289 he goes, I got it figured out. I know what to 00:22:48.289 --> 00:22:52.640 do. I'm just going to go home. I'm going to ask 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:56.039 my dad to let me be one of his servants. See, 00:22:56.119 --> 00:22:58.519 there's a lot of hope in this phrase. He came 00:22:58.519 --> 00:23:00.839 to his senses. He came to himself. Because the 00:23:00.839 --> 00:23:03.539 truth is, when we're lost, our reality gets kind 00:23:03.539 --> 00:23:05.119 of distorted. You ever walk through the woods 00:23:05.119 --> 00:23:08.660 and people tell you to mark where you're walking? 00:23:08.880 --> 00:23:11.240 Because if you're not careful, you'll find yourself 00:23:11.240 --> 00:23:13.440 just going in circles. And you'll keep walking. 00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:16.220 And you'll think, huh, did not pass that rock 00:23:16.220 --> 00:23:18.660 10 minutes ago? And then you'll think, okay, 00:23:18.740 --> 00:23:20.420 let me go a different way. And you'll keep walking. 00:23:20.500 --> 00:23:22.019 You'll keep walking. And you'll come back to 00:23:22.019 --> 00:23:24.900 the rock and you're like, hmm. And you keep walking 00:23:24.900 --> 00:23:28.559 and you finally realize my reality is distorted. 00:23:28.859 --> 00:23:31.400 I have no clue where I'm at. I have no clue where 00:23:31.400 --> 00:23:33.759 I'm going. I have no clue what I'm doing. And 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:38.140 you realize that all of this time being lost. 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:41.500 Being away from truth, being away from where 00:23:41.500 --> 00:23:44.759 you were supposed to be has only distorted your 00:23:44.759 --> 00:23:47.400 reality. It's like the people that they find 00:23:47.400 --> 00:23:50.059 themselves and they haven't been to church in 00:23:50.059 --> 00:23:51.339 a while. They haven't read the scriptures in 00:23:51.339 --> 00:23:53.599 a while. They haven't done any type of spiritual 00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:55.700 disciplines in a while. And they look up and 00:23:55.700 --> 00:23:58.509 they say, how did I get here? Because I feel 00:23:58.509 --> 00:24:00.309 like I'm in a rut and I feel like I've just been 00:24:00.309 --> 00:24:02.670 going in circles and all I keep getting out of 00:24:02.670 --> 00:24:05.069 it is pain. All I get out of it is disappointment 00:24:05.069 --> 00:24:07.930 and I feel empty. And you look at them and you 00:24:07.930 --> 00:24:10.589 say, if you could just open your eyes and see 00:24:10.589 --> 00:24:13.690 what you're doing is wrong, maybe you could get 00:24:13.690 --> 00:24:18.630 out of the rut that you're in. Lostness distorts 00:24:18.630 --> 00:24:22.930 our reality. Sin clouds our judgment. Willfulness 00:24:22.930 --> 00:24:26.789 convinces us that we're fine until we finally 00:24:26.789 --> 00:24:29.890 realize that we aren't. But repentance begins 00:24:29.890 --> 00:24:33.589 when reality breaks through all the junk, when 00:24:33.589 --> 00:24:36.369 it breaks through all the delusion, when reality 00:24:36.369 --> 00:24:41.069 becomes clear to us. When our circumstances. 00:24:42.140 --> 00:24:45.759 Become clear when the actions that led to those 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:49.279 circumstances become clear. When we stop fooling 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:52.940 ourselves and stop letting Satan cloud our judgment. 00:24:53.079 --> 00:24:55.960 You see, the son realizes that his life in rebellion 00:24:55.960 --> 00:24:59.019 is far worse than the life that he had in submission 00:24:59.019 --> 00:25:01.380 in his father's home. He gets that. He comes 00:25:01.380 --> 00:25:04.500 to his senses. His father's house was never the 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:08.140 prison. His father's house was a place of abundance, 00:25:08.339 --> 00:25:11.940 a place of provision. What was a prison? Was 00:25:11.940 --> 00:25:15.700 the son's pride, was the son's mindset of if 00:25:15.700 --> 00:25:19.079 I can just have my own way, if I can just have 00:25:19.079 --> 00:25:23.079 my will be done. You know, before Easton was 00:25:23.079 --> 00:25:26.480 born, Eliza tasked me with putting the crib together. 00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:28.920 Now, mind you, she'd been asking me for a couple 00:25:28.920 --> 00:25:30.839 of weeks to put the crib together. But, you know, 00:25:30.859 --> 00:25:34.099 men, right? We'll get to it. It won't take long. 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:36.559 Probably super simple. All the parts are there. 00:25:36.619 --> 00:25:38.619 The instructions are there. Right. So open the 00:25:38.619 --> 00:25:42.990 box. I'm ready to put this thing together, but 00:25:42.990 --> 00:25:45.470 I don't know if y 'all know this, but modern 00:25:45.470 --> 00:25:48.410 technology really stinks because in the box was 00:25:48.410 --> 00:25:50.910 not a booklet for instructions. It was like a 00:25:50.910 --> 00:25:53.490 card. It had a QR code on it. You're supposed 00:25:53.490 --> 00:25:56.430 to scan the QR code. It would lead you to a website 00:25:56.430 --> 00:25:58.809 that you have to register to get into, and then 00:25:58.809 --> 00:26:01.190 it would give you a PDF of the instructions. 00:26:01.970 --> 00:26:04.410 Sounds like a lot of junk, doesn't it? Yeah. 00:26:04.690 --> 00:26:07.490 So instead, I did what any man does. I get the 00:26:07.490 --> 00:26:10.380 tools. I get the box open. I get all the pieces 00:26:10.380 --> 00:26:13.140 to the crib out and I look at the picture on 00:26:13.140 --> 00:26:18.299 the box because that works. So I start putting 00:26:18.299 --> 00:26:23.460 this thing together. A couple, maybe a little 00:26:23.460 --> 00:26:24.940 over an hour. We're not going to make myself 00:26:24.940 --> 00:26:28.799 sound too dumb today. Some time goes by. I'm 00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:33.420 frustrated. I'm annoyed. I don't have a crib. 00:26:33.960 --> 00:26:37.059 I've got a bunch of crib pieces kind of put together. 00:26:37.059 --> 00:26:39.940 It's close. Like, it looks like you could maybe 00:26:39.940 --> 00:26:42.420 put a baby in there if you didn't really care 00:26:42.420 --> 00:26:46.059 about the child's well -being. And so, like, 00:26:46.059 --> 00:26:47.960 I'm really frustrated at this point. So finally, 00:26:48.180 --> 00:26:52.339 I break down. I take the crib apart. Well, I 00:26:52.339 --> 00:26:55.900 take what should be a crib apart. I do all the 00:26:55.900 --> 00:26:59.079 steps to get into the instructions. About 20 00:26:59.079 --> 00:27:02.339 minutes later, we've got a crib. Isn't that so 00:27:02.339 --> 00:27:06.970 annoying? But isn't that so true? You know, sometimes 00:27:06.970 --> 00:27:09.450 we try to go through life without the instructions. 00:27:09.490 --> 00:27:12.049 We try to go through life with just looking at 00:27:12.049 --> 00:27:14.029 the picture on the box and saying, this is what 00:27:14.029 --> 00:27:17.490 it should be. This is this is the model, right? 00:27:17.569 --> 00:27:20.549 This is the the ideal picture of what life should 00:27:20.549 --> 00:27:23.869 be. So I'm going to look at the picture. I've 00:27:23.869 --> 00:27:26.089 got the tools that I think necessary and I'm 00:27:26.089 --> 00:27:31.470 going to go at it on my own mind. And then life 00:27:31.470 --> 00:27:34.150 goes by and we realize, man, I've wasted 20 years 00:27:34.150 --> 00:27:36.930 and I've got nothing that I thought my life was 00:27:36.930 --> 00:27:39.890 supposed to be. It's not exactly what the picture 00:27:39.890 --> 00:27:42.759 showed. It's actually quite. different. It's 00:27:42.759 --> 00:27:44.900 far off from what the picture showed. And then 00:27:44.900 --> 00:27:47.180 we give our lives to Christ and we start following 00:27:47.180 --> 00:27:49.900 his teachings. And we realize that while it may 00:27:49.900 --> 00:27:53.599 not be like the abundant model life that has 00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:56.299 just all kinds of money and success, it's a whole 00:27:56.299 --> 00:27:58.720 lot better than what we had when we were trying 00:27:58.720 --> 00:28:02.299 to do it with our own feeble minds. You ever 00:28:02.299 --> 00:28:05.180 been there? You ever get to the point where you 00:28:05.180 --> 00:28:07.119 realize you've got to stop trying to do it with 00:28:07.119 --> 00:28:09.819 your own understanding? I think there's some 00:28:09.819 --> 00:28:14.380 scripture about that, right? Lean not on your 00:28:14.380 --> 00:28:17.779 own understanding. You know, even Jesus, the 00:28:17.779 --> 00:28:21.279 son of God, God in the flesh, he's sitting in 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:23.380 the garden knowing what's about to happen to 00:28:23.380 --> 00:28:25.259 him. And he knows he's going to be captured. 00:28:25.500 --> 00:28:27.359 He knows he's going to be beaten. He knows he's 00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:29.319 going to be killed. He sits there in the garden 00:28:29.319 --> 00:28:32.400 and he begs God, if there's any other way, let 00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:39.230 it be. But your will be done. Because the son 00:28:39.230 --> 00:28:42.109 of God knows something that we don't understand 00:28:42.109 --> 00:28:45.769 sometimes. And that is that God's way is so much 00:28:45.769 --> 00:28:49.190 better than our own way. And only God's way will 00:28:49.190 --> 00:28:54.170 lead to the life that we thought we wanted. It's 00:28:54.170 --> 00:28:59.569 only God's way. You see, that's the willful son. 00:29:01.230 --> 00:29:03.630 That's a lot of people we love. And maybe that's 00:29:03.630 --> 00:29:06.680 you. Where you're leaning on your own wisdom. 00:29:06.740 --> 00:29:08.299 You're leaning on your own understanding. You're 00:29:08.299 --> 00:29:12.759 leaning on your own brain. And it leads you to 00:29:12.759 --> 00:29:17.180 walking away from the truth. From the instructions. 00:29:19.279 --> 00:29:21.799 So the son comes to his senses and he goes back 00:29:21.799 --> 00:29:24.200 to the place he should have been all along. He 00:29:24.200 --> 00:29:27.789 goes back to the instruction manual. And before 00:29:27.789 --> 00:29:30.069 he can even finish his apology, before he can 00:29:30.069 --> 00:29:33.109 negotiate this new servant status, the father 00:29:33.109 --> 00:29:35.890 runs to him, embraces him, restores him. And 00:29:35.890 --> 00:29:40.569 here's another key word, celebrates him. You 00:29:40.569 --> 00:29:43.730 see, the son had rehearsed this speech. But I 00:29:43.730 --> 00:29:45.650 just imagine this whole time that the son was 00:29:45.650 --> 00:29:48.210 gone, the father was planning the party for when 00:29:48.210 --> 00:29:51.430 the son came home. Can you imagine you're sitting 00:29:51.430 --> 00:29:53.269 on the porch and you're thinking, when I see 00:29:53.269 --> 00:29:56.710 my son walk down that driveway, We're going to 00:29:56.710 --> 00:29:58.950 kill the fattened calf. When I see my son walk 00:29:58.950 --> 00:30:01.069 down that driveway, I'm bringing him the robe. 00:30:01.130 --> 00:30:02.630 I'm bringing him the ring. I'm bringing him the 00:30:02.630 --> 00:30:05.670 crown. When I see my son walk down that driveway, 00:30:05.789 --> 00:30:11.890 we are throwing a party. And the son does. And 00:30:11.890 --> 00:30:17.410 the father does. Because he was ready. Why? Why 00:30:17.410 --> 00:30:20.099 does he throw a party? Why does he cut the son 00:30:20.099 --> 00:30:22.079 off? I never noticed that until the other day. 00:30:22.119 --> 00:30:23.940 It's funny. Again, I told you I preach the sermon 00:30:23.940 --> 00:30:26.319 or preach on this passion like two times since 00:30:26.319 --> 00:30:28.400 I've been here. It's my favorite passage to preach 00:30:28.400 --> 00:30:30.640 on. But I've never noticed this until this week. 00:30:30.759 --> 00:30:33.319 The father actually cuts the son off. The son 00:30:33.319 --> 00:30:36.059 had this speech planned. Right. And he gets through 00:30:36.059 --> 00:30:38.180 about half of the speech. And the father says, 00:30:38.279 --> 00:30:40.779 go get the calf, go get the robe, go get the 00:30:40.779 --> 00:30:43.079 ring. We're throwing a party because my son who 00:30:43.079 --> 00:30:46.279 was dead is home. He's alive. He's found. We 00:30:46.279 --> 00:30:48.420 are going to celebrate. He cuts the son off. 00:30:48.559 --> 00:30:50.900 He doesn't let him talk about earning his way 00:30:50.900 --> 00:30:53.359 back into the family. And here's why. Because 00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:56.579 grace is not earned in our regret. It is simply 00:30:56.579 --> 00:30:59.880 given in love. The father loved his son enough. 00:30:59.900 --> 00:31:01.480 He didn't care what the son had to say about 00:31:01.480 --> 00:31:03.380 paying it back. He didn't care what the son had 00:31:03.380 --> 00:31:05.539 to say about working it off. All he knew was 00:31:05.539 --> 00:31:07.559 my son is home. We're going to throw a party. 00:31:08.880 --> 00:31:11.220 We're going to celebrate. Here's the real question. 00:31:12.480 --> 00:31:15.119 When the willful, when the stubborn, when the 00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:18.980 determined, when the lost sons and daughters 00:31:18.980 --> 00:31:23.940 come home, what are they going to find? Are they 00:31:23.940 --> 00:31:25.799 going to find a church that looks at them and 00:31:25.799 --> 00:31:29.990 says, You have to do a lot of work to get back 00:31:29.990 --> 00:31:31.789 in the good graces of God. You have to do a lot 00:31:31.789 --> 00:31:33.069 of work to get back in the good grace of the 00:31:33.069 --> 00:31:35.490 church. Are they going to find cold shoulders? 00:31:35.630 --> 00:31:37.670 Are they going to find people that meet them 00:31:37.670 --> 00:31:40.490 with suspicion? Are they going to hear the I 00:31:40.490 --> 00:31:44.349 told you so? Or hey, about time you learned. 00:31:45.269 --> 00:31:48.569 Or will they be received with open arms that 00:31:48.569 --> 00:31:51.670 embrace them? Will they be gladly clothed in 00:31:51.670 --> 00:31:54.470 the finest robes? Will they get a ring put on 00:31:54.470 --> 00:31:57.069 their fingers? And will all of heaven and all 00:31:57.069 --> 00:32:01.009 of earth hear a loud celebration? When the lost 00:32:01.009 --> 00:32:05.130 come home, what are they going to find? And if 00:32:05.130 --> 00:32:06.930 that doesn't make sense to you, I'm going to 00:32:06.930 --> 00:32:10.410 simplify it. When the lost walk in those doors, 00:32:10.730 --> 00:32:14.910 what will they find in this church? Will they 00:32:14.910 --> 00:32:18.819 be met with hugs? And love and grace and forgiveness 00:32:18.819 --> 00:32:21.220 and restoration? Or will they be met with people 00:32:21.220 --> 00:32:27.480 saying, hey, I told you so. Jesus makes it clear. 00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:31.079 And so we're going to make it clear that heaven 00:32:31.079 --> 00:32:35.319 celebrates repentance. Heaven celebrates the 00:32:35.319 --> 00:32:38.339 loss coming to their senses, coming home and 00:32:38.339 --> 00:32:40.859 giving their lives back to the father. Heaven 00:32:40.859 --> 00:32:44.900 celebrates and the church should sound like heaven. 00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:49.460 The church should sound like heaven. I don't 00:32:49.460 --> 00:32:51.599 know how else to make that clear. When the lost 00:32:51.599 --> 00:32:54.099 come to Jesus, when they bury their old flesh 00:32:54.099 --> 00:32:56.420 in that water, when they rise to a new life, 00:32:56.579 --> 00:32:59.839 what will they find? It better be a church that 00:32:59.839 --> 00:33:02.819 sounds like the angels. And my God says the angels 00:33:02.819 --> 00:33:05.839 go crazy when someone gives their life to him. 00:33:07.019 --> 00:33:10.000 And so I don't want to hear any of that's cool, 00:33:10.079 --> 00:33:14.150 but. No, all I want to hear is an amen, a hallelujah 00:33:14.150 --> 00:33:16.849 and some hands clapping in excitement because 00:33:16.849 --> 00:33:20.609 a lost son and daughter has come to know Christ. 00:33:21.430 --> 00:33:25.069 So let me leave you with three things. The first 00:33:25.069 --> 00:33:27.549 one is those who walk away willfully, they are 00:33:27.549 --> 00:33:30.509 still lost, but they're also still findable. 00:33:31.309 --> 00:33:34.630 There's still a chance for them. God's not done. 00:33:35.289 --> 00:33:38.849 He's still working. He's still waiting. They're 00:33:38.849 --> 00:33:41.240 still findable. The second thing is, is their 00:33:41.240 --> 00:33:43.839 way will eventually reveal its limits. It will 00:33:43.839 --> 00:33:48.759 eventually reveal its flaws. But God's will always 00:33:48.759 --> 00:33:51.720 leads to life. And we've got to tell them, we've 00:33:51.720 --> 00:33:54.279 got to show them that when we walk in accordance 00:33:54.279 --> 00:33:58.279 with God's will, life is so much better. You 00:33:58.279 --> 00:34:01.140 know, I grew up thinking that being a Christian 00:34:01.140 --> 00:34:03.640 was hard because, you know, life on earth is 00:34:03.640 --> 00:34:06.700 still hard. And, you know, God's promise was 00:34:06.700 --> 00:34:09.909 for eternal life. And I don't think I heard enough 00:34:09.909 --> 00:34:11.949 people talk about God's promise for abundant 00:34:11.949 --> 00:34:14.530 life. I don't think I heard enough people talk 00:34:14.530 --> 00:34:17.050 about how when Jesus said, Father, let your kingdom 00:34:17.050 --> 00:34:20.489 come. He meant like right now, like you can have 00:34:20.489 --> 00:34:24.630 that full abundant life now. And so what I'm 00:34:24.630 --> 00:34:27.650 saying is, is we've got to show the world outside. 00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:30.739 that while life may still stink sometimes, while 00:34:30.739 --> 00:34:33.219 the circumstances aren't ideal, while it can 00:34:33.219 --> 00:34:36.019 really rain down on us, and when it rains, sometimes 00:34:36.019 --> 00:34:39.039 it pours, we can show them that even in the midst 00:34:39.039 --> 00:34:43.599 of all of that junk, God is still good and it 00:34:43.599 --> 00:34:47.199 is evident in our lives. And the third thing 00:34:47.199 --> 00:34:51.719 is, when the lost come home, the church has one 00:34:51.719 --> 00:34:55.920 choice. We have one response. And if you're not 00:34:55.920 --> 00:34:58.460 ready to respond in that way, we need to have 00:34:58.460 --> 00:35:01.739 a conversation because I am. So when someone 00:35:01.739 --> 00:35:03.679 comes out of that water, if y 'all don't want 00:35:03.679 --> 00:35:06.420 me clapping, hooting, hollering, I'm sorry. Put 00:35:06.420 --> 00:35:08.360 some duct tape on my mouth and tie me up because 00:35:08.360 --> 00:35:10.739 we're going to celebrate when the loss come home. 00:35:12.300 --> 00:35:15.039 We're going to throw a party. We're going to 00:35:15.039 --> 00:35:19.420 rejoice with heaven. Verse 24 says it so clear 00:35:19.420 --> 00:35:23.900 for this. My son was dead. He's alive again. 00:35:24.880 --> 00:35:29.960 He was lost, but now he's found. See, that is 00:35:29.960 --> 00:35:33.739 not supposed to be just the father's heart. That 00:35:33.739 --> 00:35:36.940 is the church's calling. And so we're called 00:35:36.940 --> 00:35:39.320 to be like Jesus. And if Jesus celebrates, we 00:35:39.320 --> 00:35:42.019 celebrate. If Jesus goes to find the lost, we 00:35:42.019 --> 00:35:44.280 find the lost. If Jesus says when the lost come 00:35:44.280 --> 00:35:46.860 home, we don't question them. We don't dog them. 00:35:46.940 --> 00:35:50.969 We just say, welcome home. Let's party. If that's 00:35:50.969 --> 00:35:53.610 what we see from God, if that's what we see from 00:35:53.610 --> 00:35:56.449 Jesus, that's what we do. So this morning, if 00:35:56.449 --> 00:35:59.329 you've walked away, if you feel like you maybe 00:35:59.329 --> 00:36:01.510 could find a better way, but you realize that 00:36:01.510 --> 00:36:03.710 you couldn't, that there was no way out there 00:36:03.710 --> 00:36:05.630 that could really give you the abundant and full 00:36:05.630 --> 00:36:09.329 life that God wants. If you feel lost or if you 00:36:09.329 --> 00:36:12.690 know somebody that you know is out there wandering, 00:36:12.809 --> 00:36:14.769 if you know somebody that you know is sleeping 00:36:14.769 --> 00:36:17.010 with the pigs because they've trusted in their 00:36:17.010 --> 00:36:19.789 own understanding or if that's you. Wherever 00:36:19.789 --> 00:36:22.269 you sit today, whatever part of the spectrum 00:36:22.269 --> 00:36:25.170 that you're on this morning, the invitation is 00:36:25.170 --> 00:36:28.289 the same. Come home. And when you come home, 00:36:28.429 --> 00:36:31.809 know that this church is going to celebrate you. 00:36:32.469 --> 00:36:35.170 Not because of you, but because of what you mean 00:36:35.170 --> 00:36:38.429 to God and what you mean to us. So wherever you're 00:36:38.429 --> 00:36:40.329 at this morning, we invite you to come as we 00:36:40.329 --> 00:36:41.289 stand and as we sing.